PAUL WALKER WOKE UP IN HIS DARKEN ROOM before the alarm clock rang – still with his eyes closed, his-first sweet thoughts that morning were of Alicia, who had-regained her consciousness in the hospital after a month, in an irreversible coma. He felt embarrassed later when they-both kissed, in front of her Asian conservative relatives.

The bedside alarm clock rang, and Paul open eyes – and WAS SHOCKED that he could feel his legs. He can move it-both too – he did a sudden jerk-up off-the bed, and stood spine-up…

… to realized he was ‘not’ levitating…

… and the boy was SURPRISED THAT HIS FEET was actually touching the cold-floor…

‘… am I dreaming…?’

He still-couldn't believe himself so, Paul rushed to switch on the bedroom-lights. Once his surrounding was illuminated – he then had a moment of I’m-not-in-Kansas-anymore – because that was ‘not’ his windowless bedroom… and also, gone was his wheelchair…

‘… where am I… this is ‘not’ my bedroom…?’

He saw that the bathroom was-in his room, and… ‘not’ the common-bathroom like it used-to outside, in the Walker’s House. Paul rushed inside…

… and he looked in the bathroom mirror and SAW EVERYTHING WAS DIFFERENT…

Paul realized that he had grown taller to be a TEENAGER-OVERNIGHT – and he panicked and was totally-shocked. Everything of-him were bigger and hairier. He looked at mirror…

… and tilted his head and noticed that HIS CURSED-DIAMOND-SHAPED SCAR on his throat was gone too.

‘… what had happened to me…?’

-O-

Paul heard a-door pounding from the-outside… and followed by-voices arguing outside his room. He opened his room-door slightly ajar – and…

… saw Peter arguing with their mom. He observed his mom in her bathrobe, who had aged like into her early 40s, greyed haired and was plump. And, his shouting twin-Peter was pointing at mom WITH HIS LEFT HAND…

‘Yikes! Did Peter JUST-GROW A MISSING-LIMB, like a lizard’s tail?’ He gaped in astonishment.

Peter then cocked his head, to make out that his twin was STANDING AND PEEKING, from his room – and the elder-brother acknowledged him…

“Oh-Poe – you ‘can’ walk…”

He then turned his attention back to their mother…

“Oii-Mom, did you SELL ‘OUR’ HOUSE!!? How could you sell the house, that my father built for us!!?”

… Paul stepped outside, and listened to their mother's response…

“What are you talking about?”

“WHERE IS THIS CRAPPY PLACE-AT? Last night I was IN OUR HOUSE, but here-I’m today… when I’m ‘not’ there-to where I belong! Did you bloody-drug me, Mom?”

The twins then saw A MAN COMING-FROM the master bedroom and he-stood behind their mother. Peter and Paul were SHOCKED AND BACKED-AWAY… when they-both distinguished…

… that it was THE LATE JOE DICKSON…

… he was younger than their mother, in his early 30s.

“Oh my god, Poe – didn't he die…?”

The sleep-deprived, Joe Dickson shouted at Peter…

“What is going on here!!? What’s YOUR PROBLEM TODAY, you drug-addict-moron!!?”

“What's WRONG WITH YOU, Mom? First, you slept with the school-principal – and now with this Agent-dick Dickson!!?

“You shut your mouth-up, Peter! Is this HOW YOU BLOODY-TALK to your mother!!? One more insult from you, I will break-every teeth of yours!” Joe shouted-back…

… Caroline intervened…

“Joe-you, go in now – I will HANDLE MY BOYS!”

The dissatisfied-man grunted and slammed-shut the master-bedroom door.

“Hey-Peter, what’s wrong with you this morning!!? What are you blabbering-nonsense about!!?

“Mom, you’re a Catholic for-Christ sake, ‘this’ is A BLOODY-SIN! How can you sleep around? It is shameful, where's your dignity?”

“I will slap you-Peter if you make one more-INSULT OF YOUR STEPFATHER!”

The passive-observer Paul jaw-dropped, that he NOW-HAD A STEPFATHER, who came back from the dead…

… and of all the people in Perth, it was the ‘one’ – WHO WAS INVESTIGATING-on him…

“What? When DID YOU GET MARRIED? Is that when MY FATHER DIED… and you both have schemed – to SELL MY HOUSE… and you-2 then got married, is that it!!?”

