Jennifer saw a long, skinny triangle of red flapping about in front of her. It was slightly obstructed by…were those her own little fingers? Yes! Seeing anything clearly was hard, especially with a pounding headache. But when those same fingers flew to her face to wipe away some of the red that had splattered in her eye, she knew.
A strong arm tightened around her, its big hand covering her mouth when she started to scream. Another big hand now obstructed the skinny red triangle, fluttering about it like a bird.
For a moment her vision returned; she was staring into the most beautiful green eyes she’d ever seen. Had that gorgeous man who’d given her this address followed her in? He put a finger to his lips. Then his big hand, shaking, returned to the skinny red triangle Jennifer now realized was the heel of her shoe. It was embedded in his neck.
Just before she again lost consciousness, her senses picked up the sound of the homeless woman pleading and that strange thing she’d smelled before, though a bit fainter this time, as if more distant. Was whatever had been used to make Jennifer pass out now being used on the homeless woman?
Jennifer’s eyes fluttered open one last time, leaving her with the impression that she and the man with the green eyes and gorgeous blond hair were lying on some junky old oriental rug. Then she was safely back in her bedroom as a child. Mommy and Daddy had bought her a new toy! No. It was alive. Warm and fuzzy and sweet smelling. A kitten! She remembered what Mommy had said and was very, very gentle. She pet the kitten. The kitten arched its back and purred, looking up at her with big green eyes. She heard the door to her bedroom open and called out happily, “See, Mommy? I remembered what you said! My kitty likes me!”
But there was no answer, just footsteps, approaching softly. Jennifer looked up, expecting Mommy, since she knew Daddy was at work. But what she saw was impossible, since she knew she was an only child. Still, she was staring at an almost exact duplicate of herself, a twin. She even found herself mouthing a name: Judy.
Judy was looking at Jennifer’s kitten, literally licking her lips.
“Mommy!” cried Jennifer.
“Out shopping,” said Judy.
