It Will Come Back

Shadows and Doppelgängers

“Ugh, I still haven’t found anything! This is useless—I’m useless!” I groaned loudly, brushing down my dark blue long-sleeved t-shirt.

Across from me, Levi rolled his perfect brown eyes, his ridiculously long black lashes fluttering like they belonged in a mascara ad. I shot him a glare, but he didn’t flinch.

My intuition was starting to scream at me again. Something about Levi felt off, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that all the leads were pointing to him. Sure, his brother was supposedly being framed, but the more I thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. What if Levi wasn’t trying to clear his brother’s name? What if… No. I shook my head. I needed more than gut feelings to pin this on him, but one way or another, I was going to figure him out.

“Hello? I said I found something important!” Levi’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He leaned forward, waving a hand in front of my face before turning back to the library computer.

“What is it?” I muttered, dragging myself over to where he was sitting.

He pointed to the screen. A news article was displayed, the headline chilling: Single Mother of One Killed in Brutal Slaying. Friend Reports Her Last Words: ‘I Thought He Was My Father.’

I frowned. “Okay, tragic, but…what does this have to do with anything?”

Levi scrolled down, revealing a photograph of the victim. My breath caught in my throat.

“Look at her!” Levi exclaimed.

My blood ran cold. The woman in the photo…she looked just like me. Same eyes, same features. The resemblance was uncanny, like staring into a mirror—but distorted by time. My mind raced as fear clawed at my chest.

“This…this is just some lady,” I snapped, though my voice wavered. “It’s a coincidence, that’s all.”

Levi didn’t look convinced. “She’s not just some lady, Lux. She’s your doppelgänger.”

I shook my head, trying to dismiss the fear building inside me. “No way. I wouldn’t call her that. People look alike sometimes—it happens.”

“Not like this,” Levi argued, his gaze darting between me and the screen. “She could be your twin. And look—she was from a town just a couple of miles away.”

“So what?” I shrugged, feigning indifference, though my mind was spinning. “We’re supposed to be solving murders, not investigating random people’s life stories. This is a distraction.”

Levi leaned back in his chair, smirking up at me. “You’re way more worked up about this than you should be.”

“I’m not worked up!” I snapped, my voice rising. My fists clenched as I stood over him. “I just don’t care, okay? This isn’t about her—it’s about finding out who’s killing people now. This woman’s story isn’t going to help.”

Levi chuckled, that infuriating grin spreading across his face. “Geez, I thought feeding you earlier would soften you up a bit. But nope, you’re just getting meaner.”

I rolled my eyes, turning away from him. “Maybe you shouldn’t assume I’m so easily bought with food.”

He laughed again, the sound grating on my nerves.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Is this funny to you? Do you enjoy the fact that people are being murdered and I’m the one stuck figuring out who the killer is? Does that make your day, Levi? Because if it does, maybe you’re the killer!”

His expression shifted, the humor draining from his face. “Oh, so now I’m the killer? Right, because you’re the hero of this story, aren’t you? Newsflash, Lux—it’s not all about you. You think you’re carrying this burden alone, but guess what? I’m getting the visions too. This isn’t just your problem; it’s ours.”

His words caught me off guard, but I didn’t let it show. Instead, I grinned, trying to provoke him. “Ha! That’s the best you’ve got? Amateur.”

Levi leaned forward, his tone sharp. “Listen, we’re doing this my way. Your way—running around like a headless chicken—is just going to get more people killed. We’re going to that woman’s house and looking for clues.”

I glared at him. “First of all, she’s not my ‘flipping doppelgänger.’ And second, who put you in charge?”

He stood, towering over me now, his voice firm. “I did. Because you’re too busy whining to actually get anything done. Grab your stuff—we’re leaving.”

Before I could argue, he shut down the computer and pushed his chair back with a loud scrape.

Fuming, I slammed my own chair into place, making sure he heard it. He didn’t even look back, just strode out of the library with all the confidence in the world.

Grabbing my green satchel, I hurried after him, my anger boiling over. This wasn’t over—not by a long shot. But as I followed Levi out the door, a nagging thought tugged at the back of my mind.

What if he was right? What if the answers we needed were waiting at that house?