Double Trouble

The afternoon was warm, the sunlight filtering through the downtown buildings. Luke walked toward the park, his pulse racing, to meet Emily. With every shop window he passed, he checked his reflection nervously, second-guessing his outfit. Just relax, Luke, he told himself. She agreed to go out with you. Everything will be fine. For nearly a year, he had tried to get a date with Emily. She had never rejected him outright, but she’d always found a polite excuse—until now, when she’d finally accepted his invitation for drinks and conversation. He sat on a bench in the designated spot and waited. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long. When she appeared, she looked stunning. She wore a short, low-cut dress and heels, her makeup soft and elegant. To Luke, who was used to seeing her only in her work uniform, she was a vision. “Hi,” she said with a bright smile. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.” “N-no, not at all,” Luke stammered, still caught off guard by her beauty. “I just got here a few minutes ago. Wow, you look… incredible.” “Thanks. You clean up pretty well yourself,” Emily said, winking. “So, what’s the plan for today?” “I made a reservation at the Velvet Noir. I hope you like it.” “The Velvet Noir? That place is super exclusive—how did you manage that?” “I booked it about three months ago, actually. Hoping you’d say yes one day.” “Wow. I’m sorry I kept turning you down. I was usually busy, or… well, I had other things going on. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to.” “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.” They began to stroll through the park, killing time before their reservation. Luke couldn’t stop looking at Emily. She noticed his gaze at one point and raised a hand to cover the left side of her face. “Is it very noticeable?” she asked, her voice tinged with worry. “Noticeable? What do you mean?” Luke asked, puzzled. “Before I left, I noticed the left side of my face was a little swollen. I tried to cover it with makeup, but it still feels obvious.” “No, not at all. I was just looking at you. You really do look beautiful. I hadn’t noticed anything.” “Oh… good. It’s probably just an allergy. It comes and goes, but it doesn’t seem serious,” Emily said, smiling as she turned to face him directly. Suddenly, Luke saw the skin on the left side of her face begin to shift. “Um, Emily… your face…” he said, staring in disbelief. “My face—what?” she began, but before she could finish, the movement became unmistakable. “Oh my god! I can feel it… stretching.” Before Luke’s eyes—in a matter of seconds—a second face emerged from the side of Emily’s head, forming a nearly identical duplicate attached at the neck. He stared, shocked and horrified. The new head gasped and let out a frightened scream. So did Emily. “What the hell is happening?!” the new face protested. “Who are you?!” Emily cried, trembling. “I’m… Emily,” the new face said, sounding just as confused. “At least, I think so?” “I can’t look at you—we’re sharing a neck!” Emily said, her voice rising in panic. “Luke, take a picture—I need to see!” It took Luke a moment to snap out of his daze. He fumbled for his phone, opened the camera, and took a quick photo. He turned the screen toward her. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Emily groaned. “The worst possible time to mutate, and it’s on my first date with you.” “Hey, there are way worse mutations,” her twin cut in, blinking rapidly as if adjusting to the light. “Wow, it’s strange… all these new sensations.” “Emily, I think we should go to a hospital. This looks serious.” “Yeah, you’re probably right—” Emily began. “Absolutely not,” the twin interrupted, planting her hands on her hips—their hips. “Hospitals will still be there tomorrow, or the next day. But that reservation at the Velvet Noir? That won’t come around again for months.” “Are you serious?” Emily shot back. “We just became a two-headed woman. I think that’s a little more important.” “Technically, we’re conjoined mutants,” the twin corrected. “And I’m going to need a name.” “Great. Now I have to share my body with someone else,” Emily sighed. “How much of my memories do you have?” “All of them, I think. But I’ve got my own mind—and it looks like our personalities aren’t exactly the same.” Luke watched, stunned, as the two voices—sharing one body—argued in front of him. A small part of him wanted to run from the bizarre situation, but another part was deeply, undeniably intrigued. He’d never considered himself particularly attracted to mutants. Or so he’d thought. “This is weird,” Emily said after a moment. “I should be completely freaking out right now.” “You know mutations release a ton of oxytocin—it keeps you calm,” her twin explained, sounding oddly scholarly. “Same thing happened the first time you mutated. Remember?” “Wait… you were already a mutant?” Luke asked. Emily’s expression shifted to one of shame and dread. “It’s… just a small mutation,” she said quickly. “We have a penis and two extra, undeveloped breasts,” her twin added matter-of-factly. “Hey! You don’t just say that! It’s not a penis—it’s just… a peculiar clitoris,” Emily scolded. She turned back to Luke, her cheeks flushed. “That’s the real reason I kept turning you down. I was afraid that if we went out, you’d eventually find out. It’s easy to hide most of the time, but in a relationship… it’s kind of obvious.” “I see,” Luke said, processing. “For what it’s worth, I’m fine with mutations. Really. Though I’ll admit, this one is… incredible.” “Thanks,” the twin replied. “You’re not so bad yourself. She’s always thought so. She was just scared you’d notice her… ‘clitoris.’” “Would you shut up?” Emily snapped, bringing a hand to her crotch as if to shield it. “Luke, I’ll understand if you want to call it a night.” “I’d like to continue,” he said. “Though it looks like it’s a party of three now.” “I guess it is,” Emily sighed, while her twin shot Luke a flirtatious smile. “Let’s just hope nothing else—” Before she could finish, the fabric of her dress stretched tight just below her chest. Her two previously underdeveloped breasts swelled, growing until they nearly matched her original pair. “Well, looks like they’ve developed,” the twin said, surprised. “Good thing this dress is stretchy.” “At least they don’t look bad,” Emily conceded with resignation. “Actually, they look really nice,” Luke said, and both faces blushed. “We’ve got about fifteen minutes until our reservation.” “Okay,” Emily said, trying to sound positive. “Let’s try to make the best of it. We can register the mutation later.” “Fine by me,” her twin said. “But I need two things first.” “What things?” “One—I need makeup to match yours,” she said, smiling. “And two—more importantly—I need a name.” “What about my middle name?” “You know we’ve always liked our middle name.” “Alright,” Luke cut in. “So, what is it?” “I’m Jane. Nice to meet you,” she said, looping her left arm through his. “Now let’s go to that bar.”