My fear gave me renewed energy to get home. I practically jog back, keeping my gaze down and avoiding all human contact. I’m being paranoid, but I don’t want to run the risk of running into someone else I know. Bianca lives in the same neighbourhood as me, and apparently sees me often.

I get to my house and duck behind the brick fence. I dash to the walkway at the side of my house, which leads to the backyard, but a tall gate separates the two; keeping the dog in and unwanted guests out.

I scale this easily, thanks to the amount of running, jumping and climbing I’ve had to do recently. Plus, I think if you have enough of those agility potions, the effects start to become permanent.

I’m not surprised when the aforementioned dog comes running out to me, looking happy but a little confused. By now, he’s used to me appearing in the backyard randomly, but probably doesn’t understand why there are two of me running around. But we’ll get into the consciousness of animals later.

“Hello Diesel, who’s a good puppy?” We still call him puppy despite him being about fourteen years old, simply because he still acts like one. I finish up his tummy-rub and call my double into the laundry, which is the only access to the backyard through the house, and where I’m waiting.

She strips off the PJs she’s wearing, and hands them to me, for me to change into. I change in the toilet in the laundry once she disappears so I remain undisturbed. I wrap all my other clothes in my hoodie, and sneak back in the house, disposition my things one by one. Luckily, I’d already mastered the art of stealth in my own home.

“Hey Rhiann?” I jump at the sound of my sister’s voice so close to my ear.

“Dude! You scared me half to death?” I glare at her she apologizes and retreats to her bed, retrieving her laptop.

“Anyway, did you hear about Silver Witch, it seems she went on a crime fighting spree in America. It’s all over the internet.”

“Really? But the last time she was seen in London?”

“She teleports. It seems like she hit five cities.”

“Wow, the news gets stories fast.”

“I actually found this fanzine dedicated to Silver Witch. It updates regularly.” She spins around the laptop she’s holding to show me the screen, and scrolled to the top of the page. And what do you know? It was the Silver Scroll.

How the hell…? I didn’t realise the extent of Tara’s appreciation of Silver Witch. Maybe I should do an Aussie appearance.

-+= 🎆🎻🎼🎆 =+-

It had finally become Thursday, which I classify as strings day, due to the early morning rehearsal and lessons. One of which was the lesson I was leaving at the end of the third period, before heading over to the group over at A block, walking and chatting with Susi along the way. I can see Sarah, Jen and the others already there; our lesson had run late

I desperately hope that they won’t bring it up. Please… but Jen turns to me as I sit down.

“Hey what was up with you yesterday? We were waving and yelling at you and you just ignored us!”

“Uhh, that wasn’t me.” Sarah chimes in next.

“Nah, we saw you, and you looked over when we called out your name.” I knew that would come back to bite me.

“Maybe their name was similar? There’s a girl in my form class named Brianna and I always react when I hear her name.”

“Yeah, plus Rhiann was at home all day after school, so you can’t have seen her wherever you’ve seen her.”

“Thank you!”

“Wait, so does that mean there’s another you running around?” Bridget had chimed in from where she was leaning on Jen’s shoulder. And yes, but they don’t need to know that.

“Well, there’s supposedly another 19 people in the world who look like you. Maybe they were one of them?”

“Living in the same neighbourhood, wearing the same clothes and having the same name? What are the chances of that?”

“What are the chances of a planet with the perfect conditions for life existing naturally?” Multiple groans could be heard at that question.

Thankfully, I’d managed to steer the topic away from me (narrowly), and to the philosophy of religion.

“Hey Rhino!” So close.

I turn to Emily.

“Yes?”

”You’d heard what your girlfriend’s been doing?” First, the nickname, which I’m not all too fussed about to be honest, and now my apparent ‘infatuation’ with myself. When will Brearley give up?

“She hit five US cities yesterday right? What about it?”

“There’s a theory going around that she’s got a girlfriend.”

“Oh no, she’s cheating on me?” I clutch my heart in mock despair. “Whatever shall I do? I’m inconsolable!”

“Ok, calm the fuck down.” I send a wry grin her way, which grows wider with a laugh from Isabel. “There was a girl who interviewed her, got the dumb one question thing.” I frown. It’s not dumb, it’s mysterious! It’s also the only way I get ‘audience retention’. “And people are saying that she has to be special to her or at least know her because she’s the only interviewer not from an official news network.”

“Well I can already tell why that’s BS. Firstly, questions are a first-in-best-dressed kind of thing. Secondly, it was reported that she dropped in on them in a freaking alleyway. I think it was safe to say she was gonna get the exclusive. And thirdly, if there was any bias, it most likely would’ve been towards small businesses. Four out of six crimes she stopped occurred at small businesses, and that’s not counting the pair of amateur journo; speaking of which, their fan site has blown up because of said exclusive, which would be consistent with supposed bias.”

Damn, I need to stop being so defensive about this. I know I’m good to have on a side in an argument, but I’m just digging my own grave here.