More Than One: A Novel

by Fowler, Monica

  “That doesn't make sense Jay. He said he saw me around and naturally that means I live there. Maybe he has me mixed up with someone else. Did you ever think of that?”

  This was not how I was expecting this conversation to go. I wanted to cry. If he is not going to own up to the fact that he is from Rome, then I really had no reason to talk to him about the journal. I wanted to see if any of the places in my dreams were familiar to him and maybe that would help me find out who this person was.

  “Look Ash, you don't understand what I've been going through. The nightmares, the file, the lies and secrets. None of it means anything if I can't get to the bottom of this. So, please just help me. Help me figure this out. You are my best friend. Don't you want to see me sane again?”

  He looked away with anguish in his eyes. I didn't understand why this was so hard for him. Why couldn't he tell me where he was really from?

  “Yeah, I'm from Rome,” he said turning back to look at me.

  I sighed with relief and instantly felt better.

  “Why couldn't you tell me?”

  “Because that was a part of my condition's for leaving. I wanted to get as far away from there to live a normal life and I had to make some promises in order for me to do that. My father told me that under no circumstance was I to tell anyone that I was from Rome,” he said.

  “But why?”

  “I don't know. Maybe if something happened to me, then they wouldn't be able to link me back to him. You know I told you I'm alive illegally,” he said rubbing his hands together.

  “Yeah, I get it. But you coulda told me, you know I would never put you in any danger.”

  “I know, it's just complicated. So anyways, let's just go through your journal and I will help you out as much as I can,” he said grabbing my feet again to rub them.

  I opened the book and started from the beginning. I read to him about the place where I was sleeping, the room that was setup like a hospital. He just nodded and urged me to keep reading. Then I told him about the places where I committed the murders; the park, the bar, the restaurants, all of them. When I was done, he leaned back on the couch and blew out a breath.

  “So, does any of that ring a bell?” I asked.

  He still didn't say anything. He just sat there rubbing his eyes.

  “Ash, what's wrong?”

  He looked at me with his big, brown eyes.

  “All of those places are familiar,” he said.

  My heart started pounding, this was huge. If he really knew all of these places, then he might know the person responsible for the murders. It might be someone he's seen before. I might be jumping the gun on that theory, but it’s a thought.

  “That is so great. You know these places, so maybe the person lives nearby or something. You might have seen them before.”

  I looked at him and he didn't look as enthused as I was. “What are you thinking about?” I asked.

  “I can't believe him,” he said to himself. “All this time, he was lying to me. Why would he do this to me?”

  “Who? What are you talking about?”

  “My father.”

  “What about him? What does that have to do with the places from my dream?” I said.

  When he didn't answer, I thought about it. Why would he associate the surroundings from my dreams with his father?

  “Ash, how do you know these places?”

  He turned and looked at me with anger in his eyes.

  “I know because you're describing my house,” he said.

  I dropped the journal and my hands went straight to my mouth. What was he saying? I've been dreaming about his house this whole time. I was still lost, but from Ash's expression, I could tell everything fell right into place for him.

  “The laboratory that is setup like a hospital, the park that is a couple of blocks from my house, all of it. I can't believe him,” he yelled.

  “Why do you keep saying that? What can't you believe?”

  “He told me I was the only one. There has to be another clone. Maybe your theory about you being cloned was right on the money after all.”

  The light bulb still hadn’t gone off in my head. I knew what he was saying, but it wasn't registering. Maybe I just didn't want to believe it was possible I had a clone running around Rome killing people. When we talked about it before, when it was just a theory, I was okay with it. Now that it was a possibility, it was freaking me out.

  “Okay, so break this down to me please, because it is not coming together for me like I want it to,” I said.

  “Jamie, it is so obvious. You’ve already put all the pieces together. You're just refusing to accept it. My father, the liar, told me I was the only clone he created. But why are you dreaming about my house and everything that is around it. I might have even eaten at one of those restaurants you mentioned. I mean think about it, your father said he studied in Rome before you were born, it doesn't matter if we don't know who with, the point is, he was there. Then they brought you back after you were born. That's a little too close for comfort. Then you find the file in your father's cabinet with the certificate in there. Come on Jay, this has to add up to you.”

  I leaned back and started rubbing my temples again; the pressure was coming strong now. I went through everything Ash just said and it all made sense.

  “Even if I was cloned, why would I be dreaming about the things she is doing?”

  “I don't know. Maybe it's a telepathy thing. You know how they say that twins can sense or see something that their other half is experiencing. Maybe that's what's going on with you.”

  “Maybe. So do you think I was really cloned?”

  “Yeah, it's possible,” he said.

  “I wonder what made her start killing though.”

  “I don't know. That's something we need to find out. You said your last dream was about her killing you or there was something about your arm.”

  “Yeah, I saw my face and then she carved next on my arm. That is scary, but she wouldn't know where I live, right? You don't think she would try and come find me, do you?”

