Most days weren’t heavy.

  Not in the grand, emotional sense. The Parker family still had lives to live—work, school, after-school activities, weekend errands.

  Dual consciousness or not, the world kept moving, as did they.

  While Emily and Daniel still had their moments—frustrated, irritated at having to keep their secret—they couldn’t deny one thing: it was easier now.

  Their parents didn’t just know.

  They understood - and somehow, that made the day-to-day feel lighter. Easier.

  Almost - normal?

  —

  Today was one of those quiet days that Sarah decided she was going to really figure it out—how to tell, without guessing, once and for all, which child was driving the body.

  Both she and Thomas had picked up hints over time—changes in posture, shifts in expression—but Sarah, ever the determined one, wasn’t content with ‘good enough.’

  No, she was hell bent and wanted to know for sure.

  So naturally, one Sunday afternoon, Thomas came home from a game of golf with his buddies - to find the dining room looking simir to perhaps an experimental psychology b.

  There was a stillness in the room, the kind that settled in when everyone knew something serious— and knowing this family - maybe even ridiculous—was about to happen.

  Sarah sat prim and proper, notebook in hand, pen poised, documents id out to the left of her. On her right was a varied set of objects - a timer, toys, even a few utensils, and other seemingly random objects.

  Across from her, Emily—or perhaps Daniel in control—sat in another chair, eyeing her warily.

  It felt like the calm before a storm.

  A very specific storm.

  A ‘mom’ on a mission storm.

  Thomas blinked, pausing in the doorway. He opened his mouth to ask what exactly was going on, but something about the scene gave him pause. His curiosity won out over his usual instincts. Quietly, he leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms, content to watch.

  For now, nobody noticed him - he was incognito, and honestly? He was fine with that.

  After all, whatever this was, it felt - important - and with some luck, maybe a little entertaining.

  —

  “Switch,” Sarah commanded.

  Nothing happened—or at least, nothing Thomas could see.

  Sarah however nodded, jotting something down with a thoughtful hum.

  “Okay, again. Three times in a row.”

  Nothing visible seemed to happen again.

  Sarah now picked up the timer, announced - “Switch as many times as you can in ten seconds…and - now”

  There was a huff from the chair.

  “Mom, why are you treating us like b rats?”

  There was a pause, then a faint grumble—different tone, same mouth. “Yes, Danny, b rats are cute. I know you don’t like them being experimented on. Fine—b subjects.”

  Thomas fought a smile.

  That was Daniel , no question—splitting hairs, sneaking in a moral perspective mid-test. He shook his head, amused. Even through the sass, Emily probably agreed.

  Soft-hearted, both of them, no matter how much they protested.

  “Did I ask for commentary?” Sarah fired back, a brow rising. “Switch.” she said more sternly, resetting the timer.

  Emily sat up a little straighter— only for Sarah to hum again, pen scratching as she added another note.

  “Okay now, Emily—I want you to switch and read this story. Out loud. No compining,” Sarah ‘instructed’, handing over a brightly colored children’s book.

  Emily huffed again, but took the book anyway. “Once upon a time, in a nd far, far away…” she began, voice ft. Utterly bored.

  Sarah nodded, scribbling away in her notebook, only gncing up now and then.

  Eventually, Emily snapped the book shut triumphantly.

  “The End.” she chirped happily.

  “Good, good…” Sarah nodded approvingly. “Okay—Danny, your turn. Switch. Same book.”

  Emily, or perhaps Daniel, blinked, frowned, opened their mouth—then thought better of it and just shrugged, flipping the book back open.

  “Once upon a time, in a nd far, far away…”

  Sarah’s pen froze mid-scribble as her eyes widened.

  “Hmm… there it is” she muttered to herself, already jotting down more notes, nodding self assuredly like she’d just confirmed a hypothesis.

  The tests continued—sometimes Sarah had the kids walk in circles, other times she made them run ps around the living room. She tossed balls and random objects their way, asked them to close their eyes and sing songs, even made them hop on one foot until they groaned.

  Thomas watched it all from the doorway, arms crossed, a bemused smile tugging at his lips. He kept his mouth shut—curious where Sarah was going with all of this.

