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-Hey guys, look at that!- Jeremy points at a giant poster at the bus stop. It's a new superhero movie that you've been waiting for months. -I didn't realize it's coming out this week!-

-Cool. What about Saturday?- Will proposes. Jake shrugs, saying that he doesn't like those movies, so he probably won't join them. You, instead, are completely lost in thought.

After getting back home from Cindy's, you and your sister Kim switched back to your bodies, and so everything returned to an apparent normality. However, it's not that you can pretend nothing has ever happened: you can still become a red goo and possess other people's bodies, and who knows what else! Plus, Kim can do it too, which is even crazier. Yet, none of you have addressed the issue for the entire evening.

You're currently hanging out with your friends to distract yourself, but of course, it's not easy. Should you trust them with your secret? Jeremy, your best pal, for sure wouldn't judge you, but you're not actually sure he's reliable enough not to try to take advantage of your power to do some prank, or to hit on Jake's cousin Vanessa. William is probably more rational; maybe you could try with him alone. Jake, you're not that much in confidence, since you have known him only from the start of the lessons.

-Hello? Earth-to-Tom.- Jeremy snaps his fingers in front of your eyes, then sniggers at your surprised reaction.

-Ah, yes, sorry. Uh, good idea.-.

-What's on your mind, man?- Will questions you, giving voice to everyone's thoughts.

-Nothing, just family stuff.- You quickly dismiss, and then propose: -I don't want to think about it now, let's move somewhere else.-. Your friends agree, though you feel Jake's inquisitive glare on you for a couple of seconds. Again, you don't know him that well, but you have the sensation he's quite a perceptive type; well, probably now you're being paranoid.

You're passing by the mall, so you decide to pay a visit: there's a comic book store that's always refilled with the latest issues of your favorite comics and mangas, and indeed, you've spared some money during the last month. Twenty minutes later, you're exiting with a couple of tankobons under your arm. Jerry and Will are still inside, while Jake is sitting on a bench waiting for you. You're about to join him when you glimpse someone familiar window-shopping at a clothing store further down.

It's that girl from yesterday, Lauren... Campbell, yeah. What a coincidence. She's wearing a blue school uniform, composed of a pleated skirt, a jacket with golden buttons, a lighter cardigan, and a shirt. She's intent on staring at a combo of a light blue skirt and a floral crop top. That's curious: by your brief dialogue with her, you had the impression that she would have found them too daring for her tastes. Well, never judge a book by its cover.

"Hold on." You frown, recalling another point of that dialogue: "Am I wrong, or did she mention she wasn't studying anymore? Why the uniform?".

Then, another unexpected thing happens. While observing the window, she inadvertently sways back, and casually bumps into an older, plump woman who was walking by. Lauren snaps around, anger boiling on her face.

-Hey! Be careful next time!- She snaps with a sharp voice, and then whispers, but you read her lips: -Fatass.-.

You open wide your eyes. That reaction is so similar to... wait, it can't be what you're thinking, right?

-Tom? What's up?- Jake calls you, having noticed your astonishment.

-Nothing, I just see a person that... I'd like to say hello to. Excuse me.- You march toward Lauren, who has returned to admiring the mannequins while with one hand she holds her disheveled hair from falling on her face, and so doesn't notice you until you're right behind her.

-Kim?- You ask. She immediately turns around, gasping at your sight.

-T-Tom! ...you're the guy from yesterday, right?- She corrects herself: -I'm... surprised to find you here.-.

-Uh-uh.- Sure, she may have just responded to your voice, yet the discomfort she's showing at your skeptical look is quite indicative.

-How are you feeling today, Lauren? Better, I hope.-.

-Yeah! Yeah, quite better actually! I don't know what happened yesterday, ahah! Anyway, you must have misspoken a moment ago by calling me with your...- She stops. Lauren has met Tom and, officially, Tina: -...your other acquaintance's name.-.

You cross your arms and open your mouth to say something, when you hear a voice calling for you. An evident relief pictures on Lauren's face: -Oh, there's Jeremy that is... calling... you...-.

Well, either Lauren already knew your best friend, or as her now mortified expression testifies, she knows that you know. Right then, Jeremy arrives.

-Hey, what are you-oh, hello, and who might you be?- He asks dumbfounded by Lauren's presence; and here's why he never scored a second step.

-Aehm, I'm Lauren. Sorry, I really need to talk with Tom in private, if you don't mind.-.

-Oh, ok.- He says. Then he has some sort of epiphany, and a devious grin spreads on his mouth: -Ohh! Ok, I see what you're meaning!-.

Lauren's face scrunches up in a frown, before relaxing in realization: -What? No, no, you got me wrong I'm not his, we're not...-.

-Yes, yes, don't worry, I got you. You two... have to talk alone.- Jeremy gives the both of you a playful glint before departing, leaving 'Lauren' speechless and still half-horrified by what he was implying. She then scowls and punches you on your arm.

-Ouch! What the hell?-.

-Are you stupid or what? Couldn't you say something?- She bickers, reddened in her face.

-What was I supposed to say?- You retort: -'No Jerry, she's not my girlfriend, she's my elder sister possessing some random girl'. By the way, I thought you were back in your body last evening, Kim.-.

