Opening his eyes, the young man squints at the bright-lighted room he currently sat in.
"Man, it's been knockout after knockout today. Where even am I?"
"Well, it's about time you finally came to visit me!"
Eyes widening, the young man turns around and gets up from the floor, a young woman with dark hair and brown eyes smiling over at him.
"Camille."
He runs over, stumbling over his feet a bit, before giving his older sister by 4 years a hug.
"I missed you, Camille! Please don't let go of me."
The older girl giggles, embracing her baby brother in a warm hug.
"I won't let go, Kazimir. I'll have to eventually, but we can spend some time together to catch up for now."
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you from that bastard. I'm sorry I didn't kill that dumbass for speaking down on you like that. I'm sorry-
"Kazimir."
The young man looks up into his sister's brown eyes and she strokes his hair.
"It's alright. I'm fine now; that's all that you wanted for me, isn't it?"
He nods and Camille gives him a smile.
"How's mama and papa doing?"
"Uh, I guess they're doing okay. They both have a Maltese puppy named Caramel-Strawberry."
Camille laughs and sighs.
"That's actually a really cute name, though. Anyway, I hear you've met a wealthy family recently. What're their names?"
"Yeah, unfortunately they've lost their parents, so now it's only the three of them. Hold on, I'll show you some pictures." Kazimir replies, pulling out his phone. "This is Dréy, he's the eldest."
Camille takes the phone and scrolls through the social media page, a wide smile occupying her face.
"He's cute. Do you think he'd like me if I was still alive?"
The young man nods.
"I'm sure he would. Next is Khristina-Bella, she's the youngest."
"Awwwww, she's so adorable, Kazimir!"
"Yes, she's a bit energetic at times. Seems as if I have a little sister and a daughter rolled into one. Ah, here's the middle brother; his name's Alexei."
Looking down at the screen, Camille nods.
"He's quite handsome; what're his socials?"
Kazimir shakes his head.
"He doesn't have any."
"Aww, that's too bad. Kazimir, you should start posting pictures of yourself; you know, to bring awareness to others who may have the same hair and eye conditions as you."
The young detective shrugs.
"I'm not really comfortable with taking pictures of myself."
Camille laughs, playing with her little brother's hair.
"I can see that! The selfies with Khristina-Bella says a lot! So, how's life going for you currently? Going out more? Trying new things?"
"Yeah, I actually became a full-time detective recently."
The young lady raises a brow.
"Detective? I thought you were planning to go to school for marketing."
"I was, but not anymore. I think this is what I'd like to do with my life for now." Kazimir replies, spinning his phone around in his hand.
"Oh! You could be like one of those detectives that take down the bad guys and then take their spot!" Camille excitedly adds. "Oh, is it time already?"
She points towards a sunset and smiles.
"I've made a couple new friends since I've passed on. They're all super sweet and this is usually the time we all meet up for dessert!"
The two siblings stand up and Camille puts a hand on Kazimir's shoulder.
"Now, you can't come along; it's a girl's only thing!"
The young male sighs.
"So then what the hell do I do now?"
"You can continue work as a detective, that's what you can do. And remember, it's best to follow what your heart genuinely tells you, not your head." Camille says, giving her younger brother a hug. "You'll need that advice for that cruel world. I'll see you soon, I promise!"
She runs off, waving back at Kazimir.
"Well goodbye, then."
Leaning against the wall, the young man sighs.
"Follow my heart and not my head. What if they both tell me the same thing?"
All of a sudden, the wall gives way, causing Kazimir to land on a dark-tiled floor, black and red velvet walls around him.
"Sheesh, where am I now?"
"Ah, didn't expect that you'd drop by so early."
Looking up from the ground, the young man raises a brow at the rose garden surrounding him with a throne at the very end, before coming face to face with a dark-haired and brown-eyed young man.
"Who the fuck are you?"
The man chuckles and holds out his hand to help Kazimir up.
"Ryushi Cizetto is what I go by. I'm just an alternate version; the version that was discarded at the last second before mama gave birth. Let me tell you some facts about us."
Kazimir watches as the young man walks over to the throne and sits.
"First off, everyone in reality has an alternate version of themselves, one just has to tap deep into his life force, usually his heart, to find him. Second, one can talk to us at any time, so as long as the two has met before. Third, most of us won't get along with our reality version, since we often tend to be hated; on the flip side, there are those who do get along with their reality version, but that's because they're only manipulated into doing so or have the same views. And finally, we can't be killed unless our reality version dies first or if you were to kill me somehow. Good luck with that, though."
Ryushi gets up from his throne and sighs.
