In a few minutes

Time spent with Miranda seemed to move faster. It felt like you had only just slipped under the blankets with her, but when you finally tore your head up from where it lay so close to hers, you saw the fire had already appreciably burned down. Something about being so close to your crush made time fly by. Matt and Sarah also seemed similarly entranced by each other, with the latter now sitting in the former's lap, twiddling a lock of red hair around one finger as Matt continued to talk at her.

Doing your best to avoid staring at the curve of her DD's in profile, you lowered you head back towards Miranda, only to be dazzled by her fishing her phone out of her pocket. "Wow, it's getting pretty late," she said, although you were too blinded to see the exact time yourself. For a worried moment, you thought she was about to make an excuse to leave, until she continued; "I hope those two come back soon, I still want to play that game Nicole was talking about."

"Are you not having fun right now?" You asked, sinking back down on the couch with your arm warmly around her.

"I am," your crush blushed, cheeks turning pink beneath black paint whiskers, "but maybe I'm down for some more fun tonight."

What she meant by that was impossible to truly tell, but the implication made you wish for their return too, even as the way she said it made your "wand" stiffen once more. "I'll go have a look," you said, resting your hand on her knee for a second as you got to your feet. Luckily for you, she didn't seem to notice your boner as you stood and shuffled across the room to the heavy, black, curtains.

Parting them with one hand, you were met by the sight of a face looking right back at you. You jumped in your skin, until you realized it was just your own, reflected in the dark glass like a black mirror. Hoping that Miranda hadn't noticed you flinch, you cupped your hands over your eyes and leant against the window, straining to see through the dark veil of the night.

Utilizing your improvised canopy, you were able to turn opaque blackness into recognizable shapes and forms. There was the rough edge of Sarah's driveway, and the uneven tree line past that, and the light of the semi-secret footpath barely visible even further beyond that. All were still, unmoved by even a breeze. Staring at that immobile tableau the superstitious part of your brain, the part that only woke at night and in the darkest places, began to wonder what might be hiding behind the trees, and hedges, and statuettes laid out before you.

Before your fears had any chance to set in, however, real movement caught your eye. Along the footpath, a flash of movement, at foot level, took your attention. Someone was coming, no, running back. You would have turned to announce that fact to the room, but something about that runner's haste gave you pause. It didn't look like they were simply hurrying back, they seemed to be at the tail end of a dead sprint.

Only when they tore through part of the shrubbery and onto the driveway did you did you turn your voice to the others, even as your eyes remained on the runner.

"They're coming back," you announced, "I can see Tom coming now."

Sensing the urgent tone of your words, despite the rather banal subject matter, Miranda and Matt and Sarah began to stand up for themselves. The red haired girl and the terminator had been practically joined at the hip (or the groin) but now they stumbled over to the window beside you to get a better look. Before their eyes could adjust, however, you were already gone.

A knot twisted in your stomach as you walked back to the front door again, taking the lead this time. You had only caught a glimpse of Tom's face as his feet had pounded holes in the gravel up the driveway, but what you had seen had been enough to make you worry. Pair that with the fact that you hadn't yet seen a glimpse of Nicole, and you were practically distraught.

You managed to open the door a few seconds before Tom reached it, but he didn't acknowledge your courtesy. Instead, he barreled through the opening, collapsing inside onto one hand and one knee as if he had just run a marathon. The way he panted for air only added further to that impression.

"Where's Nicole?" You asked, the twist in your stomach tightening into a gordian knot as the others filtered out into the hallway to be as perplexed by Tom's condition as you were.

"That's who I'm running from," Tom answered, his every word, punctuated by a gasp for air.

"What? Did she beat you up again?" Matt asked, incredulous. It sounded like a joke, but no one was laughing.

"No!" Tom gasped. He turned to face the doorway, his eyes going so wide that they were almost only white. On one hand and his ass, he pushed himself away from the open door, his eyes still fixed on it.

For a moment too long, you stared at his bizarre reaction, before turning to the open portal yourself.

There, before your eyes, in ran Nicole, and Nicole.

