IT WAS THE SAME NIGHTMARE OVER-AND-OVER AGAIN…

… that ‘happened’ in the Walker’s House, where he was with Alicia playing videogames downstairs, while – blind-Jane was going upstairs to Peter’s bedroom…

… Paul’s aura ‘would’ then leave his body – and levitating upstairs to ‘spy’… and only-to stumble-into Jane having sex with his twin… and was ‘enjoying’ it – SHE LOOKED over from her shoulder TO ‘HER-blue-beacon’ at the opened door… and…

… just-like porn actresses ‘do’ in their act – by-looking ‘AT’ THE CAMERA… breaking the mental 4th-wall… TO ‘TEASE’ the aroused-viewers.

The snickering Peter would torment him too, by-saying in Greek…

“… coitum habons per nates, Poe – you’re a ‘useless’ quad!”

Paul ‘would’ wake-up from his nightmares by-the having a wet-dream – and, usually, he cursed-out aloud at the devil that gave him ‘such’ horrible bad dream – which portrayed him as a cuckold-boyfriend in-regards to Jane.

He would feel depressed and go back to sleep… but ‘not’ today…

… it was his first day to start his YEAR-8 – AS A SECONDARY Stamford High student.

-O-

In the bathroom, sitting depressed on the dunny, the crippled tween was still in-thoughts of the in-between worlds – of both the real-world and the dream-world…

‘… Jane would ‘NOT’ DO that to me…’

He was still sleepy – but a good-night sleep was what he was deprived of – from nightmares he had ‘been getting in the past 2 months. His physical and mental health was suffering from the exhaustion of it…

… but it was such a ‘reverse’ – instead of losing weight, he had ‘gained’ weight – as-if the ‘very thought of food ‘had’ triggered an extra kilo-a-day on the weighing-machine… even-though he had been eating ‘not’ in-excess during the school-break.

The handicapped-boy sighed thinking-back of his-mental suffering – when the ‘lack’ of sleep had affected his studies – where he could ‘not’ focus well in class – as he was ‘sleeping’ with his eyes-wide-open… during lessons of his final-term…

… he did ‘not’ do well in his examinations – from the 9th-spot, he fell to 11th … even Alicia was disappointed as she ‘had’ promised ‘ways’ that he would be the Top-5 in class – but Paul was mentally worn-out to carry-out the ‘steps’ of his classmate’s coaching.

But he was astounded that his twin had ‘IMPROVED’ DRAMATICALLY in the final-term studies after receiving his coaching-AI device from America. From the ‘last-boy’ in the class of last-term – Peter had catapulted-over to be 12th…

… just behind-him in the score-rankings.

Paul noticed that from History class – where Peter who doesn’t do his written-homework but could answer questions based on his-memorizing of-the facts-and-dates – like Alicia. Even the teacher, Mr Alexzander Hull was ‘impressed’ with the boy-whom he had ‘written off '– who now-had showed ‘improvement’ in the subject.

He was also their mother’s apple-in-her-eyes – and she was full of praises of both Peter and his-study device…

‘… if ‘only’ he had LET ME SLEEP at night – I could have ‘been’ the 5th boy in class, Mom…’

-O-

It was his fault-too… as Paul was in a state-of-negative ‘paranoid’ thinking-and-worrying a lot at the moment the Americans, Hiro-and-Taro were attacked by Hajji-and-his monkey… where…

… they ‘had’ the Cursed-trio’s BLOOD-SAMPLE – AND, WHAT ‘had’ happened to it… since the Americans were hospitalized…

As a ‘defender-of-Perth’ that was a ‘priority-worry’ back then – which left him in the ‘edge’ of his seat of-his-wheelchair…

…as he was facing evil-entity forces from the Underworld…

… where they ‘preyed’ on the Blood-of-Peter before, and…

… what-else they’ would-and-could do with THE ‘LOST’ BLOOD-SAMPLES of his and Jane’s.

