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                                                Chapter Fourteen Altered Perceptions

While they were all talking out in the plain of reality Caleb was walking through a dark and damaged hall each side held picture of an old lover, family member, or friend that he had lost, not talk to or just otherwise forgot; he stopped at Sage's photo it was cracked and yet sealed at the same time. Caleb touched the glass and as if he was struck by lightning he flashed back in time

                                                                           *-_-_-_-*

He was looking at a fat kid, he was robust and wore a shirt that read 'Who needs drugs, I go broke buying books' his hair was matted in places from unhygienic cleaning habits the kid turned his way and he gasped he realized it was him at eighteen, the exact moment he broke up with Sage

"Oh no no, I don't wanna relive this" he said out loud though no sound came out.

He saw Sage, she hadn't changed a bit in the years they knew each other, she was always an unconventional beauty and many guys stayed away from her but Caleb had grown attached to her over the years.

This moment he was in now he wanted to run away from, he wanted to take it back, he tried to scream at the kid and a voice said

"You can't, it's your own memories dolt'

"Whose that, who's there?" Caleb said as he turned around on the spot to try and ascertain where it was coming from

"Oh no, not yet you still have to live through this again, then maybe"

Younger Caleb was sitting in the grass with the younger Sage now he was looking distracted nervous uncertain.  He knew what was coming even though he couldn't hear it

"I've found someone else Sage"

"What?" she said then her face dropped "Oh ok, well I guess it couldn't last forever"

"You know", the voice said, "she never got over that.  She pretends for your sake to be ok to be strong but you were her first, and thus far only love"

"Yes, I realize this"

"And who did you leave her for?"

Caleb walked on down to the next picture "Angela….a mistake"

"Oh shut up man, do you realize how often I have to listen to your self-doubt?" the voices body finally stepped out of the shadows "Every god damn day"

"Who are you"

"Who I am makes no difference you'll forget this in a few months, you'll forget the form I take hell when you come back again I may not even look like this you make me, I am not my own I am yours"

"My conscious?", Caleb said quizzically

"I guess you could say that, maybe I'm your regret, maybe I'm your mistakes but whatever I am I am here at any time you need me" he closed his eyes, "Each time you need me you are unconscious or in a dream"

"You disguise yourself in riddles"

"No, you do"

They continued to walk through the hall til they reached the end where there were two photos, one was Ophelia's the other hadn't been filled in yet. He turned to the strange man

"So what's with this are you saying there is another after Ophelia?"

"I don't know that's for your mind to make up"

"But you are my mind"

"Am I?"

"Well…I think you are, I don't know"

"Nor do I", the specter smiled at him slightly, "I can tell you this is a hall of your memories, there are also rooms but those are locked off for now.  Until such a time as you decide to walk through them"

"What do you mean? Why the heck are you making no sense?"

"Oh I'm sure I do it's just you can't decipher it yet"

"Uh-huh"

Caleb continued to look at Ophelia's picture noticing that a small crack had started to form he turned to the specter

"What do the cracks mean?"

"The breaks are starting to form"

"You mean break ups?"

"Yes, look at the rest of these pictures, they all have cracks what do they all hold in common?"

Caleb looked at each one in turn and realized they were either an ex or a friend or both; Caleb had this problem where he would choose girls who would make better friends than pets or mistresses so he answered "they're all ex girlfriends"
The specter smiles at him "You're right Caleb"

"So how do I save the relationship with Ophelia?"

The specter laughs "Save it, you've already put in motion what will make it fall apart, and either way I can't tell you how to do anything, I am your mind.  I only know what you have done not what you will do; although I don't see why you would want to save it"

"Because I love her"

The specter doubled over in laughter, "You've said that about others Caleb, and before you even say that this one is different; no, you have felt the exact same way for each and every girl in your past.  Though I will tell you this, there is one you feel different for; that one will fill this last frame and hopefully fix this place up"

"Really who is it?" Caleb asked anxiously

The specter slowly started to disappear, "No, no tell me before you leave tell me who it is!"

                                                          *-_-_-_-_-*

Caleb woke up and the first thing he saw was Demeter sitting there and talking with Ophelia; that was strange as hell, but it didn't register with him, what registered was the fact that he was laying in an hospital bed

"What…what happened?"

"You passed out" they both said in unison then Demeter said, "You also seemed to do something that
I'll only talk to you about in private" she looked to Ophelia to punctuate this point.

Ophelia begrudgingly said "Alright, alright I'll go"
As soon as she did Demeter turned to face him again "I understand that alcohol wasn't the only thing you consumed"

"Well you try losing…oh shit sorry" Caleb remembered that Demeter had lost her father, as a matter of fact that was one of the reasons she went into the medical field.  For the rest of the conversation he only listened, afraid that if he talked he'd put his foot back in his mouth.

