LOST

The whole neighborhood was in distress. Katy has been missing for some days now and there was no indication that she would be showing up soon. They organized a committee to put together a search party and look for the lost teenager. It was a tough time for the inhabitants of Loja, which was nothing compared to the misery and despair Katy's parents were experiencing.

"How are you holding up, Kid?"

Eric was too distracted by the thoughts in his head to notice Mrs. Smith's question, an extension of her concern. She considered such a gesture appropriate for the situation they were in.

"It's Eric right?"

Eric was still oblivious to the happenings around him, he was so lost in his head that Erica had to nudge him repeatedly before he came to.

"You must be Eric right, my baby's boyfriend."

There was a pain in her eyes. Eric could see the blood-filled artery, it seemed they were going to burst. They were red with worry, tears dangling, and gravity was too weak to pull them down.

"No Ma'am, I'm not her boyfriend. She's just friends with my sis."

Eric quickly responded, wondering if he was flunking this test in 'tensed social interactions.'

"I see."

She responded thoughtfully.

Her response made Eric uncomfortable. Erica was grinning in the background.

"Given how Katy won't shut up about you coupled with how she speaks of you, I doubt she's just your twin's friend. Wouldn't you say so, Erica?"

She paused and glanced at Erica. They both enjoyed this very short moment of teasing Eric. He couldn't say anything.

"Do you know where my baby is, Eric?"

She asked with a worn-out expression on her face. Every ounce of Joy has been stripped from her. She's been devastated.

"No, Ma'am."

Eric answered curtly.

Erica subtly scowled at her twin and then went over to comfort Mrs. Smith who finally gave in to the tornado of emotions that was brewing inside of her.

She gently sobbed in Erica's arms.

"Where's my baby, Erica, where's my sweet Katy?"

"I'm sure she's fine wherever she is, Mrs. Smith."

Erica glanced at her twin and gestured to him to excuse them. Eric who was already in distress from the display of emotions thought this was a great idea.

He quickly got up and left them alone.

Eric forced his way through the crowd at Katy's place. Seeing so many people in a single place, in such a time of emotional distress was a disgusting sight to Eric. But, the crowd didn't bother him as it used to, he had so many things on his mind. He was sad that he couldn't share his deductions with anyone. The only person he could share it with was missing, Eric missed Katy.

"Your brother is an intriguing young man, isn't he?"

Mrs. Smith asked Erica.

She wore an expression that Erica found familiar. It was an awkward moment for both of them given they don't normally interact on normal occasions. Erica has always thought Mrs. Smith never wants her around. To her, Mrs. Smith would always find an excuse to avoid her. It was more subtle than it was direct. Eric, being Eric has always told his twin sister that she was worrying herself over nothing. He would normally say something along these lines;

"Women are social creatures, making it an imperative to be observant of social gestures or cues...This is their domain. But sometimes, they attribute meaning to things that are inherently meaningless or take things out of context and their egocentric view of the world doesn't help either. They believe every male on the planet wants to fuck them, hell, they believe it's their birthright, their entitlement. They crave attention. This thought process has fueled an internalized social competition among the female species. The competition is about the sexual appeal. Perhaps you're jealous of Mrs. Smith because you think she'll smoke you in the sexual market."

Eric never failed to get a little beating after making such statements. His attempts to hurt his sister's feelings sometimes go out of line. He's lucky to still be alive. But her feelings towards Mrs. Smith or the feeling Mrs. Smith caused her to feel through her subsequent actions was something different. There was just something off, coupled with the fact that Mrs. Smith wasn't a social person. But still, she feels Mrs. Smith's treatment of her was special. Yet, she's here with this antisocial woman consoling her over her missing daughter.

Ever since the incident occurred, Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been getting a constant influx of visitors, but as the days progressed, their visits weren't as frequent as before. Laurel, Erica's Mom, also came to visit from time to time, but she was on a shift that particular evening. In a way, her children were stepping in for her.

"I wouldn't call it intriguing...... I think he's annoying. And I'll know, I'm his twin sister."

Erica responded to Mrs. Smith's inquiry.

They both giggled, something Mrs. Smith hasn't done in a while.

"You can say what you want Erica,"

She said, leaving Erica's arm to adjust herself on the sofa,

"You and I both know you love your brother more than life itself, and you'll do anything to protect him."

"I don't know about that, Mrs. Smith, but I think you're overestimating the love between twins. It's not as epic as it's portrayed in the movies."

"Hahaha, you're a funny girl, Erica. I'll give you that. And I appreciate your company."

"I'm honored Mrs. Smith, but I've always thought you never liked me."

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"The way you act whenever I'm around.."

"I'm sorry if I made you feel that way, Erica. I'm pretty sure you're not the only person with such feelings about me. But you should know, I meant no harm. I'm not this way because I choose to be, Erica."

"How do you mean?"

"Just know there are things in this life that should never be discovered and reality is not all it seems."