Paul regretted that he took the blood-test last term – even-though, he had an option to ‘not’ to take it…

… but he ‘did’ anyway – just to ‘prove’ a point to Peter that Jane was ‘his’ girlfriend – and ‘not’ his twin’s PFC property… just because Jane had chosen Peter as her first-boyfriend many months ago…

Now, realizing that it was his ‘insecurities’ that made him the-mistake of taking the blood-test… and, he wished that he was ‘not’ crippled – so, that he could kick himself-in-the-butt…

Those negative-love emotions HAD CLOUDED HIS JUDGEMENT to make mistakes and had impacted his life as a tween – and ‘made’ HIM LOSE FOCUS to…

… worry-more, and study-less…

But-now, it’s too late…

… Paul sighed…

‘… enjoy your problems…’

-O-

In eagerness, Paul returned to his windowless room to try-on his new uniform – where he was to wear long-pants in his junior-secondary term… and, to ‘feel’ like a senior student as he was ‘not’ in middle-school any-more…

… where he had to wear his shorts which he ‘hated’ – where, even till the last day of the former term, some-other students at SHS would be ‘seen’ gawking at his weird ‘crooked’ legs with surgery-scars.

He had to sit on the bed to wear the long pants by pulling-up the trousers in his lifeless legs – Paul levitated to stand to button-up… but was shocked that he could ‘not’…

… in the 2 weeks after buying it from the store, he had gained ‘more’ weight…

Paul was traumatized recalling the ‘fat-jokes’ Peter had cracked at the Wanneroo-store… when they ‘measured’ his waist to-be 36” for a 12-year-old – compared to his slim-and-trim twin of-his, who was only-size 24” …

‘… have I gone to-be a size-38 in a fortnight…?’

The roll of ‘fat-jokes’ still haunted him – that he was a tortoise whose fat-butts would be ‘stuck-like-the-shell’ in the wheelchair… and he would be – home-schooled later ‘when’ he grew ‘bigger' than the front-door…

… then ‘came’ the Godzilla jokes…

Paul ‘noticed’ that Caroline was quiet when Peter taunted him – taking out her credit card to pay for her sons’ uniforms…

… then came the ‘boogie-man’ jokes – of their diabetic neighbour who has one-leg.

Only when driving back home, Caroline spoke to him – and told Paul to watch and control his diet and to-be healthy. Peter then butt-in and place ‘a bet’ that Paul ‘would’ gain more-weight…

… true-enough – Peter ‘had’ cursed him to-be a size 38…

Levitating and gritting his teeth and sucking-up-air, Paul pulled-in his stomach and managed to button-up. For ‘reinforcement,’ he wore a belt. Looking at the full-length mirror – the uniform-pants looked like fit-tight skinny-jeans. He then made an excuse…

‘… no-one ‘would’ notice that the pants are tight as I’m seated by using a wheelchair…’

-O-

At the mirror, he wore his green blazer and proceeded to knot his necktie – to conceal his cursed-mark on his throat. Paul then had a pleasant thought of ‘sunbathing’ at the beach with his girlfriend Jane…

… it was the last day of school after the Final-exams – where Stamford High School had organized a Family Day at the beach with students’ parents who could come along with their children. Caroline Walker was working that day, and let her twin-sons go to have fun…

… the large group had buses for the attendees to 2 LOCALE CHOICES:

For a free-and-easy trip to wave-surfing at South Beach, in Freemantle. For the adventurous folks were a trip to the 18 kilometres by sea to Rottnest Island – that took 25 minutes in a paid ferry-ride from Freemantle harbour. The highlight of the island was its inhabitant of endangered Quokka… a short-tail shrub wallaby which was a size of a tubby-cat. And, the visitors too would get to swim and picnic at the island’s Salmon Way beach.

Paul who was mentally-exhausted that day – did ‘not’ want to go on an island excursion and opt for South Beach instead…

… but Peter followed his group of his Irish-cobbers to the ferry-trip from Freemantle to Rottnest. Even Alicia with her elder cousin, Lily followed – that island-visiting crowd…

… Alicia ‘had’ pestered her BFF to follow her – but Jane declined her offer – and wanted to stay with Paul’s group going to South beach.

