Sometimes, it is what you do that matters. Sometimes, it is who you are. Usually it is just being in the proper place at the proper moment in time with the will to act.

I looked over my last post and realized I needed to clarify a couple of things. Any of your who is reading this is in what I call Earth₂. I was born in Earth₁ or Earth Prime. Sure, I understand that it is a little ego centric of me, but I'm the one who can shift dimensions. More on that later.

I looked at the poor crumpled body on the ground. I could hardly believe that she had been as alive and vibrant as I myself was. Could hardly believe that she was me. It was the weirdest sensation I have ever had. I was looking down at myself. She was cute. I'm not sure if she would have ever been more than that. Her hair was pretty, and she looked good in the clothing she was wearing. I heard her father again and knew I had to be gone, but there wasn't anywhere to hide. Looking down the way I had come, there was a slight shimmer in the air.

As I approached the sparkling outline, I realized it was vaguely Jamie shaped. I walked through it, feeling a tingle. When I turned around, the shimmer was there, but False Jamie and Brian weren't. I almost ran down the back of the hill. I needed to speak to someone now, and I didn't have access to my phone anymore.

I walked to Mary's house. She lived a few miles from my house, and it only took me about four hours to get there, since I was sticking to the back ways and alleys. I knocked on Mary's door, and my Shrink answered.

"Jamie. . .what are you doing here? Is that blood on your face?"

"I need to speak to Mary, please."

"Ok, I'll let you speak to Mary, but there's something I think that the three of us should discuss after you've had your say."

He showed me into the living room, and then went to get his wife. I looked at the clock on the wall. That's when I realized how long it had taken me to get there. It was after midnight.

Mary came in, tying the sash on her dressing gown. "Are you all right, Jamie?" She was the only one who still called me Jamie. "Whose blood is that? I know all of that didn't come from your face."

It was the first time that I had looked down at myself. The knees of my jeans were covered in her blood. They were covered in my blood.

"Its False Jamie's. Brian killed her tonight. Before I saw the blood I thought that I might be going crazy. I saw myself dead, dressed as a girl."

"Frank, I was right. There were two of them."

"Were?" My shrink said as he came in. "The other Jamie is dead?"

"You talked to him about me? You promised!"

Mary came and sat down beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Jamie, honey, let me explain. My husband and I have a unique practice. I know that you feel betrayed right now, but we both have been working for you. My husband will tell you what your parents want you to hear. I just listen to what you have to say. We don't do this with many of our clients. Just the ones who we fear might have really difficult times with their parent's desires for them."

"What do you mean?"

Frank sat down in the chair across from the couch. "Your parents felt that you needed help growing up as a boy without the natural physical growth that you would normally expect to have. That is mainly what I do: Help children better understand their gender roles in today's society. No matter where that takes them. Usually, the parents and children are in agreement over where that should lead. Sometimes, rarely, they disagree. When that happens, the one of us the child is least comfortable with tells the child the parents version of things, and the other runs normal therapy sessions with the child."

I felt a little uncomfortable being called a child, even indirectly. After all, I'm thirteen. Everyone knows that teenagers aren't children. That aside, I was suddenly worried about Mary. "Isn't all of this Illegal?"

Mary smiled at me. "No, it isn't even unethical. We are both your councilors. While you and Frank may talk about what your parents want to talk about, it is still your counseling session. We are both here to help you."

Without realizing it, I had begun to calm down. Talking about this seemingly inconsequential thing, at least when related to the knowledge that False Jamie had been killed. I need to change that. Let's call her Jamie₂. Then something struck me. "You didn't need to tell me this. You could have continued with the act."

Mary looked at her husband Frank. He cleared his throat before speaking. "We thought that your father had attacked you."

I realized then that I hadn't told them everything that had gone on this evening. So I told them about fighting with my father, I would never call him dad again, and how he hit me and threw my journal at me and cut my cheek open. I told them how I ran into the woods behind our house, and how I started to see the world through Jamie₂'s eyes. I told them how Brian₂ had leaped from behind a tree with a knife. I told them how I had tied him up and called the police.

It was at this point that Frank went to the phone and dialed 101. He told the police his name and that he had another runaway at his house. He told them my father had attacked me and I had run for my life. I started to realize the type of person that Frank really was, and felt sorry for how I had always called him my shrink, if I even referred to him at all. They left me there in their living room as they went out front to wait for the police. I lay down on the couch and fell quickly asleep.

Something began nagging at me while I was asleep. Something was bothering my dreams. I woke up as it hit my conscious mind. My journal was still lying out there in the woods. Frank and an officer were just walking into the room. I had always wondered why police wore yellow, when blue seems to be a much more soothing color. Jamie₂'s police wore blue which I always thought to be a much more suitable color. His name plate said Paxton.

