Jacob blinked and stared at the stranger before him. Young, probably the 13 asked for, but nothing else looked right. Shaggy, dark brown hair, large blue eyes with a vaguely oriental shape, a smattering of freckles on pink skin, all combining into a bewildered-looking boy that looked nothing like the friend he had grown up with. “Who are you?” asked Jacob, feeling silly since they were still embracing. Except – the other boy said exactly the same thing in the same voice at the same time. “Jacob?” ”Charlie?” Again they spoke over each other, though this time the names were different. They sat up in unison and leaned apart like mirror images, every movement duplicated.
They were slender, hairless, and had skin somewhere between the darker Asian tone Jacob had been born with and Charlie’s paleness. Not skinny, not muscular. Their sexual equipment was uncircumcised, as Charlie’s had been, but also darker and shaped like what Jacob’s. Not impressive, given their age, but neither had been hugely endowed.
Jacob returned his gaze to the odd face and saw that Jacob matched his movements. They both reached out a hand to touch the other’s cheek, and frowned in unison as the touch registered curiously – Jacob could feel his friend’s skin with his fingertips with a kind of echo or reverb sensation. They both drew their hands back and then tried again, running fingers down their smooth chests. It was confusing and fascinating at the same time – he could feel his own hand and fingers, but also the sensations that Charlie was feeling!
Wordlessly, they slid off the table side-by-side and still clutching hands, and walked in unison to a large mirror on the opposite wall. They were absolutely identical in every way, even blinking in unison. It took some thought, but Jacob could figure out the features – they had been averaged out, two very different physical bodies meeting in the middle. Both sets of eyes widened in alarm and they both asked “Did our minds merge?”
The Doctor had been watching them, still grinning. “This is wonderful! I’ve heard of the possibility, but so far no one has ever twinned like this before. “
“But we’re doing and saying he same thing!” The two boys spoke in unison.
“For now.” The Doctor chuckled. “I expect the two of you will continue to get even closer mentally until there is separation enough to jolt your independent identities.” He nodded to their clenched hands. “The physical connection is feeding the mental link.”
The two boys looked at each other, matching uncertain looks down at the interwoven fingers. There was no effort to let go. Jacob was filled with curiosity, getting flickers of memory that did not belong to him. He was remembering being Charlie! Not so much that he didn’t know his own self, but as they stood with hands clasped, his friend’s thoughts and memories were slowly coming into focus.
There was a knock on the door. “Doctor? The next patient is here.”
The Doctor said “Just a moment!” Then he gestured toward the mirror and the reflection changed. Instead of showing the twin boys, it was a window to a wooded camp. About two dozen boys of all ages were playing, talking, or just walking around. Some were nude, others wore swim trunks or shorts. “Step through and you will be in the camp. The longer you stay connected, the more complete the exchange will be. All of this can be reversed when you are ready.”
Jacob and Charlie looked at each other, then grin