Maya was barely paying attention in English. She wasn’t ever going to need to know this, anyway. And it was hard to concentrate with Lily beside her. Lily didn’t know what Maya was planning. Maya had to tell her. It would be wrong to just disappear one day with no explanation.

The teacher had stopped talking, so Maya leaned over and whispered, “Can you meet me at my private spot during lunch?”

“Of course,” Lily replied, brow furling in concern. “Is everything okay?”

Maya didn’t want to lie, but she didn’t want to worry Lily any more than she had to.

“It’s about me being sick,” Maya replied, with a wary glance at the back of the classroom where Charlie was sitting.

“I’ll be there,” Lily promised.

Maya got to the hallway first and sat down, wrapping her arms around her stomach. This was a mistake. She should have just asked Brielle to tell Lily. Or told her in a text. She was never going to be able to look her in the eye and say what she needed to. Her stomach was upset. She was a little dizzy.

Lily arrived and sat down next to Maya. She seemed to sense the weightiness of the situation, because she drew her legs up to her chest and stared down at her navel. Maya sighed. Part of her wanted to throw up, the rest of her wanted to disappear.

“So what is it?” Lily asked. “Are you being hospitalized? Is it that bad? Is it worse? How could it be worse than that?”

“It’s… Lily, I’m sorry.”

Lily started to cry.

Maya continued, “Brielle is telling our other friends right now, but I thought you deserved to know. One of the mages found a way to put my mind into Brielle’s body and share it with her. We’re… since I’m so sick, we’re going to agree to it. It’s the only way to be sure we can save my life in time.”

Beside her, Lily started sobbing. Maya wrapped an arm around Lily’s shoulders and pulled her in close. After a moment, she also started rubbing Lily’s back.

“I don’t really want to do it,” Maya said, “But I don’t want to die, Lily.”

“No…” Lily croaked. “It’s the right thing to do. I want you to live. I just… I just met you. I don’t want to lose you, Maya.”

“I don’t want to lose you, either,” Maya replied. “Um… can I ask you something?”

Lily nodded.

Maya continued, “I really want to have a first kiss before I lose my body forever.”

Lily was still for a moment, then nodded. Neither of them made a move at first. Then Lily unfurled herself and turned to face Maya. Her eyes were red and puffy from tears.

Maya leaned in, and Lily followed her lead. When they got close, Maya closed her eyes and tilted her head. She felt Lily’s warm lips press up against her own. A warm sensation ran through Maya, followed by a tingle. She pressed forward a little harder, and Lily responded by placing her hands on Maya’s cheeks.

It was Lily who pulled away first. Maya opened her eyes, and the world was blurry from tears. Lily had dropped her head, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks as well.

“Do you think,” she began, “that we could make it work when you and your sister are together?”

“I don’t know,” Maya admitted. “Maybe. But it probably won’t be right away.”

“Promise me we’ll at least be friends.”

“I promise.”

Lily leaned in again, then grabbed Maya in a hug. Maya returned the hug, clutching Lily tightly. They held each other like that for a while.

That evening, Maya, Brielle, and their parents returned to the conference building they had visited once before to convene with Arista and some of her colleagues. They were in a regular conference room this time, seated at a long table. Adeline was there, along with the waxy Doctor Rackar and his student Victoria. Two officials in suits were also there with clipboards and bored expressions.

“We’re glad that you’ve agreed to meet with us,” Arista said. “It will be good to take care of Maya’s situation before her condition deteriorates further.”

“Agreed,” Brielle said, but Maya could tell that she was uneasy.

Her father asked Maya, “Are you okay, sweetheart? You’re sure about this, right?”

Maya nodded, but her stomach was turning and she couldn’t tell if it was nerves or illness.

Arista took a clipboard with several sheets of forms on it and slid it across the table to Maya.

“All you need to do is fill out these forms and we can settle on a date for the ceremony. I bet you can’t wait to be one person again.”

“Actually,” Maya said, pushing the clipboard away, “we decided on our other option.”