  “I don't know the answer to that either. But I do know one thing, you need to talk to your father. I know you don't want to, but you need to find out who he worked with in Rome and then tell him what's going on. And I need to call my father and give him a piece of my mind.”

  I was almost there. This was almost over and I still felt depressed. Even though I got the answers I was looking for, something still didn't feel right. I knew Ash was right though. I did need to call my dad, even if I was making a big mistake and looking at this all wrong. I wanted to get my life back and I had to do whatever to make that happen.

  I scooted closer to Ash and laid my head on his chest. It was amazing listening to his heartbeat. He was a clone and yet he was a human in every way. I never thought science would blow me away, but I had to admit that I was wrong. The proof was right next to me.

  Ash pulled my face up to his and looked into my eyes. I gazed back into his and the eyes I saw were the same as the one's I saw in my dream. The same brown eyes, but more gentle. I thought about what Michael said about his life expectancy and it made me sad. I didn't have the heart to tell him if he didn't know. He rubbed my head and I snuggled in closer to him.

  “I bet you didn't think you would come over here and find out all this, did ya?” he said.

  “No, I can honestly say I didn't. I really didn't think you would know the places. It was kind of a shot in the dark. But this is good though. I just want it all to end. I don't even know what being normal means anymore.”

  “Oh, so you don't know what normal is... I'm a clone. That's not normal,” he said laughing.

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Thanks by the way.”

  “For what?” I asked.

  “For not treating me any different. You don't know how scared I was to tell you that day, but I knew you needed to know,” he said.

  “Ash, I love you. I will always love you no matter if you
're a mutant spawn or whatever,” I said smiling.

  “Okay, okay. The jokes are not cool... but I love you, too. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to be in my life.”

  “You're not so bad yourself.”

  We stared at each other for a long time and then he leaned down and kissed me. I couldn't believe it was happening and even more so, that I didn't stop it. I didn't know what was going on inside of me, because the back flips that normally happened with Michael were happening now. He grabbed me and pulled me up and starting kissing me again. I couldn't pull away. The kiss was urgent, but gentle at the same time. I got lost in the whirlwind and started kissing him more passionately. My mind said stop, but my body wouldn't allow it.

  He finally pulled away from me, looked into my eyes again, and smiled. I tried to slide away from him so I would be able to think, but he gripped me around my waist so I couldn't move.

  “Wait, Jamie, don't run. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that,” he said.

  “No, it's okay. Don't worry about it.”

  “I have to. I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me.”

  “That's not it. I actually liked it.”

  His eyes lit up.

  “Really?” he asked.

  My skin started to burn. I shouldn't have said that.

  “Yeah, kinda,” I said. “But this is too soon. I'm trying to get my life back on track and what about Michael?”

  “What about him? You know I love you and we have so much fun together... you know what, I'm not going to do that to you. I shouldn't have kissed you, but I just couldn't help myself. Are we good?”

  “Always,” I said laying back down on his chest.

  I tried to push the kiss out of my mind, but it was the only thing I could focus on. What was I going to do now? I wasn't completely over Michael, but the feelings were diminishing quickly. And then what about Ash? I couldn't do him like this, especially when I didn't know the extent of my feelings for him.

  I couldn't wait to figure this out; not just the dreams and the murders, but my life as well. I didn't know what was going on with me anymore.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I was sitting in class waiting for it to be over. I didn't even care about listening and taking notes. I don't even know why I showed up, my mind was elsewhere. When I got out of class, I was going to call my dad and get to the bottom of this. Ash was right about me confronting my dad and he was going to talk to his dad, too.

  I looked at the clock on the wall in front of me and just gave up on sitting through the rest of this class. I grabbed my things, quietly walked down to Mrs. Hunter, and whispered in her ear that I was having woman problems and I needed to leave. She nodded and told me to go ahead.

  I left the class and walked back to the dorm, since I didn't drive today. I took out my phone and dialed my parent’s number. The phone rang for a long time. I figured they weren't home. Right before I was about to hang up, my mom answered the phone.

  “Hey Mom, how are you?” I said.

  “Jamie, this is a pleasant surprise. Your father said you called the other night and I was sad that I didn't get to talk to you. How are you?”

  “I'm fine,” I said hesitating. “Um, is dad home, I need to ask him something.”

  “Yeah, he's in his study. Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yes ma'am.”

  “Okay, I'll get him.”

  She put down the phone and I heard her yelling for my dad to pick it up on his end. The phone clicked and then he was there.

  “Did he pick up?” my mom asked.

  “Yeah baby, I'm on here,” he said.

  “Okay,” she said and hung up.

  “Hey dad, were you busy?” I asked.

  “Never too busy for you. But I think I'm going to get spoiled if I keep getting calls from you like this. I'm going to want to hear your voice all the time,” he said. “So, what's up?”

  “I, uh, wanted to ask you something about what we talked about the other night,” I said.

  “Oh... what is it?”

  “Well, I was wondering who it was that you studied with in Rome?”

  “Seriously Jamie, what's with the questions about Rome all of the sudden?” he asked.

