A/N:

Thank you so much for the new reviews! It definitely inspired me to write this chapter! Would love to hear your thought and predictions :)

Happy reading!

Chapter 5

I ate noodles with my Twilight family in a house that looked like my house, but plopped in Washington. Everything was warily similar to my Florida life — my real life, but slightly off. It was like looking into a fun house mirror — recognizable, but not at the same time.

During dinner I was some how on auto pilot not really sure what I should do or what was happening at all. After we ate I cleared the plates, like I normally would. I wiped down the table, which was always my responsibility too. Then I trudged upstairs and sat in Twilight Kim's room. I'd normally fuck around on social media under the guise of doing homework, but living in flip-phone land of 2005 meant that was not an option.

I just sat there trying to figure out what people did before they spent 15 hours a day on their phones, but was saved by a slight knock at the door. Before I could even respond, Anna had already opened the door. She stood at the threshold and ran her hand several times through her dark curls as she stared at me, swallowing.

This was a mannerism of my Anna. My sister that I knew so well, despite the girl in front of me being some sort of fictional paranormal version of her self — I knew Anna.

"You're worried about me." Flew out of me as the statement it was. Anna's fidgets we're ever so telling. She was clearly concerned, as she probably should be. Her sister was found in the middle of the woods, reportedly delirious, and now I'm sure acting very, very sus.

Anna nodded slowly.

"Should I be?" She asked cautiously.

"Maybe." We locked eyes. Two girls. Two sisters — but not sisters. I had been trying not to reveal my hand here, but I was ready to relent. I needed something to go off of. Some guidance.

Anna, my Anna, could be a Mensa member. Granted — she'd be a Mensa member who read fucking Twilight, but she was still off the charts brilliant. The girl did logical puzzles for fun, and could solve a rubix cube in seconds. I was pretty sure Twilight Anna was the same. If anyone could solve the puzzle I found myself in — it was her.

I huffed out some air as she moved to sit on the bed and pressed her palms into my plaid comforter. "Anna — something is happening." The air was thick as she stared at me blankly, waiting for me to continue. I closed my eyes, hoping to give myself the courage to just spit it all out.

"I…I think I'm in a coma," I blurted out, terrified of her response. In the still silence I slowly opened my eyes again to see her looking at me, ever so pensively. She cocked her head to the right, almost audibly thinking. And then her eyes lit up. Anna shot up and left my room and then returned with a plastic bag in hand. Any worried look or hint of anxiety had vanished as she morphed into the cerebral version of herself. I took breath, as I realized she considered my words and did not dismiss them — or me — as insane. I was now a puzzle that she was willing to help solve.

"I read a book about comas over the summer." I inched my feet forward, wheeling the desk chair toward her and her mystery plastic bag. "If you are in a coma, Kim, you would be what's called a closed information system. That means that you couldn't generate new knowledge that is not a permutation of your current knowledge."

I stared back at her trying to swim through the vocabulary lesson.

Uninterested in my simpleton confusion, she fished out some yarn and knitting needles from the bag. Our Grandma had taught her in elementary school, but I opted to watch box opening shows on my iPad instead.

"You still can't knit — correct?" I nodded my head. Twilight Kim must have opted to skip Grandma's knitting lessons too.

"OK. I am going to teach you how to knit.

If you are able to learn something completely new, you can assume you are in interaction with a more complex system than yourself and you are in fact in reality."

I pursed my lips, finally following.

Anna shoved the yarn and needles in my lap and proceeded to teach me how to knit. I listened and followed her directions making a few rows of a garter stitch— as she informed me — a term brand new to me.

"There," she smiled. "You learned something new! Not in a coma!!" she soothed with a deep grin, clearly satisfied with herself. I was still swimming, thrusted into a new sea of confusion.

Her theory made some sense, I gathered. But then if not a coma, then what?

"Why did you think you were in a coma, anyway?"

I crossed my arms. Could I tell Anna about my real life. That If I wasn't in a coma meant that I was now living in a book. That she — her whole world — was a hit paranormal teen drama from 17 years ago? And somehow I plopped into it.

Anna's grin morphed back into a concerned line as she watched me stew in my own anxiety. I knew I had to fill the room with some words. Some sort of explanation.

"Everything since Sam and Paul found me… it seems weird. Off." This was true. "I just thought maybe I was still dreaming."

I could feel her thinking loudly again and I couldn't look at her in the face in fear that I would spill my delusional guts out, thoroughly freak her out and be sent to a mental institution.

My eyes darted around Twilight Kim's room instead. It was similar to mine in Tampa, but like everything else, also different. The walls were painted a light teal like mine and the bedspread was even the same, but it wasn't mine in the details.

I was a proud non-athlete, a self proclaimed indoor kid, but Twilight Kim had a well worn catchers mit and quite a few trophies displayed on her vanity. It looked like she journaled — a lot — as she had several volumes stacked on a desk by a lamp. I was too busy looking at videos and pictures of people I would never meet to journal.

On Twilight Kim's desk were several framed photos of her in the center of a bunch of people I didn't know. It seemed like she did so many different things — fish, hike, go-carting. All things I watched others do on YouTube, but hadn't done myself. Twilight Kim was always smiling, and not the fake "cheese" smile, but smiling with her whole face, with her whole body. She beamed in the pictures.

