Five Person Story: Main

Leslie (by Crazy-KITTY-cat) 1

Driving down the roads, in the night rain, I knew we were lost. My boyfriend wouldn't admit it, though- he was too manly for that! As the rain fell harder, the streets felt more unfamiliar, the night getting darker, and the town emptier, I told Jack, "Just turn around and stop at that one open bar we saw!"2

He grumbled something I didn't catch, but probably wasn't something I wanted to hear anyway. The day had been long, and we were both on edge. I just wanted to find our hotel and get to sleep. However, that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Jack turned left at the light, which I knew to be the opposite direction of the bar.3

On this road, I started to feel something was wrong. "Jack. Please turn around." I begged. But when I turned to my boyfriend, it wasn't him. I screamed. How I knew this, I don't know, because I have never seen him, met him, heard of him, etc., but instead of Jack driving the car, there, suddenly, was Steve.4

"Marissa, what the hell are you scr-" Steve started to say. "My name's not Marissa," I whispered, and he looked at me. The next thing I knew, the car was in a ditch and I had a red splotch of blood on my forehead. 5

Steve (by Marvin) 6

"Marissa, what the hell are you scr-" I start to say. "My name's not Marissa," she whispers, I look at her with extreme confusion. The next thing I know, the car is in a ditch and I wake up with my head against the steering wheel. I slowly lean back into my seat and realize something. "Marissa!" I look over to my right and see her scanning her surroundings, she is silent, I notice she has a red splotch of blood on her forehead. 7

Suddenly the door to my side of the car opens and there stands a massively dark figure. Bright lights coming from another car are shining right into my face, I can't see who the person is. 8

"Are you alright?" The persons voice was deep and manly.9

"I think so." I say slowly. 10

"Do you think I can pull you out? Can you feel your arms and legs?" 11

I look over my body and move my arms and legs. "I think I'm alright."12

The mans hands come in for me and with relative ease he pulls me from the car and sits me down on the wet muddy grass. "Can you tell me you name?" he asks. 13

"My name?...Steve." 14

"And the girl inside?"15

"Marissa; she is my girlfriend. Please help her." I say with the utmost sincerity. The man begins to make his way to the other side of the car. "Wait!" I say. The man turns around. "What is your name?"16

"Call me Patrick." I watch Patrick go attend Marissa. Several minutes have passed. I can't help but wonder the worst for Marissa. She was bleeding after all. I think to myself, This is all my fault. Patrick finally brings Marissa over next to me. "Marissa..."17

"She said her name is Leslie." Patrick informs me. 18

"Leslie?" I ask, "But her name is Marissa." I look at her. She remains silent.19

"The ambulance will be here soon." Patrick states. 20

Patrick (by Keyootee) 21

I used a handkerchief to keep the wound from bleeding out. It seemed Steve was doing nothing to help out. Some man, being lax when someone they cared about was hurt. At least I thought the guy cared about her. The whole situation was confusing. It seemed that he thought that Marissa was her name, when her name was really Leslie. Well I had no time to think of what he thought the lady's name was, I had to wait for the ambulance and then get back to work. I heard the radio in my car crackling other leads that were more dire than this one.22

It seemed to take too long for the ambulance to show up, but it did. I slipped into my squad car about to go for a run when I saw the most beautiful girl exit out of the ambulance.23

She had long curly strawberry blond hair, big bright blue eyes and I could tell underneath those hospital scrubs she had a body to die for. The woman started to hurry Leslie on a gurney, and Steve followed her.24

I found myself following the ambulance when it started heading for the hospital. I just had to meet that woman. She was the only thing on my mind. The chatter on my radio seemed to be just noise. 25

The ambulance pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and the woman headed out of it, looking at me when I drove up with a weird expression on her face. She put her hand on her hip. "I j-just had to meet you. W-what is your name? I have to know."26

"My name is Cindy. Um, what do you need sir?" She started to look at her watch. "I am kind of in a hurry here. I have other people I need to pick up."27

" Well ...I was hoping to get your number." I shuffled my feet on the ground, feeling my face turn red. The woman was probably not used to having people pick her up at work. I kept mumbling to myself over and over under my breath. "Please don't say no."28

She laughed. "Oh, how cute; how can I resist a handsome police officer who followed me all the way here? Of course I will give you my number." She scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to me.29