The 3 charted-busses to Freemantle Harbour with the VP Mrs Burnell heading-the-tour left from the school’s parking bay… and Paul saw Bella who was on the bus with Peter… and his backbencher-gang at the backseats – as Peter was ‘showing-off’ his robotic-arm to them.

Paul and Jane were to travel in the busses… no more past ‘special-privilege’ of riding Mr John Hart’s handicap-friendly minivan. Some parents then carried the heavy-weight Paul into the bus, and seated him next to Jane, together with his folded-wheelchair.

A convoy of 5 busses next left to South Beach, with a fleet of cars of SHS teachers and staff following behind – in-the-bus – the parents of ‘other-students’ were ‘super-nice’ to the Paul-and-Jane… whose own-parents did ‘not’ follow them.

They fed them by offering sandwiches…

… Paul was pleased with their ‘kind-hearted’ treats at first – ‘but’ cringed later – when he heard some gossips at the backseat – of his ‘TARZAN-AND-JANE’ fame in the social-media…

… that ‘was’ A MISADVENTURE failed-mission at the zoo – for the ‘Perth’s accidental superheroes’…

… which the squirming Paul ‘wanted-hard’ to-forget…

-O-

At the breezy South Beach, Paul and Jane went on their own – by ‘distancing’ themselves from the SHS crowd. Jane wanted to wet her feet in the water… so Paul followed her by treading his wheelchair on the sand to get there…

… they reached a further to a secluded spot… that faced the sea with rushing waves hitting the sand – Paul saw the blind-girl’s child-likeness with her reactions of… running away from the next cold-water crashing wave.

“Paul, I have a fear of water…” she said laughing…

“… when I was 4… I nearly drowned in a hotel bathtub…”

Paul then saw her stripping her casual-clothes – and, his jaw dropped as he saw his blind-girlfriend was wearing a pink Gucci swimsuit beneath.

“I’m going to confront my fears today – I’m going into the water… to ‘learn’ to swim…” said the ‘ough headed blind-girl…

“Hey! Don’t go ‘too’ far!”

… responded the nervous crippled boyfriend at the sand while… seeing blind-Jane plodding forward to the sea. His mind was IN CRISIS-MODE if there was a possible-next misadventure to ‘add’ into their Tarzan-Jane ‘unwanted’ fame…

… so, if-in the case, of his blind-girlfriend drowning – HE ‘WOULD’ fly over to rescue-her… risking that there would be public-eyes witnessing… his well-kept secret-superhero identity…

But Paul was relieved that Jane was ‘rational’ by – swimming in knee-length water – and saw her having fun-shouting in delight at her fighting with the on-coming cold-crashing waters. Paul too chilled into his TV’s Baywatch-fantasy of the-blonde Jane Wilson… running slow-motion in her swimsuit on the beach…

… just like Pamela Anderson.

After 10 minutes, he saw the wet-blonde Jane coming-out of the water…

… his fantasy-switched to… the Swedish Bond-girl Ursula Andress of Dr No.

-O-

The sun was up, and they spread their towels on the sand – sunbathing and applying tan-lotions to each-other… while sharing a coke…

The love-birds kissed a lot that-day… even more than they-both did as teenagers – in the dance-hall at the SHS gym in the Perthland dimension.

Soon, they fell into a dreamless and ‘peaceful’ kip… THAT THEY ‘HAD’ long wanted-waited-and-deserved – ‘away’ from…

… Peter’s ‘induced’ daily nightmares for the past 2-months…

… which had ‘affected’ their waking-lives.

-O-

After a couple of hours, they both woke-up, tanned… and feeling their lunch-hunger pangs – they then left to join the SHS’ group who had organized a beach barbeque and… Peter and Jane ate…

… as they ‘watched’ – the South Beach locals performing feats of big-wave-surfing…

Paul was describing to blind-Jane – of the surfboarding daredevils riding the waves…

… Jane told him that she was a ‘DAREDEVIL’ HERSELF – and her-thrills of in the other-Perth…

… for a blind-girl who did extreme-sport ‘jumps’ – on her skateboarding feat.

