THE WANDERER

REVELATION

"What the actual fuck?" Eric whispered to himself noticing he just had a wet dream, one he very much enjoyed. He just didn't expect he would make such a mess, even though he was more concerned about the contents of the dream than the mess made. It was particularly disturbing having Katy invade his dreams, she's a source of torment in reality and now a source of sensual pleasure in his dream life. Why the hell would I work with Katy on building a doomsday device? What the hell was that thing to begin with? Am I losing my mind? What type of fuckery is this? Eric thought to himself, an attempt to forget the other part of the dream he found perplexing.

"These dreams are getting out of hand, I have to do something about it."

"Hey deep shit," Erica yelled, storming into his room.

"Why do you have to be so loud?" Eric adjusted his position, confident that he had concealed the souvenir from his watery adventures.

"Why don't you ever knock?" Eric said, clutching his sheet.

"Mom's out, she'll be late, I'm in charge, the party's today. Fuck this up and you're dead."

Erica declared. Eric just sat there, dumbfounded. He wasn't ready for this.

"O...k..a..y," he replied trying to compose himself. Seeing that she has asserted her dominance and marked her territory, she decided to seal the deal.

"Your brain misses being woken up with a bowl of water so much, it created its own. I'm Ivan Pavlov and you're the fucking dog." Eric was rendered speechless, his face burning with embarrassment and anger. "Clean your sheets." she slammed the door behind her.

What the hell is going on? Is this an alternate universe? Is this still a dream? Eric just got owned by his sister referencing a scientific experiment involving classical conditioning after noticing his man juice, which he desperately tried to conceal. Having a day start like this is problematic for Eric. He decided to lay in bed to collect his thoughts and plan his day.

Eric might appear to be immune to emotions around other individuals, but this immunity fails when it comes to his twin sister. She's the only one who can truly hurt his feelings. Though it seems one is going to murder the other, they deeply care for each other. They just have a funny way of showing it.

Erica has always been looking after his little brother all her life. She's the only one permitted to make fun of him or bully him, anyone who tries that would have to deal with her. She's been summoned to the principal's office for his sake. Erica once beat up a senior for exploiting her brother. The senior had Eric doing all his homework and other academic activities. Eric enjoyed the thrills of solving advanced equations and problems above his grade level.

 He wasn't aware he was being exploited. Erica failed many times trying to make him understand this. She later tried another approach; advising his brother to collect money for his services. Eric saw this as a good idea. After remodeling it, he decided to teach the senior in exchange for money, so he won't have to do all the work again. Of course, it didn't go well. The senior threatened Eric with force, something he didn't understand. Eric barely feels fear. His sister calls him stupid for this; "fear helps you survive" was her famous mantra used for admonishing, and Eric would reply with one of his classic responses;

"You can tell that to the animal who died from inaction because it was frozen with fear."

The senior decided to make Eric's life hell for not bending to his will. Eric reported to the school authority in a fashion not consistent with someone being bullied. Eric would normally document the offenses and formally present them to the school board. Erica took matters into her hands when the plight of her brother wasn't taken seriously.

 She became his official guardian angel henceforth. Terry later joined the duo making it a trinity, more protectors for Eric. Terry later became Erica's boyfriend, a bully cured by reason. Although they're now seniors themselves, she hasn't retired from her role as Eric's defender.

Erica wasn't only the protector of her brother but a helper to their mom as well. Ever since their dad died in a car accident, Erica has been there for emotional support.

"Terry is coming over. You guys will get a chance to play your stupid games. I won't disturb you guys this time," Erica said, practicing her yoga positions.

"That's cool. W..a...i ..t," Eric gestured with a look of suspicion on his face.

"I'm giving you a chance at happiness here and you're going 'Mr. Spock' about it."

"You've sworn an oath to make my life miserable for as long as you live, why would you do this now? and you used the Mr. Spock stuff out of context. That's not cool."

