Chapter 1
A young man who had just turned twenty was lying in bed, his head pounding. He didn't want to wake up, but the voice wouldn't stop screaming his name. You know that feeling when you're trying to sleep, but someone keeps calling for you? It's not that the person is inherently annoying, but in that moment, they are utterly infuriating.
Elijah opened his eyes slightly to see a woman with black hair and red eyes looking down at him. It was his mother, Stella.
"Wake up, darling. I'm going to be at work for the next two days, so make sure you lock the doors and get home safe, okay?" she said.
Elijah answered half-heartedly, "Yeah…" and closed his eyes again.
Stella sighed. "I mean it, make sure you aren't late for school." She left after saying that. She was a beautiful woman for her age, being only thirty-nine. Just before she left, she shouted, "And don't forget to pick your sister up from the train station!"
Elijah, who looked like the male version of his mother, stood up. He had a skinny build, chocolate skin, black hair, and eyes that were as alluring as his mother's, if not more. He wasn't wearing a shirt. "What the fuck happened last night?"
He couldn't remember. There had been a party for the college students, and someone had brought drugs. He had tried them, even though his friend Kai told him not to. But he had been curious. Now his body ached in several places and he still felt high.
He took his phone and called Kai, who answered almost immediately as Elijah wandered around the house.
"What's up, fighter?" Kai said with a chuckle.
Elijah, confused, asked, "What the heck are you talking about?"
"What do you mean?" Kai questioned.
"I don't remember a single thing from last night," Elijah said, looking at the bruises on his body as if he had been in a fight.
"Hahahaha, wow! You can't remember a thing from the night you were a total beast? You should do drugs more often," Kai joked.
Elijah snorted. "I'm never doing drugs again. Anyway, just tell me what happened."
Kai laughed. "You are one of a kind, my guy. Well, after smoking that stuff I told you not to, you changed. It was like you were a completely different person; it didn't even seem like you were high. You almost overdosed, but the person you became was so different, I was impressed. You went and flirted with Lisa and kissed her. I think you two even hooked up because you both disappeared for a while."
"Wait, what?" Elijah questioned.
"Shut up, let me finish! After that, you saw Frank and fought him, telling him not to mess with you anymore. You beat up your bully, my guy! I was cheering you on, and we ended up fighting the other guys in his group. It was amazing! I've waited so long for you to stand up for yourself. Yesterday, you were like a beast; I was loving the other you, Elijah. You need to be him all the time! Hahahaha, anyway, after the fight we left the party, drank some beer, and you ended up passing out like all the drugs had suddenly left your system. I even thought about giving you more, but I just brought you home. I told your mom I was training you, just in case she wondered why you looked like you'd been in a fight. She didn't believe me, but I made sure she wouldn't ask you too many questions. That's all."
"What the heck? I had sex with a girl I can't even talk to normally? I got into a fight with my bully? Is that all?" Elijah questioned with a frown.
"Not really. You also won a lot of money from the betting yesterday, we stole a car, and you finished reading three books in like an hour or two. It was crazy," Kai replied.
"Kai, let me call you back," Elijah said, hanging up the phone. He screamed,
"What the fuuuuuck!"
Because at that moment, Elijah was looking at the car he had stolen. It wasn't expensive, but it was a good one, in great condition.
Whose car was it? Elijah didn't know. But what was crazier was everything he had done last night. He would never do any of that; it was like he had been possessed or something. "Man, I will never do drugs again."
[You better not. I don't want to keep saving your life. It's very stressful when we don't have a proper breathing technique.]
"Who said that?" Elijah looked around the garage but only found his mother's empty parking space and the car he had stolen.
[I'm in your head.] The other voice sounded just like his own.
"In my head? What the heck do you mean? Are you a spirit mages use, or some ghost?" Elijah questioned, panicking.
[Calm down, you idiot. That's why Lisa was so defensive when she saw us. Can you chill?] the other voice said.
"Who are you?" Elijah asked, slightly calmer.
[I don't know. I was just born yesterday, so maybe you can call me 'Alter Elijah.' I'm just you, but you could say I'm a better version of yourself.]
"Okay, I am never doing drugs again," Elijah said, shaking his head.
[Hahahaha, well, it was a good thing you did, because when you almost died from a heart attack, I took over. I burned some of the drugs out of your system, hooked up with Lisa to release it another way, and fought that guy Frank to sweat it out through pain. It worked, but in truth, it was just a guess. Also, for a smart guy, you're really stupid. Why would you take so much?] Alter Elijah said with a questioning tone.
"Didn't you say you are me? So why should I explain anything to myself?" Elijah answered, sitting down.
[I know the reason was to forget about getting dumped. But it seems deep down, you wanted to kill yourself.]
"Kill myself? For what?" Elijah questioned, confused.
[For being a useless son to your mother. For being so pathetic over a girl who wasn't even as beautiful as Lisa. For always relying on Kai to get you out of every situation. For not listening to your own instincts. For being weak-minded. For feeling worthless. Why do you think I was born?] With every word Alter Elijah spoke, Elijah's head hung lower and lower.
[I was born to save you from yourself, because the only one who can do that is me—who is you. I am the embodiment of what you see as impossible. I did everything yesterday to show you that what you want can be gained if you are willing to go out and take it.] Alter Elijah's voice deepened.
[So, what do you want?]