The Puppeteer Ch 01 02

CHAPTER 1

Zayne was fighting off the sunshine coming through his curtains, trying to keep resting after last night. Zayne, 19, was a college student, he was 6'0", a slightly larger build, and short light brown hair. Last night, a fever took him by surprise and knocked him out. The illness was severe enough he collapsed in bed, succumbing quickly to a very deep sleep. But he was unable to remain asleep hearing the knock on his door.

"Hey Zayne, you up? Are you making it to classes today?" His sister, Sarah, asked through the door? Sarah was 21, and a student at the same school as Zayne; It was Friday morning, and both she and Zayne had classes that day. They usually rode together since it was convenient and they got on fairly well.

"Ungggh," was all Sarah heard, prompting her to open the door and check on her brother. He was lying on the bed with the comforter half-draped over him, as though he had sweat through much of the night.

"I take it you're not going to class today?" Sarah asked as she stood next to her brother's bed. Zayne sat up and took a sip of water from the bottle by his bed.

"No, definitely not. Though I don't feel nearly as miserable as I did last night. I'll probably be fine, come Monday."

"You'll be alright bro," Sarah responded, giving her brother a light punch on the arm, as siblings do. But that was when their lives changed forever. As their skin makes contact with each other, Zayne feels energy flow out of him, and Sarah feels a quick wave of lightheadedness, as well as a faint warmth in her lips, her neck, her breasts, even her crotch. These sensations passed quickly, almost sweeping from one side of her to the other, and wouldn't be anything to think twice about any other day, but as she turned around, she found another person standing between her and the door. A naked person. A naked person who, she quickly realizes, looked exactly like her.

"Omigod, what the fuck? Zayne! What's this?!" Sarah exclaims, confused, looking to her brother for answers.

"I don't know! I just saw it happen- you punched my arm and then you split in two!" Both girls were freaking out by this point, Zayne having backed into the corner of his room. "What do I do?"

"I have to get out of here. I can't handle this right now," Sarah pushed around the naked girl and out of the bedroom. "I'm going to class and we can deal with this when I get back. Ugh... AND STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

CHAPTER 2

The drive to campus felt longer than usual for Sarah, her thoughts swirling in a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief. Normally, she enjoyed the short commute, especially with Zayne in the car, where they'd joke about their professors, talk about random topics, or blast music to kickstart the day. But today, she was alone with her thoughts. What had happened that morning defied any sort of logic she could grasp. A clone--a literal copy--of herself had appeared, and she had no clue how or why.

When Sarah pulled into the campus parking lot, she sat in her car for a few extra moments, taking a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare for what was bound to be a challenging day. Just act normal. Don't say anything. You'll figure it out later, she told herself before grabbing her bag and heading to class.

As she walked through the bustling campus, everything seemed muted. Normally, she would have waved to familiar faces, maybe even stopped to chat with a friend or two, but today she kept her head down, navigating the crowds in a daze. Her mind was still in Zayne's bedroom, trying to make sense of what she had seen--what she knew had happened but still couldn't believe.

By the time she made it to her first class, she was already exhausted from overthinking. Mandy and Kylie were waiting for her near the back of the lecture hall, waving her over with their usual bright smiles. Sarah did her best to muster a smile in return, but even she knew it was half-hearted.

"Hey, Sarah!" Mandy greeted, pulling out a chair next to her. "We saved you a seat!"

"Yeah, figured you'd need it today with that killer history exam coming up," Kylie added with a teasing grin. "You ready?"

Sarah blinked, staring at them as if they'd just spoken a foreign language. "What?" she muttered, confused.

"The exam? Next week?" Mandy prodded, her voice laced with concern. "Are you okay? You seem... off."

Sarah shook her head, trying to snap out of her haze. "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, sliding into the seat they'd saved. "Just... tired. Didn't sleep well."

Kylie raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Didn't sleep well? You look like you haven't slept at all. Seriously, what's going on?"

Sarah hesitated, her mind racing for an explanation that wouldn't make her sound insane. She could feel their eyes on her, waiting for an answer. She couldn't tell them the truth--how could she? It was too bizarre, too impossible to explain.

