Thursday 2

Inside the gas station, Jasmine approached the woman behind the register. "Do y'all have a map?" she asked, her voice filled with desperation.

The woman nodded, eyeing us curiously. "Sure do," she replied. "But it'll cost you $7.45."

Jasmine turned to me, her expression hopeful. "Do you have $7.45?" she asked.

I shook my head, feeling a pang of guilt. "No, I don't have any money on me," I admitted.

The woman behind the counter seemed to sense our predicament. "Tell you what," she said, leaning forward with a sly grin. "I'll give you the map for free if you tell me what y'all are doing on this side of town. I haven't seen you before."

Jasmine exchanged a quick glance with me before turning back to the woman. "We're just passing through," she replied, her tone carefully neutral. "Got a bit turned around, that's all."

The woman eyed us suspiciously for a moment. "Where are y'all's parents?" she said, her tone cautious.

Jasmine looked at me again, uncertainty flashing in her eyes. I took a deep breath, trying to think of a convincing answer. "They're at the house," I said, hoping it sounded believable enough.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "where?" she pressed, her tone becoming more insistent.

I felt a surge of frustration rising within me. "Are you gonna give us the map or not?" I snapped, unable to hide my irritation. "We told you what we're doing here."

The woman's gaze flicked outside through the glass door, and then she looked back at us with a knowing smile. "Pretty ride," she remarked, her tone cryptic. "Here's the map."

With that, she handed us the map, and we quickly made our exit.

Jasmine glanced at me, a questioning look in her eyes. "What was that about?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

I shook my head, unable to come up with a satisfactory answer. "I have no idea," I admitted, feeling a sense of unease settling over me. "But let's just focus on getting home."

We got back into the car and started driving again.

Jasmine turned to me, a look of apology in her eyes.

"Sorry, Dex," she said, her voice soft. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

I looked at her and sighed, reaching out to squeeze her hand reassuringly. "It's not your fault, Jas," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "Let's get out of here."

As we merged back onto the highway, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that still lingered in the back of my mind. I glanced at Jasmine, wanting to make sure she was okay after everything that had happened.

With that, she started the car, and we pulled out of the gas station parking lot. As we got back on the highway, I wanted to make sure Jasmine was okay, so I decided to lighten the mood.

"You know," I began, trying to sound casual. "That whole chase with the police was kind of thrilling. Maybe we should do that again sometime."

Jasmine looked at me, surprise evident in her eyes, before bursting into laughter. "Are you serious?" she exclaimed between laughs. "You actually enjoyed that?"

I chuckled, feeling the tension of the night slowly dissipating. "Well, maybe not the police part," I admitted. "But the adrenaline rush was kind of exhilarating."

Jasmine grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Alright then, Dex," she said, a playful glint in her eye. "You ready ?"

I shook my head, a grin spreading across my face. "Hell no," I replied, joining in her laughter. "But I wouldn't mind a more peaceful drive home."

As we neared my neighborhood, the streetlights cast long shadows across the road, adding to the eerie calm that had settled over us. Finally, we arrived at my house, and Jasmine pulled up in front of the driveway.

"Here we are," she said, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness.

I turned to her, offering a small smile. "Thanks for the ride, Jas," I said, genuinely grateful despite the chaos of the night.

Jasmine returned the smile, but I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "Are we still friends, Dex?" she asked, her voice filled with apprehension.

I paused for a moment, considering her question. Then, I looked at her and shook my head. "No," I replied, unable to contain a chuckle.

Jasmine's expression softened, and she let out a laugh. "You're such an idiot," she said, sticking out her middle finger playfully.

I laughed along with her, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. Despite everything that had happened, it felt good to share a moment of levity with Jasmine.

"See you on Monday," she said, her voice warm. "And happy birthday again, Dex."

I waved goodbye as Jasmine drove off.

As I walked up to the front door, I glanced up at the sky and realized how dark it had gotten. "Oh shit," I muttered to myself. "When did it get this dark?"

