6 The Lost Secret 2

[19th December]

"Why are you in my body, you douchebag?!" Johnny roughly hoisted me up by the collar of my shirt – his shirt, he caught a glimpse at it and grew even more infuriated. I started to sweat as I fumbled with my words.

"I-I can explain-"

"And you're in my damn shirt! Who the hell are you?!"

Johnny was way more aggressive than I had thought. I wondered why the others never questioned how he became so cool and collected all of a sudden. Johnny kept screaming at me, his grip on the shirt tightening every time he raised his voice.

I had promptly skimmed the room to realize this was a dream; the clock on the wall across me was frozen in time; every single one of the clocks had stopped working.

Johnny's non-stop barking was beginning to get on my nerves. It was somewhat uncanny to see the face that I had grown used to in the mirror right in front of me, outraged and nostrils flared.

"Ethan's going to die soon!" I cried out in an attempt for him to cease. At that, he paused, flabbergasted.

"What did you say?"

"I'm here to save Ethan, Johnny!" I added, voice wavering as I studied his face.

He had quieted down as he released his grip on the shirt that I was wearing. After some time, he gravely took a seat on the bed and pondered over what I had blurted out. I deliberately sat up from my laying position and eyed him with caution. All of a sudden, he looked at me straight in the eyes with furrowed brows.

"What…what do you mean Ethan's going to die?"

-

"So, you're Ethan? From another dimension?" Johnny sat across me as he attempted to grasp the situation. For the last thirty minutes, I had tried to explain what happened as naturally as I could, afraid to trigger his temper again.

"Close, I was Ethan but I was killed and some woman I met on a strange train ride sent me back in time to locate my murderer and save myself-if I can," I corrected him. He nodded to my words. His thumb grazed his chin as he thought.

"If you're Ethan," Johnny then sat up straight and gazed at me with an undecipherable expression on his face, I was intimidated.

"…why don't you talk like him?"

"P-pardon?" I was baffled. He had paid close attention to the way I spoke?

"In my three years' worth of friendship with Ethan," Johnny's eyes never left my face, even as he crossed his legs and slouched.

"I had never heard him use the word 'woman' ever," he reasoned, unconvinced.

"Much less 'some' woman," he added as if his first statement was not alarming enough. I squirmed tensely at that. Why was I even nervous? I was no doubt, Ethan! "He had always referred the opposite gender as 'lady',"

"Oh," I let out a short laugh. "I forgot my memories-?" "You laugh like Ethan though," Johnny shrugged and shifted to lay comfortably on the mattress.

That was a save.

"Wait," he sat back up. "You lost your memories?" I nodded with a sullen sigh.

"Oh…so, you don't remember who we all are?" he asked with a deep frown.

"I met all of you in the carnival and had a hunch that we were friends, so I just went with it. But to put it simply, I don't," he dejectedly gazed down, tracing random patterns on the bedsheets as he thought.

"Do the others know?"

"Know…what?"

"That you're Ethan…in my body," he fell back down on the pillows with a soft thud, his gaze locked on me.

"Well, I wouldn't know how to break the news since…Ethan is still technically alive, they'll probably think I'm pulling a prank on them. But I'll figure something out. I'd have to tell them sooner or later," Johnny simply hummed and turned his head to stare at the matte black ceiling.

Suddenly, he smacked me firmly on my arm. "Ow, what the heck?!" I frowned at him and rubbed the wounded spot.

"Why'd you pick my body to save yourself, you fool!? You would've known I'd be the most qualified person to assist you with your duty!" Johnny scowled and I cracked up.

"Like I had a choice! And what makes you the best?" I challenged him, inquisitive.

"I have the best body out of all of you weaklings," Johnny smirked, propping himself up with his elbows. I gave him an unimpressed look.

"You would know that though, have you not looked in the mirror ever since you went into my body?" he rolled his eyes before leaving the bed. He strolled around his room, nonchalantly rearranging the items on his desk and shelves.

"I have," I laid back with a smug grin smeared across my face.

"Just not impressed."

"Why you little-" I squawked when Johnny launched himself on top of me and tickled my sides.

"S-stop!" I laughed uncontrollably and wriggled to escape his advances.

"I know all your weak spots, ya' know!" he laughed cunningly.

"I'm older than you!" I attempted to make him stop, tears beginning to form in my eyes.

"Irrelevant!"

-

"Johnny, I have a question…" I stared at the ceiling in deep thought, said male beside me in the same position. "Hm?"

"Ethel," immediately, Johnny let out an exasperated groan and sat up, bringing his knees to his chest.

"You met him?" he ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

"Yeah, we're actually doing a project together-"

"What?! Hell no, don't ever invite him to my house! If even a molecule of Ethel gets into my room, I'll-" Johnny warned and I raised my hands spontaneously, stifling a laugh at his rant.

"I won't! Don't worry, but Ethan – well the alive Ethan told me that you used to…bully him?" he looked away, elbows rested on his knees.

"…why?" silence.

"Is it because of the secret Dylan told you?" Johnny tensed up and whisked his head in my direction.

"Who told you that?" he looked bewildered and on edge.

"We got into an argument earlier and he said something about it," I said, confused why it got such a reaction out of him.

"He didn't tell me what it was though, he'd assumed I know. I'm in your body after all,"

Johnny sighed in relief at that. "Can you tell me what it is?" I tried, in hopes that he would.

"I can't Ethan," he had a pensive look on his face. "I'm not supposed to."

"Am I not to know what it is?" Johnny sighed and left the bed to adjust some books on his cabinet across.

"Dylan will have to tell you himself, I'm in no place to do so," I rubbed my nape in slight disappointment.

"Oh, Dylan also said something about the look you gave him," Johnny suddenly turned around with furrowed eyebrows, it looked like it wasn't from what I had said.

"when he told you the secret-" he swiftly lifted a finger and tilted his head to the side, seemingly focused on something else.

"You need to wake up, Ethan." Johnny had an anxious look on his face. "What? What's the matter-"

"Wake up!"

"Wake up!" my eyes snapped open to meet Silas' troubled face. From the corner of my eyes, I saw another silhouette who stood wordlessly at the side of the bed. I turned to see Nick, who looked just as concerned as Silas. Why were the twins in my room?

"Wh-what's going on?" I was starting to become worried as I shifted to sit up straight on the bed.

"It's about Dylan."