During this time he also wondered who filled the unfilled photo from his dream

Description
                                                Chapter Fourteen Altered Perceptions

While they were all talking out in the plain of reality Caleb was walking through a dark and damaged hall each side held picture of an old lover, family member, or friend that he had lost, not talk to or just otherwise forgot; he stopped at Sage's photo it was cracked and yet sealed at the same time. Caleb touched the glass and as if he was struck by lightning he flashed back in time

                                                                           *-_-_-_-*

He was looking at a fat kid, he was robust and wore a shirt that read 'Who needs drugs, I go broke buying books' his hair was matted in places from unhygienic cleaning habits the kid turned his way and he gasped he realized it was him at eighteen, the exact moment he broke up with Sage

"Oh no no, I don't wanna relive this" he said out loud though no sound came out.

He saw Sage, she hadn't changed a bit in the years they knew each other, she was always an unconventional beauty and many guys stayed away from her but Caleb had grown attached to her over the years.

This moment he was in now he wanted to run away from, he wanted to take it back, he tried to scream at the kid and a voice said

"You can't, it's your own memories dolt'

"Whose that, who's there?" Caleb said as he turned around on the spot to try and ascertain where it was coming from

"Oh no, not yet you still have to live through this again, then maybe"

Younger Caleb was sitting in the grass with the younger Sage now he was looking distracted nervous uncertain.  He knew what was coming even though he couldn't hear it

"I've found someone else Sage"

"What?" she said then her face dropped "Oh ok, well I guess it couldn't last forever"

"You know", the voice said, "she never got over that.  She pretends for your sake to be ok to be strong but you were her first, and thus far only love"

"Yes, I realize this"

"And who did you leave her for?"

Caleb walked on down to the next picture "Angela….a mistake"

"Oh shut up man, do you realize how often I have to listen to your self-doubt?" the voices body finally stepped out of the shadows "Every god damn day"

"Who are you"

"Who I am makes no difference you'll forget this in a few months, you'll forget the form I take hell when you come back again I may not even look like this you make me, I am not my own I am yours"

"My conscious?", Caleb said quizzically

"I guess you could say that, maybe I'm your regret, maybe I'm your mistakes but whatever I am I am here at any time you need me" he closed his eyes, "Each time you need me you are unconscious or in a dream"

"You disguise yourself in riddles"

"No, you do"

They continued to walk through the hall til they reached the end where there were two photos, one was Ophelia's the other hadn't been filled in yet. He turned to the strange man

"So what's with this are you saying there is another after Ophelia?"

"I don't know that's for your mind to make up"

"But you are my mind"

"Am I?"

"Well…I think you are, I don't know"

"Nor do I", the specter smiled at him slightly, "I can tell you this is a hall of your memories, there are also rooms but those are locked off for now.  Until such a time as you decide to walk through them"

"What do you mean? Why the heck are you making no sense?"

"Oh I'm sure I do it's just you can't decipher it yet"

"Uh-huh"

Caleb continued to look at Ophelia's picture noticing that a small crack had started to form he turned to the specter

"What do the cracks mean?"

"The breaks are starting to form"

"You mean break ups?"

"Yes, look at the rest of these pictures, they all have cracks what do they all hold in common?"

Caleb looked at each one in turn and realized they were either an ex or a friend or both; Caleb had this problem where he would choose girls who would make better friends than pets or mistresses so he answered "they're all ex girlfriends"
The specter smiles at him "You're right Caleb"

"So how do I save the relationship with Ophelia?"

The specter laughs "Save it, you've already put in motion what will make it fall apart, and either way I can't tell you how to do anything, I am your mind.  I only know what you have done not what you will do; although I don't see why you would want to save it"

"Because I love her"

The specter doubled over in laughter, "You've said that about others Caleb, and before you even say that this one is different; no, you have felt the exact same way for each and every girl in your past.  Though I will tell you this, there is one you feel different for; that one will fill this last frame and hopefully fix this place up"

"Really who is it?" Caleb asked anxiously

The specter slowly started to disappear, "No, no tell me before you leave tell me who it is!"

                                                          *-_-_-_-_-*

Caleb woke up and the first thing he saw was Demeter sitting there and talking with Ophelia; that was strange as hell, but it didn't register with him, what registered was the fact that he was laying in an hospital bed

"What…what happened?"

"You passed out" they both said in unison then Demeter said, "You also seemed to do something that
I'll only talk to you about in private" she looked to Ophelia to punctuate this point.

Ophelia begrudgingly said "Alright, alright I'll go"
As soon as she did Demeter turned to face him again "I understand that alcohol wasn't the only thing you consumed"

"Well you try losing…oh shit sorry" Caleb remembered that Demeter had lost her father, as a matter of fact that was one of the reasons she went into the medical field.  For the rest of the conversation he only listened, afraid that if he talked he'd put his foot back in his mouth.

During this time he also wondered who filled the unfilled photo from his dream