“What are you talking about, you-fool!!? Are you BACK-ON DRUGS AGAIN!!? Your bloody-FATHER IS ALIVE – AND WE ARE DIVORCED for the past 7 years!!!”

“What do you MEAN MY FATHER IS ALIVE – I WAS THERE in that car crash – and Poe too… and he was crippled.”

“What nonsense you are talking about – WHAT CAR CRASH!!? Your bloody-father had ‘tricked’ me when I regrettably signed a bloody-pre-nuptial paper – and when we got divorced – he KEPT HIS BLOODY-HOUSE and kicked us out to-the streets – you BOTH WERE 9 THEN…

“… have you forgotten…? You-Peter, you were on-bloody drugs – but-what-about you Paul, CAN’T YOU REMEMBER that day?”

Paul was in the ‘hot-seat,’ when Caroline diverted the question to him…

… this was ‘not’ THE VERSION OF HIS MOTHER whom-he ‘knew’ – who was questioning him…

… so, he nodded to agree – but-that angered his twin…

“Oh, there you-go nodding… why because you are her favourite-son, is that it-so, brotherrr? Why, you no-good cripple! YOU-3 ARE BEHIND THIS – because I don’t believe this my-father-is-alive crap… I was THERE… AND I SAW him die, that day!”

“Then, go yourself, drive-down to your father’s bloody house, and see-him – and once you come back ‘after’ learning the truth – I WANT TO DRUG-TEST YOU, and make sure your urine is clear, or else I will arrest you myself… and prison…

… would-be the next your-house, to roof-you!

“Why-you ungrateful-son… Joe is a good man who took you in – and clothe and fed you and… yet you insult him whenever you-like. He even bought you a bloody-car, paid for petrol and had that-junk repaired by his mechanic-friend when-ever it breaks down… and yet-here you-are – so ungrateful AND YOU-INSULT YOUR-STEPFATHER, whenever you are ‘high’…” Caroline said in spite.

“Furphy! I’m a sportsman in school, AND, I DON’T DO DRUGS okay-Mom! Did-that new-husband of yours, TOLD YOU THOSE LIES!!?”

“What bloody-sports you do-in school, you fantasizing drongo!!! You are most-laziest-fellow, who was ‘not’ good in either study or in any-bloody sports – and by this TIME-NEXT YEAR, YOU 2 would ‘not’ graduate and you-both would be dole-Bludger in society and next-be bloody-criminals – and-when that time comes…

… your stepfather and I will throw you-2 out in the streets – and would ‘not’ welcome you-2, to enter our doorstep here-again!”

Caroline concluded her rant, and slammed the master-bedroom door, to both her sons. But Peter had his last-say, yelling at the closed-door.

“That is because, you don’t bloody-come to my games when-I played in school, what kind of a mother are you? … and you are ‘not’ supportive at-all as don’t even buy me a good pair of tennis shoes when I needed them the most. Yeah, THERE YOU ARE – always-busy, putting-on your crime fighting-cape to get the bad-guys, yeah? Now you had-hunted Hajji and-with that CASE IS CLOSED – and you go-on next-hunting for young-husbands, is that it? Ya lousy-Root-Rat Catholic!!?”

… Paul at his back shouted to his twin…

“HEY-PETER, you are OUT OF LINE HERE– that is our-mother, you just had insulted-just now!”

“What-you gonna bloody do-about it? ZAP ME, HURT ME!” Peter approached him, menacingly.

“Hey-Rack-off moron, I got no time for this!”

“Poe, YOU THINK, I’M AFRAID of you!!?”

Paul then entered his room and slammed the door at him too – and he heard his twin kicking-twice at the door, shouting out…

“Yeah, GO HIDE you-cripple short-legs – my mother’s bloody-pariah mongrel!”

<>

THE TEENAGED PAUL HAD A-LONG 15 minutes shower-and-shave – as he was processing the odd ‘situation’ he was into. He concluded that this was ‘not’ his reality that he had woken-up into, this morning, where he was an able-bodied teenager…

His heart dropped in sadness for a-moment just now, when his mother told that – she was had GIVEN-UP HOPE on him too as a son – who wasn’t good in his studies and deemed as a useless son-too, like his twin – whom she would gladly kick-out into-the street next year if he DOES ‘NOT’ GRADUATE…

… but he ‘forgave’ her, because she WAS ‘NOT’ THE VERSION of his mother that he ‘knew’ from his ‘own’ reality – HE DOESN’T BLAME-HER – where THIS VERSION OF HIMSELF as a teen, who had disappointed her a lot – both in studies and as her-son.

