D O U B L E T R O U B L E
(When one is not enough ...)
© August 2016 Written by David Wicker
Please do not reprint without permission
CHAPTER 5 - "Dollface"
* * *
This chapter is Rated: EVERYONE
At this point, I wasn't certain. The person entering was clearly a doctor of some kind, but also a military person, maybe even a general.
I stood up at once, nervous as a cat.
"At ease, soldier. You can call me Dr. Prentis." he told me smiling.
Pointing to the decidedly smaller chair on the other end of the desk he added, "Take a seat, won't you ?"
I did so. He reached over the desk and shoved some sheets on it closer to himself. He read it and scratched his chin.
"Name is David, hmm ?"
I nodded.
He read more. "Duplication, hmm ?"
I stayed quiet.
He looked at me for a moment. Drummed his fingers on the desk for a moment. Then reached in one of the drawers and pulled out an apple.
Pointing to it he said, "Okay kiddo, let's see you duplicate this."
I reached over to pick it up but he stopped me. "No, just where you're at is fine."
The ability to duplicate required me to concentrate, so I did.
I thought about the apple. The apple peel, the sweet and tangy fruit inside, the apple seeds, the weight, color, texture, everything. Finally I reached out with my finger and touched it.
"You're mine !" I said which I had become familiar with as my way of activating the duplicating ability.
Suddenly there were two apples.
Dr. Prentis picked up the duplicate and smiled. Reaching in his vest he pulled out a knife and started to peel it. Then he cut out a peeled section and gave it to me.
I guess he wanted to see that my duplication method didn't poison anything.
I ate it. I was pretty hungry and my tummy rumbled right after.
He expertly cut out a wedge himself. With his mouth full he spoke, "You didn't do that quite right."
"Sir ?" I asked him.
"Take the original." He was now working his knife around the core, getting it off.
I picked it up and at once realized it was not a real apple ! It was wooden. And painted red.
I looked at him with shock. I had NEVER known it was my belief alone that created the duplicate ! I set the wooden apple back on the desk as if it burned me.
He registered the look on my face and laughed, "You thought I handed you a real apple. Because you BELIEVED this, your duplicate was in fact a real apple."
He set the rest of the apple down and grabbed a pen to write down some notes. "That's very interesting. It's not so much a duplication ability you have but the gift to create anything you BELIEVE to be the same as the original."
That was a lot of words for me. I was just 10-years old so I just nodded dumbly.
My stomach rumbled again. He smiled. Got up from his desk and held his hand out.
Thinking we were done I shook it. "We're going to run some more tests. This is very exciting territory for us, and I suspect you too."
My stomach rumbled again, determined not to be ignored.
* * *
"You must be hungry." he smiled. I held my silence still marveling that I made a real apple from a wooden one.
"Let's get you some transportation."
He hit a button on an intercom attached to the desk.
"Wendy ?" he spoke.
"Yes, Dr. Prentis ?" a voice spoke on a scratchy speaker.
"I have a fellow here - who is hungry. Do you think you could arrive transport for him to the cafeteria ?"
She replied, "I'm sending a roller now."
I picked back up the wooden apple and turned it around in my hand.
He spread his fingers from one hand and waved them in my direction. "Keep it. Think of it as a souvenir - the start to determining just how far your powers can go."
I put the wooden apple in my pocket and then there was a gentle knocking behind me.
The door opened and I recognized the woman with the wheelchair from the time before.
"I'll take you to the cafeteria." She said. "Get on."
I sat back in the wheelchair. Before she could turn it out of the office Dr. Prentis spoke again, "We'll be in touch, count on it. Enjoy your dinner."
She wheeled out of the office and back into the main hallway. As soon as we were out of earshot of the doctor she spoke. "So how do you like it here ?"
I smirked, "With the threat of having my limbs cut off if I don't behave ?"
She sighed. I don't know if she was more upset that I was going to be difficult or that I was intelligent enough to know that I was being held here against my will.
Finally we arrived at the cafeteria, and it wasn't empty ! There were all kinds of kids there.
One kid was gnawing on the stick of what could've only been a corn-dog and looked at me as I entered. "Fresh meat." he said in a scary tone.
"Jacob, you be nice." the woman wheeling my chair said. Finally she stopped and I got off and up to face her.
"You're Wendy, right ?" I asked.
She shook her head, "No, I'm Margot. Spelled with a T but it's silent. Mar-Go."
"We call her Go-Go-Girl." one kid said rudely. I looked at him with confusion. He added, "Get it ? Cause she goes ? She is always going - pushing wheels for someone ?" I shrugged. "Forget it." and he went back to his meal.
At this point some other kids showed up to crowd around me. Each seemed to be enjoying some type of food.
Looking around I see that Margot had left me to the mercy of the curious onlookers.
"So what can you do ?" one teenager asked me. A girl with red hair and at a full 2-feet taller than me.
"What can I do ?" I repeated.
She smiled, "Yeah ! Check this out." and she held her outstretched fingers to a table. At once a stray metal fork from there flung off the surface to get caught in her grip.
"Magnet Girl." a younger one scoffed.
She cuffed the one who spoke on the head. Then stepping very close to me spoke more slowly in almost a seductive tone, "So - what - do - you - do ?"
"Do !?" I squeaked in fear. Girls always creeped me out, never knowing what was going on in their head.
"What do you want to do ?" she said leaning down and whispering seductively in my ear. She was so close I could feel the warmth of her chest against mine.
"I'm not sure at this point." I told her in all truth feeling quite red-faced and flustered right now.
"Phssh. A dead battery." one of them said, and some of them laughed wickedly at the apparently insulting term.
"That's not very nice !" I heard a small voice ... near the floor !
Suddenly I pulled away and stooped down on my knees to marvel at this little plastic doll no higher than a foot.
She smiled widely, "You're new here, huh ? Don't worry, I'll look out for you."
"Dollface." one of them said with disgust and then they all left as a pack if she had cancer or something. I saw it as very rude but apparently the doll - she didn't.
"So what's your name, handsome ?" she asked me as I was still down on my knees gazing at her.
I was still surprised I was speaking to a doll. Quite possibly, a plastic Barbie one.
"Dah - David." I said, words being difficult at the moment.
"Well, duh - David they wouldn't have sent you here on the first day unless you were pretty hungry."
"Yeah, I'm famished." I told her, my voice returning.
"Well you stick with me. Don't worry about the others. They're probably all jealous of your marvelous ability. Stay close to me and I'll show you the ropes."
With that I started to lift her up but she got cross in an instant.
"What - what the HELL do you think you're doing !?" she demanded.
"I - was - going to - maybe - put you on my shoulder ?" I told her setting her back down immediately.
Her face furled up in frustration. Finally she twirled one toe shyly around a floor tile. "I have a fear of heights, David. Maybe you didn't know."
"No."
"Fair enough. DON'T lift me. I'm not a toy. And DON'T get me started on that subject, either ! Okay, let's get you some food."
And with that and me following after her quick movements, I picked up a tray and went to the counter to see what all food they had.
(to be continued ...)
END OF CHAPTER 5
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