"Unfortunately, the lights wouldn't stop flickering on and off in your heart, so I had to uproot my home and tap into your subconscious. Now, before you leave this place, I'd like to tell you something."
"Then hurry up, I don't have all day." Kazimir replies, groaning at the fact his alternative stole his middle name.
"Chill, I know you're impatient. First off, I want to congratulate you for working your way up in the detective ranks, you deserve it."
"Well, it wasn't me, that bastard Pierre just put in-
"Man, shut up and try working on self-confidence for a change." Ryushi says, crossing his arms. "It's clear you have a strong potential to get away with anything and everything you'd like to. You know what I'm referring to, correct?"
"Yeah, but watch who you speak to; you're only an alternate."
"That's the spirit, Mr. Temper! Look, just think about it; all the power and control you can have, the fear you can set into multiple citizens hearts. You could become a secret star, man!"
Kazimir softly smiles.
"I see where you're coming from. I actually like that, a secret star."
Ryushi sighs, plucking one of the roses from a bush.
"Camille said to genuinely follow your heart, but if we're being honest, that's what got her killed. Besides, we have a goal in mind that we need to complete no matter what. What if our heart tells us to drop our goal, should we do that?"
"No, I'm already dead set on completing my mission." Kazimir replies, looking at the red roses around him.
"Exactly. That's why if we feel someone is getting in the way of our goal, drop them."
The young detective turns to his alternate version, who nods.
"Yes Kazimir the 1st, you heard me correctly; drop them. It doesn't matter how much it may hurt you or the other person; just know that it was for a good cause. We have to complete this mission so that we can live in peace and not a heavily corrupted place that'll slowly destroy us as time goes on."
Patting the young man's back, Ryushi leads Kazimir back over to the throne.
"Take a seat and tell me how you like it."
Sitting down on the soft cushion, the young detective puts one of his feet up on his knee and smiles.
"You have it quite nice in this garden, must be nice to just sit here and watch the rest of us suffer."
The alternate young male chuckles.
"You don't have to suffer, Kazimir. With a few more mind games, you too can feel comfortable living in reality as well. I mean, someone you know is doing the exact same thing. I just wanted to let you know in advance so that if he tries anything funny, you'll already have the one-up."
Ryushi laughs and cups Kazimir's face, a serious expression replacing the smile that once appeared on his face.
"Listen to me for the final time. That bastard was right; this world doesn't give one fuck about you or what happened to our Camille. No matter what you have to do, who you have to betray, use and gaslight; you obtain the prize for our fucking goal, understand?"
And with that, the young detective's vision darkens once more.
-------
Opening his eyes, the young man looks around the room and sighs.
He scratches the back of a relieved Caramel-Strawberry, who snuggled into his shoulder.
"Not now, Carabelle. I need to change so I can get out of here."
Stepping out of bed, the young man quickly puts his pants on, before removing his hospital gown to put his shirt on.
"Fuck!"
Quickly lifting his shirt back up, Kazimir turns to the mirror, taking a look at the burn scar etched into his back.
"Jeez, this looks kinda serious. Must be from that tree branch."
Putting his shirt back on, he grabs his phone before running out of the room and down the hall.
"Woah there, mister!"
The young detective quickly stops and sighs as the doctor blocks his exit.
"Not now, sir. I need to find my parents."
The older man chuckles.
"Your parents are back at home with the firefighters. However, since your wounds aren't life threatening, you can go."
He hands Kazimir a paper bag.
"That's for the burn on your back. The pain will eventually subside, but the scar itself will be permanent."
"Thank you, doctor."
The older man watches as the young detective runs out of the exit doors and chuckles.
"He's got quite a determination."
Hailing a taxi cab, Kazimir quickly gets in, anxiously waiting for the ride to be over.
"Ah dammit."
Looking up at his childhood home, he watches as the flames completely engulfed it.
"Here's your fare. You can keep the change." the young man says to the driver.
Stepping out of the car, he makes his way over to his parents.
"Mama! Dad!"
The couple turns around, a concerned look on Mrs. Cizetto's face.
"Kazimir, you're supposed to be in the hospital. What're you doing here?"
"That's not import-
"Answer your mother, son." Mr. Cizetto interrupts, shaking his head.
"I convinced the doctor to let me go. He said since my wounds weren't serious, I was free to go."
"Mr. and Mrs. Cizetto, may I have a word?"
Kazimir watches as the firefighter takes his parents aside and talks with them, his mother immediately breaking down in tears.
Feeling something rub across his leg, he squats down and strokes Caramel-Strawberry's fur coat.
"I think we've officially lost the house, girl."