[To Be Named] - Chapter 1

[To Be Named] - by Ho-Oh16
A QuizUp fantasy adventure story.

Chapter 1.

    With a groan, the tall wooden doors opened, revealing a grand interior to the house. The floors looked freshly polished - temptation to slide across the floor was strong. Paintings dotted the walls, a handful of statues lined the room, and the main staircase was-
   "Spectacular!"
   "I feel like this completely contradicts the exterior... But I'm not gonna argue.".
   "Who keeps this place so pristine?"
   "7.8/10. Too much cleanliness.". Rashaun received many confused looks following his remark. "What? It looks too good to be true! There is no way this is real.".
   "Don't let your dream be dreams..." muttered Ozy silently.
   To the left and right of the group were two long corridors, each with numerous doors. DD took a few steps towards the corridor on the left.
   "Can you hear that?" she asked.
   "Hear what? The silence is absolutely deafening in this place." said Anton, looking around the vast room.
   "No... It's not silent.. I can hear.. Music..?". Anton, DD, Ozy, Rashaun and Shadow walked closer to the entrance of the corridor.
   "She's right... I can hear it too. It's coming from the other end of the hallway!" exclaimed Ozy.
   "It doesn't really sound like the kind of song you'd here in a house like this... it's-" DD began.
   "Is that...Fall Out Boy? Who on earth would be playing Fall Out Boy?" asked Anton.
   The words echoed down the hall.
   [You know, time crawls on when you're waiting for the song to start, so dance alone to the beat of your heart!]
   "Hey, isn't that Chloe's favourite song?" asked Ozy.
   "You bet it is!" responded Rashaun. He ran to the end of the hallway.
   [Hey, young blood! Doesn't it feel like our time is running out?]
   "Hang on! It could be a trap!" cried Anton after him.
   [I'm gonna change you like a remix...]
   "Definitely a trap." added Shadow.
   Rashaun slowly opened the door and the end of the corridor, allowing the music to flow freely through the house.
   [Then I'll raise you like a-]
   The music stopped playing. The others all ran to the room to join Rashaun.
   "What's in there?!" demanded DD.
   "Chloe?". Ozy looked perplexed.
   "Yes?" replied the figure in the middle of the room. It looked like me, sure, but it definitely was not.
   "No... that would be a clone..." stated Shadow. He could tell if someone was a real person with merely a glance. It was a gift, if you like.
   "Clone?!" exclaimed Rashaun. "You sure you have nothing to do with this, Shadow?".
   "I'm sure." he replied with simple honesty.
   The group stared at the other me, wondering what to do.