"What are you talking about? I want you to be happy, I'm your sister after all?" She said, sarcastically.

"What are you up to Erica?"

"You worry too much," Erica said, trying to calm her brother.

"Do you have headphones?"

"Yeah, why'd you ask?" Eric inquired cautiously.

"Well, Terry and I will be doing some activity together after your games," she said, with a smirk planted on her face.

"Eww. I'm going to need therapy for the image you just caused my brain to conjure up," Eric said with a look of disgust on his face.

"It's not my fault you can't get laid. You're like a robot wearing human skin."

"Fuck you, Erica," he said angrily walking up the stairs.

"That's what Terry is coming over for," Eric screamed at the top of his voice covering his ears.

"I hate you. You're evil," Eric said, screaming in anguish. Erica was the only one skilled in the art of tormenting her twin brother.

Stuck in traffic, Mrs. Laurel Norton contemplated her role as a good parent. She doesn't spend much time with the twins these days. She fears her continued absence will ruin the lives of her children. Her fears subsided when she realized that she had two geniuses -in their special way- as offsprings. She's also aware of her disproportionate attention towards Eric, which is unfair to Erica. She believes Erica can take care of herself unlike her brother, one lacking in the necessary skills required by a functioning society; the ability to socialize and connect with people. Although the therapy sessions with Dr. Evelyn have been productive in helping Eric deal with his Aspergers, she still finds herself worrying about him. She just wants her son to be normal.

"I wish you were here Robert, I wouldn't have to carry all the load," she said, resting her head on the steering wheel.

She gave out a loud sigh. Her husband, Mr. Robert Norton has been dead for quite some time now, yet, she refuses to remarry, a decision against her friends' advice. She could hear the voice of her co-worker constantly playing in her head,

"You need to get a man that will take care of you and your kids. You need a break, girl."

Laurel always reminded her that she has no financial issues, she earns enough to take care of herself and her kids. She doesn't need a knight in shining armor for that. The only thing a man can offer her at this point is a romantic relationship, something she's not ready to indulge in just yet. Besides, the kids would probably not welcome another man in their lives, they've been doing fine without one.

"How's she doing?"

a male doctor asked, intercepting Laurel in the hallway after attending to a patient.

"She'll live."

"How are you, Laurel?"

"I'm good, you know....doing my job and all that," she replied, trying to avoid the awkward tension between them.

"That's great then. How are the kids?" he inquired further.

"What are you doing Alfred? I'm working," she replied, like a mother disciplining her child.

"You know I can't stop thinking of you Laurel, especially after that night."

"what is wrong with you, we're at work?" She said, giving him a disapproving look.

"I know you don't want to take things seriously, but we can start slow. I don't like these games we're playing like high school kids. We're adults for Christ's sake."

"I can't do this now Alfred, we talked about this. I'm working and not ready to have this conversation."

"When will you ever be ready? I'll see you later Laurel," he said, slightly brushing his hands affectionately against hers as he headed down the hallway.

Laurel rested her weight on the wall giving out a sigh. It wasn't clear if it was relief or stress.

She brought out her phone after it repeatedly gave a buzzing sound. It was a message from Erica:

Heading to Vicki's party. Don't worry, I'll look after your baby.

She smiled and responded:

Have fun honey, and be safe.

Love you.

Erica replied immediately:

Love you too

She put the phone back into her pocket and continued with her duties.

Eric has always hated parties even though he rarely gets invited.

"We can leave her behind, you know," Eric suggested to Terry as they waited for Erica.

"You wouldn't last out there without her," Terry mocked Eric.

"How do I look?" Erica asked in her short red dress, matching stilettos, and just the right amount of lip gloss on her lips. She was beautiful, standing there with blonde wavy hair and sea-green eyes. Terry looked like he had a stroke.

"You look like a troll in heels," Eric mocked.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Erica responded, waving off his attack.