  Finally, Sarah snapped her notebook shut with a victorious grin.

  “Alright,” she announced, looking quite pleased with herself. “I think I figured it out.”

  Thomas couldn’t hold back any longer.

  He cleared his throat loudly, making everyone in the room jump. Two sets of wide eyes turned to gre at him—though Thomas knew there were in fact three souls staring at him at that moment.

  “Sorry,” he began, hands up in mock surrender. “I’ve been watching. You all looked… focused, so I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  He tapped the doorframe lightly. “But as charming as this spot is, I’d love to get on with my day. If it’s not too much trouble…can someone expin what’s going on?”

  There was a dramatic sigh from —Emily, or maybe Daniel? It was hard to tell at that moment.

  “Mom’s experimenting on us,” came the grumble.

  “Trying to figure out who’s driving the body and when.”

  Thomas paused, then shook his head slowly - “I’m sorry…did you just say your mom is doing what to you again?”

  He turned to mock-gre at Sarah, as he approached her.

  “You nearly tore me a new one when you found out I let them drive—safely, I might add—and now you’re running experiments on our children?”

  “Oh, hush, you,” Sarah shot back, swatting at him, barely looking up.

  “We need to know which one of them is driving the body at any point. And I daresay they enjoyed it—probably a big game to them.”

  “Game my as—” Emily started, flushing red before snapping her mouth shut under Sarah’s sharp gre.

  “Watch it, missy,” Sarah warned, her tone dropping sharp.

  Thomas blinked, eyes narrowing.

  “Wait… how’d you know that was Emily? Isn’t Danny the one who normally has the more - ah - colorful nguage?”

  Sarah hesitated, then sighed, seemingly deciding to shelve any potential scolding for ter. She pulled up another chair and gestured for both her husband and the kids to sit.

  She flipped open her notebook and handed it to Thomas. “Alright. Sit down. I’ll show you.”

  —

  “So—we’ve always noticed Emily looks a little different when she and Danny are really synced up, right? Like… older, wiser, almost,” Sarah started, tapping her notes.

  “But of te, perhaps as they evolved more, it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Subtle differences, though—they’re there. If you know what to look for.”

  Thomas nodded slowly, still unsure where she was going but already impressed by how deep she’d dug into this.

  “Watch their eyes,” Sarah said, gncing toward the kids. “Carefully. When they switch.”

  She motioned to Emily—maybe Daniel—who huffed again.

  “Alright, let’s see it. Seven or eight times. And yes, there’s ice cream afterward—you’ve both earned it.”

  With another exaggerated sigh, they nodded—and the game began.

  Thomas leaned forward, eyes narrowing, watching carefully as they sat unnervingly still. For a moment, nothing happened. He wondered if his wife might be chasing shadows.

  And then—there it was.

  Subtle.

  Yet undeniable.

  A fsh, a flicker —so quick he nearly missed it—blue shifting to brown, then fshing right back to blue. Not a trick of the light. Not imagination. Real.

  His breath caught. “Wait… their eyes. I saw it.” Thomas’s voice dropped to a near whisper, part awe, part disbelief.

  “They fsh—like really fsh. I always thought it was just… nerves. Emotions. Maybe the light.”

  He shook his head slowly, unable to tear his gaze away - “But no. It’s real.”

  “Yep!” Sarah chirped, clearly pleased with herself.

  “Doesn’t matter who’s switching—Emily to Danny, Danny to Emily—it always happens. Quick fsh. Blue to brown and right back to blue.”

  She tapped her pen thoughtfully against her chin.

  “Danny’s theory?” she added, gncing at her children. “He thinks it’s vascur—blood flow reted. Says when one of them pulls back, there’s this brief… sensation. Like shifting perspective, changing positions almost. I figure as the brain reorients to whoever’s in control, maybe there’s a slight change in blood flow to the eyes. Just enough to make the iris darken for a second.”

  Thomas blinked, considering what he had just learned.

  “Hmm… that would actually track. Eyes are ridiculously sensitive to blood flow changes—especially light-colored ones like Em’s. Yeah you two might be onto something.”