Erica felt concerned about Mrs. Smith's response. What could she have experienced that fucked her up that way? This thought deterred Erica from pushing further with her questions. The thought of awakening deep-rooted trauma scared her. She had to comfort her, she wouldn't let her curiosity get the best of her.

Erica wondered how Eric would've handled the situation. She was uncomfortable with the images that were popping into her head. She was sure Eric would break this woman just to satisfy his curiosity.

That was when another thought hit her, she never really thought of it till now, 'how's Eric handling this? Though he's a robot, he and Katy were close, or they seemed to be.

Erica cursed herself for thinking of Katy in the past tense.

At that moment, Erica had a realization;

What if Eric does have deep emotions but has a problem expressing them? Is it possible that Eric experiences a range of emotions that we're not familiar with? Is he suffering in silence? Perhaps I should try and learn his language...

For the very first time, Erica thought of Eric in a different light. She found it difficult to come to terms with her negligence. She's been spending all this time trying to fix her 'broken' brother instead of making an effort to understand him.

'But where is Katy?'

Her thoughts wandered.

'God, I hope she's alright wherever she is. But where is she? What was happening with Katy and her parents? What the hell is even happening?'

"I know that look."

Mrs. Smith interrupted her train of thought.

"What look?"

Erica tried to deny it but was failing miserably.

"That look. You're wondering about the events surrounding Katy's disappearance."

"I think everybody is worried about that Mrs. Smith."

"Ok, to save you the trouble. We're fine. We're a happy family, Erica. There was no reason for Katy to run away from home."

"Pardon?"

"Oh please Erica, don't play the fool. I know you're thinking about it."

"Ok. You got me, Mrs. Smith. But what do you think happened to Katy then?"

"Some things are better left unknown, Erica. Trust me."

"Even your own daughter's disappearance? What are you not telling me, Mrs. Smith?"

"Oh, look, it's late. I don't think your mom would be happy if I keep you here longer than usual."

"Don't worry Mrs. Smith, I don't think she'll mind."

"I insist."

Mrs. Smith declared.

She helped Erica to the door, gave her a warm smile, and said,

"Take good care of Eric for me, will you?"

in a manner portraying a concern that's not typical of their relationship; that is, the relationship between Eric and Mrs. Smith.

The noise generated by the crowd flooded the room as she opened the door.

"Good night, Mrs. Smith."

Erica said sheepishly, reluctantly stepping off the porch.

As she made her way through the crowd to her car, she periodically looked back to get a glance at the eyes that were boring a hole through the back of her head.

Mrs. Smith was staring intently at her. The tears dangling in her eyes made them look like shiny pearls. She slowly closed the door and sighed in relief.

"C'mon Joyce, the soup is ready, but it's pretty hot. You gotta wait for it to cool down a little. Wouldn't want to burn your tongue."

"You're still on that Helen, I thought I told you not to worry about it?"

"Just shut up and let me take care of you."

Helen said as she carefully placed the bowl of hot soup on a nearby table.

"So, how are you holding up?"

"What do you want me to say, Helen?"

"Anything Joyce. I just want to know if you're alright. It's good to talk about these things."

"You and I both know there's nothing to talk about. No amount of talk can resolve this issue, Helen."

Helen made her way around the table, went over to where Mrs. Smith was seated, opened her arms and she sat close to her.

The opened arms were an invitation for comfort.

"You just gotta be hopeful that they'll find her, Joyce."

Helen said, adjusting her arms to accommodate her friend's head.

"Yeah, just like they found the others, Helen."

"Stop talking like that, Joyce. We don't know if that's what happened to her."

"How can you tell?"

Helen couldn't come up with an answer.

"Let's face the truth Helen, my baby is gone, she's never coming back."

"What is wrong with you Joyce? Why are you speaking in such a manner?"

"I'm being realistic, Helen."

"Oh please, shut up. You're just looking for an excuse to give up. Would you have your daughter think you were whining and sobbing instead of figuring out a way to bring her back? She's counting on you right now. Don't let her down."

"But, the others........."

"Forget about the others. This is your daughter. You should be tearing up the whole of existence looking for her, not giving excuses."

Helen was oblivious to the events and experiences behind her friend's pessimistic outlook on her daughter's disappearance. Mrs. Smith being aware of this decided to concede by asking for the bowl of soup.

"Hey, what about the bowl of soup? Should be cold by now."

"Now, that's the spirit."

Helen cheered her on.

It pained Joyce to give her friend false hope. But that was the best she could do given the circumstances. Their problems were far from over, in fact, this was just the beginning. A fake smile and shallow giggle were the best she could do to keep the churning despair within from eating her up.

She knew already what was waiting for them, she's seen it all. She's been here before. A never-ending cycle of pain and misery. The eternal and cyclical wheel of time constantly fucking them in the ass without consent. The ruthless hand of existence punished them for their sentience.

Erica got home later that night. She had a new goal; to sincerely attempt to understand Eric in all his layers of weirdness. She wants to get his brother, comfort him, and become familiar with the alien she has for a twin.