"We're going to a high school party filled with drug-abusing, alcoholic and moronic teenagers, not a royal ball or red carpet show," Eric tried again.

"you can stay behind then, the one above all," Erica gestured as Terry joined in with laughter.

"Don't listen to him my goddess, you're gorgeous," Terry commented.

"Thank you, my Lord."

"my lady."

They both made gestures imitating English royalties.

"Get over yourselves," Eric said, already feeling irritated.

"Mom's not around, you can stay back you know... You don't have to come." Erica said moving towards the door arm in arm with Terry.

"He's hoping to see Katy," Tyrell chipped in.

"Oh! I see," Erica said, giving a sinister smile.

"What?" Eric inquired.

"Nothing, you guys should just remember that it's a party, not a research facility for nuclear experiments," Erica said, getting into the car as Terry held the door open for her.

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"You don't make any sense," Erica retorted.

Unknown to Erica, she just gave her brother an idea. A party is a perfect place for psychological profiling, the teenagers will be his test subjects.

A few minutes into the party, he was already bored out of his mind. Just then, he remembered his plan for the experiment.

"I hope you're not conducting research without me, Mr. Norton," Eric had a strong Deja vù when he heard the voice.

It was Katy, looking elegant in her black dress, her dark curly hair resting on her shoulders. Eric took some time to recollect his thoughts after seeing her.

"Are you interested, Miss Smith?" He asked, feeling awkward.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Katy also felt a massive deja vù after responding to Eric's questions.

After categorizing their mates into different profiles, Katy asked a question,

"Do you think fear is necessary for survival? What's the difference between fearlessness and stupidity?" Katy adjusted her position on the couch.

"Well," Eric began...

"Fear is an emotional and behavioral response to perceived danger. It emerges from the amygdala which is a part of the limbic system. The limbic system can't think or analyze, it just reacts."

"Uhm....this is basic knowledge, why are you telling me this?"

Katy asked with a bored face.

"Why then would you ask me questions you already know the answers to?... Anyway, I'm not done yet," Eric protested.

"Ugh," Katy shrugged.

Eric continued.

"Fear is the source of all weakness in humans. It was easier for predators to pick up prey frozen in fear. Humans had to think of ways to defend themselves against predators, they had to analyze their predicament and offer a solution instead of living in fear all the time."

"But wait, wouldn't fearlessness lead to stupid actions, you can't analyze when a Sabre-toothed cat is charging towards you to have you for dinner can you?"

"That's why my intro was necessary," Eric retorted ......then continued.

"As I said, the limbic system where fear resides isn't capable of thoughts, it's instinctual, it just reacts. It's better to run from a predator and restrategize than to just keep running every time you see one," Eric took a pause then continued...

"fear always leads to stupid actions, not fearlessness. Fear can't think, it just reacts."

"Most prey has survived for a very long time by running," Katy chipped in.

"Yes, and that's why they'll always remain prey," Eric responded.

"That's true, but they're still surviving which points to my original question. I was talking about surviving not thriving. A prey will run fast and hard enough to pass on its genes to the next generation, in my book, that's called survival." Katy concluded.

"Agreed, they're stupid survivors," Eric said, trying to gain some points.

Understanding Eric's point, she asked a question,

"Do you feel fear? Do you have emotions? Do you feel anything at all?"

After hearing her question, Eric punched a wall...

"ouch!" He grunted in pain.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Katy asked, confused.

"You see I do feel stuff, I just felt pain." Katy tried to hide a smile, impressed by his stupid actions to make a point.

"That's not what I meant," she said, taking a look at his fingers.

He felt a euphoric rush along his spine as their fingers touched. They were locked in eye contact still holding hands, this created an awkward tension between them. Eric suddenly felt hot and uncomfortable, but Katy was calm. She gently massaged his fingers and made a proper examination,

"you'll be fine, you just need some ice," Katy said, still holding his hand.

They both shared subliminal messages which were in mutual agreement, but their actions said otherwise.