"Thanks, ma'am. I'll call you later!"30

I drove off in the squad car to my next mission. All that day I had a smile plastered to my face. 31

Cindy (by Tiger-Lily) 32

I watched the young police officer walk away, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Raising a hand to cover the smug grin that came to my lips, I resumed wheeling the patient into the hospital.33

"Cecelia?" I looked round to see Ryan standing at the ER entrance, his cell-phone in his hand.34

Ryan, my accomplice.35

I glanced down at the unconscious girl on the gurney before me. Her breathing seemed to slow even in front of me.36

"Cindy, over here!" The other paramedic waved to me from the nearby doorway. Resisting the urge to curse, I slowly wheeled the girl toward him.37

As soon as the man disappeared into the room with her, Ryan came rushing up behind me.38

"Wrong one?"39

I shook my head. "I don't know, Ry. I overheard the police guy tell the dude with her that her name was Leslie. The guy in the car with her, her boyfriend or whoever, says she's Marissa."40

Ryan shrugged his broad shoulders. "Who cares what her name is? We did what we had to, now let's get the hell out of this place!"41

I hastily hushed him, glancing around for suspicious eavesdroppers. Most of the other paramedics seemed occupied. This was, after all, the ER department. 42

Which meant that I couldn't stand around here talking.43

Grabbing Ryan's wrist, I led him out the side door, after checking that no one noticed. I'd passed Ryan off as my supposed boyfriend, but you could never be too careful.44

"We can't. We have to finish the job." In the dark, Ryan's green eyes glittered eerily as he scowled.45

"So we stay here? And wait for that bloody policeman to come back so he can court you?"46

I gritted my teeth. "He doesn't even know my real name."47

Ryan grinned in amusement. "Like many do?"48

I laughed slightly, brushing back a strand of reddish-gold hair. "True that." I frowned. "But back to the task at hand. She's alone now, technically speaking until her boyfriend can get clearance and get through to see her." I bit my lip, contemplating. "We need to end this. Somehow get her alone so we can finish the job. Which is near impossible in ER . As well as the fact that we have very little time left. Plus, if she wakes up and sees us, we're as good as dead."49

Ryan groaned. "Mission Impossible, then? We may as well give up!"50

I scowled. "Stop with the negativity! It can't be that hard! We just need to get a couple of nurses out of the room, is all."51

Ryan raked a hand through his dark blond hair, frowning at the distance. I could practically hear his brain whirring with possibilities. He was an expert at that sort of thing. Distraction, detonation, destruction.52

Marissa, or Leslie, whoever she was, would be dead before midnight. 53

She had to be.
54

Steve (by Marvin) 55

As most people know, a hospital waiting room can be one of the most physically and mentally uncomfortable places in the world. It’s heartbreaking to see all the families huddled in corners waiting for news of their loved ones who are in surgery. The room always seems cold. The television is always too loud and the front desk is always empty because the nurse who normally sits there is hiding in the back avoiding people who are going to ask her the same old questions she cannot answer.56

Tonight is no different. The front desk is empty. The television is too loud. The room is filled with people slumped in their chairs waiting. Hoping. Worrying. Including myself. I have just been in a car accident with no major wounds to show from it. However somewhere deeper inside this hospital building, the one girl I care about could possibly be fighting for her life and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. All I can do now is wait. Great, more time to think about what has transpired. 57

"Why on earth would Marissa call herself Leslie?" I think to myself.58

I look across the room at all the different people. They all have their own names, families, jobs, kids, etc, and so does Marissa. She is my faithful girlfriend and a loyal Christian to our church. The only difference about tonight is Marissa wasn't claiming herself to be who she is, instead she was referring herself to the name Leslie. 59

"But why?" I say aloud quietly. 60

The room is cold and, like the weather outside, is being very unforgiving toward my body. My clothes are wet from the rain and to make things worse, my impatience is beginning to take over the control of my emotions. 61

A sense of worry and loneliness becomes my motive for what I want to do. I want to get up out of this chair and find Marissa. I feel completely out of place in this waiting room. As if a voice were in the back of my head, I know better than to stay here and wait. I must go and find Marissa. 62

I get up out of my chair and quickly walk further into the hospital and begin my search for Marissa. 63

