“Oww, my head!   What happened?” I feel like I just got hit in the head by a bus.  The last thing I remember is that I was boarding the freshly polished plane to go on a beautiful vacation to Puerto Rico with my family. I was fine. Did I fall or did I slip? What happened? Where am I---”

“Honey, calm down. I’m trying to help you,” says a serene voice that I haven’t heard before.

“Hello? Who are you?” I am so confused right now, where am I? What am I doing in this person’s house? I sit up on the old ripped couch and look around. The house smells of freshly baked cookies, but everywhere I look there are clusters of dust, on the shiny wood floor, on the aged coffee table that is in front of me, even on the house phone that is sitting on the kitchen counter. I have never seen a house this… umm, unique... in my life. I look around the house and notice that all of the walls are painted neutral, as if someone was trying to make the house seem normal.

“Why don’t we start with your name? I’m Leigh,” The lady suddenly says.

“I’m Mericaus, but everyone calls me Marci.”

“Hi Marci, how do you feel? D-do you remember what happened?” Leigh says a bit nervously. Hmm, I wonder why Leigh just stuttered like that? Is she hiding something?

“No, I’m sorry. The last thing I remember is that I was about to board the plane when something happened, but I don’t know what,” I say suspiciously.

“That’s okay, we will find out eventually, sweety,” Leigh says, sounding anxious.

“Can I just ask you one thing?”  I say.

“Sure, anything,” Leigh says in a soft sweet tone of voice.

“How did I get here, at your house?”

“Well, where do I start? Okay, why don’t I start with what my job is. I work at the St. Michaels Airport Monday through Friday. My job is just so thrilling; I love working at the airport so much! Everyday is a new adventure! I have been working at the airport for almost four years now; I know just about everybody that works there, especially the people who work at the bright green coffee shop! I go there everyday!  Any questions so far, Marci?” Leigh says. Hmm… I don’t really know what to say, Leigh seems like a sweet lady, but something just doesn’t feel right. I know I must sound crazy, but I don’t think Leigh is who she says she is. I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out sooner or later. “Marci? Earth to Marci? Are you there?” Oh yeah! I almost forgot that Leigh was standing here, right in front of my eyes!

“Yeah, sorry, I’m here. I just started thinking, and I got deep into thought,” I say, hoping Leigh will believe me.

“That’s okay dear, I do that sometimes too; what were you thinking about?” Oh no! What am I going to tell her?

“Um, well, I was just thinking about how all of this could have happened. I mean, I don’t remember falling in the airport, and even if I did fall, my parents wouldn’t just leave. So I don’t really understand.” As I say this, I see Leigh’s eyes get a little bit bigger, as if she knows where my parents are and how I got here.

“I know dear, it must be hard knowing how your parents really feel about you,” Leigh says in her somewhat soothing tone. SLAM!

“What was that?” I say, sounding surprised that Leigh would have any guests. I mean, not to be rude, but Leigh doesn’t seem like the person to live with anyone. She is a little pudgy, has a scrunched up face, and has snarly red hair that kind of just falls into her eyes… if you can imagine that. But still, Leigh looks young, maybe in her thirties or so.

“Oh, don’t mind her; that is just my daughter coming home from high school. What grade are you in, Marci?” Leigh sits up straight and acts as if she actually cares when she asks this question, as if she is being judged by college scouts. “You stay here, I’ll go deal with her,” Leigh says while rolling her eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I can faintly see a girl. She has curly pitch black hair and is wearing a bright pink dress. That couldn’t possibly be Leigh’s daughter! I mean, at least they would have the same nose shape or eyes color, but from where I am sitting, still on the old ripped couch covered with dust, I can’t see any resemblance.

“Okay,” I say in a relieved voice. To be honest, Leigh is actually a little exasperating, just the way she talks to me, like I’m a baby. I am not a baby! I am fifteen years old, I am in high school, and I can almost drive!

KNOCK KNOCK! I look up and see Leigh and her daughter standing in the doorway; now I can see that they do look like each other. But the weird thing is, now Leigh’s daughter is wearing a sweatshirt and leggings, not the pink dress that I saw her in five minutes ago. Also, her hair seems to be a lighter brown instead of the pitch black hair that I saw before.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” I say as nicely as I can without acting like anything is different.

“Hey,” Leigh’s high school daughter says as she turns on a brighter light in the room. I can’t believe what I am seeing! Now, in the lighted room, Leigh’s daughter looks EXACTLY like Leigh! It is like they are clones. Hmm… maybe they are clones. That can’t be true; clones don’t exist! Maybe they are the reason that I’m here, at Leigh and her daughter’s house. But why do they want me here? Why me? I guess I’m right back where I started… confused.

“Okay girls, I’ll leave you to alone so you can get to know each other… okay?” Leigh asks in a tone that seems like she isn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.

“Okay,” both Leigh’s look-alike daughter and I say in unison. 

So, after five awkward minutes of silence, which feels like a year, I decide to speak.

“So,” I say suddenly, “what’s your name?”

“Leanne,” Leigh’s daughter answers.

“Leanne? You and your mom’s names are almost the same!” I say, surprised, but I kind of expect their names to be alike since they look almost like twins.

“I know, there is a secret behind it… I’ll tell you what it is if you want.” I am surprised that Leanne is so nice and friendly. On the outside, Leanne looks like the kind of person who isn’t friendly, but on the inside, she is actually really amiable.

“You can tell me if you want to; I don’t want to invade in anyone’s privacy,” I say, even though I really did want to know what the secret is, especially if it was about why Leigh and Leanne look so much alike.

