Chapter 6

Sitting on the couch all alone was not what Phineas was planning on doing that day. He just stared at the wall, feeling guilty for reasons he did not even know. He really wanted someone else in the room with him, but even Perry had disappeared for the day.

Ferb came walking down the stairs, and made his way over to stand next to the couch.

"I'm sorry, Ferb," Phineas said, clearly showing his emotion through his face as he looked up at him. But Ferb didn't reply.

"…so?" Phineas prompted almost accusatively. "…Are you sorry too?"

Crossing his arms, he stared down upon him with a tangible sense of dominance. "I'm not apologizing. I didn't do anything." He tipped his head towards the garage. "All the parts left for the machine are in there."

"You didn't DO anything? Ferb, I'm the one who didn't do anything, and I'M apologizing!" Phineas charged, standing up to match Ferb's dominant stance but fell short by about eight inches. "Apologies work in two ways, Ferb. We've always done it that way."

With narrowed pupils, Ferb did not back down. Phineas was surprised to see not a single hint of compassion in his eyes.

Letting off just a bit, Phineas let Ferb have the space. He broke eye contact for a second, before re-addressing quietly. "You've changed, Ferb."

He clenched his teeth. "I haven't changed."

"Well, you weren't always like this," Phineas contradicted. "You were once my friend, but now I don't even know who you are anymore. You used to be my best friend, not this… whatever you've become."

"I haven't become a whatever."

"Then what?" yelled Phineas. "What have you become? Because you're SURE not yourself right now!"

Phineas waited for Ferb to defend, but no response came. He just stayed looking down on Phineas, and kept his lip drawn up in a scowl.

"I miss you, Ferb," Phineas said in a stutter. "The old you."

"Well too bad," the retort was thrown back without even a second's pause. "You've got me, so deal with it."

Then he threw his finger to point at the garage door, yelling, "Are you going to go in there and finish it?"

"What if I don't WANT to finish that stupid machine!" Phineas argued, moving around to the put the back of the couch between him and Ferb.

But Ferb just came around and stood right in Phineas' face. "You are going in there, and you are FINISHING it. Right. Now!"

"I am not making that thing for you!" Phineas resisted, but then he caught sight of the unrelenting rage under Ferb's brow. He lowered a bit, asking, "…What are you going to do?"

"Do you want to find out?"

Phineas reached up both hands and pushed Ferb backwards, to which Ferb reacted by grabbing onto Phineas' wrist. Twisting it out of his grasp, Phineas called loudly, "It's almost done anyway, you can do it yourself!"

With that he sprinted upstairs, however Ferb followed right on his heels with a short, "Get back here!"

Leaping into his room, Phineas turned around and slammed the door in Ferb's face, locking it as fast as he could. He ran over to the other side of the room to stay clear of now-rattling deadbolt.

Ferb pounded hard with his fist on the door, not ceasing his constant yelling. "Phineas! You open this door before I break it down!"

Huddling in the corner, Phineas pleaded with him. "Please, Ferb! I know this isn't you!"

"Come-Out-Here-NOW." Another slam hit against the door.

"Remember yourself, Ferb! Remember who you are!"

Now Ferb had begun to kick the base with his foot. It sounded as though the door really would break down at any second.

"We were three years old, Ferb. When we first met. Do you remember that night?"

"Don't bring this up," Ferb shot down from the other side of the door.

"What was the first thing I ever said to you?"

Ferb let out a growl. "I don't have to answer that, Phineas!"

"But it will help you, Ferb! You need to remember!"

"It. Is. IRRELEVANT!" he screamed through breaths with each kick.

"What in the world is going on up here?" came the voice of their mom as she appeared near Ferb.

Tossing his hand at the door, Ferb shouted his accusation. "He locked me out!"

"FERB!" his mom scolded with force. "You, go downstairs and cool off! This instant!"

He groaned and pressed his arms and fists at his side, eyeballing the locked door as he steamed off down the steps.