IN HIS REALITY as a tween in middle school, he was excelling in his studies, and even-came up 9th in class – but he doesn’t know how he faired later-in the final-term exams, because he had FLASH-FORWARDED HIMSELF to high school-now…

… now, he was curious to go back the school, TO ACCESS THE SITUATION THERE and maybe FIND THE ANSWERS once he teamed up – with his secret ‘cabal’…

… of Alicia, Jane and Ms King.

-O-

Wet in his towel, Paul went to the wardrobe-closet to search for his green-school uniform. He saw that his green-Daks trousers – and realized that he now had to wear long Daks as a senior. He laughed as he realized that he doesn’t have to wear his short pants anymore – because he looked horrible in them…

… especially, in photographs where he was a this-chubby-crippled blob in a wheelchair… with disproportionated crooked-thin legs…

… but his short-pants uniform had-came in handy in-comfort ‘yesterday,’ when he visited the Underworld with his demon-buddy Mercury – where that place-was hot and humid… especially when he next-went to Egypt, to rescue the Soul of his twin…

Paul sighed as he dressed-up, that his superpowers were ‘all-gone’ in-this teenaged-reality – where-else, in-that tween-reality… he was a superhero, and was a member of the Cursed-trio where they have battled Asmodeus’ minions and saved their beloved-city of Perth on-several occasions, from major natural disasters of with-a certain evil-supernatural, behind it…

… now he could ‘not’ feel the connection to his mighty-abilities… that he once-had possessed for more than 2 months – WHERE HE COULD-THEN DETECT both his twin’s and Jane’s emotional-aura to see ‘what-they’ had been up to, which was either positive or negative…

… and most of all-with those superpowers where he could then-fly, levitate and zap lightning-bolts electricity in a flick of his fingers…

… looking at the tall-mirror in his wardrobe, and he snapped his fingers – but ‘saw’ no-spark-no-nothing – and, he felt a ‘hollowness’ in-his heart – of-like a helpless crippled tween-on A WHEELCHAIR, WHOM HE-WAS BEFORE-after the car crash…

‘… enjoy your problems…’ Paul sighed…

Still looking at the mirror, he smiled with positive thoughts, that HE COULD WALK again in this teenaged reality realm – and dance too – remembering-now, he had won his first-and-only trophy prize, in a school dancing competition, before he was crippled in the car-crash…

… and, after he was cursed-with his superpowers – whenever, he was home-alone, Paul had used to levitate upstairs to his former bedroom, with a lot of windows – to revisit and hold his only ‘preciousss’ trophy…

… Paul tried a few of his dance-moves, in the locked room, at the front of the mirror – as his wandering mind was-swept onto the school’s dancefloor on the night, of the dance contest, where students all-cheered… and-he was chuckling to himself, in the bedroom – that he had ‘not’ forgotten his killer-moves, of his self-choreographed dance-steps…

His good-reveries ‘poofed’ – when he heard noises from-behind the thin-wall – which Paul presumed was his twin’s bedroom – in the new-enclosure of their stepfather’s house…

‘… enough of prancing-around, Poe – focus on the task at hand…’

… Paul put on his SHS’ dark-green school-blazer, tied his maroon-necktie loosely – even-if, he had no-scar to hide-behind to.

He then took his wallet and his iPhone and exited his room.

-O-

He dashed down the stairs, in this-house of Joe Dickson – and he noticed it was a smaller working-class man’s property, unlike the spacious house of his architect father – where he lived in-his reality. Paul went to the kitchen, as he desperately wanted his coffee-fix….

… but he found none, ‘not’ even a coffee-pot machine – why was ‘this’ mother still in bed? Where-else, from where he ‘was,’ his-mother would come down to make coffee… and leave-early to work by 8 AM…

‘no coffee…’

He stood there and swallowed his accumulating saliva, in his mouth – looking at his watch – it was another half before school-time…

Paul wanted to call Gary Morrison, who was his go-to regular Uber driver, to get to school on-time. Looking-out in iPhone, Paul scrolled and searched but Gary’s number – and found out it was ‘not’ there…

… but something got his attention – IT WAS A VIDEO WHERE he, Jane and Peter were drunk and were causing some ruckus. Now, he KNEW THAT ‘HOW’ HIS ‘crazy’ teenage-self misbehaved…

-O-

Paul looked up saw his twin, was coming down from the stairs, dressed up in his school uniform, and was excited to show him ‘something’ …

“Poe, look-at this!”

