Emily didn't need to look at the picture that just popped out of the camera to see what had just changed. She still had to squint at her reflection to account for the changes, because there weren't many. She was still a 17-year-old Asian girl, but her style was different.
In place of her quasi-punk attire was a pristine school uniform--a baggy beige V-neck sweater over a crisp white blouse. A large red ribbon flopped down from the collar. Her ripped jeans were replaced with a navy blue pleated skirt, and she had a pair of black dress shoes with a single buckle over the stereotypical baggy socks she recognized from pictures of Japanese students. Her dark hair was still tied in two pigtails, but these were more neatly bound and longer, reaching down to her pronounced buttocks. She still had her generous curves. Even through the sweater her bust was able to make itself visible, but the uniform added a cuteness to the mature look, especially the way the baggy sleeves of the sweater partially covered her hands when they rested at her sides.
But the biggest difference wasn't visible. She had all her memories back. She remembered Rick and the breaking of the camera. She also remembered that Paula was her dad. No, wait, her name--HIS name was Paul. Right? That's a weird name for a Japanese girl.
She slapped her forehead. This still wasn't right. If subject awareness was activated, why didn't the camera erase the fake memories Shoko's photo gave her?
"Emil... Emiko?" Paul said tentatively. Emily turned around and noticed her sis-- dad for the first time since taking the picture. He was dressed exactly the same as Emily, right down to the long pigtails and the straight-cut bangs that covered most of his forehead. Emily hated that hairstyle, but their mom insisted they maintain a prim and proper appearance until they were more settled in and could choose what local styles they liked. Or, that's what her new memories were telling her. But why were they telling her that? Why did she have NEW memories along with getting her old ones back?
She looked down at the camera. Instead of selecting the Relationship option as she had intended, she must have slipped, because the dial currently read Past. "Kuso!" she hissed. "I'm sorry, Shoko. I tried to make a small change, and it looks like I gave us an entirely new history."
"Emik-- Em-ily, what's going on? I remember working at a construction site but I also remember going to this school for years as your sister." Paul tugged at his sweater, staring down at his breasts. His long-lashed eyes fluttered as he tried to reconcile having different ages and genders between mind and body.
Emily groaned sympathetically. "I'll explain everything later, dad. And we only just started at this school after moving from Japan last summer." She scratched her head. "I mean, this school WAS the construction site and now this busted camera is jumbling our memories. Come on. We have to get out of here before someone catches us skipping class."
She grabbed Paul's arm to pull him out of the bathroom, but just then...