“First, we have to make sure my mom isn’t listening to us, okay?” Leanne says in a very serious whispering tone.

“Okay, but why?” I ask curiously.

“Because my mother has a very dangerous secret, and if it gets out that I’m telling people what it is, I’ll be done for,” Leanne says with a stern face.

“Okay, Leanne, I understand. We can check if she is listening, and then can you tell me what her secret is?” I really want to know what Leigh is hiding. If it is so bad that NO ONE in the WORLD can know about it, then it will probably be bad.

“Yes, after we make sure the coast is clear, then I’ll tell you,” Leanne says.

After we make sure the coast is clear, Leanne starts telling me about her mother’s secret.

“Okay, so my ‘mother’ is not really my mother,” Leanne says in a slow speaking tone while she uses quotations around the word ‘mother.’

“WHAT?!” I say, surprised.

“Shh, Marci! We can’t let my ‘mom’ hear us!” Leanne says, getting nervous.

“Oh! I forgot, sorry Leanne, I’ll be quiet now,” I say while I try to whisper.

“Okay, now, my ‘mother’ cloned herself; that’s how I am alive right now. My ‘mother’ cloned herself in high school, so this is what she looked like in high school,” Leanne says in a relieved voice. Wow, I don’t think Leanne has ever told anyone about this. It must feel good to finally get it of her chest.

“So let me get all of this straight. You’re ‘mother’ cloned herself in high school, so you are your ‘mother’ in HIGH SCHOOL?” I am in shock. Leanne’s ‘mother’ couldn’t have been this easy going in high school!

“Yeah, but don’t tell anyone I told you this, okay?” Leanne says in a worried voice.

“Okay. Also Leanne...” I pause for a second, “can you help me get back to my parents’ please?” I say in a tone that sounds like I’m a helpless kitten that needs to find its mom.

“Yes, I have been trying to get you back to your parents since you got here this morning,” Leanne says in a concerned voice.

“And Leane, do you know HOW exactly I got here?” I ask in a still very confused voice.

“Well, my mother was at the airport, and then she saw your hair. My mother has a hair obsession and loves people’s hair. She realized that you were with your family, so she went over to you and your family and offered them each a free candy sample. Inside the samples was an energy drink that if you don’t drink it often, then you pass out for about an hour. You had a sample too, and when you passed out, my ‘mother’ picked you up and dragged you to her car. She then stuffed your family in a storage closet and locked the door. When you and my ‘mother’ got home, my ‘mother’ cut off about half of your hair. That is why you have short hair now.” What!? I have short hair? When did that happen!? “Then, I came home and pretended like I didn’t know anything about it, but I really followed my ‘mother’ to the airport this morning and watched everything that happened. So, that’s about everything that happened,” Leanne says, practically out of breath, as if she just ran a marathon.

“Wow,” I say, speechless, “can you bring me to my parents then, please?” I ask Leanne.

“Sure, but we have to sneak out tonight,” Leanne says softly and quickly.

“Okay, I’ll get ready,” I say, getting excited to leave this place. I am really excited to finally be going back to my family. I know it has only been a day, but it feels like a year. I just hope Leanne is going to be okay here, you know, with her ‘mother’ and all.

While I get ready, I hear Leanne’s mother yelling at her.

“Leanne Jenna Donn! Get over here! Where do you think you’re going this late at night?” Leigh says in an enraged voice. Oh no, Leanne must have gotten caught trying to come into the dusty old room that I’m staying in! What are we going to do…? I begin to think more rapidly, and I start to get nervous, like you do before a big test. I can’t think straight, and when I get nervous, I pass out…

After I wake up, I feel like I’ve just fallen from the top of a building and hit the ground below.

“Marci? Are you okay? You hit your head pretty hard there, Hon.” I hear a voice, but my eyes haven’t quite adjusted to the now glaring light in my face.

“Where-where am I?” I say in a confused voice. I can’t take anymore surprises today. I open my eyes and look up. I see five people looking at me. I think I remember four of the people… but I’m not sure.

“Mommy, MarMar’s awake!” says the little girl who I know from somewhere. Wait a minute, only my family calls me MarMar! Leanne must have given me one of those candies with the energy drink inside of it and left me at the airport with my family!

“Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Hi Mila! Hi Maxx!” I say in a cheerful voice now that I know that I’m with my family again. “My friend Leanne brought me back here! I was stuck in this lady’s house! I’m so happy to be back!” I say, not knowing that everyone is looking at me like I have three heads.

“Um Marci?” my Mom says, confused, “you’ve been laying here for the past three hours; you didn’t go anywhere, or leave this airport.”

“Wait, What!? But I remember that I was at this lady named Leigh’s house. And she had a daughter named Leanne! I know I was there, for real,” I say, getting anxious.

“This will happen to a person who has just passed out,” an unfamiliar voice says, “they will experience dreams that seem to come to life.”

“WHAT!? This was all a dream?” I say with horror. I can’t believe that dreams can feel so real! I thought Leanne was a nice person trying to help me! “Well, I guess I’m just crazy,” I say.

“You’re not crazy!” my dad says with humorous empathy. “You’re just a little bit insane!” Even at this time, my dad still has a sense of humor.

“Well… why is everybody just standing there like an old bag of rocks?” I say, getting impatient. “Let's go home!” As I sit there with my dirty blonde hair all messed up and sweat dripping from my forehead, I realize something; Leigh was right, even if I did make her up in my head. I finally do know how my family feels about me.

-Hannah Webber