"This is just part of the prank," Levi laughed nervously. "Let's get out of here."
They left the storage shed, and indeed it was earlier in the day. The sun should have been setting, but instead, it was high in the sky and bright out. "I think it worked," Ace whispered. "The mirror is alive."
"No, it's not! Let's just go back to the main building!"
" Fine , I'll take us there."Ace blinked, but they didn't go anywhere.
"What's wrong," Levi asked. Ace's eyes turned black and he started to sweat. "It's not here," Ace whispered. "I can sense if someplace I've been too has changed. It's not there."
"Ace this is not funny!"
"Let's just walk back and take the shuttle…"
They started walking back towards the main campus, but they were confused. "Isn't it this way," Ace asked. "Why is the training center on that side?"
"We're just tired, don't overthink it."
They turned around and walked towards the training center and took the shuttle to the main campus. "There's a lot of guys here," Ace whispered.
"Don't get too excited now," Levi snickered.
"That's not what I meant, asshole, " Ace whispered. "Most of the people on campus are girls since girls are more likely to have abilities." Levi looked around and noticed he was right.
"This doesn't mean anything," Levi whispered. Still, Levi was a little worried.
"Look," Ace whispered again. "That guy has freckles. "
The man in the left row across from them overheard and glared. "This place is truly strange," Levi whispered. "What a disgrace."
"Don't look at him too long," Ace whispered. " I heard they steal your money. " As the shuttle ride went through the forest, Levi noticed that everything was flipped. Lake Sarai wasn't to the east, but the west. They weren't going north, instead, they were going south. At this point, Levi had to admit that more had changed than simply box colors and building placements.
When they got off at the entrance to the main campus, the differences were now quite apparent. The statue of Michael Slater was no longer there. Instead, it was replaced by a woman called Sariel Slater.
"Levi they changed the statue!"
"I have eyes, Ace. I can see."
Ace was excited that they were truly someplace different. "Let's go around and see what else is different," Ace exclaimed.
"I think I'm good," Levi replied. "So far the changes are minor, but what if something is horrible and weird?"
"We can always just go back then," Ace told him.
Since it was Saturday very few classes were in session and everyone around campus was either in an activity, out on the town, having team meetings, or just relaxing. Saturdays had a different feeling on campus and because of it Ace and Levi were allowed to roam around freely without anyone noticing they didn't belong.
They got a map of the campus from the visitor's desk and Ace declared that we will stay until we get what we want. "And what is that," Levi asked.
"Didn't the mirror say you wanted someone or whatever," Ace asked.
"No," Levi said quietly. He was lying and decided to just enjoy that he and Ace were no longer arguing and that maybe by the end of the entire ordeal they might start to get along. Ace decided to start near his favorite place: the sports area. Even though Ace was terrible at almost every sport he did, he was completely average at baseball, and that was good enough for him.
Since the entire campus was now a mirror image, instead of the baseball field being first, instead it was the tennis courts and the basketball courts.
Levi and Ace looked around, noting the little things that seemed inconsequential to everyone else, but to them was simply jarring. Everything looked the same, the people talked the same, but still, they could not understand what the major difference was. Ace and Levi walked faster every time they passed someone with freckles, as they were nervous they would get assaulted, or worse.
They passed by the basketball courts, and a young man was sitting on a green bench tying his shoes. Ace and he strangely made eye contact at the same time, and Levi glared at him.
"Who are you," Levi asked.
"I'm Chad," he replied.
He finished tying his shoes and his gaze never left Ace. Levi was very uncomfortable as Ace and Chad stared at each other, like cats about to fight. Ace and Chad were going through an uncanny valley effect. They both noticed something was similar and different at the same time. Ace had no idea, as he was not a very bright young man.
Chad however knew, and it made him feel strange in the pit of his stomach.
"What's your name," Chad asked.
"Ace," he said shyly. Levi was now starting to catch on to what was happening and was now jealous.
"I'm Levi," he shouted. "And-"
"Do you know Aurora," Chad interjected.
"Uh, no," Ace mumbled.
"Neither do I," Levi shrugged. "So let's just-"
"You look just like her," Chad said in awe. "You could be her twin. "
"Oh, that's nice…., I guess," Ace said. Ace stared at the ground and was confused about why he felt so flustered around someone he just met. Chad got up from the bench, and Levi snickered.