  He rubbed his jaw, brow furrowed deep now as the possibilities spun through his mind.

  A pause. A long exhale.

  “God… I always thought it was just a trick of the light. Or my brain making it up.” He shook his head slowly. “But it’s real. Subtle, but real.”

  He let out a soft chuckle. “Good thing, honestly. If that fsh were any more obvious… keeping this secret would be a nightmare.”

  Sarah hummed in agreement.

  “Lucky in a weird way.”

  “But it’s not just the fsh….” she continued. “The eyes themselves—how they look—that changes too. Watch this. Emily—switch in.”

  There was a fsh—barely visible, as Thomas leaned forwards.

  “Emily, don’t py games with me,” Sarah warned, wagging her finger.

  “Oh jeez, Mom… you’re already good at this,” Emily stammered, eyes going wide with mock innocence.

  Thomas blinked. “Wait… they were pying us?” He gnced between Sarah and his daughter, disbelief creeping into his voice. “How did you catch that?”

  “I’ll show you.” Sarah’s voice turned sharp, maternal. “Emily—switch. Now.”

  Emily sighed dramatically—and there it was. That flicker. That subtle shift.

  Sarah’s voice softened. “Okay. That’s Danny now. Look at him.”

  Thomas squinted, but the moment Sarah said it—he saw. The difference was stark once you knew what to look for. Daniel’s eyes - they darted, scanning the room, cautious, nervous, as if expecting something to go wrong. The brightness that Emily carried—gone. In its pce was something - heavier.

  “See how his eyes move?” Sarah murmured. “Always watching. Like he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. They look more…tired.”

  She reached out without thinking, brushing a hand through Daniel’s hair.

  Thomas felt it then, a hollow pang sinking deep into his chest.

  It wasn’t just tiredness—it was weariness. The kind you only get from carrying too much, too young. There was a weight behind those eyes, a reminder that their son had lived a whole life before ever setting foot in their home.

  And suddenly, Thomas saw it—all the times Danny smiled just a little too tightly, all the moments he stayed quiet when Emily bubbled over. How much of that wasn’t just personality—but armor?

  “Yeah,” he whispered. “He looks… older. Like a kid who’s already been through hell.”

  The words hung there, heavier than anyone wanted to admit.

  Sarah sighed. “Okay, Emily—switch.”

  Fsh.

  Thomas saw it immediately. The shift was subtle, but once noticed, impossible to ignore. Emily’s eyes brightened—lighter, livelier. There was a spark there, almost like she was perpetually holding back a grin.

  “I see it…” Thomas murmured, voice low. “My God, it’s subtle but… clear as day. Emily looks… happier. Mischievous. Curious.”

  Sarah smiled softly, leaning in to tweak Emily’s nose.

  “Lot less trauma in this one”

  She straightened - “But Emily’s eyes look more like, well, a child’s eyes. Lighter, happier…”

  A pause.

  “Naughtier…” Sarah added her eyes pyfully narrowing.

  Thomas didn’t argue. He just nodded, swallowing thickly. He could see it - Emily carried joy like it came naturally, easily whereas Daniel carried weight, unfortunately, equally as naturally.

  “Don’t let her fool you though, watch this” Sarah continued, gncing at Emily. “Emily, what is twenty fifty thousand, two hundred and fifty times seven?”

  Thomas saw it — for a brief moment — another flicker. Emily’s eyes narrowed slightly, her expression drifting somewhere distant, as if she weren’t entirely in the room. For a heartbeat, she didn’t look ten years old at all. She looked—timeless.

  Like something beyond human understanding.

  “One hundred and seventy six thousand, seven hundred and fifty” she crisply responded.

  Thomas exhaled slowly.

  He’d known for a long time that his children were, together, something extraordinary—walking supercomputers, yes, but more than that. They carried knowledge from beyond this universe, beyond this time, able to compute the impossible in a blink.

  Their only limits were the tools they had and the world’s ability to keep up.

  Yet, it always took his breath away when he saw them in action.

  “I saw it…she seemed…otherworldly for a split second” Thomas whispered in awe.

  A pause.

