Chapter 2
"Two months is a long time," Marshall said on the phone. "Lucas and Vaughn really took it hard. They've become surprisingly close. It's good... Of course, I mean that... you're just turning my words against me now... Alright, I'll talk to you later... Bye."
Lucas entered the room, his face slightly red. "Who was that?"
"What? Oh, just a friend," Marshall replied. "Did you and Vaughn have a good conversation?"
"It wasn't really a conversation," Lucas said. "It was... never mind."
Marshall knew something was wrong. "Tell me. I'm curious now."
"Can we just drop it?" Lucas reacted. "I don't want to or need to talk about it."
Raising his hands in defeat, Marshall let the subject drop. Lucas, thankful that he did, sat down in front of his laptop and opened it up. Attaching the headphones, Lucas blocked out everything around him as he started to watch some movies.
"Oh great, detachment guy again," Marshall muttered to himself angrily. "Vaughn must have had some news on Josie."
"I heard that," Lucas said loudly, over the headphones.
"Alright, if you're listening, then I've got to go and get some books," Marshall announced. "And a few CDs. I'll be back later."
Lucas turned around and pulled of the headphones. "Can I come?"
"I guess you can," Marshall replied. "I didn't think you'd want to."
He shrugged in response. "But I do want to. Okay? It's better than being here alone."
Vaughn sat in his room alone, loud music blaring from his speakers. A mixed CD of the most angst ridden music he could find in his own collection and on the Internet. People were so helpful. Victor was at a summit meeting for the next five days. He was alone. Again.
For the first month, Vaughn hadn't spoken to anyone in any way other than monosyllabic. He spent all of his time trying to find John and Josie2—to make them put it back the way it was. It was fruitless though. No fruit for Vaughn. He still didn't talk to Victor except to say things like 'I'm going' and the like. But he'd started to talk to his friends again.
Or at least Lucas.
"... How stupid could I have been? A simpleton could see! The you're no good for me! But you're the only one I see!" Vaughn sang along to the song, as he went to the kitchen for some food. "Everything change, everything falls apart... Can't stand to feel myself losing control! Deep in my weakness I go!"
He didn't want to cook—it was too much work for him at the moment. He couldn't keep his mind focused. Whenever he tired to focus on anything, it would drift. Back to that day.
Hearing someone knocking on the door, Vaughn answered it—despite not wanting to—and was surprised to find Corrine standing in front of him, her eyes red and puffy. She'd been crying.
"Corrine, what happened?" Vaughn asked. "That guy you went to meet, he didn't?"
"He broke up with me. Humiliated me. I was just a game," she told him as she walked inside. "When did I become like this?"
"Like what?" Vaughn asked getting her a drink.
"A slut."
"You're not a slut," he insisted sitting next to her, handing her a can of coke.
"Ever since Josie disappeared—No! Ever since the Mirror-selves came back I've been unhappy," she explained. "Just like it said. Remember?"
Vaughn looked away. He remembered.
She moved closer to him.
"You don't want to be abandoned," she whispered. "I want to be happy. We could both benefit."
He pushed her away. "I think you should go."
"I'm just kidding Vaughn," she said forcing a faux smile onto her face. "I wouldn't dream of doing that to you. But that's what it's been like. First Marshall, then Mirror-Marshall and finally Josie. I made them all happy."
"Corrine don't," Vaughn said trying to stop her from continuing.
It was no use.
"I wasn't happy though. And I didn't care," she said looking into Vaughn's eyes.
"This isn't my business," Vaughn replied trying to ignore her.
The words seemed to seep in this time. "You're right," she apologized. "I shouldn't have bought it up. It's not your business. I'll go. See you at school?"
He nodded. "Talk to Marshall," he advised as she left.
She said nothing.
Marshall and Lucas walked most of the way in silence. It wasn't as easy to strike up a casual conversation anymore. Not when you've been inside your best friend's head. Literally. Finally, Lucas blurted something out.
"She sent me a letter," he said casually.
"What?" Marshall asked, the sudden conversation catching him off guard.
"Josie. A letter. The sending thereof," Lucas repeated. "She's okay. At least, she was when she sent the letter."
Marshall stopped. "Are you happy about that? I mean, you know she's alive and well. Maybe now we could try and, well, try and repair everything."
Lucas half-turned and looked at Marshall, a stony look on his face. "Why do we have to repair everything? Why does it fall to us, Marshall? It's not our job."
"I never said it was," Marshall replied. "I just think that—every time Josie is mentioned. Every single time since she disappeared you become detached and angsty. I just..."
"We were in each others head," Lucas cut him off. "Inside each others brains. We saw the darkness and the light mixed into one. And we can't accept that. I can't accept that. I don't want to. I'm sorry."