"You're short as shit," Levi jeered. "Can you even reach a top shelf?" Chad was 5ft 6 inches tall and he rolled his eyes, used to the insult. He simply lifted his jersey and showed off his muscles. He flexed his biceps and grinned.
"Girls only care about this, " Chad sneered. Levi was now even more jealous because somehow he had a four-pack while Levi was trying his hardest to just get two. "Impressive," Ace mumbled. Ace and Chad continued to stare each other down and Levi was uncertain if they would start fighting or they would strip each other's clothes off.
"This sounds weird," Chad mumbled. "But Aurora is my girlfriend, and she's never mentioned a brother. Who are you?"
Levi felt the inside of his nostrils tingle and the back of his head get warm as he realized who Chad was. "This is Candice," he shouted. " A male Candice!
" What ," Chad asked.
"Oh gods," Ace whispered.
"Who's Candice," Chad asked.
"No one," Ace blurted out.
Levi felt gross about this whole new world. He worried if there was a woman, Levi, walking around, arguing with a woman Ace.
Chad, just like Candice was short, had brown skin, black hair, and a confident demeanor. However, his eyes were a strange color: purple, while hers were brown. Unlike Candice, he wasn't wearing scantily clad clothing, but his shoes were $600. The kind of shoes that men wore to show off to each other and collect, like how some people collected stickers, quarters, or Beanie Babies.
Even his sports jersey and shorts were the official sponsored brand . He was attractive just like her, and he had a topknot bun hairstyle with the sides shaved into a fade. Everything about him screamed I'm attractive and I'm aware of it.
"I want to meet this girl that looks like me," Ace said.
"Let's just leave," Levi pleaded. "This is creepy."
Chad looked uncomfortable and rubbed the back of his head. "We uh, we're fighting right now," Chad said. "Don't worry though, we'll probably get back together next week."
"Oh, that's good for you ," Levi said in fake concern. "So lets-"
"I hate it when girls do that," Ace complained.
"I know," Chad groaned. "Then they act as if nothing happened."
Levi was upset, as they then started to connect over their problems with their girlfriends. He didn't speak anymore, tired of being interrupted. Levi now was the third wheel in a very intense conversation in which Chad and Ace complained about past and present partners.
"Fuck women," Chad shouted.
"Yeah," Ace screamed.
Levi rolled his eyes, already tired of their diatribe on how it was all so unfair. "We don't need them," Chad bellowed.
"Hey let's not go too far now," Ace chuckled.
Chad looked up at Ace, right into his eyes, and was shameless. "Ditch the angry ghost and let's hang out," Chad told him.
"I am not an angry ghost, " Levi shouted. "I have albinism!"
"I don't care, It's not my fault your soul still walks the Earth," Chad replied.
Levi felt like a blood vessel was about to pop in his head. Ace gave him the map of the campus and said a few words, happy to leave with someone who seemed far more interesting. "What the heck," Levi whispered. "They really ditched me?"
Levi crumpled the paper map and huffed. Are they leaving to suck each other's faces off or something, Levi wondered. Is that why they ditched me? Levi could not understand that Ace still did not like him, and believed that everything was better because they weren't screaming at each other.
Ace hadn't forgiven him for hitting his best friend, and still thought he was homophobic.
Nonetheless, it was exactly what Ace had ditched him for. In Ace's mind, everything in this world was consequence-free. Chad led Ace through the sports complex and Ace became sweaty and nervous. The summer heat was already enough but his mind was wandering to strange places. He was mostly excited at the prospect that he could get what Lush told him he could get; a different partner.
Ace felt that with Chad he could get his cake and eat it too. No one in the strange land knew him. His complex about his sexuality was based on his self-consciousness and worry about what others thought of him. With no one he knew to judge him, Ace was now bold and determined.
Chad, however, was not a different person. His personality was similar to Candice's except it was slightly different due to gender.
As Chad explained to him things around campus and talked about his life, Ace could barely pay attention. Chad noticed and groaned. "Let's get this over with," Chad sighed.
"I'm sorry, what are you talking about," Ace mumbled.
"Let's get this curiosity out of our systems."
Chad led Ace to his dormitory a few blocks away from the sports complex and Ace blinked in disbelief as he arrived at his dorm suite. "I have my own room since I'm on a full ride," Chad explained. He opened his mini-fridge and drank a diet soda in seven large gulps. Ace stared hard at his lips. Chad sat on the bed and patted the spot next to him.