Oddly enough, Twilight Kim looked like me. I knew I was part indigenous, but didn't realize we were Quileute. But this Kim looked exactly like me physically. Still, I paused in thinking that she was objectively prettier. Her skin glowed a little more, or maybe it was the way her hair fell, I couldn't quite pinpoint it. Anyhow, it was clear to me that she was not a 5 at all. Maybe even a potential candidate for a Hot Girl Summer. By the way Paul talked to me, by how the others reacted to my assertiveness, I assumed she was meek. But this was not the remnants of a timid girl. Gentle, maybe a rule follower— but confident.

And if I was her — if she was me — there must be a little bit of me like that too? Maybe?

Something inside me tingled at that thought. I physically felt it ever so slightly, like pins and needles. As if I stretched and something inside me snapped back together at the notion that I was more than what I thought I was.

All this passed through my mind in just a moment. I looked back at Anna who waited for me to speak. But before I could make a decision about divulging more information to Anna, our conversation was interrupted by the door bell downstairs. I quickly heard our mother shuffle to get it and then his voice hit me like a bucket of ice.

"Hi Mrs. Conweller, I'm sure Kim's resting, but if she's available I was really hoping to speak to her." I froze, my skin turned stiff from his lips deep honey voice.

"Oh, I'm sure that would cheer her up Jared."

Jared. Here! Why was he here? It seemed like he wanted nothing to do with me at the hospital. Like he was bored to be there. Nearly appalled at the idea of imprinting on me.

My mother told him to head up to my room. There was a light knock and then the door slowly inched open. He stood in the threshold next to Anna in a pair of baggy jeans, an old white t shirt and a maroon hoodie with the hood over his head. It must have been drizzling outside as the bridge of his nose was dusted with the slightest of water beads.

I sat back, eyeing him before either of us said anything. He really was beautiful. Handsome, a give in, but also just beautiful in a sexy boyish way. Like an indigenous Shawn Mendez. Obviously Twilight Kim fell for him. Who wouldn't?!

His eyes were dark and his energy was heavier than when he was at the hospital. He glanced over at Anna and asked if he could have a word with me alone. She nodded and headed out, closing the door behind her.

His deep eyes made their way back to me.

"Would it be ok if I sat down?" He asked sweetly. I nodded slowly. As his eyes met mine there was something that wasn't there before. A soft ember of something now. A very slight glow in his eye. He seemed to be a bit confused by it, but then shook his head. Seemingly shaking it off.

I gulped. I had no idea what Twilight Kim's relationship was like with Jared. I assumed non-existent, but he seemed to know her a little — know some part of me.

He plopped down on the bed, and flipped the hood off his head. His legs bent over the side as he looked forward toward the stack of journals on the desk.

"I wanted to come over and apologize…" His voice was so husky, " about how I was at the hospital. I didn't mean to be so…dismissive. I… just was surprised, I guess."

He looked over at me again. He was so delicious looking. Like the perfect praline in a jewel box Parisian bakery. I took in his skin and his lips, so juicy. He looked at me looking at him and then our eyes locked. The soft, slight glow was back again. I felt heat emanating off me and electricity jumping through me.

What in the world was this? Not a coma, according to Twilight Anna, but then what? He said he didn't imprint on me, but this couldn't be normal. I mean, how could it be? I was speaking to a fictional character in his universe, no less. And beyond that I was clearly attracted to this character.

Jolted by whatever it was, he stood up and stalked over to me. Petrified, I inched away, rolling my chair backwards until it hit the dresser behind me. Jared's soft tan hand reached out to me and cupped my cheek. I looked at him as he crouched down ever so closely, nearly pressing his lips upon mine.

I was transfixed for a moment. The idea of leaning into his soft kiss. Him holding my face as he brought me in closer and kissed me again and again. I'd be lost in the velvet pillowy texture of his lips. I could stay in Jared kiss fantasyland forever, but… who was I kidding? I'm me. Tampa Kim. She doesn't get that kind of stuff.

And with that thought, like a snapped twig, the moment ceased. Jared pulled back and looked at me again. Any spark or ember all gone.

"Uh, sorry Kim. That was really weird. I'm not sure what got into me there." He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck.

I gulped. Must have been a weird laps in judgment or something.

"I just came here to say I'm sorry, Kim…"

"Well, that's a weird fucking way to say sorry." Both our heads whipped over to the new voice coming from door.

Paul. And as usual he looked pissed. My face crinkled. Why was Twilight mom just sending beautiful boys to my room? Why couldn't Paul just leave me alone? Why did he have so much skin in the game where Twilight Kim was concerned?

"What are you doing here?" I asked Paul.

"Would love to know that too," came from Jared, slightly more annoyed.

"Sam needs you at Emily's. Seemed important."

Jared nodded and looked back at me.

"See you at school Kim." I couldn't manage any words, so just nodded mindlessly at him. He slinked out and lightly closed the door. But oddly, Paul remained.

Once the door clicked and we heard Jared retreat out of the house, it was like Paul had taken off a mask. Like he was able to relax, just a little bit. He still looked at me harshly, like I had been a very petulant child. He crossed his arms again. Seemingly a favorite stance of his.

He huffed a bit and he became flushed. His heavy feet clunked on the bedroom floor as he started to pace before turning to me, like he knew me. Like he really knew me.

"Baby, what the ever loving fuck is going on?"

My eyes widened in shock.

Baby?!? Why was Paul calling me — Or Twilight Kim, rather — baby?