"How are you doing young man?"

'Young man? Can't he see I'm a girl? I'm wearing a skirt after all.'

I was startled for a moment. 'Where did that thought come from. I'm wearing pants.'

"I'm doing fine, officer. A little tired."

"Well, we'll have you home in a jiff then."

I cowered into the couch at his mention of taking me home. "Please, no. I don't want to go back there. He'll kill me."

"Who are you afraid of, Son?"

"My father hit me, and threw a book at me"

"Where did he hit you?"

"Right here." With that I pulled my sweater up and let the officer see my stomach and lower ribs. Frank gasped a little. I looked down at myself and saw why. A large bruise had already formed on my left side. It seemed bigger than my father's fist could possibly be, but I keep forgetting how small I really am.

The officer talked into the radio mic on his shoulder. "I need the forensic photographer in here to get a full spectrum collection." At the time I had no idea what a full spectrum collection was. CSI doesn't exist in Earth₁. We may be less advanced than you Earth₂ers in a lot of things, but at least we never invented procedurals or reality TV. . .at least not yet.

A female detective came in with the biggest camera I had ever seen. Ok, so I have seen video cameras that are bigger, but this obviously wasn't a video camera. She had to hold it in two hands to keep it steady. She started taking pictures of my chest area.

'They'll see my bra'. This time I noticed there was a different, well, flavor from my own thoughts. For a moment, the hand holding up my sweater twitched as if to cover my pecs, but I quickly regained control. After the police left I would have to talk to Mary, and Frank, about this.

At first the flash was just white, but then it started flashing in a number of other colors, and sometimes it didn't seem to flash at all when I heard the double CLACK of the shutter.

"So, where is the book he threw at you," asked the officer when the woman with the camera left.

"My Journal," I exclaimed. "Frank, I left it in the woods. I need to go over and get it." I hoped that Frank would get the message that I left it in Earth₂ but we would see.

"It would be a good idea to go and retrieve it, but I think that can wait til morning." said the officer. He handed me an auto-dialer card. "The number is also printed on the strip. Call me if you need anything."

An auto-dialer card is a business card with a magnetic ink strip on the back. The strip has been encoded with a telephone number so that any of the newer phones that have card readers can automatically connect you to the number on the phone. A lot easier way to connect you to someone you don't know very well. See, we have a few things that you Earth₂ers never thought of.

"Frank, we'll send child care division over tomorrow morning. You both can take care of him until then."

"Thanks, Richard. Sorry that this one was so late."

"Not to worry. It's my job, and I really like my job."

I smiled at this. I looked at my knees wondering why they hadn't asked me about the blood stains there, and realized that someone had been in to clean that up while I was asleep. There was still a slight discoloration but nothing particularly noticeable. When I looked back up the officer had already left.

I heard a ringing coming from my pocket. 'Who could be calling me at this hour' the not-me thought. That reminded me that I still had Jamie₂'s phone. Wait, her phone was ringing?

I opened up the phone and said "Hello?"

"I'm officer Richard Paxton. May I ask who I'm speaking with please?" There was a lot of static on the line, but I figured that must be normal for talking to another world.

"My name is Jamie." I'm not sure what, or who, possessed me to use that variation on my name, but I heard a gasp on the other end of the line.

"Jamie, where are you? They told us you were dead. Your Dad said he saw you covered in blood."

Crap. It was my, I mean Jamie₂'s Mom. What was I going to do? I thought for a moment and then replied, "I'm so sorry, Mom. I am dead. Brian killed me. He found out that I wasn't physically a girl. I love you Mommy."

'Mommy? What's going on here. I don't call my Mom Mommy'

'I do, so get over it.'

I didn't have time, yet, to figure out what was going on, but I would have to deal with this soon.

"I love you too, darling." Her Mom was crying. I sat there myself, thinking about how cruel a world can be where someone just trying to live their life is killed just for who they are.

"I have to go." I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I hung up. I turned off the phone so I wouldn't get any more uncomfortable calls.

I looked at my hand. How did I know how to turn off this phone. I had never gotten the details of Jamie₂'s life. It was all memory. I don't know about the rest of you, but my memories seem to be more symbolic than technical. I let my conscious mind interpret the images, so I can see that this object is a car, and that one a person and so on. The memories themselves, however, are just the five senses of the moment. Well, minus feel, since I can't ever seem to accurately remember that.

'I helped you, silly.'

'Jamie? How are you in my head?'

'Good question, Jimbo.'

'Um, could you please not call me that?'

'How 'bout Jimbob?'

'No.'

'Jimbalaya?'

