THE DOPPELGÄNGER, Chapter 3
Elsie carefully placed the tablet on her nightstand and drew up the covers.
She took a deep breath as she mulled over the day's events. She'd fully anticipated Lara sending over a hard luck case, but at least one she could in some way relate to. But this…
Hell it's not even human…
She kicked herself mentally. If she was going to help this…being…she had to get her mindset off the creature's supernatural origin. If anything, it only served to heighten her own trepidation - hardly an ideal situation if she was to help the young woman.
What form that help would take was still a very large question. For now, she'd content herself with making the doppelgänger comfortable in her home; there'd be time enough to tackle the more complicated matters later.
One of the first of which would have to be better sleeping accommodations; she'd prepared her futon in the living room, but it was far from a practical long-term solution. She'd long ago converted her tiny flat's second bedroom into a study, and was loath to give up her precious sanctuary.
Conversely, moving to a larger flat was out of the question. One, her budget was stretched as it was, and finding a larger place at a similar price point would place it firmly outside the city core, a critical consideration given her relative proximity to the Gallery: she could walk to work in under an hour on those days her car wasn't in the mood.
If she brought the problem to Gellis her friend would doubtlessly argue in favour of bussing. Elsie shuddered at the prospect: if there was one thing she disliked more than crowds it was densely-packed groups of strangers in small, confined spaces.
No, she'd have to figure something out.
She reached out and turned off her fly agaric lamp. Curling herself into a ball, she clutched a pillow to her chest.
Tomorrow, she told herself.
And drifted off.
-oOo-
Elsie's eyes popped open.
The absence of the distant rumble of street traffic hinted at the wee hours of the morning.
The room was cloaked in darkness. She lay still in her bed, almost afraid to move. Had her nightlight burned out?
It evoked terrifying memories from her childhood, a feeling of sheer terror she'd fervently hoped to never revisit. Her inner voice was screaming as the hair on the back of her neck bristled.
Something was off.
Her body stiffened under the blankets as she held her breath.
Slowly her eyes adjusted to the dark, finally coming to focus on a shadow blocking the comforting glow of her nightlight.
There, faintly silhouetted against the wall next to her bed, loomed a figure.
"JEZZUS!" screamed Elsie as she scrambled into a sitting position, her back impacting forcefully against the headboard. The shadow remained absolutely still.
Elise's trembling hand reached out and flicked on the nightstand's lamp.
Against the wall stood the doppelgänger, unmoving and gazing at her in silence.
"What the Hell are you doing?" barked the blonde with equal mix fear and anger.
The redhead inclined her head slightly.
"I'm curious," replied Doppie, "I was quite silent – how did you wake?"
Elsie struggled to bring her racing heart under control. "You can't just wander into someone's bedroom and stare at them like that, all right? Not cool!"
"You were in no danger."
"I don't care!" shot the blonde as she glared at her guest. "It's creepy as fuck!"
A slight smile tugged on the corners of the doppelgänger's mouth.
"Do I frighten you?"
"Yes, dammit!"
The redhead's mouth slowly closed.
Elsie's shoulders sagged. "Okay, look," she continued, mindful to keep her voice on an even keel, "I'm sorry for snapping, okay? But people…generally don't sleep well when they're being watched. Call it a sixth sense if you want –"
"How did you come by this ability?" asked the doppelgänger with a slight tilt of the head.
"I…never came by it," replied Elsie. She ran her hand through her disheveled mane before continuing. "Look, can we continue this conversation in the morning, please? It's barely past midnight!"
"If you like."
"I do," replied the blonde emphatically. "Really...just…go get some sleep, okay?"
Golden-yellow eyes blinked. "I don't require sleep."
Elsie threw her blanket down into her lap. "Let me guess," she huffed, "Another of those human 'weaknesses'?"
"You are very vulnerable while you sleep," stated Doppie matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, don't remind me," returned the blonde, shuddering. She wondered if the redhead was deriving some sort of twisted pleasure from unnerving her - if so she was doing a bang-up job of it.
It suddenly dawned on her.
"Hang on," said Elsie slowly, "You mean…you've never slept?"
"I have not."
"So…you've never dreamed, either…"
The redhead looked at her oddly. "As in unconscious hallucinations?"