Twin, blonde haired cuties stumbled through the open front door, elbow to pointed elbow as they crossed the finish line. The run had left them exhausted, if the way they collapsed into the hallway was anything to go by, but they both managed to draw strength to speak.

"I don't know what you are, but you need to leave," one said, looking at her twin whilst still on her hands and knees.

"You're scaring me, please stop doing this," the other replied, in a similar position on the hallway floor.

They both sounded the same, out of breath, but still like Nicole. They both looked the same too, from the messy blonde bobs, to the innocent and waiflike features, right down to the little green dresses they wore. The only visual differences were a few scrapes and scratches they'd picked up on the race back, pink lines crisscrossing their exposed white skin.

The two of them continued to bicker, Nicole finally getting the experience of trying to win an argument against herself, as everyone else could only stare at them in shock. They shouted, they pleaded, they demanded and insisted of each other, but they were still locked in an inescapable stalemate. All you could think to do was shuffle past them, and close the front door.

The slamming of the door from behind them finally snapped the Nicole's out of their cyclical debate.

"John," one said, "I'm the real Nicole, I know your name so I have to be, now can you please kick this one out befo-"

"John, Tom, Sarah, Matt, Miranda," the other one cut her off, pointing to the correct faces around the room as she said their names.

"Look, I really don't know what's going on," you began, looking uneasily from Nicole to Nicole. You'd hoped you'd find the rest of that sentence as you spoke, but staring at two Nicole's at once left you at a total loss for words. In your hunt for something else to say, you glanced up to the others. They just seemed as scared and lost as you.

Tom was sat up now, but he was still panting for air, staring at the new twins with an open mouth. To his left, Sarah clung close to Matt, the both of them silent now as they held each others hands. Further behind them, just peeking out from the living room door, was Miranda. There was fear in your crushes eyes, and it broke your heart to see it.

Whatever madness was going on here, someone would have to do something about it, and since everyone else seemed as clueless as you, it might as well be you that did it.

"Alright, first things first," you clapped your hands together, with a confidence you didn't feel at all. "let's just go back in the living room, it's warmer in there."

Everyone looked at you like you were crazy. Some sort of impossible supernatural event was going on, and you wanted to be cozy?

"We can talk about everything in there, alright? Tom and Nicole. . . and Nicole, they've all been out in the cold and it would do them some good to warm up, so let's go."

Miranda was about to step back into the living room, but you called her forward.

"Wait, Miranda, come here. Let Nicole go first."

The two blondes looked at you like they'd been betrayed, but they didn't argue, instead walking uneasily level with each other back into the living room. Even their gaits looked identical. As they went inside, Miranda stepped over to you, grabbing you by the elbow.

"So what now?" She whispered, "Are you gonna lock them in there?"

You shook your head. "I am gonna lock this, though," you turned the deadbolt in Sarah's front door as you spoke, "two Nicole's is more than enough, we don't want another one getting in."

No one laughed, but Miranda sighing while the corners of her mouth twitched was enough for you.

"We're gonna go in there and. . . talk it out I guess."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Matt asked, still holding Sarah close.

"It's the only idea I've got," you shrugged. No one else seemed to have any other ideas either. "Okay, follow my lead then."

Steeling yourself, you walked back to the living room. At the door, you took a second to breathe, ears straining to listen to anything from inside. All there was was the crackling of the fire, low and continuous.

Stepping inside, you'd half expected to be ambushed, or to see one Nicole drinking the other's blood. Instead, they were sat on the same couch, each with their arms folded and their legs crossed over at the knee. They didn't look happy, meeting your entrance with a frown, but neither seemed distraught or scared right now, which honestly was more than you could say for yourself.

It felt like you were walking into a job interview, or a police interrogation, butterflies rattling in your stomach with your every step. With everyone else only a few steps behind, you walked all the way into the room and took a seat on the couch nearest the two Nicole's. You couldn't bare to take their eyes off them, so you didn't know where exactly everyone else sat, but you could hear the door close as they all settled into their seats to.

You were ready now, you didn't know for what exactly, but you were as ready as you'd ever be. Now, all that was left was to decide what you were actually going to do with the identical ladies in front of you.