  “Should I bother checking the answer?”

  Emily and Sarah merely huffed at him together.

  Like mother, like daughter.

  —

  “Well, there are other differences too—body nguage,” Sarah continued, tapping her pen thoughtfully. “The kids hide it well, but Emily? You move a lot more. You fidget, tilt your head, lean in when you talk. It’s subtle, but it’s there.”

  “Switch,” Thomas requested, curiously evident.

  Fsh.

  Thomas watched closely. The shift was immediate once you knew what to look for. Daniel was stiller—his posture tighter, more contained.

  “See it?” Sarah asked softly. “Danny’s reserved. It’s survival instinct. He learned to take up less space.”

  Thomas nodded slowly, exhaling just a little. “Yeah… I see it now.”

  Sarah pressed on, her tone gentler. “That’s why I had them walk, hop, run—see how they carry themselves. Danny’s cautious, more careful. Until he gets excited—then, honestly?”

  She gave a small ugh “He’s the bigger kid between them.”

  Daniel shifted, gncing away as if embarrassed. “Mom… you’re kinda scary smart sometimes.”

  “Hmm.” Sarah smirked, unapologetic. “I’m your mom. Comes with the territory.”

  She flipped back a few pages in her notes.

  “Then there’s their tone. Their cadence.” She gnced at Thomas. “I think out in public, Emily drives more. Keeps things seamless, easier to hide. But here? At home? The guard drops. That’s why I made them read aloud—voice gives everything away.”

  She pointed at the notebook - “Emily’s faster. A little higher-pitched. More animated. Danny’s… slower. Measured. Has a tendency to drop sarcasm like it’s a second nguage given a choice.”

  Sarah paused, grinning - “And—he’s got the faintest drawl when he’s irritated.”

  Fsh.

  “Mom! How did you figure this out in, like, an hour?” one of them squeaked, voice full of begrudging awe.

  Thomas grinned. “Emily?”

  “Yep.” Sarah didn’t even gnce up, scribbling a note. “Told you—once you see it, you can’t unsee it.”

  She finally looked up, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she faced Emily.

  “And how’d I figure it out so fast, Emily? Because I had you in bor for way too long, my darling firstborn, way WAY too long.”

  Her voice softened, gaze shifting between them—“And because I’m your mom. Both of you. You can’t hide from me.”

  Fsh.

  Daniel surfaced, narrowing his eyes - “You’re gonna use this against us, aren’t you?”

  Sarah only smiled—sweet, smug, dangerous. “Me? Never.”

  —

  Sarah shared more of her notes with Thomas, walking him through each observation as if she were presenting a case study.

  She even demonstrated how to spot which child was driving—by posture, by the way they walked, even when neither said a word. How to catch when they were being mischievous, pretending to switch.

  By the end of it, Thomas sat back, hands gripping the back of his head, processing it all. He realized, yet again, that somewhere along the way the impossible had started to feel normal. Natural, even.

  Sarah tapped her pen against her notebook. “Oh—one more thing. I forgot to mention. Most of the time? They’re synced. Like… really synced. When they’re just going about their day—walking, eating, moving? Both of them are driving together. Emily has expined this a few times but now I think I’m really beginning to get it.”

  She reached out casually and flicked the kids’ forehead.

  “OW! Why, Mom?” Emily yelped, rubbing her head.

  Fsh

  Daniel’s expression seemed confused as he growled under his breath.

  Sarah smiled faintly but didn’t apologize. Instead, she pointed. “See that? Both of them felt it. It wasn’t just Emily.”

  Sarah’s eyes narrowed as she py gred - “Which means when they are getting into trouble, it is usually both of them deciding to do it.”

  A pause.

  “Usually…”

  She leaned back and looking quite self satisfied ruffled their hair - a smile pying on her lips again. However, her smile faltered for a moment.

  “And… there’s something else.” She gnced at Thomas. “I think… Danny can transfer pain. Or sensations. If Emily’s sick, hurting… he can take it.”

  Thomas’s head snapped up. “What?”

  Sarah nodded slowly. “Yeah. Took some coaxing— a little scolding, a few borderline threats—but he admitted it. He’s done it. More than once.”