This would be no easy task given their rivalry and the need to be at each other's throats at any opportunity they get. Worse, Erica wasn't confident in an empathetic approach. She knew or at least was conscious, for the first time, of Eric's thought process regarding the world.

She concluded to be straightforward with her inquiries into her brother's life.

She carefully arrived at his bedroom door and hesitated for a moment before giving it a knock.

"Eric, you in there?"

"If you're here to give me a therapy session, you can politely fuck off."

Eric's voice sounded like he had a pillow over his face.

"Nope. I just want to talk, you know, twin to twin."

"I can sense the emotions oozing from your voice. Can you please go away before you infect me with that disgusting disease?"

"Cut it out Eric, I know you're hurting, or whatever your version of hurting is."

"And there she goes with her assumptions, typical of all emoting creatures."

"Oh please! Katy was the only one that you could interact with comfortably. You guys were close. Tell me you're not feeling anything.."

"are."

Eric responded curtly.

"What?"

"You're speaking of Katy using past tense. She's not dead you know, just missing."

"Oh! I'm sorry."

"And... the only thing I'm feeling right now is irritation"

"C'mon Eric, Just open the damn door."

"I'm busy Erica, please go away."

"Yeah, busy pushing everyone away. Especially those who care about you. Tyrell told me what happened."

"What did he say?"

"You finally crossed the threshold of asshole-ness he was willing to tolerate. You just ruined your only friendship."

"Well, he was useful while it lasted. Besides, he would slow me down.."

"Can you hear yourself?" How can you speak of your friend in such a manner, your friend Eric?"

Eric gave no response.

"Seriously Eric, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Nothing. You guys are just too dumb to comprehend my thought processes. Hell, you can't even imagine what I'm capable of."

"Yeah. We get it, you're smart. But at what cost?"

"If you knew what was coming Erica, you wouldn't be worried about me or my feelings."

"What's that supposed to mean, what's coming?"

"Why the concern all of a sudden? What did Mrs. Smith share with you?"

"Answer me, Eric, what is coming? And what does Mrs. Smith have to do with this?"

"Haha, you want to know what's cumming.."

"Stop fooling around Eric. I demand an explanation."

"Great, at least you have something else to worry about. Good night Erica."

Erica frantically banged on Eric's door. A pathetic attempt to make him explain his statement. Eric wasn't bothered.

Erica knew she wasn't going to get any response from her twin.

"You can rot in hell Eric. Fuck you."

And away she went to contemplate what Eric said.

Erica was uncomfortable with the implications of both Eric's and Mrs. Smith's statements. They both seem to know something about Katy's disappearance, something they don't want to share. She's pretty sure she's not going to get anything out of Eric at the moment, or can she?

Perhaps, if she interacted with Eric on his terms, she would be able to get some understanding of what's happening in Loja.

His eyes fixed on his charts, Eric still couldn't figure out how Katy's kidnapping fit into all these. Given his deductions and everything he currently knows regarding the wormhole, he was convinced they were stuck in a cycle. A cycle they can't escape from, a never-ending loop. They were slaves to the tyrannic rule of causality. Nothing they do would make a difference because they were going to do whatever it is they have done, what they were going to do, and what they are doing. It has been, will be, and already is... It has been predetermined. It is written in the stone of time and cemented by causality.

He wondered if there was an escape if he would be the only puppet to see the strings and confront the puppet master. He found it distressing that he couldn't find anyone smart enough to comprehend his findings to their logical foundations without panicking. All this information was eating him up from the inside, he needed to share it with someone, and he needed a competent detective partner. Eric missed Katy.

The stinging pain was unbearable, it felt like her head was going to explode. The high-pitch-ringing sound wasn't helping either. All these coupled with a nauseating feeling, and an uncomfortably high internal temperature, felt like hell. She thought she was going to die until an urge to vomit forced her to get out of the car.

She sluggishly opened the door, crawled for a few seconds, then vomited. This seemed to help with the pain and discomfort. She remained on all fours for a few minutes before deciding to stand on her feet. She squinted her eyes, to avoid the bright light entering her retina. It took some time before her eyes adjusted to the light.

"Where the fuck am I?"

"What happened?"

She tried to recall what had happened to her. Her mind didn't fail her, she was immediately flooded with memories.

She remembered being on her way to Eric's house when a wormhole opened in front of her moving car. She also remembered seeing the man who warned them to stay away from the wormhole in the woods.

"That bastard."

She muttered under her breath.

She also remembered stepping hard on the brakes. The wormhole seemed to have transported her from the highway of Loja to some desert in the middle of nowhere.

A very loud humming sound interrupted her thoughts. She looked up, in an attempt to trace the sound to its source. What she saw left her in awe.

She saw strange-looking vehicles moving through a transparent giant tube that extended from earth into outer space. She couldn't see the end of the tube...

"Shit!"

She exclaimed,

"Did I just time-traveled into the future?"

In her whole life, Katy has never been excited and terrified at the same time.