Ryan (by RxxSpiritWolfxxJ) 64

I walked away from Cindy, steaming inwardly. What a .... slut, to be frank. I allowed myself a brief grin as the image of that dumb cop popped into my head - him with his goofy smile and Cindy ( Cindy! How could a person even have a real name like that?) Cindy's number written on that paper he clutched in his fist. Dumb jock. He would probably get some random answering machine.65

Grinning at a couple of nurses whose names I couldn't remember but whose bodies were stored in my mental database (What? I am straight, after all.) I made my way to the ER. 66

I shrugged into my lab coat and approached an ER intern - some idiot, who didn't know his ass from his oseophagus, and asked him for Marissa's chart. 67

A quick flick revealed nothing much - no change, blah-di-blah! Man, being a doc was soo boring. Well, apart from hitting the nurses. I shook my head and thrust the chart back, and stalked out.68

Marissa was still in her torporous state. (Women are so weak! A cut on her forehead and she's knocked out. Geez.) Now I had to find Steve.69

Or, at least, the person the outside world knew as Steve.70

Leslie (by Crazy-KITTY-cat) 71

Sitting across from me was a girl who looked exactly the same as me. Was I looking into a mirror? No, because she started to speak and I felt my hand go to my lips to see if they were speaking, too. They weren't. "Don't trust anyone," she said. "Lies have been told, and the spirit dwelt with..."72

I was about to protest when I felt myself being pulled away. "I'm sorry." my twin called. As she faded away and a hospital room came into focus, with Steve staring right at me, I cried out, "Marissa!"73

Steve jumped up and spoke. "What? What is it, Marissa?" I sighed. "My name is Leslie. How many times do I have to tell you that?" And then I proceeded to tell him about my dream, and how I knew that this girl's name was Marissa. I wasn't sure if he believed me or not.
Patrick (by Keyootee)
 
When your a cop it isn't a very good idea to be distracted by anything.All that day I kept thinking about Cindy even when I was on the job. Usually I am not so moved by a pretty face. At least not so much to let it get in the way of my job.74

"Patrick, Earth to Patrick where are you?"75

I heard the voice of my partner, Eric yelling into my ear. I focused looking at the faces of two very angry looking people. One of them was holding a frying pan in one hand and looked like they were about to throw it at any moment.76

"What Eric?"77

"These people are about to go nuts on each other and you are just standing there looking lost in outer space. Get a grip on it! I swear I never seen you like this before."78

"Sorry Eric..." I felt like a dog that had just been kicked in the shins. I was a good cop, nothing like this had ever happened to me before. I kept seeing her face floating in front of me. Something seemed very familiar about her and I was trying to put a finger on just where I had seen her before. 79

"Don't sorry me Patrick, just pay attention to what is going on around you!" He looked at the couple. "I know you two are angry but there is no reason for you to throw things at each other."80

We managed to get the couple in line, well I guess I should say Eric did the whole job himself. I really didn't do much work. I was glad this was the last job of the day. I was so looking forward to calling her. I knew that I was going to get a date from her. I swear I caught her flirting with me.81

I raced all the way home, looking at the phone. Maybe I shouldn't call right away. I might seem too desperate. But who was I kidding, If I didn't call right now I would just keep thinking about her and never be able to focus on anything until I did. Well here goes...82

Ring, ring, ring.83

"Hello Dominick's Pizza."84

What? I hung up the phone and dialed again making sure to get it right.I got the same answer. It seemed the bitch gave me the wrong number!85

I tried to get her off my mind, but something about her kept on bugging me. I flicked on the TV trying to get my mind off her. Now I knew she wasn't interested I should stop thinking about her, but something besides her beauty was nagging my mind.   Cindy (by Tiger-Lily)

I opened my apartment door, hearing the creaking echo through the empty place. It seemed odd to be here, after so long. I hesitated on the door-jamb, my eyes landing on the bookshelf directly across from me.86

I approached it, reaching up to lift down the heavy metal photo frames. My gaze swept across its occupants' smiling faces, so bright and cheerful on the inside, when I knew that really, they were no more contented than I.87

My fury broke over me like a wave in the ocean, and I hurled the villainous picture from my grip, watching the ram bounce over the tiled flooring, its echoes rebounding in the solitary confinement it was. I stepped back, my clear-grey gaze fixed on the girl in the centre of the photo.88

