Chapter 35: Three Of her Part Two

Cashel stood still for several long seconds, with the systems warning glowing faintly at the corner of his eyes.

His eyes narrowed, his expression going completely blank as goosebumps crawled across his skin.

There were three identical versions of Andeen in the house. One was asleep upstairs, another stood on the second-floor landing staring at him, while the third sat calmly at the dining table as though nothing was wrong.

And they were acting like everything was normal.

He forced a smile on his face. Weird crooked smile that did not match how his eyes had blanked over from shock and perhaps fear.

The Andeen at the table looked up at that second, her gaze narrowing when she saw him standing there, then she tilted her head. "What’s wrong? And shouldn’t you be dressed now?"

Cashel cleared his throat, quickly adverting his gaze from her, "I’m going out for a smoke," he said and she only hummed before returning to what she was doing.

The other one still staring on waved happily before disappearing into the floor to do something.

He casually walked over to where his phone was, picked it up from the sofa and glanced at the blank screen. His face turned stoic as he slipped the device into the pocket of his pathrobe.

He walked to the front door without looking back, stepped outside and closed the door quietly behind him.

The porch was cool and strangely qeite, the sounds of the crickets and birds were no where to be found which was already a bad sign, given the fact the house was literally sitting near a forest.

That, and the road right in front of the house, leading to the bridge was empty and dark.

The only light in the area was from the house, the dimmed lamp on the road and small tiny lights from afar that would be hard to make out the source of.

Cashel exhaled, he summoned his inventory, reached in a took out a pack of cigarette and a lighter from there, since the one on him upstairs.

And he needed a smoke at the moment.

He pulled out his phone, held it between his ears and shoulder and brought a stick of cigarette to his lips, he lit it and waited for the call to connect.

It rang for a few times before Nathan’s tired voice answered.

"Bishop, It’s late. If this is about the report, I already told you...."

"Nathan," Cashel kept his voice low as he let out a stream of smoke from his lips. "I need to ask you something. Have you noticed anything strange with Andeen lately?"

There was a short pause.

Cashel could already imagine Nathan pulling off his glasses out of annoyance or sighing heavily before answering.

"Define strange."

Cashel took the phone from between his shoulder and glanced at the night sky, "I don’t know. Just.... different....like" he sighed and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. "I came home and something feels off. You’re here uncle, you notice things, has she done anything unusual?"

Nathan was quiet for a few seconds. When he spoke again his tone had shifted from sleeping irritation to curiousity.

"So you’re calling me at this hour because your wife is acting weird?"

"Yes."

"That’s either the most romantic or the most paranoid phone call I’ve received all week."

Cashel almost laughed, but the sound caught in his throat, and another sigh left his lips. "I’m serious. Something’s not right, I can’t put my finger on it, I just need to know if you’ve noticed anything."

Nathan exhaled, "I was told she finished her check up earlier that expected. She said she was tired and wanted to go home, that’s all I know." He paused, "If she’s acting different now, it’s probably just residual stress from the dungeon and whatever happened to herneare. Or you’re still running on adrenaline from the assesment and seeing things."

Cashel, closed his eyes and inhaled the ciggarette before releasing a puff into the air, "Maybe."

""Look, Cashel, it’s too late for this, and I’m not some supreme seer. If she’s still acting strange in the morning, call me again. Preferably around midday."

Cashel opened his mouth to answer but paused half way, and exhaled, "You’re sure you don’t know something I don’t? I’m going to bother you if it continues tomorrow Nathan."

Nathan made a disbelieved sound, "Is that a threat? You disrespectful young man."

Cashel scoffed, " I’m only respecting you because you are Andeen’s uncle, trust me, I’m not even going to bother, I’d be right in front of your door right now." They both shared a laugh, his chest easing up a bit, despite being unsure about the situation.

At that moment soft footsteps crossed the porch boards behind him.waem arms slid around his waist from behind.

Cashel froze.

Her warm body pressed flush against his back, soft and familiar in unfair ways. The curve of her chest, and the press of her hips against him. Her chin rested lightly against his shoulder.

"Why did you leave like that?" She hummed, her voice sweet and dangerously close. " Hm?"

He turned quickly, breaking the hold between them and stepped back till the railings pressed his thigh.

His eyes darkened when he saw Andeen, not Andeen....the other Andeen, the creepy smiling one.

Cashel instinctively burnt out the ciggarette on the railings before tossing it into the trash bin.

She glanced at the spot he put out the ciggarette without saying a word.

She then returned her gaze to him. She was barefooted, in her night dress, but it was easy to recognise her as the creepy one.

Her eyes were a vivid, luminous pink beneath the porch light, almost glowing against her pale face. Even her normally pale hair had shifted into a translucent shade of pink, the ends fading until they looked almost unreal.

She frowned at the sudden distance between them, "Why did you move?"

Cashel kept his body against the railing, ready to bolt if the situation called for it. His phone was still pressed to his ear. On the other end, Nathan’s voice rose slightly.

"Cashel? You suddenly went silent is everything all right?"

Cashel did not answer him, his gaze remained locked on the woman in front of him

The pink eyed Andeen took a single step closer. The arm of the dress slipped slightly from her shoulder, revealing her spotless rosy pale skin.

This was the reason he couldn’t do anything. it felt like he was looking at the original.

"You looked so tired when you came home," she said softly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Cashel’s freehand moved slowly behind him.

""You’re not her," he said quietly.

"But I am Andeen." She answered her eyes gleaming and darkening in several intervals like a heart beat, "She is, and I ammalso Andeen."

On the other end of the line Nathan’s voice grew sharper, "Cashel, talk to me. What’s going on?"

Cashel lifted the phone slightly but kept his eyes on the woman.

"Nathan, I need you to come over. Something’s wrong with Andeen. She’s not...."

"Cashel?"

Pink Andeen stepped closer and his gun appeared in his hand almost instantly, the barrel pressing against her forehead. His finger settled against the trigger, but stopped there.

"....acting like herself."

"What does that mean?"

Click!

Pink-eyed Andeen slowly lowered her hands to her chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of her nightdress. The brightness in her eyes dimmed, and for a moment, she looked genuinely hurt.

Cashel’s expression didn’t change.

"Last time, four to six bastards. Now I’ve got three women wearing my wife’s face," he paused. "I advise you to leave this house peacefully. Take whichever version of her you came with and disappear, or show me what you really are and do whatever you came here to do."

His gun remained pressed against her forehead, "That way, I’ll hurt you less."

Pink Andeen stared at him for several seconds. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came. Instead, she slowly lowered her gaze, her expression crumbling into something almost painfully vulnerable.

"You really don’t recognize me..." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Cashel’s eyes narrowed.

She looked back at him, tears gathering along her luminous pink eyes, but there was something strangely wrong about the smile forming beneath them.

"That hurts." She took one slow step backward, "It hurts more than you know."

Before Cashel could respond, the sound of a staff tapping against the floor came from inside the house.

Tap.

Tap.

Andeen appeared in the doorway, her white staff resting lightly against the floor.

Unlike the pink-eyed woman, there was no smile on her face. Her brows were slightly furrowed as she turned her head toward the porch, following the voices rather than the sight before her.

"Why are you outside?"

She paused, then her head tilted slightly.

"And why is..." Her voice trailed off as she sensed the tension.

"Cashel?"

Her expression immediately changed, She tightened her grip around her staff and turned toward the pink-eyed Andeen.

"What did you do?"