-O-

A ‘breaking-news’ broke among the SHS’ staffs ‘came’ that – there was an ‘incident’… which happened in the ‘other’ group who had – travelled by ferry to Rottnest Island…

… where 2 students fell into the sea…

The English teacher, Mr Fred Bailey came to Paul – TO INFORM HIM – that his-twin Peter was one-of the 2 students – who fell into the rough sea…

… but were eventually ‘rescued’…

On his wheelchair – Paul looked wide-eyed and gaped-mouth shocked…

‘… thank God, the devil ‘WAS’ RESCUED – OR-ELSE… ‘my’ 8-year-old brother in-Peter – WOULD BE-gone forever…’

-O-

More than an hour later, Caroline rushed to South Beach after receiving an emergency call at work from Ms King that – Peter was thrown-off the ferry ‘when’ – hit by a ‘freak’ wave.

The inspector-mother wanted to pick-up Paul before heading – to Freemantle Harbour to ‘see-what’ had happened to his twin…

… Paul ‘groaned’…

… as he wanted to spend the ‘last-moments’ in the bus-ride back to SHS with Jane – as they would physically ‘NOT’ BE-WITH EACH OTHER during their school term holiday-break.

He had to leave his girlfriend behind without kissing her goodbye… as his inspector-mother was ‘waiting’ nearby in her Audi…

… wheelchairing-over, he CURSED-PETER under his breath… who ‘always’ got into trouble in the school’s outings…

‘… first the Treeton-farm – now Rottnest island… why do you keep ‘DRAGGING-ME’ into your bloody-damn problems…?’

-O-

The Audi was parked at the Freemantle Harbour – while they waited an hour for the delayed ferry’s arrival. Inspector-Caroline made some work-related phone-calls commands – and eavesdropping at the backseat was Paul… playing a newly-crazed videogame called Dota…

… Paul sensed ‘anger-and-frustrations’ in her loud voice from-both of Peter’s behaviours and… the work-circumstance of the growing cases of zombie-related attack in the uptown districts caused by the virus-carrier criminal named Hajji… and, soon…

… she would-be doing NIGHT-DUTIES for extended days till the criminal was captured…

…the inspector-mother ended the call with a deep-sigh that followed by silent thoughts… the Audi’s cabin was quiet for a moment – then her iPhone rang – Paul expected her authoritative voice again, but…

… Caroline mellowed to whoever that she spoke at the other-end… even replied in-with single-word and short-sentence…

… Paul ‘suspected’ that it was his Principal Tom Harris speaking to his-mom – as he had long-known that they both were having a secret-relationship behind the Walker-boys’ back.

A distant fog-horn then grabbed their attention – as they saw the approaching ferry at the sea-horizon. Caroline got-off the vehicle and walked-over.

Apparently, the behind schedule of the ferry-service was that resulted- – from Terry Donovan and some member of the Irish-boys who HAD ‘SMUGGLED’ the endangered baby-joeys Quokka in their backpacks… with the intentions of raising the critter as pets at the mainland, in Perth…but…

… they were caught red-handed with the cries of the ‘hungry’ joeys in their backpack…

The Quokkas were an endangered and protected species-of-wallabies – ‘ONLY’ FOUND in Rottnest island… so the Wildlife-department were called in to deal with the matter – where the penalties they would ‘impose’ were severe.

The SHS’ tour-group leader, vice-principal Mrs Ann Burnell had then stepped-in to diffuse the matter… when she ‘apologized’ on behalf of the minors. The officers let them go after registering the names of the offenders – and the boys were ‘totally’ banned to visit the island in the future.