"Well...they're more than just hallucinations," explained Elsie. "Dreams can provide you with insight, you might even learn some deep truths about yourself. I guess you could say they're your subconscious' way of speaking to you, in a way."
A skeptical raise of an eyebrow.
"My…subconscious," stated the redhead.
"Sure, exactly," said Elsie. "You know, it's something I really think you should explore…"
Elsie threw her blankets aside and slid off the bed.
"Come on," she said as she grabbed Doppie's arm. "Let's get you started."
She made her way the tiny living room, the doppelgänger in tow. Drawing back the undisturbed blankets on the futon, Elsie stood aside and gestured to the improvised bed.
"Here you go," she said. "Make yourself comfortable. It's not a proper bed, I know, but it'll do until I figure out something better."
The redhead stared at the couch as though it were a spike-lined pit.
"Something wrong?"
"I don't see the point in this," replied Doppie in a low voice. "This notion of voluntarily losing consciousness is...unsettling."
Elsie tried to hide her exasperation, her frustration only mildly tempered by the fact she didn't have to go to work in the morning.
"Okay, look," said Elsie in as conciliatory a tone as she could manage, "I don't want to push you into anything, but sometimes it's better to just go all in and get it over with, cannonball-style. Who knows, you might even like it!"
The doppelgänger seemed decidedly unimpressed.
An idea flashed in Elsie's mind.
"Unless, of course," amended the blonde slyly, "Sleeping is simply...beyond your capabilities?"
The woman's unnatural golden eyes narrowed and seemed to glow in intensity.
Well she has an ego, at least…
Doppie glared at her host. Elsie held her ground, staring back without flinching as she tried to conceal her nervousness. She might be Lara's virtual twin, but there was a decidedly intimidating quality to the redhead.
"It is a dangerous game you play," warned the doppelgänger.
"Does that mean you can't, then?" countered the blonde all while hoping she wasn't pushing the redhead too far.
The doppelgänger seemed to be struggling with herself, eventually giving her host an almost imperceptible nod.
"Very well," she said icily. "I'll accede to your pointless request."
"Thank you!" blurted the blonde with relief.
With that, Doppie sat on the edge of the futon and removed her boots; the redhead's body language was such that Elsie had the impression of someone distinctly unused to sitting.
Moments later the doppelgänger was stretched out on the improvised bed, arms held stiffly against her sides.
"Geez, try and relax a little," said Elsie as she drew the blanket up to the doppelgänger's shoulders. "You look like you're ready for a Luge run..."
Doppie stared at the ceiling. "How...will I wake?"
"Don't worry," assured the blonde. "It'll come naturally."
"But if -"
"Tell you what, if you're still asleep when I check in on you in the morning I'll wake you up, how's that?"
A frustrated sigh from the doppelgänger. "This is insipid..."
Elsie sat on the arm of the couch. "Just trust me on this," she said soothingly. "Frankly I'm amazed you've never slept before, most people would go insane after a week...I can't imagine what keeps you going..."
"I begin to wonder myself," grumbled Doppie.
"It'll get easier," promised the blonde, patting the doppelgänger's hand through the blanket. "I guess this is kind of culture shock for you, huh?"
"You've no idea," retuned the redhead, her voice a bare whisper.
Elsie leaned closer and frowned. "Hey -"
The redhead squeezed her eyes shut.
Elsie bit her lip.
Shit…she's really hating this…
Little wonder; the notion of sleep must have seemed utterly alien to the doppelgänger. She was lowering her guard completely - possibly for the first time in her existence.
The blonde reached out, intending to brush back a few stray auburn strands from the doppelgänger's forehead. Elsie swallowed, her hand trembling slightly; with her golden-yellow eyes closed, the redhead's resemblance to Lara was even more striking…
Just how much of her is in you...?
But it wasn't the archaeologist, she reminded herself. She would have to keep that little fact firmly in mind in the coming days.
Elsie slowly withdrew her hand.
"I know I'm asking a lot," she said softly. "But you won't have to go it alone."
With that, Elsie went and retrieved her pillows and blanket from her bed. Settling herself on the floor with her back against the futon, she positioned the pillows behind her to allow at least a modicum of comfort.
She leaned back against the improvised bed and drew her blanket up to her chin. It would not be a comfortable repose.
"I'll be right here," she whispered. "You'll get through this..."
And settled into a fitful sleep.