12

"Who is who?" Jasmine asked, grinning as if this were a game. "There is no one here but you and I."

It's debatable as to whether or not Dwayne was satisfied with Jasmines reply, this mattered little however as further attempts of explanation were cut short as Dwayne Senior interrupted.
"Right, so now that we are all properly acquainted, we best be off."
Surprisingly Dwayne didn't ask questions. His expression suggested he had conceded control over the present situation and was willing to take a back seat for a while.

Dwayne Sen. led the way deeper into the cave, followed closely be Jasmine, Dwayne and Jasmine Sen. They had been walking for less than five minutes before the tunnel opened up onto a track lined on either side by a waist high box hedge that ran off into the distance. Dwayne took advantage of the wider track by surreptitiously sideling up beside Jasmine. His advances were cut short however as the track stopped abrubtly by the edge of a dark green pond, no bigger than one you would find in a common garden. Beautiful white stones held the almost thick green water in place.

Even Jasmine was surprised when Dwayne Sen. cupped his hands and drank a mouthful of the water. He indicated for us to do the same and with much hesitation we both sampled the stagnant puddle and were equally surprised by its sweet taste...or was it smell? it was hard to define. Somewhat puzzled by this whole experience, Dwayne inquired about our destination. Jasmine Sen. who had been relatively quiet so far, explained (with much the enthusiasm of her younger dopplinger) that we were headed to a place so dissimilar to that of anything he had ever experienced and would therefore waste no further time in trying to explain. He would simply have to find out when he gets there.

Dwayne was about to object when he noticed something strange in his peripheral. To be precise, it was the lack of peripheral that disturbed him. Everything seemed to blur a collidaescopic confusion of greens. The blurring continued like a cancer until it completely obscured his view. A voice behind him told him to relax and follow the path that was revealed to him. Confused, Dwayne stumbled about, clutching at anything he could hold on to.

Tag to Nick

11

Everything within Dwayne wanted to run. He's heart raised and his palms sweated. It remind him of the time that he stoned Mr Gracie's roof when he was younger... he tried to do the Barry-Bolt and fell out of his wheelchair... but not now. Dwayne could walk, hell even run, and there was no way this older version of himself could catch him.

"I have to move now..." Dwayne thought. He turned to run away.
"I remember thinking that," the old man said with bone-chilling warmth and calm, "don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you... after all, wouldn't that be just like hurting myself?"

Dwayne paused, slowly he turned around.
"Thats it boy," the old man said "...do it for our daughter. She needs you to stay."

Just as Dwayne was about to reply, he heard the familiar voice of his father.
"DWAYNE!"
Dwaynes father came running over the hill.
"Where have you been son? We've been looking everywhere for you..."
Dwayne decided to give the short answer "Oh I've been about."
"Well don't worry, the old mans told me everything."
Dwayne was horrified. "Everything?"
"About how you vandalised his boatshed. I'm going back to your mother and your going to help the old man fix it ok.
Dwayne looked at the old man, then at his father. He nodded, not really liking the lie the older him had told his dad.

As soon as his father was gone, Dwayne sat down by the old man. He noticed scars on the old mans legs from the surgery. The scars matched his own identically. The old man spoke again, "Our daughter... she needs you to stay, and I need you Dwayne, because if you leave this island then you'll end up back in our wheelchair and I will cease to be." Dwayne like the sound of that. The older version of himself kind of creeped him out.

"...but Rachel and Hannah both said I need to leave..."
The old man wound his fishing line in.
"...why do they want me to leave...?"
The old man sighed.
"I remember this. You want to soliloquize don't you? C'mon then, you still like fish don't you?"

The old man got up and walked towards the boatshed. Dwayne followed, feeling slightly girly for wishing that Rachel were with him. As he entered the boatshed the girliness became bravado as he saw Rachel sitting by a fire with an older lady. When she saw him she ran to him, kissed him and threw her arms around him.

Dwayne held Rachel for a moment and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. All his life he had wanted a girlfriend. The closest he ever came was when he was younger and little Kellie Mac sat on his knee while he wheeled around. This felt liked that but with more hormones and an old couple watching from the corner. Dwayne decided to stay task focused-
"Who the hell is that?" he asked Rachel, pointing at the old lady.