I fumbled in my pockets for the spare key, eventually finding it and unlocking the door. Stepping inside, I called out, but there was no answer. My aunt wasn't home.

Feeling exhausted from the day's events, I decided to just go to sleep. As I lay in bed, I couldn't help but wonder if everything that had happened with Jasmine was real. Did I really spend the afternoon with Jasmine, fleeing from the police? It all felt so surreal, like something out of a movie.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes.

When I reopened them, I realized I wasn't in my own bedroom. The room was dark, illuminated only by a faint, eerie glow. Panic gripped me as I sat up, my heart pounding in my chest.

Then, I saw him.

Standing in the shadows, a figure emerged. It was me—or at least, it looked like me. But there was something off, something unsettling about his presence.

"Dex," he said, his voice echoing in the darkness. "Dex, how did it feel?"

Confusion washed over me. "How did what feel?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"To spend time with Jasmine," he replied, his tone eerily calm.

I stared at him, trying to make sense of what was happening. "Who are you?" I demanded, my fear mounting.

A chilling smile spread across his face. "I thought I told you already," he said. "I'm you. Well, technically, I'm that part of you that keeps you alive. I'm the one who brought you back to life—the thing your father put inside of you to keep you alive. But then I became you."

His words sent a shiver down my spine. I struggled to comprehend what he was saying. Was this some kind of hallucination? A nightmare?

But as I looked into his eyes, I saw a reflection of my own fears, my own doubts, staring back at me.

I wanted to scream, to run, to escape this twisted version of myself. But I was paralyzed, trapped in this dark, surreal nightmare.

"Don't worry," he said, his voice taking on a soothing tone. "You'll find out the truth pretty soon."

His reassurance did nothing to calm my rising terror. "What truth?" I managed to stammer out.

He stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "don't worry, because I'll protect you," he continued, his words dripping with an unsettling sense of certainty. "I just wanted to introduce myself before they get here."

"Before who gets here?" I interrupted, my heart pounding in my chest.

"The Comp—" he began, but before he could finish, I was jolted awake.

Gasping for breath, I found myself back in my own bed, bathed in the soft morning light. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and my heart raced in my chest. It took a moment for the reality of my surroundings to sink in.

"It was just a dream," I muttered to myself, trying to calm my racing thoughts. "Everything was just a dream."

Determined to shake off the lingering unease from the nightmare, I rushed out of bed and headed downstairs.

Entering the bathroom, I hesitated before the mirror, half-expecting to see that twisted version of myself staring back at me. But to my relief, there was nothing there. Just my own reflection, tired and slightly messy.

I let out a sigh of relief and splashed some water on my face, trying to wash away the remnants of the nightmare.

Heading downstairs, I called out for Aunt Amélie, but there was no answer. Frowning, I made my way to her bedroom, where I found a note lying on the bedside table.

"I'm sorry, Dex," it read. "I won't be home for a while. I hope you liked your present."

Curiosity piqued, I remembered the gift Aunt Amélie had mentioned. With a sense of anticipation, I hurried back upstairs and rummaged through my backpack until I found the neatly wrapped package.

tearing off the wrapping paper, I uncovered a sleek smartphone nestled inside. My eyes widened in surprise as I realized what it was—a brand-new phone.

Inside, I found a note attached to the phone. It was from Aunt Amélie, "Dex, I hope you had fun on your birthday. Don't do anything stupid. Enjoy it, and I'm sorry for not being there. I hope you can forgive me. I don't know when I'll be back, so take care of yourself."

I powered on the phone, finding it already set up. A notification caught my attention—it was from Aunt Amélie. With a sense of anticipation, I opened the message, wondering what else she had to say.

"Hey Dex," the message read. "I hope you like the phone! It's not much, but I thought it might come in handy, especially since we can't always be together. Remember, if you ever need anything, just give me a call. Love you, Aunt Amélie."