"Two months is a long time," Marshall said on the phone. "Lucas and Vaughn really took it hard. They've become surprisingly close. It's good... Of course, I mean that... you're just turning my words against me now... Alright, I'll talk to you later... Bye."
Lucas entered the room, his face slightly red. "Who was that?"
"What? Oh, just a friend," Marshall replied. "Did you and Vaughn have a good conversation?"
"It wasn't really a conversation," Lucas said. "It was... never mind."
Marshall knew something was wrong. "Tell me. I'm curious now."
"Can we just drop it?" Lucas reacted. "I don't want to or need to talk about it."
Raising his hands in defeat, Marshall let the subject drop. Lucas, thankful that he did, sat down in front of his laptop and opened it up. Attaching the headphones, Lucas blocked out everything around him as he started to watch some movies.
"Oh great, detachment guy again," Marshall muttered to himself angrily. "Vaughn must have had some news on Josie."
"I heard that," Lucas said loudly, over the headphones.
"Alright, if you're listening, then I've got to go and get some books," Marshall announced. "And a few CDs. I'll be back later."
Lucas turned around and pulled of the headphones. "Can I come?"
"I guess you can," Marshall replied. "I didn't think you'd want to."
He shrugged in response. "But I do want to. Okay? It's better than being here alone."
Vaughn sat in his room alone, loud music blaring from his speakers. A mixed CD of the most angst ridden music he could find in his own collection and on the Internet. People were so helpful. Victor was at a summit meeting for the next five days. He was alone. Again.
For the first month, Vaughn hadn't spoken to anyone in any way other than monosyllabic. He spent all of his time trying to find John and Josie2—to make them put it back the way it was. It was fruitless though. No fruit for Vaughn. He still didn't talk to Victor except to say things like 'I'm going' and the like. But he'd started to talk to his friends again.
Or at least Lucas.
"... How stupid could I have been? A simpleton could see! The you're no good for me! But you're the only one I see!" Vaughn sang along to the song, as he went to the kitchen for some food. "Everything change, everything falls apart... Can't stand to feel myself losing control! Deep in my weakness I go!"
He didn't want to cook—it was too much work for him at the moment. He couldn't keep his mind focused. Whenever he tired to focus on anything, it would drift. Back to that day.
Hearing someone knocking on the door, Vaughn answered it—despite not wanting to—and was surprised to find Corrine standing in front of him, her eyes red and puffy. She'd been crying.
"Corrine, what happened?" Vaughn asked. "That guy you went to meet, he didn't?"
"He broke up with me. Humiliated me. I was just a game," she told him as she walked inside. "When did I become like this?"
"Like what?" Vaughn asked getting her a drink.
"A slut."
"You're not a slut," he insisted sitting next to her, handing her a can of coke.
"Ever since Josie disappeared—No! Ever since the Mirror-selves came back I've been unhappy," she explained. "Just like it said. Remember?"
Vaughn looked away. He remembered.
She moved closer to him.
"You don't want to be abandoned," she whispered. "I want to be happy. We could both benefit."
He pushed her away. "I think you should go."
"I'm just kidding Vaughn," she said forcing a faux smile onto her face. "I wouldn't dream of doing that to you. But that's what it's been like. First Marshall, then Mirror-Marshall and finally Josie. I made them all happy."
"Corrine don't," Vaughn said trying to stop her from continuing.
It was no use.
"I wasn't happy though. And I didn't care," she said looking into Vaughn's eyes.
"This isn't my business," Vaughn replied trying to ignore her.
The words seemed to seep in this time. "You're right," she apologized. "I shouldn't have bought it up. It's not your business. I'll go. See you at school?"
He nodded. "Talk to Marshall," he advised as she left.
She said nothing.
Marshall and Lucas walked most of the way in silence. It wasn't as easy to strike up a casual conversation anymore. Not when you've been inside your best friend's head. Literally. Finally, Lucas blurted something out.
"She sent me a letter," he said casually.
"What?" Marshall asked, the sudden conversation catching him off guard.
"Josie. A letter. The sending thereof," Lucas repeated. "She's okay. At least, she was when she sent the letter."
Marshall stopped. "Are you happy about that? I mean, you know she's alive and well. Maybe now we could try and, well, try and repair everything."
Lucas half-turned and looked at Marshall, a stony look on his face. "Why do we have to repair everything? Why does it fall to us, Marshall? It's not our job."
"I never said it was," Marshall replied. "I just think that—every time Josie is mentioned. Every single time since she disappeared you become detached and angsty. I just..."
"We were in each others head," Lucas cut him off. "Inside each others brains. We saw the darkness and the light mixed into one. And we can't accept that. I can't accept that. I don't want to. I'm sorry."