My Trip.... To Nowhere - Chapter Fourteen

“I had a feeling that you were somewhere near.” Rio said, smiling pleasantly at me.

“What’s going on?” I demanded. “What did you mean when you said you were happy here? What did Allison mean when she said that it was all a mistake in thinking that we were being used? Aren't we meant to be escaping?”

Rio gave me one brief smile, and walked towards the door. He turned his back to me and took something out of his pocket. I heard a soft click. He had locked the door.

“I want to stay here. And so does Allison and Richard.” Rio said carefully, as he turned around to face me.
“But why?” Nicky asked.

“Can’t you see how awful this place is?” Josh asked.

I looked at Rio carefully. He was keeping his steady gaze on me as he walked nearer to us. There was something familiar in his behaviour.

“You guys don’t understand. It was all a mistake.” Richard said. There was something similar in Rio’s, Allison’s and Richards’s behaviour.

“What was?” Josh asked.

“When we thought that we were being used to make clones. To make a better version of us. All that isn’t true.” Allison said.

Silence...

“Then… explain all the white light. Explain the beeping noises I heard when I first came here… and… explain why I couldn’t move… and why I couldn’t open my eyes – had I been… drugged? If so… why?” I asked slowly, all the time keeping my eyes fixed on Rio.

He simply looked at me.

“Why do you want to stay at this… this place?” Nicky asked.

I couldn’t read Rio’s facial expression. But I could see that he was very calm…

“Yeah, dude, you can't just stay here.” Josh said.

In fact, Rio looked too calm… and so did Richard and Allison. Somehow, their expressions looked very familiar… His eyes I noticed looked very cold and seemed to have no feeling in them.

I suddenly realized. My mind flashed back to that luxurious room I was in before; the knock on the door; the person who came in; my… Other-Half, so –

“You –” I gasped, and took a step backwards. Why did I not realize before?

He smiled very slightly, and cocked his head to the side, “What is it, Tom?”

From the corner of my eye I saw Nicky frown in confusion at me.

How did I not realize before? I thought to myself. Look what I had gotten us into now! If only I had remembered to duck back down, then the three of us would remain unseen! You fool, Tom!

“Something wrong… Tom?” Rio asked, his lips stretched in a sardonic smile.

“Where is the real Rio,” I demanded, taking a step forwards to face… his Other-Half.



TO BE CONTINUED…