"He might be a jerk sometimes but he does have his moments," Erica said, approaching Katy as she grabbed some ice.

"What are you talking about?" Katy asked, already aware of what was going to happen.

"Saw you and the dip-shit holding hands."

"oh, he hurt his hands that's all, I was trying to help. Why do you call him dipshit?"

Erica rolled her eyes and answered,

"Yeah...I saw the idiot punch a wall... were you trying to heal him with massages and a staring contest? Cos, my mom's a nurse and she never mentioned that."

Katy felt blood rushing to her face.

"I better get this to him," she said, wrapping ice cubes in a towel.

"And.....he's my brother, I can call him whatever I want."

"you guys were discussing normal people stuff......right, not your nerdy shit?"

"We were discussing the necessity of fear for human survival."

"Oh! He once made a chart, he also quoted from the Hindu texts to prove his point."

"Hindu texts, I thought he was an atheist?" Katy asked, confused by this new info.

"Nobody knows what that little shit is all about. He's a walking mystery." Erica said, taking a sip from the cup she's been holding.

"Was that a compliment?" Katy asked, with a look of admiration on her face.

"Nah, he's just a fucking weirdo.....but you, you're alright." leaving her with the ice, she said,

"This is a party, not a lab, have fun, get drunk, get laid," "woohoo hooo."

she screamed and gulped the cup.

Eric pressed the ice pack against the back of his fingers easing his pain. He sighed and continued his explanation.

"I do feel things, just not the emotions associated with them."

"I feel pain but I don't suffer given that suffering is an emotional response to pain. I do feel fear, as a biological response, not an emotional one,"

"Sadly, I can't alter my default settings. The only way to get rid of fear is to surgically remove the amygdala."

"No wonder you act like a robot all the time, your amygdala is damaged, and you have a bigger and more active prefrontal cortex hence, your analytical skills. Your brain is fucked up in just the right way," Katy gestured.

"Thank you," Eric responded.

"It wasn't a compliment dumbass," Katy said, placing her palm on her face.

"Oh!"

Eric responded. Katy continued...

"I believe you're a sociopath. This would explain your lack of empathy, and ability to manipulate people while being perceived as the Victim. You always get your way leaving the other person looking like the bad guy. For someone so obnoxious, you do have a charismatic effect on people."

Katy concluded.

"I find your assessment intriguing, might be even accurate, but I've been diagnosed with high-functioning autism, commonly known as Asperger's syndrome," Eric responded.

"Wow, God was drunk when he was designing your brain" Katy mocked.

"Do you want to do some star gazing?" Katy asked.

"Yeah, but the lights will ruin the view."

"we'll head into the woods, besides, I brought a telescope." This new information pleased him.

They spent some time discussing the constellations, stars, and wonders of the universe.

"Have you heard of Stephenson 2-18?" Katy asked.

"Yeah, I just know it's a really big star. Nothing much," Eric responded, looking through the telescope.

"Well, it's currently the biggest star we know of. It's a red hypergiant with 2,150 solar radii and a brightness 500,000 times greater than the sun's."

"Whoa! that's huge."

"That's not all....." Katy continued...

"It will take light 8.7 hours to travel round the sun once. It will take our fastest plane 500 years to make the same journey."

"Holy shit that's crazy," Eric expressed his surprise and happiness.

"Yeah. Kinda makes you wonder how big the universe is. This gloriously puts our insignificance into perspective," Katy commented.

"So, when did you become a Hindu?" She asked, looking at the stars.

"Where did that come from?" Eric inquired, distracted by an object in the distance.

"your sister mentioned that you........"

"Nope, I'm not talking about that. Where did that come from?" Eric interrupted Katy pointing his finger at an object in the distance.

It looked like a glowing line suspended in front of them. The object shared a visual similarity with a partly closed door leading to a well-lit room.

"Is that what I think it is?" Katy asked, terrified and fascinated.