The girls followed Rikki's scattered new memories to the science wing of the school. Class was already in session when they entered. The teacher, who Emily recognized as Timothy Lind, another of her father's work buddies, smiled patronizingly at them.
"How nice of you girls to join us! Have 'the' seat," he gestured to a pair of empty desks front and center of all the rows. Some of the students giggled.
Rikki looked at Emily in confusion. Emily saw that she was blushing. "Um...I think I remember this. Those are the seats he reserves for any kids who're tardy."
"Great," Rikki muttered.
"Any time you like," Mr. Lind said with growing impatience.
The girls apologized and shuffled to the desks. They took out their notebooks and tried to blend in. Mr. Lind drew his attention back to the smart board he was using to draw some diagrams.
Emily and Rikki tried their best to pay attention, jotting down the notes like good schoolgirls and occasionally brushing their long hair out of their faces. The hair was almost more uncomfortable as the desk chairs, with the way it tickled their ears and seemed to wave about on its own. As time went on, though, it seemed easier to ignore.
Eventually, the bell rang and everyone put their things away. The twins exchanged looks of relief and stood up. Suddenly they were yanked together and their shoulders collided, nearly sending them falling over, but Emily gripped the desk and Rikki's arm for stability before that could happen.
They looked at each other in confusion, then heard several other girls cackling behind them. They turned their heads, feeling another yank. "What the hell?" Rikki sputtered.
"It's this!" Emily pulled some kind of dark brown rope from behind them. Looking at it closer, Rikki realized it was her own hair. More precisely, their own hair. During the class, whoever was sitting behind them had braided Rikki and Emily's hair together into a long, ankle-length braid that hung between them. It was done so tightly that they could barely stand shoulders apart.
"Maybe it's time for a haircut!" jeered a redhead with a ponytail.
"Shut your face, Monica!" Rikki spat, not even realizing she knew the girl's name.
"Ignore them. They're not 'real,' anyway," Emily said, trying to be the calm one.
"This feels pretty real!" Rikki huffed, clutching the braid. "We can't spend the rest of the day walking in lockstep with each other!"
"I'm working on it...," Emily said, fiddling with the complicated knot the girl had made in the hairties holding the base of the braid together. "She's... she's tied some hair around the bands... I can get it... I just..."
Emily wasn't able to finish her sentence, because...