… this was his twin’s habit, who-had ‘forgotten,’ that they were rivals a moment-ago – who-he would speak-to, after a foul-outburst.

Paul saw him, holding-up A CAR KEY in his now-grown former-missing arm, saying-out…

“This is our ride, right-here, mate!”

-O-

The school-uniformed twins went outdoors, of-a strange-new neighbourhood. They went outside and saw their mother’s white Audi… but it was a different and cheaper model – and-an old Holden Commodore and presumed, it was Joe’s, at the driveway.

And, behold…

… a DMC-12 DeLorean…

… which was the oldest car of the 3 – that was a weathered, more than 30 years of a bucket of nuts-and-bolts on wheels. But that sight did ‘not’ deter Peter’s sheer excitement, and…

… he jumped on the spot, exclaiming…

“Oh my god! You-Beauty – is this my car? Wow! I always have wet-dreams, that I will someday drive this-jewel… like from-the Back to the Future! This is my time-machine – Oh-yeah, it is!”

“Hey Peter, but can you drive? Or, do you have a driving licence?”

Peter checked his wallet, and there it was – his driver-licence.

“See!”

“But can you actually-drive…?”

“Come on trust me, Poe – I have seen Mum driving before, and I pick up a thing or 2…”

The car’s gull-winged doors opened upwards. Peter was first to get in, behind the steering wheel. Paul saw his rapt-face kissing the steering wheel, and-was laughing uncontrollably… Paul sat beside him and opened the glove compartment to see ‘what’ was-in there. They both saw a packet of cigarettes and lighter…

“Is that Joe’s ciggies…?”

Peter grabbed cigarette-box and lit one, and blew smoke in the DMC’s cabin… and up-close, Paul noticed that his twin was having half-rotting teeth in his mouth…

… the last-time Paul saw a person having full-rotting teeth up-close – was the meth-addict Jimbo-Hatcher, on the rooftop of Graylands’ mental hospital.

Peter started the ignition…. and backed it off the driveway, and before long, they were on the road to their school.

-O-

“Hey! Don't drive like a Hoon, and get into trouble with the copper!”

Paul shouted at his twin when he drove at the centre of the road, with cars on the opposite, horning at them. As Peter had the safer hand-of his driving… Paul wanted to say something off his chest… based-off his keen-observations…

“Peter, you know-right, THIS IS ‘NOT’ OUR REALITY? So please, don't argue with anyone in-here, like how you did just now with the other-Mom – who is ‘NOT’ YOUR REAL-MOTHER – because I know for-a-fact, that our-mother is somewhere out-there with-her 2 crippled-sons.”

“Yeah, I KNOW ‘THAT’ TOO but who cares – look-here, I got my arm and my car today, hahaha – who knows, what other Easter-eggs awaits-me!”

“Shut up you moron – now listen to me-Peter – we SHOULD GET BACK to our ‘own’ reality.”

“What reality-mumbo-jumbo Shawshank are you cooking-up? I’m happy-alright over-here, hahaha – in the my-dream world of mine, and receiving all-of these cool-pressies.”

“No, listen up, Peter – this is ‘not’ our world and I know for sure ASMODEUS IS BEHIND-THIS to punish the Cursed-trio, by trapping us all into this reality!” Paul revealed the-truth.

“Hah! What reality are you talking about? Poe – ‘this’ Asmodeus, whom Janey-and-you always talking-about – IS HE EVEN REAL? I feel he is a figment of your imagination, with ‘that’ Ms King who tricked us… into believing He-exist, with her crappy China-made hologram tech!”

“Asmodeus is real, you-galah. DON’T YOU REMEMBER – we were cursed in the school field trip, and ‘evil’ had marked us-3 – you even wore a bloody-glove to hide-it, from your palm!” Paul shouted at his ignorant brother.