   "Then I'll raise you," I said to myself, aiming my bow straight ahead of me, "like a phoenix...".
I huffed. Someone had moved in the way of my shot. I took a few more silent steps down the corridor, and let the song play louder through my words.
   "Wearing our vintage misery... No... I think it looked a little better on me...". I was whispering to myself... I had to stay undetected. The person moved out of my line of sight, so I aimed my bow once more. "I'm gonna change you like a remix...". The arrowhead ignited - just a small modification I had made. "Then I'll raise you," I took a final breath, "like a phoenix.".
   The arrow pierced the chest of the clone, and it became no more than a few wisps of coloured smoke.
   "WHAT IN THE W-?!"
   "What just happened?!?!"
   "WHO FIRED THAT ARROW?!"
   I recognised the voices, but I didn't know if they belonged to the people I knew. I darted down the corridor, clumsily knocking over a vase on my way out.
   "Hey! Get back here!". That was Rashaun's voice. He didn't sound particularly pleased, but I had to ignore it. The sound of running feet put me on edge.
   No time to stop... it might not be them... could just be more clones...
   Now I could hear more pairs of feet joining the chase. I focused my breathing, and made for the staircase.
   "Rashaun, who are we chasing exactly?" panted DD.
   "Yeah! I'm exhausted... And full of ice cream." added Ozy. "Ughhh... so many regrets...." he groaned as the group continued to run.
   I raced up the stairs, keeping my head down to hide my face. When I reached the top of the first flight, I was stopped. I took a nervous step backwards and almost lost my footing.
   "Hello, me.".
   "Are you done playing games yet? I'm getting bored of playing hide-and-seek with you." I snarled. I was staring at the clone. A different one. Another new one.
   "Don't you like playing games?" it said, taking a step closer to me.
   "Only when the rules are fair.". I took another step backwards, but kept eye contact.
   "Aww, but that's no fun!".
   The sound of feet racing across the floor had stopped. I turned around and faced the people at the bottom of the stairs. Unfortunately, the clone copied me exactly, and was now standing by my side.
   "HEY! I WANT ANS-". Rashaun was unable to complete his sentence. Before him stood two versions of me.
   "Woaaahh..." remarked Ozy. He leant closer to Anton and spoke. "And I thought one was bad."
   "HEY!" I yelled, in perfect sync with my copy. I glared at her, and she glared back.
   "I was just kidding!" he said defensively. "It's what I do, remember?".
   "So... is one of you the real one? Or are both of you just clones?" Anton asked. I guess the situation was hard to understand from the outside.
   "Yes!"
   "No!". I glared at the copy again.
Is my own voice really that irritating? Ouch...
   "Uhhh... Shadow? Please tell us which the real one is." said Rashaun.
   "That'll be easy." he replied. Shadow started to walk up the stairs, but I wasn't in the mood for time-wasting.
   "Orrrr...I could just do this!" I said, showing my annoyance. I took my dagger from my belt and threw it to my left. The blade hit its target and a cloud of coloured smoke appeared next to me. With a clang, my dagger hit the ground.
   "That works too, I suppose.".
   "I thought I'd save you all the hassle." I muttered under my breath. I picked up my dagger and put it away. "Now, the question is, are all of you really who you say you are?". Everyone looked at me as if I had just thrown the world's most offensive insult right at their faces. It was understandable.
   "Wait...what?".
   "Are you suggesting that we are... copies?"
   "That's exactly what she is saying." called a voice before I had time to reply. We all looked around the room for the source of the voice. For a moment, there was nothing odd to be seen or heard in relation the this voice..
   But then the lights went out.
   "That's the last thing I wanted to happen..." I whispered to myself. "All of you, just... Wait here. I know where the fuse box is.". I took my phone out of my pocket and opened up the torch tool.
   "Do you want one of us to come with you?" Rashaun asked.
   "It doesn't seem like a good idea to go alone." added DD. I couldn't see their facial expressions, and I appreciated their concern, but I would rather go alone than have someone slow me down.
   "I'm sure I will live." I replied with a cough. "Don't miss me too much.". I walked down the stairs and went through a door. It led to the basement and attaching corridors underneath the house.
I sincerely hoped my battery doesn't die while I'm down here.
   I gave another glance at the others, still unsure about what to do. Deciding to think about it on the way, I pressed onwards through the doorway.

   Water was dripping from the pipes that lined the walls. There was a putrid smell, but luckily the fuse box wasn't too far. I turned a corner, being careful not to slip. I aimed my phone at the wall to my right and scanned for the box.
   "Aha.. There you are!" I cheered. The box looked ancient, and had all sorts growing on it. I yanked it open and flipped the necessary switch. The lights flickered on overhead and I sighed with relief. "Time to head back up. I hope they haven't killed themselves in my absence.".

