CHAPTER 3 - THERAPY SESSION
If anyone can find them, we can.
Zane's words rang in my ears long after he said them. When I got back into school, lunch was over and everyone was headed to their next class. I made a beeline for my locker and grabbed by literature book from inside.
I had exactly three minutes to get to class before Miss Peirske got here. Not that it mattered... Miss Peirske was a twenty-seven year old Literature expert. She adored books and writing, and she was super nice. Even if we were a few minutes late, she never gave us detention. The only reason someone would get in trouble was for not reading or not respecting the books. Obvious to say: this was my favorite class.
As I sat there listening to Miss Peirske talk about the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet, my mind began to drift.
All those times I saw her, and her name was Carter. Carter Cambridge. And I never even said hello. I just listened to my Mom, told Dr. Cave about her, and pretended I was crazy for believing that she did exist. And now... Now she was gone, and I was expected to save her?
But then again, it was a two-way street. Why did she never say hi to me? Was there a rule: Origionals must greet the Doppleganger first? I doubted it.
As I sat there, my mind drifted to the top-secret quest. What was it? Zane had said that they were like a highly-secret branch of the Military... so what did America need them for? Was the country in trouble? Couldn't be. Something would have slipped onto the news. It always did. But still... It was a bit strange. All of it.
"Miss Pardil... Did you hear me?"
I looked up to see Miss Peirske standing right infront of my desk. "Uh. No, ma'am."
"Thinking about the intoxicating romance that Shakespere displayed within the pages of Romeo and Juliet no doubt. Yes," Miss Peirske said in a soft and soothing voice, "I could do that for hours. And that's what literature is all about, isn't it? Learning from the pages, thinking on the very words, getting lost in the emotion that is despelled. I, too, can only imagine what it would be like to be fair Juliet. Alone, and forced to marry one she did not truely love. Finding out her love is dead. A tragedy indeed. But then there is also Romeo's point of view. His one dear is marrying another, and he is an outcast among his own people. Then, believing her to be dead, and finding another man morning over her body. What a cruel game love plays, but, if won, the reward is to great to imagine, except by those who have it."
When she wants to, Miss Peirske can bring the whole class to tears. She does have a way of moving people with words. I supose that's part of the reason she went into literature in the first place.
After class, I went to exchange books in my locker.
"What was that all about?"
I turned to see Beth standing behind me. "What was what all about?"
She glanced around then spoke in a whisper. "You know, that guy? In the black hoodie at lunch?"
"Oh," I said, grabbing my Global book. "That was nothing. Just a guy. Being a guy."
Beth scowled. "Pay. What did he want?"
I glanced at my phone. "I'm gonna be late for class. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
As I sprinted down the hall, I knew Beth was angry. We never kept secrets, but how could I tell her this? How could I tell her anything? It wasn't exactly something you just spread aound. "Oh, hey everyone, I have a Doppleganger. Don't know what that is? It's a duplicate of myself, and it can't die unless I do, and the best part: she's missing and I have to go save her!"
