The Clone Mansion

Mind Games

I make getting on my feet look as effortless as possible despite the intense burning in my bones. "What?! No way I'm doing anything with you!"

She struggles to grab 'my' hand as I swat her away. "You have to if you don't want your side chick to be a clone brother."

My body becomes a statue. I panic. She can't actually have Grant's girlfriend, can she? If she does, I'm totally screwed. Grant will freak out. I told her to put a small chip in her arm, not kidnap her. Things are about to get really messy if she went rogue. All I can hope is he doesn't notice the love of his life is missing, no problem right? He should be avoiding her after all since he's being me. Grant wasn't the type to follow the rules though so it's hard to say what he would do.

"I saw her like five minutes ago, so I'm having trouble believing you." I say, attempting to call her bluff. I wasn't about to admit to her that I hadn't seen her since she left the party. She could easily take advantage of that and use it to credit her made up scenario.

She scuffs. "You ain't even right Granthies. You ain't seen her, I have. She tried to punch me with her hideous ring and now I have a mark!" I notice she does indeed have a mark on the side of her face.

My heart drops into my stomach as I start to believe her. Her big blue eyes examine me deviously. Wishes took Grant's girl. My mind raced to find a solution though I know there was only one. "Okay, I'll come with you."

She crosses her arms over her chest. "I said we have something real big to do not somewhere real big to go."

I involuntarily scrunch my eyebrows together, displaying my confusion. "Huh?"

She smirks as she inches closer to me. "I want you to kiss me."

I have never felt such contradictory emotions at the same time. I wanted to kiss her badly, but I was afraid it would give me away. It's so much harder to hide yourself in a kiss. It was too early to kiss her. "No, absolutely not! No way!"

"Then I'll keep her where she is." Wishes challenges me, just inches from my face.

I have no choice, I have to kiss her. I take just a moment to figure out how Grant would kiss her, short and simple. I make the split second decision to grab her face and press my lips to hers. I do exactly as I planned, I keep the kiss brief and uneventful. She shocks me by letting me pull back. When I pull away I'm out of control, my knees are wobbly and my eyes stay closed longer than they should.

"There." I say, my voice comes out airy.

Her eyes are shining with some deeper, hidden meaning. "I love you Grantheis." She said serenely and sincerely.

I want to tell her I love her to but I'm reminded that she doesn't love me by the name she called out. I can't lie it stings like a hive a bees was set free in my heart. I wanted to trust my instincts that she actually loved me, but the evidence was not on my side. I'm a scientist, so that matters a lot to me.

"I'm going to go now Granthies." Wishes moved away from me, causing a familiar dull ache in my heart.

I fight myself not to beg her to stay like I usually do. "Wait." I keep my tone even and unaffected.

She turns to me, expectant. "What do you want Grantheis? If you're not admitting you're in love with me I don't even want to hear it."

I roll 'my' eyes the way Grant would. "We had an agreement?" I was so distracted by the kiss that I had almost forgotten why I did it. As little as I was concerned by Grant's girlfriend, the potential that she could be the tile that knocks all the other dominoes down motivated me to find her and keep Grant at bay. I was not about to pull the piece of wood in a Jenga game that topples the whole tower down. I'm hyperaware that every move I make is crucial.

She looks me directly in the eyes, challenging me. "I told you to kiss me, I never agreed that was all you had to do to get her back. There's more, this was just part one of my plan. I'm Wishes, you have to read between the lines."

I was once again outsmarted by Wishes The Great. I had a hand I didn't play yet though, a hand she doesn't know I have. I know her name has more meaning than meets the eye.

She can grant wishes. A kiss from her means three wishes. I was entitled to those. I could make her do whatever I want. It is actually her that is the puppet. The only issue is if I play that card I loose the advantage of ever using it again and she won't ever let me kiss her again which is a serious con for me. I have to be smart about my next move.

"I wish you would just tell me where she is. You're making this way too complicated." I say, feigning cluelessness.

Her eyes narrow instantly. "What did Grantheis just say?"

I raise an eyebrow. "What part?"

I watch as she struggles to find the right words. "The first part."

I sigh dramatically. "I wish you would just tell me where she is. What do you care what I said, you never listen anyways."

"She's in the clone mansion." She says through gritted teeth.

'My' mouth drops to keep up my facade. "You mean all I had to do was ask you?"

I can sense her frustration growing as she stands silently.

"Wishey has to go." She moves quickly to the door and runs out it without looking back.

I feel victorious for a second; I kissed Wishes and I found Grant's lover. The feeling dissipates when I think about it. Is she moving Grant's girl before I can free her? I rush to the clone mansion, grateful Wishes put Grant's fingerprints in the security system. I get into the mansion with ease and make my way to the room where our prisoners are held, deciding the risk of Wishes wondering how I know about the room is a chance I'm willing to take. As I reach the door, I feel relieved when I see Grant's lady friend sitting behind the one way glass. She's sitting on one of the velvet red sofas, turning the cushions around to examine them carefully. I roll my eyes, she and Grant are definitely a match. I take a deep breath, preparing myself to act like Grant would. She was very pretty, with large blue eyes, complemented by sunkissed skin and long blonde hair that followed with ease as she turned her head.

I wrap hand around the shiny silver doorknob, allowing it to register 'my fingerprints'. To my complete shock and frustration, it doesn't unlock. I curse under my breath as I hear high-heeled footsteps approaching me.

"Ew, like what are you doing here Grantheis?" The familiar high-pitched voice burns my ears.

I bite my tongue to stop from growling Dorothy's name. "Ummm, hello!" I motion towards the locked door. "I want in there obviously."

She mocks a sympathetic face. "I'm, like sorry about it but it's like not my problem."

Even if I'm in another body Dorothy gets in my way. "Well, then I'm going to cause a scene in a about 10 seconds that will make it your problem." The most exasperating feelings is being locked out of your own house. I created every room and person in this mansion and now I'm being told I can't enter it?

"Let him in Dorthette." Wishes has an evil smile as she walks next to me.