'Lauren' then turns uncomfortable, like she's about to spill some embarrassing secret.

-Actually, it's a bit more complicated.-.

-Ahh!- 'Lauren' sits next to you, her hand holding a strawberry-flavored ice cream cone. She gives you a 'so-what?' look, starting to lick it eagerly. You're having the sensation she's toying with you: instead of explaining herself, she told you to accompany her for a bit, basically forcing you to abandon your friends just like that; then she went into some shops and used you as her personal bag holder for the quite large sets of clothes and accessories she bought. She finally 'politely asked' you to offer an ice cream, and so you are.

"She was horrified by Jeremy's ideas, but she's acting like we're really on a date." You reason, patiently waiting for her to finish. As she does, she moves to get up, but you hold her by her wrist.

-Hold on, now it's time to give me some answers.- You demand. She puffs, sitting down again.

-Well, ok. So, uhm, when I was in that pig of my ex, there's been a moment when I felt like I was kinda splitting in two.- She says remaining pretty vague.

-Wait, what moment? What are you talking about?- You inquire. A soft blush colors Lauren's cheeks, and you think back to when you felt similar to 'splitting in two', that is, when you poured from your own penis.

-Hold on! You were masturbating??-.

-Shh! Don't scream, you dumbass!- She hits you again, as Kim always does when she's caught in the act.

-It's not important what I was doing! Point is, when I transferred into Tina...-.

-You kissed her, I remember that.-.

-When I transferred, I tried to do it again. Then I had this blackout, and when I regained consciousness, I was still in this body, but Lauren was in control, and she was talking with you and Tina!-.

-Yeah, but- You frown: -but you were Tina in that moment, right?-.

'Lauren' snorts in exasperation: -I'm telling you it wasn't me! I mean, it was me, but not me-me, it was another me. Then I regained control over Lauren while she was walking home.-.

-Wait, slow down. So you're saying that you had, like, parthenogenesis?- You inquire. She pauses for a moment (Kim was never a fan of biology), then nods: -Yeah, that thing.-.

-Holy shit. So there's a Kim in my house and you're another Kim, and you can both possess people? And I could... do the same?-.

-Yes! And yes, as far as I know.-.

To say you're shaken by this further revelation would be an understatement. Possession, cloning, and then what else? It's all so absurd... yet, now that you're metabolizing it, it's also exciting. If this is true, and you have no reason to suspect the opposite, you're beginning to reason on the possibility of controlling not just Kim, but also, Tina, your mother, and who knows how many other girls, all together!

'Lauren' snaps her fingers in front of your face: -Hey, stop daydreaming!-.

-Aehm, yeah, sorry.- You divert your eyes, which casually rest on the bags of clothes next to the bench you're sitting on: -Anyway, it doesn't explain why you're buying so many clothes with her money.-.

-Duh, isn't this obvious? I mean, look at that!- She stands up and twirls around to show you her outfit, then puts her hands in her pockets, looking sulky.

-I had to pull out her old school uniform to wear something vaguely stylish! This girl has no taste in clothing; she's stuck in the last century!-.

-So it's some sort of gift to make up for the fact that you're stealing her life?- You lift your eyebrow in concern. Kim's classical pout looks somehow cute on Lauren's face.

-I'm not stealing, I'm just borrowing. I'll move out, eventually. If I patch her memories well, she won't even realize she hasn't been herself during this period.-.

Now, what about this memory patching thing? However, you prefer to ask: -And how long will this 'period' be? Actually, I'm surprised that you're not eager to go back inside your real body.-.

-Uff! You're a party pooper, you know that? Can't a girl just want to disconnect for a while?- She spins on herself, hiding her face from you. Clearly, she's not telling you everything and doesn't plan to. Typical Kim.

-Besides! You yourself can have your fun instead of bothering me. Just go date some girl you have a crush on... or as that girl, I don't care. But stay away from my body! Remember that now there are two of me ready to kick your ass if you try something like two nights ago! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take my new clothes home and organize them in my closet.- She leans on and takes her bags. However, you start to feel suspicious of the way she's referring to the entire topic, especially the 'two-of-me' part.

-Is it that the other Kim doesn't want you back in her body anymore, huh?-.

-W-What? That's nonsense!- 'Lauren' scoffs and turns around once again: -Well, see you, little bro. Try not to jerk all day inside some skunk.- this said, she leaves.

You watch this stranger girl, who claims to be your older sister, disappear at the entrance of the mall, and then you rub your eyes taking a deep sigh. Damn, things are becoming rather complicated. Your friends have already left; you could definitely call them back and join them again, but you hardly would be focused on anything else but the idea of slipping into some random person to see if your powers truly work like Kim's, and then, well, who knows what you would do.

To be honest, now that you're checking around, the mall is full of people, especially women, doing shopping. And by this you mean both attractive ladies of your mom's age and pretty girls of yours. Women that you would normally have a hard time being with, but now, as Lauren-Kim implied, you could easily date them, or even as them. A smirk creeps on your face, thinking about the endless possibilities that have unexpectedly opened before you.