Intermission

"I'll leave the room first," Alvelyn said to me in my mind as she got up and started dressing herself in the female school uniform that is hanging in the wardrobe cabinet. I watched as she dressed with my eyes attracted to the curves of her butt as she had her back facing me, and then my eyes followed up to her hair and took in the smooth gesture she did as she freed her hair from the entanglement of the nightgown collar. "I'll go into Alevian's room and get your clothes. Then, you just sneak out when it's clear."

"That's what we'll do," I nodded and thought in response.

Then, I covered myself with the bed sheet and watched as Alvelyn snuck out of her room and made her way over to my bedroom all while avoiding Loriana's detection. I let out a sigh when she closed the door, feeling somewhat frustrated and tired for all this...chaos that I'm going through.

"We'll call Noah later," I said out loud in my mind to the female me.

"Alright," she responded. "I got your clothes. I'm coming back now."

It's quite the weird feeling to be able to communicate with someone using your mind, and it's actually even weirder knowing that the other person is you. Alvelyn and I seem to share the same thought process with the only difference between us being that I am seeing things from a male perspective while she sees her's from a female's. It's not a bad feeling per se. In fact, it's actually somewhat comforting for me, knowing that I have privacy from others and yet is never actually alone.

"I'm coming in," Alvelyn said to me in my mind as she slowly opened the door. She then gently placed my school uniform on her bed and turned around immediately to the door. "Get changed and we'll talk in the washroom."

She then left the room in an oddly calm manner. However, I could tell that she's also feeling the same sense of insecurity and confusion as I am. I can feel what she's feeling because she is technically me.

I immediately got dressed in my school uniform, feeling extremely nostalgic once I finished buttoning the last of the buttons on my shirt and slipped on my blazer. It's been a long, long time since I've worn this outfit. It's actually been almost two months since the last time I wore this outfit was before Winter break.

After I finished tying my tie, I sneaked up to the door and opened it a crack. I first peeked in the direction of the door leading to Loriana's room and saw that it was closed. Then, I looked over in the direction of the living room and listened in on the sound of soft humming that is almost masked by the sound of sizzling. It seems like Loriana is currently making breakfast, so I am able to slip out of Alvelyn's room and into the washroom.

Upon entering the washroom, I immediately closed the door behind me. Then, I simply leaned against the door and watched as the female me washed her face with cold water from the faucet. When she was finished, she looked up and into the mirror, and my eyes followed her. Water droplets populated her face with some dripping down her cheeks and her neck until they reached her defined collarbone. She then grabbed her towel from the towel rack and dried her face of those water droplets.

I stopped staring halfway through and dialed Noah's phone number. Like expected, after it rang a few times, Noah finally picked up.

"Hello?" his lazy voice said.

Alvelyn walked closer to me and leaned in, almost as if she wanted to listen in on what we're talking about. This made me confirm the fact that what we hear is not shared, so I intentionally slouched my back somewhat so that the phone was a bit closer to her.

"What the hell is this?" I whispered. "What happened?"

"That is the surprise," Noah said. "Based on what I'm told, the setting of your female form being your twin sister still applies. Rather, that is the setting from now on."

"What?" I looked over and met eyes with Alvelyn for a second.

In the background of the call, I heard a woman's voice speaking. And then, I heard the sound of Noah handing the phone off to her.

"Alevian?" Emilia's voice said from the other end of the phone. "This is a decision that we've made regarding your...progress."

"What progress? "I asked.

"It's not something that I'm allowed to reveal to you," she sighed. "But, just know that from now on, you'll have to live like that."

"As two people?"

"Yes," Emilia confirmed. "And I know Alvelyn is also listening in to this, so I'll just say this so that both of you can understand. Both of you are the same entity, that is, your soul is the exact same one. Think of the other person as you if you were born someone of the opposite gender in a parallel universe."

"So we're equals," I confirmed with both Emilia and Alvelyn as I looked into her eyes.

"That's right," Emilia continued. "And I'm sure you realized, but since the two of you share the same soul, you can communicate with yourself. That is basically everything."

"May I ask what's the purpose for this?" I asked in a weak voice out of complete disbelief. I looked over at Alvelyn and both of us had a smile of defeat on our faces.

"Now what can it be for?" Emilia sounded amused. "I'm sure you'll be glad of this in the near future. Sometimes, it's a gift to be able to be at two places at once. You'll know when the time comes."

Then, she hung up the phone, leaving me on the line like an idiot. With a sigh, I locked the screen of my phone and slipped it into my pockets. Then, I looked weakly at the female me and shook my head from disbelief.

"So I guess we'll have to live life like this now," I said out loud to her, even though I know that I'll just have to think of what I want to say and she'll be able to hear me.

"Yeah," she nodded and also spoke out loud in response. "We should try speaking verbally to each other when we're near each other to not arouse suspicions."

"Yeah," I sighed. "Even though there's a myth about the mental connection for twins, if it's overused, then it'll just be suspicious."

After briefly settling in and accepting our new life, Alvelyn left the washroom, leaving me the place to myself. With the sink free, I went to brush my teeth and wash my face. Then, I exited and made my way over to the dining table where Loriana had prepared breakfast. It seemed like what Noah had said about the fact that Alvelyn holds the identity as my twin sister is still true as Loriana prepared three plates, one for each person.

While I ate, I thought about my reaction to the news that Emilia dropped on me. I was actually rather calm, and instead of being worried, I was rather just feeling defeated. It's like there's really nothing much left in this world that can surprise me. Maybe being turned into a girl and living a whole month as one and then being turned back does that to you. Oh, and maybe actually knowing God and seeing the things that they could do on a daily basis can numb your senses in regards to these absurd events.

I looked over at Alvelyn, who met my eye. She is me, so things won't be that bad. I think it'll actually work to my benefit that there's two of me. Like what Emilia had said, being able to be in two places at once would have its benefits. Since she is me, there are no worries that we won't get along, because she is me. Everything that I think, she'll think the same.

"I have to leave now," Loriana said as she picked up her plate and started for the kitchen sink.

"Just leave it in there," I said. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, Alevian."

Loriana did as I said, leaving her plate in the kitchen sink as we've always done, and grabbed her car keys and purse before exiting the house. She gently closed the door behind her, leaving just me and myself in the house. I stared at Alvelyn and she stared at me. I suppose it's still somewhat weird to know that you of the opposite gender is sitting in the room with you. However, I think this awkward feeling would disappear quite soon once we become used to our presence.

"I'll do the dishes," I said after both of us finished eating. "Go grab our bags."

Alvelyn nodded and the two of us then went off doing the things that I assigned ourselves. I made carried the empty plates over to the kitchen sink, scrubbing them with soap and rinsing them all while the female me went to each of our rooms and grabbed our school bags. I suppose this is an incident of a benefit of having two bodies: things can be done at a highly efficient pace.

After I finished cleaning the dishes and placed them on the dish rack to dry, I made my way over to the front door of the house where Alvelyn was waiting with both of our school bags. I grabbed my own bag, feeling the familiar weight as I slung it over my shoulder. Then, I reached one hand toward the doorknob and turned it.

Life will be different from now on, I thought to myself.