  I felt so uneasy. I might have been sweating even though it was cold out. I knew I had to do this, so I mustered up my nerve and told him.

  “I know about a doctor in Rome who has studied the same things you have and I was wondering if you knew him,” I said.

  “What's his name?”

  “Dr. Dean, I think his first name is William.”

  He didn't say anything. He just cleared his throat.

  “Dad, are you still there?”

  “Yeah, I'm here. Dr. Dean, you said. Yeah, I know him. He was one of the men I met when I was there, but I studied with a man by the name of Dr. Mark Lewis. How do you know about William?” he said.

  My heart stopped. I wasn't expecting him to say that he knew him. Everything Ash and I talked about last night was true. This was real and my father had some part in it, whether he knew it or not.

  “Jamie, are you still there?”

  “Yeah, dad I'm here. So, this Dr. Lewis, does he work with Dr. Dean?” I asked.

  “I believe so. They were working on something major out there. It was kind of hush, hush. What is this all about?”

  “Dad, I have to tell you something, but I need you to promise you won't think I'm crazy. Just hear me out, okay.”

  “Okay, baby. What is it?”

  I told him everything; from the dreams, to Ash's father, the file I found, everything. He didn't say much. He just gasped occasionally, but for the most part he was silent. I wondered what he was thinking while I was talking.

  “Dad, do you know anything about this?” I asked.

  “I think we should talk face to face. I'm going online to book a flight for me and your mother right now. If it's possible, we'll be out there today.”

  “I don't understand, what's going on? Do you know about this?”

  “Baby, just trust me. We will be out there as soon as we can,” he said.

  He told me he loved me and hung up the phone. By the time we were done with the conversation, I was standing in front of my dorm. I couldn't believe what I just heard from my dad. This was getting weirder and weirder by the minute. I had to call Ash and tell him what was going on.

  I dialed his number and waited for him to pick up, there was no answer. I walked up the steps to my room and dialed again, he finally answered on the third ring.

  “Hey Ash, where are you?”

  “I'm in class right now,” he whispered.

  I forgot that it was still early and I just left my class.

  “Call me as soon as you get out, I have something huge to tell you,” I said.

  “Okay,” he said and then hung up.

  I walked in my room hoping Rach was there. I needed to tell someone right now, this was too much to keep in. She was gone. I realized that she must have been in class, too. I didn't know what I was going to do with myself for the next hour. I wasn't going to work, so I went ahead and called and told them that something was going on with my parents and I needed to call in. Dana was there and she sound upset. I knew me being fired wasn't too far off, but this was way more important.

  I paced the floor back and forth. What is my dad about to fly all the way here to tell me? I knew what it was, but I couldn't stop obsessing until he said it out loud. I went to my dresser and pulled my IPOD out. This was the only way I was going to calm down. I turned the music on and laid back on my bed. It relaxed me for a couple of minutes then my phone vibrated under me.

  I picked it up and it was my mom. I hurried and answered it.

  “Hey mom.”

  “Hey, Jamie. Your father wanted me to call you and let you know that he found a flight that will leave out in about three hours. We will be there around six tonight,” she said.

  “Okay... Hey, mom. Do you know anything about all this?
” I asked.

  There was hesitation in her voice.

  “Baby, we will be there soon and I promise we will explain everything when we see you.”

  I wasn't getting anywhere, so I let it go.

  “Okay, I love you and I'll see you soon.”

  “I love you, too, baby,” she said and hung up.

  I put my headphones back on and pulled my pillow close to me. Why wasn't anyone here with me? I wondered if Ash would leave class if I asked him to. I needed someone to talk to and I preferred him so I could find out what happened when he talked to his dad.

  I pulled out my phone and texted him and asked if he would leave class right then. I held the phone waiting for him to text back. Within seconds, the message light lit up. He said he was leaving now. I was immediately relieved.

  I put my headphones on again and fell back on my pillow. A part of me was happy that this nightmare seemed to be coming to an end, but another part of me was hurt. I thought about all the people who were keeping things from me and now I had to add my parents to that list.

  Ten minutes went by and I heard a knock on the door. I ran and flung it open. Ash was there with a surprised look on his face. I threw my arms around him and squeezed him tight.

  “Whoa Jay, how are you?” he said.

  “I'm just so glad you came. I am about to explode for real,” I said pulling him in my room.

  “Did you call your father? What did you find out?”

  “Yeah, I did. They are on the way up here. They'll be here around six.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He said he studied with some guy named Dr. Lewis. Does that sound familiar?”

  “Yeah, that's my father's partner. So, did he say he knew my father, too?”

  I nodded.

  “Small world,” he said.

  “So, I told him about everything. I thought he was going to think I was losing my mind. But when I asked him if he knew anything about it, he said we needed to talk face to face. Now he's getting on a plane. What do you think that means?”

  “It sounds like you guys need to talk face to face,” he said with his forehead wrinkled up.

  “Be serious please.”

  “I am. It looks like we are about to find out the last piece of the puzzle.”