Arista seemed to deflate as her expression grew darks. Maya saw her briefly glance over at Victoria and frown before turning her attention back to the family. The witch took a long, measured breath, then sighed.

“I’ve decided that it’s too risky to perform the experimental spell. I understand why you would be inclined to trust magic like that, but even when properly regulated, experimental magic is extremely dangerous. There’s no guarantee of success, and a very high likelihood of unpredictable side effects. Now, if you’ll—”

But Maya’s father cleared his throat and replied firmly, “My daughter has made her decision. She chose an option that was made available to her through official channels.”

Arista muttered, “I’d hardly call a child in training ‘official channels,’ sir.’

“Regardless,” Maya’s mother added, “My daughter is committed to what she’s decided is the best option for her.”

Arista glanced quickly at Adeline, who cleared her throat and said, “Think about this, Maya. You two are supposed to be one person, remember? You’ll be happier when you’re a complete person again. From your perspective, all that happens is you gain a few memories. You’re not going to be erased.”

“I’ll be happy,” Maya said, “with my sister. I’m not going to sacrifice her even to save myself.”

“Fusing us together would be the same as killing her,” Brielle insisted. “The whole point of trusting you people is because I don’t want to lose her, Adeline. How can you still not understand that?”

Adeline looked a little hurt and bowed her head. Her mentor’s gaze bore into her. After a moment, Adeline sighed.

“I think we should do the other spell,” she told Arista. “You haven’t seen what I’ve seen, ma’am. They really do love each other. You’re never going to get them to agree to our first plan.”

Arista’s jaw tightened and she turned to look at the doctor.

“If that’s what she wants,” Doctor Rackar replied.

“Very well,” Arista said, folding her arms on the table. “I’ll make the necessary arrangements.”

She had a new set of forms printed out for Maya and her parents to fill. It took the better part of an hour for Arista to explain everything, emphasizing how dangerous this plan was. By the time everything had been signed, it was nearing sundown. They settled on Saturday as the date and the family stood up to leave.

“So this is it,” Maya said as they exited the building. “At the end of the week, I lose my independence.”

“I’m sorry, Maya,” her mother told her, grabbing her in a hug. “We don’t have to go through with this if you don’t want to. We can still wait.”

“We can’t wait forever,” Maya insisted, sinking into the hug. “I’ll make the most of this week, I promise.”

Maya did her best to fulfill that promise, but the weekend was still upon her before she knew it. Saturday morning, Maya found herself throwing up, and couldn’t be sure if it was her illness or fear. She was wearing her finest dress and didn’t want to mess up her lipstick. If this was her last day as a full individual, she was going to love how she looked.

By the time she got downstairs, shaking in her boots, the rest of her family was silently sitting around the dining room table. Nobody had the stomach to eat anything.

“Are you ready to go?” her father asked when Maya entered the room.

“I’m ready,” Maya replied, not looking at any of them.

“Do you want breakfast?” her mother asked.

Maya shook her head. Her stomach was turning and she wouldn’t be able to eat. Besides, her family had gone all out the night before on her last meal.

When they arrived at the conference building, the family was ushered into the same big empty room that the first spell was cast in. This time there were even more mages, and more officials wearing suits. Arista and Doctor Rackar were there to meet the family.

“Alright,” Arista said, “here’s how it’s going to go. You’ll both lie down in the middle of the spell circle that they’re crafting. Maya, you’ll feel a pulling sensation as you’re moved into her body. Your own body will degenerate into magical energy, so there’s no cleanup to worry about. Your clothes will be left over, so you won’t lose those.”

Maya nodded, not trusting herself to speak lest she throw up again. She was given a chair to sit in until the other mages were ready. Brielle stood behind her with her hands on Maya’s shoulders.

“We’re ready,” the doctor finally told her.

Maya gave one last, long hug to her mother, then her father, and finally a really long hug to Brielle. She buried her head in Brielle’s shoulder and just stayed there. Eventually, there came a tap on her shoulder and Maya had to let go.

