Northwest Passages

Pacifica

"Why are you really doing this?" Lebam asked me. "I don't believe it's from the goodness of your heart. I'm not going to be some kind of plaything for you, am I?"

"No," I said. "I need someone with me to protect me from the ghost."

"What ghost?" asked Lebam.

"There's a family story, handed down from generations ago, about this insane lumberjack ghost who hates the Northwests. He's due to return this year, 150 years after his death," I said.

"So you don't really know if there's going to be a ghost?" Lebam asked. "It's just a legend?"

"My parents seem convinced something will happen, at least Mother is convinced more than Father," I said. "The curse was written down: "And so I say with my final breath, in 150 years I'll return from death. And if the gate's still closed to town, wealthy blood will stain the ground."

"What's that part about the gate being closed to town?" Lebam asked.

"Something to do with the big party we throw every year, the Northwest Fest," I said. "That's in a couple of weeks from now. We have a high-quality guest list of millionaires and billionaires. I think the ghost wants us to invite in common folk, which we're never going to do."

"If you don't, the ghost is threatening to kill you," Lebam said. "You should really think about it."

"Like you said, nothing may happen at all," I said. "If it does, we'll get someone to deal with the ghost."

"Then why do you need me?" asked Lebam.

"Just in case the ghost shows up some night and tries to kill us in our sleep," I said. "You've got great hearing, you're strong and fast, and you're not a Northwest."

"I don't mind being a bodyguard for a roof over my head," said Lebam. "But that's all."

"That's all I'm asking for," I said.

"There's a reason I asked about being a plaything," said Lebam. "I can scent hormones, and it seems like you've been attracted to me all through the day, even before you knew I wasn't Mabel. Am I right?"

"Don't try to read my mind with your monster senses," I said. "I'm not attracted to you."

I did like her, in a way. Lebam was as beautiful as Mabel, but without the constant goofiness that could get annoying after a while. She had a different scent too, just like Mabel but with a hint of the llama sweater that Mabel gave me which I treasured in my closet but never wore. But I wasn't going to admit my feelings to her, not now.

We entered the main gates, and went past the fountain. The statue of me that they sometimes put in the fountain basin wasn't out, but I wasn't really expecting it because I wasn't returning home from a great triumph. I was sneaking in after being out late. It was all right. My parents were still off at some society event and the servants wouldn't dare to talk.

Lebam said, "If I ever thought about a relationship with you or with anyone, I couldn't do it as I am now. I'm not anyone's equal. I have no rights and no identity."

"If you need your own identity maybe I can help," I said, "Documents can be forged for a price. My family has done it before for illegal aliens with skills we needed."

"I'd be so grateful if you could do that," said Lebam. "You don't know what it's like, to be just a copy. I don't have a right to anything Mabel has. No family, no friends, no stuff, not even a social security number. I came into being with a copy of Mabel's memories up to the moment Gideon got a hair sample from her. I was happy for less than a minute, before Gideon told me I was a mirror clone, that I belonged to him and had to obey him, and that he didn't even want me because Mabel was the real thing and I was only second best."

"I once made a paper clone that reacted badly," I said. "I can imagine how it must feel."

"You can't," Lebam said. "I hope you never have to go through that, finding out everything you thought you knew was a lie, that the whole basis for your identity was false."

We sneaked quietly up the stairs in the main hall, under the big family portrait with a me at about five with a big red bow in my hair.

"You know, I've never seen you wear a bow like that," said Lebam. "You look cute that way."

"My parents don't allow that any more," I said. "It's unfashionable to have unsymmetrical hair styles or ornaments."

"Really? I've never heard that one," said Lebam.

"Well, your fashion ideas come from Mabel's memories, and she's not up on the latest things like that," I said.

"You ought to try being unsymmetrical some time," said Lebam. "You might be surprised at how good it looks."

"I wouldn't dare," I said. "My parents..."

"Why are you so afraid of your parents?" Lebam asked.

"They have this bell, and every time they ring it I know they don't approve and I have to do what they say immediately."

"They really have you trained, don't they?" Lebam said.

I nodded.

By this time we had reached my room, and we slipped inside, still without anyone noticing us.

"It's funny how Mabel gave you a llama sweater and put us into competition for the same position on the Wheel," Lebam said. "She's very perceptive, sometimes."

"You have to explain that Wheel thing. One time you said the Llama is destined to be with Gideon," I said.

"There was a triangular demon who spoke to me in a dream and told me that," Lebam said. "It's too late to go into details now. I'll tell you tomorrow after a good rest."

"You can sleep on the couch on the side of my room," I offered.

"There's plenty of room in your big bed, if you don't mind," said Lebam. "I'm not offering to do anything, you know. But I'll be right there in case any ghost comes along."

For some reason I had started to feel relaxed and comfortable with her. I let her share my bed.

Late in the night I turned over and a found a note on her pillow. It said, "I have an idea I need to check out. We may have a lot more in common than you think. Back soon."

I waited up for a while, but she didn't return. I went back to sleep.

In the morning Lebam was still gone. I called Dipper at the Mystery Shack and asked if he had heard from her.

"Lebam came here late last night," said Dipper. "It was weird. She had forgotten everything from the moment she was cloned from Mabel. She woke me and said there was a copy of her in her bed. She'd even forgotten she was the copy."