  Her eyes softened. “Apparently, if she’s hurting bad enough… he just… takes it, partly or completely. Like load bancing. He can reduce her pain, or completely insute her. He doesn’t know how, he just does - it only seems to be one way - Emily can’t seem to do this.”

  Fsh.

  Daniel surfaced, shoulders tense, eyes darting down, looking quite embarrassed.

  “She’s my sister,” he muttered. “Even if she’s a gremlin.”

  For a second, no one spoke. The weight of it nded differently this time.

  Thomas felt his throat tightening.

  “You’ve… done that? You’ve actually taken it? Her pain?”

  Daniel shrugged. “Yeah. Couple times. After the accident… when she was still hurting bad. And… sometimes, when she’s sick. If it gets too much, I just… ”

  He shrugged again - “I don’t know how. I just…can. I don’t have a good answer as to why. Using secondary brain pathways or something maybe?”

  Sarah’s eyes softened, voice warm. “It’s… sweet, really. You’re a good kid.”

  For a second, Daniel looked like he might melt under the compliment—until—

  Fsh.

  Emily snapped forward, hands pnted firmly on her thighs, eyes fshing in irritation.

  “Okay, no. You don’t get to make him sound like some kind of hero.”

  Thomas blinked. “Emily—”

  She huffed, pointing furiously at Daniel—even if technically she was pointing at herself.

  “Do you know how annoying it is? He just does it. Half the time I don’t even want him to! But he can’t stop because he’s this overprotective, annoying, martyr-complex dummy—”

  Fsh.

  Daniel surfaced mid-rant, red-faced. “Emily—”

  Fsh.

  Emily was back, scowling. “—with this compulsion to ‘protect his little sister’ like he’s some tragic anime character or something! I swear… I have to be his therapist half the time. Why don’t I get credit for that?”

  Thomas coughed—half ughter, half trying not to encourage the outburst.

  Sarah just smiled faintly, scribbling something down.

  “Noted,” she murmured. “Honestly, Tom? Cssic sibling dynamic—overprotective big brother, exasperated little sister… until it flips. Then it’s the sassy little sister running the show, and the big brother barely holding it together.”

  She gnced up, her eyes glinting with quiet amusement.

  “Once they get going, it’s almost impossible to break them out of it. Apparently, half the time they just… keep going. Internally. Whole arguments—right there in front of us—and we wouldn’t even know.”

  Thomas blinked. “Seriously?”

  Sarah nodded, grinning now. “Yep. They’ve got a whole private battleground up here,” she tapped her temple with the end of her pen.

  “Emily let it slip once—sounded like they’ve had full-blown snowball fights in the Dreamscape. Probably an entire war or two by now.”

  Fsh.

  Daniel surfaced mid-rant, face flushed, ears practically glowing. He scratched the back of his neck, sheepish. “...Yeah. We maybe… sometimes… go a little overboard.”

  “And there it is,” she murmured, voice light but fond. She pointed with her pen. “The neck scratch. Dead giveaway.”

  Daniel blinked, startled. “Wait—what?”

  Thomas huffed, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little. “It’s your tell, bud. Always has been. Every time you’re trying to act like it’s no big deal… there it is. Knew that even before your mom pointed it out. You’ve literally had that tick since day one…”

  Daniel groaned - “That obvious, huh?”

  No response was needed.

  —

  Sarah turned back to Thomas, tapping her pen thoughtfully. "There’s one more thing I’ve been thinking about… I’m starting to wonder if Emily and Daniel have some kind of reflex enhancement."

  Thomas blinked. "Reflex enhancement?"

  "Yeah." Sarah stood, stretching casually as if the conversation didn’t mean much—then, almost too casually, wandered over to the side table.

  Thomas watched suspiciously as she pulled open a drawer and—without warning—yanked out a soft foam ball she’d clearly stashed earlier.

  Before anyone could react, Sarah whipped the ball full force straight at Emily’s head.

  Fsh.

  There was an immediate shift—posture tightening, eyes sharpening—then a smooth, effortless catch. One-handed. No stumble.