“Even-if that is so – why should I go back, where everyone hates me? There is no-love over there. No love from-girlfriend, mother, and even-you, my-twin brother. So, I’M STAYING here –and that's final!”

“No, we MUST GO BACK – while we are trapped-in here, the city of Perth is in danger, over there!” Said Paul in determination.

“Why? So-you can be a crippled superhero over-there? Supe-fly around and… save the day just-like our Angie-Dickinson policewoman-Mom over there? Hah-no way, THIS IS THE PERTH which I ‘want’ to live in – and the TIME IS NOW-RIGHT for ‘me’ now where my schooling-would-be done-and-finito by the year-end…

… and I can do and be whatever I want – and NOBODY CAN STOP ME – ‘not’ even you-Poe-pee-poo! Hahaha!

“Yes-Poe, I KNOW FOR A FACT, that you don’t have your superpowers over-here and I bet, Janey doesn’t have-hers too – THAT MEAN YOU BOTH-can’t scheme to hurt-me, control-me or bully me – therefore, I can do any-bloody shit that-I want, yea? Hahaha!”

Paul sighed… when his twin-had THE LAST LAUGH…

-O-

It was true… he felt helpless and powerless to fight Peter –WHO WAS THE ALPHA of the twin in this realm – where he was physically bigger and stronger, with having both-hands…

… but-as the saying-went – for every-will, there was a-way…

… he should search for the way to bring this ‘moron,’ back to, where they came from.

Peter severed the steering wheel, and the DeLorean went on a different road…

“Hey! Where are you going – the school is that-way!!”

“I want to go AND SEE DAD.”

“Not-now Peter – we'll be late for school.”

“Hah! Like studies matters, hahaha – Poe, don’t you WANT TO SEE-DAD?”

“No, my dad-is-dead…”

“Hahaha, Poe, think-ahead, will-ya? BACK-TO-THE-FUTURE, mate – instead getting-lost in the past, like a rat stuck on a glue-board. This is our 2nd chance-brotherrr… let’s live it!”

“Okay, what do you want to accomplish you see that man-who is ‘NOT’ YOUR FATHER?”

“Hahaha, you mean, ‘what’s’ my STRATEGY OF MY GAME-PLAN, Poe – okay, I’ll tell ya, Poe-pee-poo – I want to stay-back with Dad in ‘our’ house and then I’ll pursue my world dream tennis…

“… and by the way, my-Babolat – I’d searched my room just now, and-my weapon-of-choice was ‘not’ there in Joe’s crappy house… so, it ‘MUST’ BE THERE AT DAD’S – and that where we’re going now…”

Peter turned-up the volume of the car-stereo playing AccaDacca’s ‘Dirty Deed Done Dirt Cheap’ – and was singing along, drumming on the steering wheel with his ‘NEW-GROWN’ left-hand, to the rock-beat.

Paul sighed again…

… but he was in anxiety too, where he would meet-someone-from the dead … like Joe Dickson just now…

He wished Peter would stop the car, and he would get out onto the road – because Paul really DOESN’T WANT TO MEET ‘this’ VERSION OF SOLOMON WALKER in this-realm… where-else…

… his REAL FATHER DIED in the car crash, where-along, he and his twin were crippled…

Although Paul did ‘not’ attend his father’s funeral… because he was hospitalized for his spinal-injuries… but after ‘gifted’ with superpowers – while ‘during home-alone’ lately, he levitated upstairs…

… and he snooped in his police-mother’s bedroom… and discovered some- ‘hidden’ files, inside her wardrobe closet…

… where he regrettably SAW THE HORRIFIC PHOTOS of his dead father at the accident scene – his head injuries were gruesome… that they had a closed-casket at his funeral…

Paul sat quiet and observed outside, where he saw the city centre-district at a distance – in this realm, Perth was dense with skyscrapers like Manhattan, New York. Soon the DeLorean drove in the coastal road, to get to his father’s house.

Beyond the long stretch of white sandy beaches, Paul then-saw something strange, the in-a building at the horizon…

… it was the Sydney Opera-House…

‘What…in Perth…? How is this possible?’

He felt like Charlton Heston of the classic-film, The Planet of the Apes…

… where the film ended with yelling angry-actor who-was in the water, as punched the wet sand on a beach when he had discovered the Statue of Liberty’s head that was buried in the monkey-planet...

… and was ‘trapped’ there, in the altered-reality…