"Excuse me, sir. But I'm afraid I must've misheard you. Are you trying to imply that there are other people like us who got transported in this world too?" I asked.
"Of course, there are. What? D'you really think it's just the two of you? You ain't the chosen ones." Then he went back to reading the file in his hand. "Do what I told you to do."
"But sir, I don't think going back is possible anymore." I told him.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, uh, you see. The thing in my closet sprung to life and quite frankly, that was what we came here for." As I was saying that, I noticed Kristina fidgeting beside me. "Anything wrong?" I whispered to her though I was sure Franco and Old Klein still heard me. She shook her head.
"Oh! You mean Betty. Yes indeed. The other you informed me of that already. Betty is a middlefolk but she isn't a threat for now. She offered to cooperate if we let her live in peace. She must've found a new host guessing with your tone."
Old Klein asked Franco to send us home and help us pack our things and bring us back to the, I just found out what it's called, Otherworlders' Camp. But since 'otherworlder' was such a mouthful, they just call it the camp.
Quarter to eight when we arrived back at my place. This time, however, Franco didn't bother ringing the doorbell and just kicked the door like he owned the house.
Betty, previously the pig with a pink collar, stood by the door of my room. No longer a pig but the corpse that previously hid in my closet.
"Pack your clothes and change into something decent. Don't bring a lot. Four to six pairs is enough. And you, woman, any way to contact your parents on this plane?"
Kristina stuttered a bit. "I—I don't think I wanna contact them at all."
"And why is that?"
"They aren't my parents."
"What? You adopted?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"My real parents aren't in this world. I don't think it's right for me to interfere." Kristina explained.
"I see. Understandable but still make a way to contact them anyway. They didn't know their daughter had been switched so obviously you're their daughter in their eyes. Don't make them worry and don't give the other you a problem once she returns." Said Franko. "Also, don't give Old Klein any more workload."
I put my backpack on the coffee table then I turned to Franco who was seated on the sofa at the moment.
"I don't mean to be nosy but what is Old Klein's job? And when did you build the camp?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Oh! You're curious about that. Old Klein makes sure we maintain consistency. Like say, for example, people call the other you Mr. D. He was well respected as a professor in university teaching zoology but at the same time, he has alcohol and sex addiction. But you on the other hand, I could only guess you lived a much more different life than him. I don't even know if you drink but Old Klein makes sure we act like the other us. To maintain consistency."
And then he added, "Can't have people noticing, of course. Middlefolks are weird creatures. They only go to people who notice them. They ain't earthquakes where we could just make the people do the earthquake drill and be done with it. You notice them and it's only a matter of time before they devour you."
I shot Betty a glance who still stood by my door. "You say that but we have that thing in my house."
"Betty is a special case. I would say she made a deal with you. I mean with the other you. She'll tell us stuff about her and her kind but in return, we must provide her a host and let her live in peace. The only middlefolk who communicated to us humans. And Betty's coming with us to the camp."
Time passed by quickly and I finished packing up my things. But Kristina and I didn't have the sort of relationship we had in our previous plane. Here, Kristina was just someone I knew. I don't even know if we can be considered friends but I at least have her number so it shouldn't be that bad, right? But she didn't have clothes in my house. That's why we had to drive to her apartment.
We told Franco about the golf ball-sized middlefolk Kristina found in her place.
"No worries. They don't stay in the same place after getting noticed."
And so we went there. She packed her clothes, retrieved her phone, and finally changed into something decent.
We arrived back at the camp by nine.
"Have a rest. Take some sleep. If you're hungry then go to the mess hall. The briefing will be tomorrow and for the next three months, this will be your new home. Have a great day." Said Franco to us then he left.
He gave us a room in the dormitory building that had signs of burning in various areas. Like the scorched walls and ceilings. But the room he gave us was clean.
It was a tiny room, probably 10x15 with unpainted cement walls, non-tiled floor, just floorwax over cement, a tiny window across the door that when you looked outside, you could see the mess hall. There was also a three layer bunk bed by the left on which the top was taken. To the right was the tiny toilet and bath designed for small humans.
"Yo! A roommate?" Said the man who was about our age, with pompadour hair, idiot-looking grin, and super pale skin.
"I'm Zach. The top is taken. You decide which to get below. The water in the toilet is inconsistent so make sure to always have stocks in the buckets. No smelly armpits. No smoking. No sex. And no political talks. Nice meeting ya and I don't like talking to people so please just ignore me for the rest of your stay."