Past, Present, and Zoe (Regular Cloning, Time Travel)

"That's unnerving," Zoe said as she scrolled through her newsfeed. Aside from the usual BS that found its way onto her phone, there was a particularly disturbing headline from the Seattle Times, specifically the crime report.

"Triple Homicide Leaves Law Enforcement Baffled," read the headline. That should have been unsettling enough on its own, but then she realized one of the victims looked just like her. And not just in the "young blonde girls all look alike" kind of way either. The young woman practically had the same face; the only difference was she had a few piercings. Zoe shivered then kept scrolling because she wasn't about to let that ruin her day.

"There you are!" she heard somebody say. Her friend Matthew waved at her as he dodged and weaved through the crowd. She smiled back at him and they hugged. They had known each other since middle school and were always on hugging terms. Except these days, he seemed to stretch out their hugs for a little longer than usual. Not long enough to get awkward, but long enough for her to notice.

"And here I thought you were on deployment," she said as they sat down.

"Navy found somebody else," he said.

"How was the ferry?" she asked.

"Cold and wet, but what else is new," he said. Inexplicably, the article popped up on Zoe's phone again after she had dismissed it. She winced at it then dismissed it again and shoved it in her purse.

"What's up?" Matt asked.

"Just Seattle crime," Zoe said, "Nothing to worry about." The waitress took their orders and they chatted like old friends, swapped terrible jokes, shared random pointless trivia, and their food finally arrived.

Zoe attacked her coffee like an addict when she got a Tinder notification. She gulped down the last dregs of her coffee and took a look at her phone. The crime report was still up and she dismissed it out of hand.

"Hey it's Mark!" she smiled.

"Who?" Matt asked sullenly.

"Oh just the guy I've been seeing," she said and sent him a kiss and a wink emoji.

"Another one, huh?" Matt said.

"What do you mean, another one?" Zoe asked, "I haven't dated for a few years now. He's hot and hits all the buttons that turn me on." She showed Matt his Instagram which was all paintings.

"Look," she pointed to one in particular, "He made this one for me on our first date, how's that for impressive?" It was of Zoe on the Seattle boardwalk with the big Ferris wheel in the background while her hair blew glamorously in the wind. Matt had to admit it was masterfully painted and Zoe looked pretty damn good in it.

"He sounds like a real catch," he muttered. Zoe looked up from her phone and frowned.

"You have something to share with the class, Matt?"

"No I'm fine," he said then tried to change the conversation, "How are your parents?"

"Foster parents," Zoe corrected him and rolled her eyes.

"That bad, huh?" Matt asked.

"They're being... they're being royal pains in the ass lately," Zoe said, "I can tolerate Michelle, I just wish she wouldn't call me every day. Greg on the other hand..."

"First names," Matt said, "That's not a good sign."

"Michelle means well," Zoe said, "But Greg is way too conservative. He never liked that I had a sex life." Matt remembered how much she liked his parents and had an idea.

"Well, my family's having a barbecue soon," he suggested, "You should come, my mom would really like to see you again."

"Oh yeah!" Zoe smiled, "When is it?"

"Friday," Matt said.

"Oof," Zoe said, "I've got a date with Mark that day."

"Oh..." Matt said.

"Seriously, Matt," she said, "Spit it out." He'd mentioned to her several times how he crushed on her, but she always said she wasn't interested because they knew each other when they were in grade school.

"Oh this again," she figured it out, "I'm sorry, Matt. If I wasn't already dating again..."

"I'm just never your first choice," he said then she got a text message.

"Wow my phone's busy today," she said.

"Hey, kiddo. Turn around," it read. She looked behind her and saw an older man she knew and loved waving at her. She leaped out of her chair and sprinted to him at full speed.

"Uncle David!" she squealed with delight and threw her arms around him, "It's been so long! Why haven't you called me?"

"I've been busier than usual lately," he said while hugging her back.

"Come on!" she said, "Sit down and join us!"

"I'll visit, but I don't have too long," he said.

"Matt, this is my Uncle David!" Zoe beamed, "David this is Matt. We've been friends since sixth grade."