  "What the—Sarah?!" Thomas nearly tripped over himself standing. "Where did you even—how the hell—"

  Sarah just smirked, arms crossed. "Been pnning that one."

  She turned serious. "Tom… I think it’s the two of them together. Two souls, two sets of instincts. One mind running a little faster than the rest of us. It’s subtle… until it’s not."

  Thomas stared, still rattled. "That… that wasn’t normal. Not even close."

  Sarah nodded slowly. "Think back to the accident. The way they ran for Lily… it was inhumanly fast. I didn’t see it until now, but I think it’s been there the whole time."

  The room fell silent—Thomas’s throat tightened. He remembered. How fast they’d moved. How close they’d come to dying.

  "And there’s more," Sarah added quietly. "I think Danny’s got a failsafe. If Emily’s in real danger—if someone raises a hand—he’ll just… step in. No warning. No asking."

  She shook her head. "I can’t prove it yet. But I’ve seen it, Tom. He’s wired that way."

  Thomas exhaled slowly, heart pounding harder than he cared to admit. "Jesus…"

  —

  Sarah cleared her throat, gncing between Thomas and the kids.

  "Anyway, I have another theory. I think I caught a glimpse the other day."

  Thomas raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

  Sarah blushed slightly.

  "So… Emily was being, well, Emily. Tried to swap the sugar and salt again—" she shot Emily a warning look, "—and I might’ve gone to swat her. Just pyful, you know? Typical mom thing."

  Emily immediately huffed, crossing her arms. "It was a prank!"

  "Yeah, well—" Sarah grinned, leaning forward, "—right before I nded it, there was a fsh. A posture shift. Not defensive like Danny stepping in. This felt more like… Emily kicking him out."

  Thomas blinked. "Wait. She can… force him out?"

  "Apparently? Seems like it only works one way. Maybe because it’s her body originally?”

  Fsh

  Daniel emerged, scratching the back of his head again, looking quite sheepish - “Actually Mom, I can do that too. I’m just being…polite.”

  A faint, exasperated growl escaped him - “Also, just for the record, when she yeets me out like that, I’m busy in the dreamscape, or sleeping or something. Yeah, we can sleep separately. I don’t know why.”

  Thomas let out a low whistle. Then he frowned - “What, what does ‘yeet’ mean?”

  Fsh.

  Emily rememerged, ignoring the question, arms crossed - "What’s the big deal! I was pying, okay? You didn’t have to almost clobber me for it!"

  Sarah snorted. "Please. That wasn’t even a real swing, missy."

  She leaned down until they were eye to eye. "And honestly? You deserved a good swat for messing with my coffee."

  A pause.

  “And another one for shoving your brother out like that…”

  Emily stuck her tongue out, but even Thomas could see the little smile pying at the corner of her mouth.

  Sarah narrowed her eyes, lips twitching.

  Then, with no further warning, she lunged forward—grabbing her children by the shoulders and giving them a mock-rough shake, just hard enough to jostle them a little.

  “You little menaces!” she growled, though her grin betrayed her. “Swapping out, booting your brother, plotting against my coffee—you’re lucky I love you both.”

  Emily yelped, “Mom! You’re gonna rattle us apart!”

  Fsh

  Daniel’’s voice followed immediately, half-ughing, half-panicked, “We’re fragile, woman!”

  “Oh, hush,” Sarah grinned, releasing them with one final affectionate shake. “Both of you survive worse every time you plot my doom over breakfast.”

  The kids giggled—one voice, two souls—rolling their shoulders pointlessly dramatically.

  As the banter continued - Thomas merely marvelled at how easily his wife had disarmed and understood their incredible children. Again, what had felt so unusual, so inexplicable suddenly felt a lot more - normal, lot more human, a lot more - familial.

  Two souls in one body. Reflexes that defied logic. Eyes that flickered like a secret only they could see.

  And yet… this was just life now. Coffee arguments. Dumb pranks. A mom scolding her daughter—and her son. A father learning when to step in, when to just… marvel.

  He let out a slow breath.

  "We’re gonna be okay," Thomas thought, almost surprised by how true it felt.

  And maybe… that was more than enough.