From the backseat, Paul saw afar of the visitors alighting the ferry and getting in the busses that transported them-back to SHS. The inspector-mother was ‘seen’ talking to Mrs Burnell and Ms King… Caroline loudly ‘insisted’ Peter to follow her back in her-Audi… when Peter wanted to take the bus with Bella and the Irish-backbenchers…

… and, the dissatisfied Peter went-over and kissed Bella goodbye in-front of his mother… before limping-away to the Audi…

… Paul saw the disgruntle Peter outside – taking-off his t-shirt over his head with his robotic-arm…as walked bare-bodied towards their car…

… his body was with less than a dozen wound-plasters patched-on to the left-side of his body… from his-belly, hips, thigh and knee – sustained from the fall… when he scrapped onto the barnacles beneath-growth-on the ferry.

Paul recalled a similar situation sometime-ago, where he was plastered-too… after he ‘fought’ the Black-rhino at the zoo – and-he recalled’ PETER LAUGHING ‘when’ he saw him… in the hurt-state…

… now, seeing the devil limping-over… ‘had’ the cripple-twin chuckling…

‘… well-now…. ain’t karma a b****…’

The displeased Peter opened the passenger-door with his robotic-arm… and was annoyed to see his grinning-twin at the backseat – which peeved him more… and in anger, he tossed his t-shirt at the backseat that ‘missed’ his twin’s face…

Their poker-faced mother got into the car’s cabin – she paused a moment before she pressed the ignition-button… saying…

“Seat-belts!”

In displease, Peter strapped the belt – and even the back-seated Paul did-his-too.

At the back, Paul sensed animosity in their silence… as he anticipated some mother-son back-and-forth argument to transpire – as-expected of Peter…

After driving a kilometre, the loathing inspector-mother interrogated…

“You don’t know how-to-swim… but ‘why’ did you jump-into the sea…?”

“Whoa-Mom, before we ‘argue’ to the ‘logics’ of my-action… let me say-this as bare-witness on that boat just-now, that – it was an act-of-God THAT MADE A FREAK-TIDAL-WAVE that rocked the ferry-up 45-degrees… and-the water on the boat ‘tossed’ us everywhere…

“… at that moment, a Chinese-boy grabbed on ‘my’ leftie before he was thrown out of the boat … my arm-Velcro ‘snapped’ – and this Chinese-feller fell ‘plopping’ into the sea with my robotic-arm…

“… to retrieve my million-dollar-tech, I then jumped after him… before the fellow drops it to-be ‘forever’ lost-in-sea… for Aquaman Jason-Mamoa to use’ it later to scratch an ‘itch-on-his-back’…

… and that-being-that… it’s ‘also’ my ‘weapon-of-choice' to my FUTURE IN TENNIS, you get-it, Mom…?’

Caroline yelled…

“You fool! You could have drowned back-there – what ‘good’ is your bloody-robotic-arm, ‘when’ you’re dead!!?”

“… but-Mom… it’s my ‘weapon-of-choice’ – just like YOUR ‘PISTOL’ is to you in your ‘police-line-of-duty’… you ‘don’t’ want to ‘lose’ your-pistol, do you…?’

Caroline was stumped…

At the backseat, Paul was mulling-over ON THE PISTOL ANALOGY that his twin had brought-up – where in Perthland, he-Paul had – ‘stolen’ his mother’s pistol…

… before going on his-quest to carry-out his Plan-B… by shooting the devil in the ‘heart,’ at the Stamford hotel.

‘… but Peter CAME-BACK ‘alive’ in this-post-Treeton… HOW…?’

… but one-thing for sure, Peter WAS A DAREDEVIL when he jumped into the sea just now … while ‘knowing’ the fact that he ‘could’ be-dead by drowning… BUT HE DID ‘NOT’…

‘… OR… could he ‘NOT’ DIE…?’

… JUST LIKE when he too crawled ‘bravely’ into the black panther’s cage – TO RESCUE Jane’s baby brother from being ‘eaten’ by the wildcat… in the other-Perth…

‘… and, the panther DID ‘NOT’ attack him… WHY…? Is he ‘PROTECTED’ BY a powerful spell… or is Peter AN IMMORTAL…?’