THE OTHER ME

Episode 𝑻𝒘𝒐: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒓. 𝑲𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒆

ETHAN WALKER

Saturday mornings at River Heights High School were different. The usual quiet was replaced with the distant echo of footballs being kicked, voices calling out plays, and laughter from the sidelines. I walked toward the field, my backpack slung over one shoulder, my mind still racing from the day before. Saturdays weren't my favorite, but with the upcoming interschool competition, practice was mandatory. The girls came too, either to cheer on the team or gossip under the bleachers. I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope Jenna would be there.

When I arrived, there she was, standing near the entrance with that same beautiful smile that had completely disarmed me the day before.

"Hey, Ethan!" she greeted, her voice bright and warm. "How are you?"

It was such a simple question, but for some reason, my brain locked up. She was standing right in front of me, waiting for me to say something, but my words got caught in my throat. What was wrong with me?

"I-uh, I'm... pretty good," I finally managed, my voice sounding weaker than I intended. She kept smiling at me, like she was expecting me to continue the conversation. There was a moment of awkward silence where she lingered, clearly waiting for me to say something else, but nothing came. My mind was a complete blank.

I mentally cursed myself. What could I even say? But before I could think of anything, Jake Callahan, the hottest guy in our class, strolled over. Of course, it had to be Jake. Tall, athletic, with a natural confidence I could only dream of. He was the guy everyone noticed, especially the girls.

"Hey, Jenna," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder with a casual familiarity. He shot me a smug grin. "What are you doing with this smallie?"

Without even waiting for her to reply, he led her away, leaving me standing there, dumbfounded. I clenched my fists. What did he have that I didn't? We were the same height, in the same class. The only difference was that Jake was good at sports. I, on the other hand, couldn't kick a ball to save my life.

The football match started shortly after. I was on the field, but no one really noticed. All eyes were on Jake, who was effortlessly scoring goal after goal. I wasn't completely useless, though. At one point, I managed to pass the ball to him for an assist, which led to another score. For a brief moment, I felt a rush of pride, like maybe I could finally contribute something.

I ran toward Jake, hoping to celebrate, but instead of thanking me, he shoved me to the ground. "Stay out of the way, Walker," he sneered. The girls on the sideline giggled, but Jenna didn't. She glanced my way, her expression soft, like she actually felt bad for me. But it didn't matter. I was still the one lying in the dirt.

At halftime, I finally spotted my best friend, Sam, arriving late as usual. I rushed over to him, eager to show him the flyer I'd picked up the day before. "Look at this," I said, shoving the paper in his face.

He scanned it, his eyebrows raising. "Mr. Thaddeus Krane? Dude, you know people say that guy is creepy, right? My mom even warned me not to go to his shows."

I shrugged. "I mean, I've heard the rumors, but it's just science stuff. And it's every week. We could go today after the match."

Sam frowned. "5 PM is kinda late, don't you think? The match will be over by 3, and then what, we hang around for two hours?"

He had a point. I hadn't really thought it through. "Yeah, maybe not today," I muttered, folding the flyer and stuffing it back into my pocket.

The match ended, and as everyone was packing up, I saw Jenna again, standing near the edge of the field. I wanted to talk to her, to bring up something-anything-but before I could take a step, Jake swooped in again. "Got plans for the afternoon?" I heard him ask her, and just like that, they were walking away together.

I stood there, watching them disappear into the crowd, frustration building inside me. I had left Sam behind just to try and talk to Jenna, but now Jake had taken her away again. What did he have that I didn't?

As students began leaving, I decided to hang around a bit longer. Maybe I could still make it to Mr. Krane's show. The time dragged on, though, and by 3:30, I was already impatient. It was still too early, but I figured I'd check out the place anyway.

By the time I reached the location on the flyer, it was 4 PM. The door to the building was slightly ajar, like it had been waiting for me. I hesitated but then pushed it open.

The inside looked ancient, like the place hadn't been touched in years. Dust covered everything except for the large table at the center, which was neatly arranged with all sorts of chemicals and equipment. I recognized some of it from school-Bunsen burners, conical flasks, and test tubes-but there were other things I couldn't place, strange machines with wires and glowing liquids.

As I wandered closer, I felt a sudden prick on my thumb. I looked down to see blood welling up from a small cut. I quickly licked it, wincing at the taste of iron.

"Hey," a voice said from behind me.

I spun around, startled, and there he was. Mr. Thaddeus Krane, standing in the doorway. He looked like an old, shabby version of Albert Einstein, his wild hair sticking out in every direction, his clothes wrinkled and stained with who knew what.

"Mr. Krane?" I stammered, both scared and curious.

"Yes, my boy! Aren't you a bit early for the show?" His voice was raspy but full of energy.

"I-I just wanted to say hello," I stuttered, backing away slightly.

"Hi," Mr. Krane replied with a strange, unsettling smile. He didn't move from the doorway.

"I should... I should be going now," I said, already retreating toward the exit.

"See you around," he called after me, waving with that same weird grin.

I bolted out of there, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn't stop until I was a good distance away from the building, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I grabbed my bag and headed straight home, determined never to set foot near that place again.

When I finally walked through the front door, my mom noticed the look on my face. "You okay, Ethan? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied, forcing a smile. "A dog chased me home."

She seemed satisfied with that explanation, and I went to eat lunch, but I couldn't get Mr. Krane out of my head. Something about him, about that place, stuck with me. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to his science than just simple tricks and experiments. But no way was I going back to find out. Not after today.