Adam and Joshua

"No", Joshua made a step back. "It isn't-it can't be true!"

Caesy just laughed like a maniac. "Well, it is. We aren't more than dolls to this maniac over there."

It all started on a walk-

Or was it in the schoolbus?

...

Oh, you don't care?

Tbh, neither does me. I also always just skip 'till some dramatic shit happens so I can get fast entertained.

But you have to read a bit, okay? It won't be too long, really.

Look, if I really want to start at the beginning we have to start way earlier. Earlier than this situation, earlier than the walk.

It all started with a girl, a weird one. Weird in the she-ate-leaves-and-sand-kind of way. Wich is probably the reason she didn't had any friends and the ones she did have-

Oh, you don't care about fucked up life stories?

Yeah, I relate that. That only makes me feel bad. Look, it's a important part of the story, but if you don't want to hear it yet, I can just start at the situation.

"...so you learned swimming at twelve!?", said Adam, his fingers in his blonde locks. "By being thrown.into.the.oceans?"

Joshua's face turned red after the rest of the group giggled. "Well, to be fair, I don't live anywhere near the ocean."

"That's no excuse."

Both laughed. In fact, everyone at the table laughed. Or to be more precisely, everyone who had the same style laughed.

"When we are by 'no excuse', don't excuse me", a girl said, her white teeth showing.

"And who are you again?*, Talisha asked. She looked at the girl, trying to remember anything. But there was nothing to remember. There wasn't even anything to recognize.

The girl looked different. Not because she was Chinese or because she wore a way too big pullover, there was just something...unsettling about her.

The way her teeth showed, her skin looked like a blank piece of paper or her voice sounded. Shivers didn't only went down Talishas's back.

The unsettling girl didn't even looked at Talisha like nothing was there. Her brown eyes, that seemed to shine like fire (even if nobody would know why their brains made that connection), were fixaded at one person.

"Joshua", she said, the way older sisters talk to their little brothers.

"Caesy", he said, the way old rivals meeting again.

Caesy grinned. "Long time, no see, huh? Last time you were like, eleven."

"So were you. What do you want?"

"Do you want a apple? I just happen to have one over here", she said, as she pulled it outside. A perfect red apple, nothing to extraordinary.

Except...it didn't looked right. The apple had no shades, just this one red for the whole thing. The longer anyone stared at the apple, the less they were sure that this even was 3D.

"Okay, sorry- but who are you? "

It was Adam, the first one brave enough to talk.

Joshua looked between Caesy and Adam and bid his lip, a old habit of his childhood.

Caesy's grin just got wider, wich made her look more horrifying than it already was.

"We're old friends, aren't we?"

"I wouldn't call anyone my friend when they try to kill my best friend with a knife. Multible times", he responded in a cool tone.

When anyone was able to not look at Caesy, they certainly would've now. Some even had their mouths open.

"Actually, that's...part of the reason I am here again. I have this apple and when you listened enough you know the Adam and Eve Story."

For a split second Talisha, Kaden and Bee looked at Adam, thinking what he and Eve Handler could've possible done, soon realizing, that she was talking about a different Adam.

"The apple was the fruit of wisdom", Joshua said hesitating. "It's said, that Adam and Eve realized the...or well, you know, some truth about the universe through eating the apple."

"Ha, perfect. Guess what I have here..."

Joshua's pupils began expanding like the big bang. "No way."

"One way, actually. Through me."

Joshua observed the apple sceptical. It didn't smelled like any kind of poison he knows of (and he does know quite a few.)

"You don't really consider this, right?", Adam asked.

Joshua looked between the apple and Adam. "I'm not...I-I don't know. What would...what would you do?"

Adam's eyes widened more than before. "Joshua asking me about decisions, that is going to be recorded."

Joshua just stared at him.

Adam stood up. "Okay, you know what? Fuck this. If you are going to be kicked out of paradise, I'm coming with you. If you don't, then we can just...I don't know...do cool things in paradise, I guess. Ride or die."

"Were you always like that?", Kaden asked.

"I...I think I've been like that for a while now, but I have literally no idea."

Joshua stood up. His legs felt too weak to carry him but he knew it wasn't real.

"You might not like what you're gonna see", Caesy said and speaking the first time of that day with a serious tone. "After all, it drove me nuts."

She laughed. Joshua and the rest of the table didn't.

Joshua took the apple and looked in Adam's sky blue eyes. He managed to smile even if his muscles felt like they've never been used before.

"See you at the other side."

"See you at the other side."

Joshua took a bit of the apple and gave it to Adam who also took a bit.

The realization wasn't the way most would assume it would happen.

At first he didn't felt any different. He didn't saw anything, didn't heard voices or really anything Joshua thought of as 'some truth of the universe'.

The realization wasn't a lighting, striking him down.

More like most covering his eyes the whole time, that slowly disappears.

Joshua looked down at his hands. His skin was made of many different brown tones, some parts were darker then others.

"What the-"

Before he could finish the sentence something that would be described be as 'memory' flashed through his head.

A notebook that smelled like basement. He was drawn there, everything about him was written down there and the writer was-

No.

No.

No.

No", Joshua made a step back. "It isn't-it can't be true!"

Caesy just laughed like a maniac. "Well, it is. We aren't more than dolls to this maniac over there."

"Okay, no. Who are you? A illusionst? This- this can't be!", Adam said, his voice shaking.

Caesy laughed again. "That drove me nuts, I told you. It's funny, isn't it?"

"I don't think you can call that funny", Joshua said. He felt sick like he had to vomit. His heart felt like racing, but that probably didn't meant anything.

"Yeah, more like fucked up", Caesy said and stood up. She sat on the table. "I mean, we're both having a wild time. And it'll get worse and worse every year, isn't that fantastic? The more years we get, the more trauma we'll earn."

Joshua swallowed.

"I know that you're super into other people's business, so you can also get over her and properly explain everything", he said, more a whisper than anything, but it would be enough.

Just as the words left his mouth the door was opened. A girl entered the room.

She seemed to hug herself. Her brown hair didn't looked brushed and the glasses on her face seemed dirty.

"Hey Joshua", she said and he could've swear that she sounded exhausted for the first time in his presence. "How do you feel about your new consciousness?"

Okay now I have to explain everything. All the things that were teased at the beginning.

At the beginning, there was a weird girl. She didn't had a single friend. No one to spend recess with and no one to ride the schoolbus with her. So she just made them in her head.

And I think you already know this, but just to clarify this, I am this girl. I am the author. I created Caesy and Joshua.

You see, Joshua was the first person I ever made up. He was- well is my best friend, wich is probably the reason he can't believe I gave him all that trauma and will continue to do so.

You may be asking yourself: But why does Caesy hates you?

Two reasons:

1. Her trauma is already so cribbing, not even therapy can help her at this point.

2. She knew. All the time.

If I explain her her trauma in every detail we could write a whole book about it and I would be dragged into therapy, so just continue the story.

Joshua took a deep breath. The first one that felt real. "I-I am confused. And scared. Is-is that normal?"

"Yup. You're brain needs to...process everything."

"But...can't you just like make something about...that."

"That's not how this works."

"Oh..."

I also took a deep breath. Come on, this is your greatest wish and worst nightmare coming true, be girl enough to face it.

"I...ehm...I could explain to you two. If you like, still want to talk with me."

Adam and Joshua looked at each other.

"Of course we still want to talk with you."

I smiled gratefully. Note to self, adding less trauma makes people more stable.

"Then let's discuss everything on a good ol' walk."