"I didn't think you had any uncles," Matt said.

"Don't you have any older friends that you call uncle?" Zoe asked.

"I guess I do," Matt said, "Uh, hi, Uncle David." The older man eyed him for a minute then firmly shook his hand.

"Strong grip," David said, "That's a military man's handshake."

"You can tell that just by shaking his hand?" Zoe cocked an eyebrow.

"Which branch, son?" David asked.

"Navy Air," Matt said.

"Ah, are you a pilot?" David asked.

"I wish!" Matt said, "What about you, are you military?"

"Not exactly," David said and sat down. Zoe hugged him sideways and rested her head on his shoulder. How she wished he was were foster father instead of that loser Greg. She had never exactly understood how David knew her foster parents, or why they were even friends since they never seemed that close to him. But whatever, she was glad to know him anyway.

"So how's my girl?" he asked as he ruffled her hair.

"Uncle David, stop," she pushed his hand away, "I'm fine. I just started a new job so that degree is finally starting to pay for itself."

"I'm glad to hear that," David said, "But have you talked with your parents lately?" Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Call them," Daven said, "I mean it."

"Fine, fine, sure," Zoe said though she didn't mean it, "What's new with you?"

"Oh, I just got back from overseas," David said, "I was in town so I asked your parents where you might be."

"Well I'm glad we ran into each other," she said. To her dismay, that abhorrent crime report popped up again. She felt like she was staring at herself from across the grave and she hugged David tighter.

"Sorry, kiddo, I have to go," David said hastily.

"But you just got here!" Zoe protested.

"This is urgent," he said, "I'll call you in a few hours though."

"Okay, bye David," Zoe hugged him goodbye.

"What was that about?" Matt asked and she showed him the article.

"That is eerie," Matt said. It was true, the victim looked just like her, "Why would that set him off though?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she said, "It had to be something else."

"If you say so," Matt said, "What's his story anyway?"

"He always stopped in to check on me when I was growing up," Zoe said, "Gave a big Christmas or Birthday present every year, drove me to prom, and helped me get through college. I always saw him as my central father figure instead of... ugh... Greg."

"Greg isn't that bad, Zoe," Matt said, "He's just strict."

"Is that why you like him?' Zoe asked, "He reminds you of the military?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Matt said, "But what did David mean he's not exactly military?"

"Beats me," Zoe said, "I've asked him several times what he does but it's always some vague, non-answer."

"So you don't either," Matt said.

"He could be ex-KGB for all I know," Zoe shrugged, "I mean probably not but I don't have any evidence either way." Next Matt's phone beeped when he got a text.

"Oh crap," he said, "That's my CO. I'm sorry, Zoe, but I have to go."

"Alright," she said while chugging another coffee, "See ya later, Matt." Then they hugged goodbye and Zoe headed home. It was probably high time for her to leave anyway. She hadn't been lying to Matt that she had a date with Mark on Friday, but she neglected to mention she was also seeing him that evening.

She couldn't wait to get home and get ready for her date, just thinking about Mark was making her wet and horny. First, she went through every cute and sexy piece of clothing she had before deciding on a blue sundress. She also wore her favorite lingerie number underneath. It wasn't the most titillating set she had, but it was comfortable.

Next, she followed a makeup tutorial to get those sexy, smoky eyes. She preferred to keep her makeup minimal, precision was the key instead of quantity. And lastly, she sprayed her neck and snatch with a discount fragrance, which wasn't horrible, just cheap.

This wasn't a big, grand date, that was the one on Friday, but she wanted to present herself to Mark to seduce him into her apartment. Last time they had to cut it short before they got to fuck. He had seen somebody he didn't like or didn't trust and said he needed to go. Left hanging like that while they were making out, Zoe hurried home and aggressively masturbated while thinking of him. Yeah, she was crazy for him. He was fit, handsome, and he had a good job and cool hobbies. Matt may have said it jealously, but she agreed that Mark was a real catch.

It was five-thirty when she finally finished and she had to hurry to get there on time. She made a few last touchups to her makeup and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Yeah, I'd date me," she said and then ran to her car.