"Just... some family stuff," Sarah said vaguely, hoping that would be enough to satisfy them.

Mandy and Kylie exchanged a glance. "Family stuff?" Mandy asked, her voice softening. "Is everything okay with Zayne?"

Sarah's stomach clenched. The mention of Zayne made the surreal events of that morning rush back with full force. Is everything okay with Zayne? She honestly didn't know the answer to that.

"Yeah, he's fine," she replied quickly, trying to steer the conversation away from him. "Just... complicated stuff, you know? Nothing I can't handle."

Kylie wasn't buying it. "Come on, Sarah. We know when something's bothering you. You've barely said two words since you got here. If something's wrong, you can talk to us."

Mandy nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with concern. "Seriously, we're your friends. You don't have to pretend everything's okay if it's not."

Sarah bit her lip, her gaze flicking between the two of them. She wanted to tell them. She needed to tell someone, just to get the weight of it off her chest. But every time she considered it, the words caught in her throat. What would they even say? How could they possibly understand?

She took a deep breath, forcing a small smile. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate it, really. But it's just... one of those weird mornings, you know? I'm fine. Just tired."

Mandy still didn't seem convinced but decided to drop it. "Okay, but if you need to talk, we're here. Seriously."

"Yeah," Kylie added, still eyeing Sarah skeptically. "And if you need to skip classes and take a nap or something, we won't judge."

Sarah chuckled softly, though it felt forced. "Thanks. I'll be fine. Just need to get through the day."

As the professor began the lecture, Sarah tried to focus, but her mind kept drifting back to the clone in Zayne's room. She couldn't shake the image of her naked double standing there, completely unfazed by her existence. She tried to distract herself by taking notes, but the words on the screen blurred, her thoughts spiraling back into the surreal events of the morning.

Every now and then, Mandy or Kylie would shoot her a concerned glance, but Sarah did her best to avoid eye contact, keeping her head down and pretending to pay attention. Her friends were right--she wasn't herself today. But how could she be, after what she'd seen? How could anyone be?

As the lecture droned on, Sarah found herself glancing around the room at the other students, wondering what they would think if they knew. If they knew that right now, in her house, a clone of herself was waiting for her at home, naked no less, she didn't know what they'd think. The thought made her stomach churn. She wanted answers--needed them--but she had no idea where to even start.

By the time the class ended, Sarah felt like she had barely absorbed any of the material. She gathered her things and stood up, but before she could make a quick exit, Kylie caught her arm.

"Hey," Kylie said, her voice softer now. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean it--you don't seem like yourself today."

Sarah forced another smile, though it felt even more strained than before. "I'm fine, Kylie. Really."

Kylie studied her for a moment longer, then sighed. "Alright. But if you need to talk, don't hesitate, okay? We've got your back."

"Thanks," Sarah said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'll keep that in mind."

As she made her way to her next class, Sarah couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Her friends cared about her--they wanted to help. But how could they help when she didn't even know what was happening herself? Right now, she just needed time to figure it all out, and until then, she couldn't let anyone else in.

For now, she would have to face this alone.

________________________________________

Back at home, Zayne sat on his bed, staring at the door to Sarah's room where the clone had gone. His mind was racing, but in a different way than Sarah's. While she had fled the situation, Zayne was trying to make sense of it, to analyze what had happened in any logical way he could think of. He glanced at his arm where Sarah had punched him, still not understanding how a simple sibling interaction had led to... this.

Curiosity tugged at him, and after a moment, he stood up and quietly approached Sarah's door. Knocking lightly, he cracked it open and peeked inside. The clone was sitting on the edge of Sarah's bed, still naked, seemingly unbothered by her state of undress. She looked exactly like Sarah--down to every last freckle and hair strand--and when she turned to look at Zayne, the resemblance was uncanny.

"Hey," Zayne began hesitantly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "I need to ask you something."

The clone nodded, completely compliant. Her expression was calm, almost too calm, as if none of this bothered her in the slightest.

"Who are you?" Zayne asked, sitting down in Sarah's desk chair, facing the clone. "Do you... know where you came from?"