She was possibly the only one not playing a façade. I bet she really was happy. Just like she always was.89

I hated her. And always would.90

I reached down for the frame again, my fingers prising the vaguely-faded photograph from it. I smoothed it out on the counter, staring down into the eyes of the girl who I’d once simply envied, but now purely hated.91

Leslie Mirrors. My perfect half-sister.92

Unbidden, my mind flew back to a few minutes ago, with that girl Marissa at the hospital. She'd resembled my sister–half-sister, but only by blood–so much, it had startled me. The only reason I hadn't killed her right then and there was that I didn't want to get arrested. And besides, that was Ryan's job. I was only the rose-colored pair of glasses on top.93

Ryan...I put down the empty frame back in its original spot, my fingers brushing along the thin layer of dust on the shelf. I had yet to tell him about any of this. I wasn’t certain I should. He seemed a fairly capable accomplice, had for the two years I’d known him, but I still had never gotten over the mysterious vibes he emitted. Maybe I should just keep it to myself. I could always mention it later, if the need arose.94

Ryan had just called to inform me that Melissa was still in her room. Or at least, the denying-her-name Marissa. I wasn’t too sure what was going on there but I couldn't care less. I had better thing to waste my time over than silly girls who couldn’t figure out which name they liked more–95

"Holy..!" It was a good thing I was in a deserted apartment right then, as I'm fairly certain any respectable place would've kicked me out, I swore so vehemently. I’d just had a realization. Something I should've understood long before. Something that stupid police officer had mentioned in passing. Something I myself had passed along to Ryan...96

"I don't know, Ry. I overheard the police guy tell the dude with her that her name was Leslie. The guy in the car with her, her boyfriend or whoever, says she's Marissa." 97

My brain was suddenly revving up like an Indy Pro racer. Leslie . That was it. The girl was Leslie. But had the police guy heard this from her herself? Or had he simply misheard, and the boyfriend had corrected him?98

I bit my lip, frowning. I had to get to Ryan, and fast. If it really was my sister, then this whole thing had just gone to a whole new level of disaster. 99

Ryan (by RxxSpiritWolfxxJ) 100

I strode through the hallways of the hospital, my newly accquired white coat flapping about my knees. I had to find Steve and pump him for information about this mysterious Marissa/Leslie.101

Or maybe she was not so mysterious ...102

Steve was not in the visitor's lounge. I spun around and walked back to the ER - to Marissa's room. I guessed he would be there. This would make things more difficult if he was to get in the way.103

Maybe we should knock the guy off just to make matters easier. I grinned at the thought. 104

Espying Steve sitting by Marissa's bed, I pushed open the door and entered, whistling sightly. I picked up her chart and made a show of examining it.105

"Well, doc?" asked Steve.106

"Well what?" I rejoined, pretending to jot down random notes on her charts.107

He looked mildly shocked. "Ah, aren't you going to tell me that she'll be fine?"108

I considered telling him the opposite, that she was in a coma and she was beyond hope (Boy, would I love to see the look on his face that would cause.) but I restrained myself. He would go moaning to some other legit staff member, and my cover would be blown wide open. And not to mention, Cecelia would tear me a brand new one.109

"She's fine, Steve. Don't worry. I'll be back in ten minutes to prep her for surgery. Excuse me for being a little short." 110

Steve nodded and with one last glance, left the room.111

Just me and Marissa now ... in this room. The girl in a restless sleeping torpor, and the man with the evil intent in his eye. 112

Aren't I the poet? 113

I walked over to her bedside. It would be so easy to do it right now, right here ... just inject the right amount of drug into her IV, wait for it to take effect and have the doctors pronouce it as a coronary ... and we would be far away by that time.114

My fingers twitched. I could do it, but Cecelia was rightly calling the shots here, as much I hated the idea of any woman ordering me around. She would want this, though ... eh? I saw her face yesterday, she was desperate to get it over with. Who cared what the reason was, I was getting paid enough. 115

No more prevarication. No more dicking around. Do it, hombre.116

I listened to my inner voice, my fingers preparing the solution of morphine and sodium penthatol, opeing the IV valve ... squeezing lightly on the syringe --117

"Stop!" A voice sharply intruded on me. I wheeled around.118

Cecelia was standing at the door.119

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