'NO!' Have you ever realized how hard it is to yell at a voice in your head? Give it a try sometime. Without lungs and diaphragm, making something louder is a real headache, literally.

'I can't very well call you Jamie, even if that is what you call yourself.'

'I am Jamie₁ and you are Jamie₂."

'Why can't I be Jamie₁'

'Cause we are in my body'

'You've got a point there.'

"Jamie, are you alright?" Mary had come into the room and was looking at me with a worried expression on her face.

"Sorry, I'm just talking with Jamie₂. It seems she hitched a ride or something."

"Can I speak to Jamie 2." I snorted at this. How come other people can't get the subtle difference between Jamie 2 and Jamie₂. Oh well.

"I'll see what I can do," I said and then thought, 'Ok, you take care of my body. I'm letting you into the pilot's seat.'

It was the strangest sensation I have ever felt. She changed posture, more demurely crossed her legs, and put her hands into her lap.

"You remind me of my Mary. Which I guess Jamie₁ would call Mary₂."

"Unless you have spontaneously exhibited Multiple Personality Disorder, I think I am speaking to Jamie 2, is that right?"

"Jamie₁ says that it is Jamie₂ not Jamie 2, but yes, you are."

"Okay, then, Jamie₂. Can you tell me how you got here?"

"I'm not exactly sure myself. I saw Brian, I mean Brian₂ jump out. He yelled at me, and then I felt the knife go in and grind against the bone. I watched him grow taller all of the sudden and wondered how it was happening. I left my body. And then watched as another me come out of nowhere and tackle Brian₂."

'I didn't tackle Brian₂. I did a reverse arm lock and disarm, followed by a half nelson and a leg sweep. Or did the half nelson happen first. . .'

"Jamie₁ wants me to clarify that he did some jiujitsu-thingamy and didn't tackle Brian₂," Jamie₂ said with a giggle.

I fumed silently in my head as Jamie₂ went on. I don't giggle.

"I saw him rummage around for my phone, and knew what he was going to try to do. I wanted to help him, but he wouldn't listen to me. I reached out to take the phone from him. At the moment that I touched his hand I was sucked in. I have been trying to figure out how to communicate since then. I could barely get through to him how to open and make a call before fading the first time. When I saw him dial 101 instead of 911 I made an extra effort. It took a lot out of me and I wasn't aware of anything until after the police came."

Mary sat there a little shocked. A somewhat effeminate boy had gone from 0-Girl in .10 seconds. Then the fact that this seemed to be a possession of someone by their own ghost. "I'm only a psychologist, not a parapsychologist, but even I can see that this probably isn't healthy for two people to inhabit the same body."

I took over at this point. "I don't think that Jamie₂ would be happy in our afterlife, and I should probably go back over there so she can get on with it. I need my Journal anyway."

"Ok, we can do that tomorrow."

I didn't want to do it tomorrow. I think that Mary saw my disappointment.

"Ok, I can take you tonight."

She went into her room to change into something more appropriate than a dressing gown to go into the woods at night. She drove us in her car and we walked up to the crest of the hill. It took a lot less than four hours this time.

"Is the shimmer still here, Jamie, because I can't see it."

"Yep, it's right over there." I took her hand and pulled her over to it.

She put her hands forward and waved in the air blindly. Her right hand intercepted the portal and she jerked her hand away. "I just got an electric shock. I can't see anything there, but I can certainly feel it."

"I will hop over and let Jamie₂ off then I will be right back."

It seems that Jamie₂ had completely different ideas of how this was going to work. The woods had changed since the last time I was here. There was police tape around the top of the hill, and the grass outside of the tape had been trampled flat in places. Although it had been a little warm for it on Earth₁, I was happy for my sweater now.

'Ok, Jamie₂, get going. I want to go back home.'

'And I want to say goodbye to Daddy.'

'WHAT!?!' This gave me a bigger headache than last time. I could even feel Jamie₂ cringe away from the noise. 'I don't want to even see him again, let alone say good bye'

'My Daddy never hit you, and certainly didn't throw your precious journal at you.'

My journal! I ran over to the tape and looked around the crime scene. Even in the scant light of the moon I could tell that my journal wasn't there. Did I mention that the cover is white? No? Well, the cover is white so it would be easily visibly against the dark underbrush.

"Where is it?" I said getting frantic. I looked all over the hill it wasn't here. The police must have taken it. How was I going to get it back now?

'I want to Say GOOD-bye TO MY DADDY!!!!!'

I put my hands to my head. If I thought I got a headache when I yelled at her, it was only a shadow compared to the one that Jamie₂ just gave me. 'Geeze, Ok. We'll go say goodbye to your Daddy.'

I could feel Jamie₂ jumping up and down and clapping. How did I get myself into this.