The clone looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, her voice identical to Sarah's. "I'm Sarah. Or, at least, I feel like I'm Sarah. I remember my entire life -- our family, school, friends. But I guess I'm not Sarah. One moment I was standing next to you, asking you how you felt, and the next, I was looking at myself, and I was naked."

Zayne frowned, his mind racing. "So, you have all of her memories?"

The clone nodded again. "Yes. Everything. I can even remember things from when we were kids. Like the time we went to Grandma's house for Christmas and got snowed in."

Zayne blinked. That was a significant family memory. This wasn't just some random person that appeared out of thin air--this clone was Sarah, at least in terms of memory. "Okay, so you're exactly like Sarah," Zayne said, trying to process that. "But you're... separate now."

"Yes," the clone replied simply, showing no signs of distress. Zayne noticed she didn't seem upset or confused by any of this. She was oddly calm, almost too calm.

"Well," Zayne continued, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, "I think it's best if you stay in here. You know, just in case anyone shows up. Our mom's out of town, but I don't want to risk anyone else seeing you. It could get complicated."

The clone nodded in agreement, standing up and heading toward the dresser as if she knew exactly where everything was. "I understand," she said. "I'll stay here."

Zayne's eyes followed her, but he couldn't help but notice something--she was still completely nude, walking around with no concern at all. He cleared his throat, trying to ignore it. "Uh... aren't you cold? Do you, like, want something to wear?"

The clone turned around, glancing down at her naked body as if noticing it for the first time. She shrugged casually. "I'm fine. I'm not uncomfortable at all."

Zayne was taken aback by her response but didn't push it any further. It was true, he didn't mind seeing her like this, she had a nice body, pert breasts with pointed nipples, nice curves, and light stubble on her pubic mound -- but she looked exactly like Sarah, his sister, so the situation was...complicated. Butshe didn't seem in a hurry to cover herself, so he decided to let a sleeping dog lie.

"Alright," he said, still a little flustered. "As long as you're comfortable."

With that, Zayne left the room, giving her some space. He spent the next few hours trying to rest, but his mind kept drifting back to the clone. The entire situation felt like something out of a sci-fi movie, and yet, here it was, happening in real life. After a while, he got up and decided to check on her again, wondering if she was hungry.

When he entered Sarah's room, the clone was still there, lounging on the bed, scrolling through Sarah's laptop. "Hey," Zayne said softly. "I thought you might be hungry. Want some lunch?"

The clone nodded, standing up and following him to the kitchen without a second thought. Zayne quickly made two sandwiches, handing one to the clone before they sat down at the table. He couldn't help but quiz her on more memories, bringing up random moments from their childhood--times only Sarah would remember. And with every question, the clone answered perfectly, as if she really were Sarah in every way. With every answer she gave, Zayne felt more and more at ease with this clone, as if she was Sarah; and her nonchalance towards her naked body meant Zayne had everywhere to look, which was an additional plus, in his opinion.

After lunch, Zayne sent the clone back to Sarah's room, where she streamed a movie on the laptop. Zayne, still tired from the previous night's fever and the mental strain of today's events, passed out on his bed.

________________________________________

When Sarah finally returned home, she was hoping that everything from this morning had just been some weird fever dream. But the moment she stepped into her room and saw the naked clone lounging on her bed, reality hit her like a truck.

"What the hell?" Sarah muttered under her breath. She stormed over to the bed, glaring at the clone. "Why are you still naked?"

The clone looked up, seemingly unbothered by Sarah's tone. "No one told me to get dressed," she said simply. "I'm not uncomfortable," she quickly added.

Sarah blinked in disbelief. "Are you serious? Well, I am." She rummaged through her drawers and tossed the clone some casual clothes. "Here, put these on."

The clone complied, slipping into Sarah's clothes without complaint. As she did, Sarah couldn't help but notice how surreal it was--this person looked exactly like her, yet she was still very different.

"We need to talk to Zayne," Sarah muttered, leading the clone out of the room and down the hall.

The three of them sat in the living room, the air thick with tension. "Okay," Sarah began, looking between Zayne and the clone. "We need to figure this out, but there's not much we can do tonight. First things first--what are we going to call her?"

The clone tilted her head. "Call me?"

