Forlot: Not What I Am - Book Twenty

Chapter Six

"Seriously?" Her eyebrows lowered. "Seriously. LotFor is run by evil and has an overlord who is full of himself. I dare that you ask me that again."

"Jeez. Sorry," I apologized. "I do not know what we should talk about."

"How about the reason why you were brought to LotFor? Why the overlord wants you."

I facepalmed. "I forgot that. Would you believe that I forgot that?"

She smiled. "Hehe. I am the same. It goes in one ear and out the other."

I bit into a chicken strip and chewed. "I hear ya." I swallowed and chuckled. "Pardon me. I talked while I was eating."

"That is alright, Caleb. I am far from a formal person."

"Ava...could I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure! What is on your mind?"

"Um...do I have to call you Ava?"

Anti-Ava swallowed some broccoli. "Of course. That is the name that I was born with."

"Well...this..." I motioned with a finger to her and me. "...this is awkward."

"Why? Hold it. Do you have a crush on me?"

When I heard her say that, I became the most embarrassed boy on the planet. Er, alternate universe.

And it instantly got worse when Anti-Ava asked, "Caleb? Why is your skin changing to bright red? Are you part tomato?"

My anxiety hit the roofs of my brain and body, and I was on the urge of having a panic attack. Hearing Cindy's teachings, I pressed my back against the chair and breathed slowly.

However, as soon as I had relaxed, Anti-Ava panicked.

"Caleb? Caleb!" She grasped both of my shoulders. "Speak to me! Are you okay?"

I found my voice and replied, "Now I am, yes."

"Phew." She wiped sweat from her forehead. "Do not scare me like that."

"It is okay...Ava. It was just a panic attack."

"Just a panic attack? Just a panic attack?! If your anti was not dead, he would say otherwise!"

I was so taken aback by the twist and her outburst, I nearly fell off the chair. My glasses became crooked, and I adjusted them to the perfect angle.

Anti-Ava's face was as pale as toothpaste, and she placed her palms over her mouth, like that she regretted what she said.

"My...my anti...Anti-Caleb is dead?" I managed to choke out the words.

Anti-Ava slowly lowered her hands, which were now shaking. Her eyes softened, and I took notice that one of her pupils was white.

"What happened to your eye? If you do not mind me asking."

"I am blind in that eye. Did I not tell you that?"

"I do not believe so."

She put a strand of hair over her ear. "You remember Anti-Cindy's scar?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"He did both. He cut Anti-Cindy and gave me the blind eye."

"Oh my gosh. That is terrible. Is it your overlord? I want the name and phone number of this guy and will...give them to Cindy and anyone else from Forlot who can pack a punch."

"You may believe it or not, Caleb. Actually, you should because he is your anti."

It took me a few seconds to realize what she meant. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you saying that my anti, Anti-Caleb...hurt you and Anti-Cindy?"

"Five years before his death. He died from a panic attack."

"Dang. He definitely is the opposite of me."

"He was never caring to me, Anti-Cindy, or any of the townsfolk in LotFor. You have no idea how awkward it is for me to be near you."

Finally! Someone who understood me and my pain.

"Actually, Ava...I do understand."

"You do? How?"

"It is a long story, but to make it short, I was abandoned by my biological parents and abused by Ava."

Anti-Ava pointed at herself. "I never—"

I interrupted her again. "Not you. The Ava in Forlot. She is evil and loves abusing me to the fullest. It is one of the few reasons why I have trouble trusting women."

"Does she hate white men who are straight and Christians?"

"She is evil, but not that evil."

"That is good...I think."

"Hearing and being with you and chatting with you are why I asked you about your name. I was wondering...if I could call you by another name."

"Of course. Sure, sure. I do not want to make you more uncomfortable than I already have."

"Nah. You have no control over the Forlot Ava. I am just sorry that Anti-Caleb made you blind in one eye."

"Like I said, it was five years ago. Five long years to forget the trauma. Thank the Lord from above that I can still see in the other."

I rubbed my chin. "What should I call you?"

"Hmm. How about Cindy?"

"Cindy is the name of my girlfriend."

"Oh, yeah. Ooh! What about Tamara?"

"Already know someone in Forlot named Tamara, and she is a baby."

"Ah. Okay. Hmm..."

I snapped my fingers. "How does the name Ada sound?"

"Ada? Love it!"

"That is what I will call you from now on. Ada."

"Yay!" Ada clapped and slowly stopped. "H-hey. Want to hear a messed up secret?"

"A messed up secret? What is messed up about it?"

You will found out when I tell you, for it is my secret." She cleared her throat. "Despite the fact that he treated everyone in LotFor like a pack of slaves, I...I loved Anti-Caleb."

I was shocked by this reveal. "Wow. That is messed up."

"That is not the messed up part. It was disturbing that I had feelings for my...my brother."

My bottom jaw dropped, and if it were possible, it would have hit the floor. "You and my anti...are siblings? Sister and brother?"

She slowly nodded. "Like you and your Ava, he and I are related."

"Whoa. Wrong. Ava and I are not related...right?"