Melting the Ice 05

Story by Sophiie93 It wasn’t until they left campus that Elliot truly grasped his situation. Beside him, Rhea walked casually, both heads facing forward, wearing an uncharacteristically excited expression. She seemed almost happy to show Elliot her artistic side. Every step felt like an eternity, Elliot’s heart racing. He gestured, trying to start a conversation. "By the way, what guitar do you have?" Rhea's right head looked at him, smiling proudly as if expecting the question. "A Gibson SG. It's black and pretty and super comfortable to use." Seeing her passion, Elliot couldn't help but smile. He was interrupted as Rhea turned a head away, sounding annoyed again. "Anyway, I don't know why you're asking. I'm sure you don't know anything about guitars." “Not at all… but I already have a favorite model.” “It’s the only one you know,” Rhea said, holding up a finger to interrupt his attempt to answer. “If you say it’s because it’s my guitar, I'll kick you in the balls." Elliot fell silent, focusing intently ahead. Rhea started laughing and pushed him with her hand. “I can read you like a book already!” “Aaanyways…” Elliot said, annoyed, “...you told me you sing too?” “Yeah, since I was very young. But I only started playing guitar a couple of years ago.” “Oh, surely your second head helps you sing?” Elliot said. Rhea’s expression showed disappointment. “No, actually… if I use both of them to sing, I run out of breath faster.” “That makes sense… although if you control it well, you could be your own chorus. After all, you can say different things with each head at the same time, can't you?” “Gosh, Elliot, you say everything as if you had two heads. You don’t know how difficult it can be,” Rhea said, switching heads as she spoke. Elliot was silent for a few seconds, looking at his hands. “If we can juggle with our hands, you should be able to do it with your heads. You do have two brains, after all.” “I don’t know if that makes it easier or harder…” Rhea whispered with her right head. She looked down for a second, focusing. “I could try something like that.” “Maybe you’re right,” she said, both heads speaking simultaneously. Elliot looked confused and surprised. “It's hard to tell what you're saying like that, but you could maybe add a background vocal chorus to your singing. See? Your mutation could have positive sides.” Rhea's faces showed she was about to argue, but she shifted her gaze forward and sighed, unable to refute him. Minutes later, they arrived at Rhea's house: a rather large, unassuming place with a well-kept front yard. It was clear her family was fairly wealthy, though not exactly rich. Elliot absorbed every detail of the tidy interior as they walked through the front door. “Follow me, I’ll take you to my studio where I practice,” Rhea said. She started to take off her jacket, then glanced at Elliot over her shoulder and stopped. The studio, which Rhea curiously kept locked, was a beautiful room dedicated entirely to music, instruments and tools everywhere. A drum kit, a bass guitar, and the black Gibson SG Rhea had mentioned. “Wow, you’re well equipped,” Elliot said, sitting in a chair at the side of the room. “My dad was totally against buying me the guitar, so I paid for it myself,” Rhea said, slipping the guitar strap around her two necks. “The drums and bass are my friends'. They just left them here because their houses don’t have enough space.” Rhea prepared the microphone, turned it on, and tested it with a tap, sending noise through the speakers. “Do you need a microphone?” Elliot asked. “I’m the only one watching, and the room isn’t that big.” “Yeah, it helps distribute the sound evenly,” Rhea replied. “Or is it because you use autotune or something?” Elliot teased. “You…” Rhea’s face flushed with anger as she turned off the microphone and put it away. “You’re right, I don’t need this…” Before Elliot could explain it was a joke, Rhea tested her guitar with a short solo that sounded quite good to Elliot's inexperienced ears. Seeing his excited expression, Rhea cleared her throats and prepared to sing. She began with a slow guitar intro before picking up the pace. Her right head looked down at the guitar as her hands moved in coordination, while her left head began to sing. "I've been chasing shadows in the night, but they keep on running from the light.” Rhea's voice was completely different from what Elliot was used to – angelic yet powerful, perfectly in tune, and professional. For minutes, Elliot was completely charmed. Rhea’s charm and attractiveness seemed to skyrocket, her expressions radiating enjoyment. When her eyes met Elliot's, Rhea decided to try something new. “I'm gonna set this world on fire” – “No more hiding in the dark.” Her left head joined in, adding a soft whisper in a different tone. She finished with a guitar solo, holding the final note. Sweat glistened on her foreheads as she caught her breath, self-confidence shining in her eyes. "So? What did you think?" her right head asked. Elliot was shocked for a moment, then hesitated. “If I give you the compliments I’m thinking of, you’ll probably get annoyed.” “I’ll let you do it just this time,” Rhea replied, laughing. “Beautiful, attractive, and sexy.” Rhea's eyes narrowed in disappointment, though her cheeks flushed. "I meant my singing, idiot." “Ah. Well, I think I like rock now,” Elliot said. A proud smile immediately spread across Rhea’s face as she stepped down. Then, her parents’ voices echoed down the hall. “Rhea?? Are you practicing?” “SHIT!” both heads exclaimed. Rhea ran to Elliot, grabbing him. “Hide! I don’t want to explain why I brought a boy home.” “Wait, wouldn’t hiding make it more suspicious?” Elliot responded, struggling slightly. As he grabbed Rhea’s visible hands, two more hands emerged from inside her jacket, resting weakly on his chest. “Let me go, idiot!” Elliot’s eyes widened in surprise at the extra hands touching him. The door slowly opened, revealing Rhea's mother peeking inside. "We're home, oh, oh wow~" she said, taking in the seemingly romantic position. “H-Hi, Mom,” Rhea stammered, face crimson. “I’m sorry for interrupting, go on,” her mom said, slowly closing the door.