Mark and Max wore identical small smiles, but it did not hide the uncertainty in their eyes. Mark turned away. Max stared at the back of his brother's head for a few moments before turning to Luke. He shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe... But I don't see how one ring would fix the problem."
"Is it really a problem though? So... we're stuck like this?" Jack questioned, though his tone did not carry too much concern. "I am okay with that if you are Zack."
Zack nodded in agreement. He had a sly smile, "This could actually be pretty cool. I mean, it sucks that we pretty much only have half a body each, but now we will never get lonely. We'll always have someone to talk to. It's like have a best friend permanently hanging out. If I was given two options, I would choose to be stuck with Jack rather than not having him around at all."
"Well then I guess you got what you wanted!" Mark abruptly turned around.
"Calm down dude. We don't want my parents to barge in." Luke moved his palms in a downward motion, as if he could turn down Mark's volume.
"They're going to find out eventually!" Mark raised his hands and then let them drop to his side. He turned to Max, "Our parents are going to freak! Not only do they now have four kids now, but their youngest are stuck as two heads on the same body."
"Well what about all of the other stuff in your closet? There might be something else that can help." Jack offered.
That comment made everyone turn in unison to the closet. Luke was the first to his closet, but when he slid it open, nothing special remained. It seemed to be back to normal; all the skin suits, costumes, and other magical items were gone. "What the heck? Where is everything?" He pulled back shirts and looked through each pile of folded pants.
"How does your whole closet disappear?" Mark asked, seemingly having gained some control over his distress.
"It didn't disappear." Luke said, face still pressed into his clothes. "It just is back to what is was before. Wait... what's this?" He pulled out an envelope. It appeared to be sealed with red wax with the symbol of an ornate M. He quickly tore it open, and unfolded the letter. "I think this is from the guy in the Santa Costume. Why the M... I'm not sure. I guess he really wasn't Santa." He read aloud, "Dearest Luke, You might be surprised to find your closet missing of all the magic I had bestowed to you. Regrettably, I can only let you possess the first object you chose. The rest of the magic will be given to others who desire them. The mystical rings are therefore yours to keep, share, or do with what you will."
Luke looked up from the note for a moment, before he kept reading. "As I am sure that you are aware now, each ring possesses a unique power. They were sorted into columns of common magical aspects, but unfortunately, some may have been shifted around from the previous owner. Do be careful when testing the rings. If several are worn at the same time, the effects might be combined with unpredictable results..."
"That would have been good to know before hand." Mark stated.
Luke frowned, but then continued, "I wish you the best of luck, and hope you enjoy the gift... P.S. Your youngest friends do not need to remain by each other's side forever. A clever combination of the rings' effects should allow them to go their own ways, if they so choose.”
Mark let out a sigh of relief, and he visibly seemed calmer. "It still would have been nice to know some of this before. Better late than never, I guess."
"So we can separate them." Max said, a smile on his face. "We just need to figure out which rings would get the job done."
"If we so choose." Zack and Jack both spoke in unison. Zack then continued, "We choose to stay like this for awhile longer." His brother nodded his head in agreement.
Both Mark and Max shrugged their shoulders. "Like you guys had a choice." Max smirked. "We still need to figure out which rings can separate you two. Until then, you guys will have 'to remain by each other's side.'" He then spoke to the group. "I don't see a problem in letting them remain joined for now. We can finish testing the rings and then come up with a plan."
Luke nodded, "Okay, then lets finish with the rings." He carefully tucked the letter in his back pocket. "With all the commotion, I forgot whose turn it was next."
"Its our turn still." Jack pipped up.
"You guys have tried like 50 rings. Its my turn now." Max stated.
"Only one technically... the two-in-one-ring. But even then, there are two of us. We should get to try on at least one more ring." Jack pointed out.