Phineas heard a light knock. "Will you let me in?" came his mom's voice.

"Is Ferb with you?" he replied cautiously.

"No, I sent him downstairs."

Taking a moment, Phineas got up and undid the lock. However, as soon as his mom had entered he shut it again and re-latched it.

They both went over and sat on Phineas' bed. Placing her arm around him, his mom asked gently, "Are you two having a fight?"

"I… I think we are," Phineas said as he leaned to her.

"Oh, honey. What about?"

Phineas peered over at the door that Ferb had just been threatening to tear down a moment ago and said quietly, "I don't even know. He's just so… angry all of the sudden."

Letting out a broken sigh, Phineas continued. "It's like he's snapped and gone completely insane."

His mom just hugged him tighter. "Phineas, dear, I'm sure you're exaggerating. I know you two have never fought before, and new things can be scary. But fights aren't all bad, I'm sure both of you will feel better in the morning."

"You don't understand, Mom," Phineas said, blinking his eyes slowly. "There's something wrong with him."

She leaned back and looked down at her son. "Wrong with him? Is he sick?"

"Maybe," Phineas thought. "But if he's sick, then he'd be majorly sick."

Both of them did not talk for a second, but soon Phineas softly requested, "Can you tell him to sleep downstairs tonight? I… don't really want him up here with me."

"Phineas… Ferb seemed angry, but he would never hurt you."

"It would just make me sleep better, is all," he tried to convince her in a mutter.

She gave him a lovingly consoling smile. "Alright, I suppose it wouldn't bother anyone. I'll go get the spare sheets." She then got up and headed out the door, hearing Phineas lock it again as she left.

She was slightly surprised to see Ferb walking up the steps as she descended them. She stopped him mid-way. "You left your brother really hurt in there. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"…I know," he said with a heavy head. "I'm going up to apologize."

"That's more like it," his mom replied as she continued down the stairs.

"…Hey, Phin?"

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

Ferb set his forehead silently on the door, resting his hand against it. "I'm really sorry for anything I may have said to you-"

"I've been putting up with you because I thought you were just in a bad mood," Phineas interrupted. "You've been nothing but rude to me ever since we got back from our trip."

"But I never meant one word of any of it. Not a single word," Ferb tried to speak his mind carefully, his voice cracking through his mouth.

Phineas didn't move any closer to the door, but did look up at it. "Then why did you say them?"

Breathing hard as he rested against the wooden surface, Ferb cherished the few seconds he had to speak. "It wasn't me who said those things."

"That's what I was just telling you. You're not yourself," Phineas reminded him with wariness.

"I'm really sorry, Phin," Ferb repeated again. "I would never do anything that would hurt you or harm you or make you feel bad."

Phineas perked up at the blank inside of the door, saying, "…I haven't heard you talk like that in days."

"Talk like what?" Ferb asked.

"You're talking like… yourself."

Ferb sighed and wanted to smile, but he couldn't force it out. "I haven't been myself," he said gradually. "There's two of me. …And one is… angry and unreasonable. And dangerous."

No answer came from the other side for a while. When it did, Phineas almost whimpered, "M-m-maybe Mom is right… we should take you to a doctor."

"It's not like that, Phineas," explained Ferb in sad defeat. "But I don't know of any way to explain it other than there's two of me…."

Pushing his feet down onto the floor, Phineas stood up in place. "But… you're feeling better now?"

"Yeah…" Ferb said quietly. "Right now I'm me."

Phineas scooted his feet closer to the locked door. "Do you… do you want to come in here and sit with me?" he offered.

"Yes… yes, I would like that a lot," came the sincere voice.

Walking slowly over to the bedroom door, Phineas reached down to the knob. It was then, however, that he heard a strange swoosh and scuffling sound from the other side. He opened it and stuck his head out.

"Ferb?" he asked, looking down the hall. "Where'd you go?"