"Yeah," Zayne added. "We can't keep calling you 'the clone.' You need a name."

After a few moments of thought, Sarah suggested, "Amber. How about Amber?"

The clone smiled softly. "Ok. I can be Amber."

"Now," Sarah started, her voice tensing. "Zayne. I just walked in to find her still naked in my room. What the hell happened today? Why wasn't she dressed?"

Zayne, clearly caught off guard by the sharpness in her tone, scratched the back of his neck. "Look, I--I asked her earlier if she wanted clothes, okay? I didn't just leave her like that for no reason."

"And?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. "She just said no? Seriously?"

Zayne shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, she did. Amber--she said she didn't need clothes. She wasn't cold or uncomfortable. I didn't see a reason to push it."

Sarah narrowed her eyes, her frustration bubbling up. "So you just left her like that, naked, wandering around the house? No regard for the fact that she has my body!"

Zayne's expression hardened defensively. "She wasn't just 'wandering around.' We talked, Sarah. I spent the morning trying to figure things out--what she remembers, who she is. She's got all of your memories, all your thoughts. It's like... she is you, in a way."

Amber, who had been quietly observing the exchange, nodded in agreement. "It's true," she said softly, her voice identical to Sarah's, which only made the moment feel even more surreal. "I remember everything you do, Sarah. All the same moments, the same feelings. I don't know how I came to be, but I'm not just some thing. I'm still a person."

Sarah scoffed, pacing the room. "You're a clone, Amber. You didn't exist this morning, and now you're here, and none of us can explain why. That's not normal." She stopped, turning back toward Zayne. "And you, Zayne, why does it feel like you're just... okay with this? You seem a little too comfortable about the fact that there's another me walking around here. Especially with her naked. Ugh."

Zayne frowned, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. "I don't know, Sarah. I don't have all the answers. But... yeah, I am kind of okay with it. I've spent the whole day talking to her--talking to you, basically. She's not some stranger. She's you, in a very complicated way. I feel almost the same connection to her that I do with you."

Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. She looked between her brother and Amber, struggling to find the right words. "You... you feel a bond with her? The same as you do with me?"

Zayne nodded slowly. "Yeah, I do. We talked all morning and over lunch. I even asked her about memories, tested her on stuff only you would know. She got everything right, Sarah. I mean... how can I not feel that connection? She's as much you as you are. The only thing that's different is... well, the circumstances. I don't understand why this happened, but it doesn't change the fact that she's real and she's here."

Amber's eyes flicked to Sarah, her expression soft but serious. "I get why you're freaked out, Sarah. I don't know what I am either. But I know I'm here now. I don't feel like an imposter. I feel... like I belong. I'm not just a copy of you. I'm me, too."

Sarah folded her arms tighter, a knot of anxiety forming in her stomach. The rational part of her mind wanted to reject everything Amber was saying--after all, clones didn't just happen. But hearing her talk, seeing the way Zayne defended her... it made Sarah question everything she thought she knew. Was Amber really just a clone? Or was she something more?

Sarah took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions whirling inside her. "I don't know how to deal with this," she admitted, her voice quieter now. "This doesn't feel real. I came home to find a version of myself... naked, sitting on my bed like it was nothing. How am I supposed to process that?"

Amber gave her a small, understanding nod. "I get it. It's weird. But you're not alone in this. None of us know what's going on, but I'm not trying to take over your life, Sarah. Neither of us asked for this. I just... exist now, and I don't know why. But I'm not going anywhere, so we need to figure this out together."

Sarah shook her head, exhaling slowly. "This is too much. I need some time. I can't just act like everything's fine because it's not." She glanced at Zayne, her eyes narrowing slightly. "And you--don't get too attached, okay? I'm not ready for this. You barely seem phased by it, but I need time to process."

Zayne looked down, clearly uncomfortable but respectful of Sarah's feelings. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like I wasn't taking it seriously. I'm just trying to figure it out too."

For a long moment, the three of them sat in an uneasy silence, the weight of the situation pressing down on them all. Sarah glanced at Amber again, still unsettled by the clone's presence. "You're sleeping on the pull-out sofa tonight," she said firmly. "I don't want you in my room, not yet."