   As I approached the door, I could hear raised voices and the clashing of metal on metal.
   "What on earth is going on up here?" I yelled as I stepped out of the doorway. The noise stooped and eight pairs of eyes stared at me. "Oh boy..." I mumbled with widened eyes.
   It had become apparent that I was correct about the clones. There was now two of everybody. Out of the window, I could see two large blasts of fire, followed by two larger purple dragons. Everyone else promptly resumed their fighting and left me to watch.
Nononononooooo, this isn't good!
   One Anton managed to smack the other in the ribs with his nun-chucks, causing the other to stumble backwards. He retaliated, also knocking back his opponent with his nun-chunks. They threw their weapons the floor and appeared to be sparring with each other.
   Come on, Chloe... Work out which is which...
   Rashaun and Ozy had teamed up and were working together to fight off their counterparts. The sound of air being sliced by their blades was incredibly loud. I watched helplessly as katana struck katana, and sword sharpened sword.
   Think, think, think! There must be a way to tell them apart...
   Shadow's battle with himself was as interesting as everyone else's. One Shadow gripped his shadow scythe and swung at the other's head. Fortunately... Or unfortunately... He dodged it, grabbing his own scythe and swinging it back. Once more, the sharp edge was dodged, and they both changed their scythes into swords simultaneously.
   THAT'S IT! Oh I am so GOOD! I think I deserve a cookie.
   For a moment, I felt calmer, but the moment quickly went when a dragon crashed through the wall. Debris was sent flying everywhere and the dust did not settle fast. I would have gone to see if DD was alright, but I didn't know if that was my DD or some imposter. The dragon transformed back into a normal girl, and took cover from the other's fire inside the building. I took a deep breath and began to speak.
   "My gosh, are you guys energetic or what?!" I yelled, grabbing everyone's attention. Once more, several pairs of eyes stared at me. The remaining dragon became a human again, and wandered inside through the hole in the wall.
   "I mean, that was quite the show, I have to admit!" I taunted, slowly clapping my hands and making my way to the front of the group. "Those pyrotechnics by the way? They were unbelievable! Well no, they were completely believable, but that's the idea. Isn't it?". I studied the faces of everyone stood in front of me.
   Tough crowd...
   "No? Nobody want to comment? Ok then. Allow me to explain: none of you are my family. Each and every one of you is a fake. A fraud. A phoney.". I noted who gripped their weapons tighter, or those who adjusted their stance. Any slight change was a sign.
   "You see, I noticed something while you were all fighting. Something very interesting... You all fought the same as your opposite. You copied each other exactly, move for move. If you were the real Anton, Ozy, DD, Rashaun or Shadow, you'd have noticed too. If you were who you say you are, you'd have been clever enough to change your fighting style. Used the element of surprise.".
   Benedict Cumberbatch ain't got nothin' on me.
   Of course he didn't, he was an actor. This was different. This was real.
   "But they're clones! Of course they would fight the same way!" insisted one of the Rashauns.
   "He is right!"
   "It makes perfect sense!"
   "There really is no other explanation for it."
   "What they said!"
   Gotcha!
   "Thank you very much. I appreciate your cooperation." I replied with a quick bow and a smirk.
   "Wait... What do you mea-"
   I didn't let him finish. I didn't let any of them finish. I loaded my bow and fired it at each person who had made a comment in quick succession.
   Poof. Poof. Poof. Poof. Poof. Five small explosions. Five small clouds of coloured smoke.
   "Woaaahhhh.".
   "I can't believe that just happened..." said Ozy with a look of relief on his face.
   "How...how did you know?" asked DD, still in shock. She appeared to have bruised and cut her knee open. In fact, they all were injured in one way or another. Whether it was a damaged ribcage, a sore head or a flesh wound, it still hurt to see it.
   "She's always right." answered Rashaun. "I've lived with her long enough to learn that.". He winked at me and I smiled back.
   "I, uh... I figured the clones would object to my idea, fearing that I'd end up shooting all of you. I just had to wait for a reaction." I added, waving an arrow at them. "It's like Rashaun said. I'm always right, and I knew none of you would've argued with me for that very reason.".
Definitely a logical explanation. Definitely.
   "But... How was all of that even possible? Whoever is behind this would've needed DNA samples to pull it off." stated Anton. I suddenly thought about the missing time between my fall and waking up in the house. "If someone had taken DNA while we were here, we'd have known about it!".
   "What if it wasn't taken here?" I responded. I was staring at the wall behind Anton. It had never even crossed my mind until now.
   "You don't mean...?" started DD.
   "It's possible.". Shadow wiped the blade of his scythe. "It would make sense.".
At that moment, we all thought the same thing: What if this whole thing was planned ahead of time?
   I was absolutely mortified. I felt sick. Whoever was behind this whole situation - the invitations, the house, the clones - had organised everything. For these copies to exist, it meant they'd have collected DNA samples from our homes, whether we were there or not. The places we thought we were safe.
   "That's messed up!" exclaimed Ozy, as he started pacing. "Who would even do that?!".
   Hang on a moment...
   I reached into my pocket. My invitation was still there. I couldn't help but wonder...
   "Good question." I uttered, taking the paper from my pocket and throwing it at Shadow. "You've got some explaining to do." I hissed. I still felt in the dark about why he had sent these invitations.
   "I'm not the only one." he responded. He held out another piece of paper - it looked exactly like mine. I read what it said.

Shadow,

Could you meet me at that old house in the forest tomorrow afternoon? There's something I need to tell you, but this location should guarantee some privacy.

Thanks in advance,
Chloe.

   I stared at the name. My name.
   "Well?".
   "I... I didn't write this. I never wrote this. Would I seriously ask you to come out here when I could easily knock on your front door?". I was shaking my head in disbelief. The handwriting certainly looked like mine, but I had no recollection of writing it.
   "And I didn't write any of yours.". Shadow threw it to the ground.
   "If neither of you sent these invitations, then who did? And how would they know that we'd all come? They must've known somehow!".
Detective Ozy, World's Greatest Comedic Sleuth.
   "Now I'm panicking... I don't like this one bit." announced DD.
   "Nobody does.". Rashaun was about to continue when he was interrupted boy the house violently shaking. We all got onto the floor. I grabbed Rashaun's hand with my left, and with my right one, held on DD's hand.
   "It's happening! The house is changing!" I tried to say. Naturally, my voice was trembling, so I couldn't be sure if they had understood me. I looked around at everyone. I had experienced this event twice now, and I still wasn't used to it. I closed my eyes as tight as possible and whispered to myself.
   "House, house, what'll be? What will you turn into for me?".