She and Brielle held hands as they entered the circle, only letting go as they separated to lie down on the mats that had been set up for them.

“I’m here, Maya,” Brielle whispered. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m not,” Maya replied.

They could hear a quiet chanting around them as the mages around the circle began the spell. After a few moments, the spell circle began to glow faintly. Maya felt dizzy again, like the whole world was spinning at a hundred miles per hour.

Maya felt weightless. Almost like she was floating. But her body wasn’t. It was still stuck on the floor. Maya was floating away from it. She started to panic. She didn’t want to lose her body. Why wasn’t she tethered to it?

Then there was a pulling sensation. She was moving through space, slowly. As she moved, Maya started to feel a little constricted. There was a tightness all around her and it was pressing in. It didn’t hurt, but Maya tried to squirm, tried to break free.

The binding grew tighter. Maya wanted to hyperventilate. She was being squeezed into a small, dark space. If she had a voice, she would have screamed. Everything was dark and cold and there was no room to move!

Maya’s eyes shot open. She was breathing heavily. Then her body sat up, seemingly of its own accord, and strands of braided hair slapped at her cheeks. Her head turned, allowing Maya to see a dress and pair of boots on the other mat beside her.

“Brielle?” her mother asked, and Maya’s body turned to face her, “Is she in there?”

Then Maya’s mouth opened and asked, “Maya, are you there?”

Brielle? Maya thought. Did it work?

“I think it worked. Hold on.”

Brielle thought, Can you hear me?

I can hear you, Maya replied.

Brielle was still disoriented after the spell. She needed help getting out of the car and back into the house, where their mother sat her down on the couch and went to get her a glass of water. Brielle was clutching her head like she was in the middle of a headache.

Are you still there, Maya? she asked.

I’m still here.

“That’s good,” Brielle said out loud. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

Their father sat down next to Brielle and asked, “How are you two?”

Their mother returned with a glass of water and Brielle took it.

“I’m okay, I think,” Brielle said. Maya, do you think you can take control?

I can try, Maya replied. Can you relax?

Brielle closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath. Maya started to squirm the best that she could. She envisioned herself pushing forward, filling up the body and taking control. Slowly, everything shifted, and the sensations came into sharper focus.

Maya took a deep breath.

“Did it work?” she asked in Brielle’s voice. “It worked. I’m in control!”

“Maya?” her father asked.

Maya leaned over and grabbed her father in a hug. It felt so good. She’d thought that she’d never get to do this again! When Maya pulled away, there were tears welling up in her eyes.

“I get to live,” she told her parents. “I get to live! Brielle, can you hear me?”

I can hear you, Brielle replied. I’m so happy for you, Maya.

“I want to see myself,” Maya said, standing up.

I don’t know if that’s for the best.

Maya didn’t listen. She ran toward the bathroom and flicked on the light, then gulped. This was the moment of truth. She turned to look in the mirror.

Brielle was staring back at her. Brielle’s face: her nose, her lips, her jawline. Maya’s hair wasn’t even her own style anymore. She was wearing boyish clothes. Her breasts were smaller.

Maya… Brielle said softly, You’re okay, I promise.

Maya took Brielle’s coat off and let it drop to the floor. Her waist wasn’t as tight as it used to be, nor her hips as wide. She looked… she looked a lot like she did before the spell. This wasn’t her body. Not her real body. They were twins but they weren’t the same.

Maya?

Maya folded her arms and let out a long breath.

“I’m okay,” she lied.

I can feel your emotional state, Brielle replied, I know you’re not.

“I knew what I was getting into,” Maya said. “I asked for this.”

I’m here for you.

“Actually,” Maya replied, “I want to rest. Can you take over again?”

Of course.

Maya forced herself to relax. She could feel something pushing at the edge of her consciousness. Letting herself go limp, Maya felt like she was falling, and then everything went a little numb.

I… uh… I have homework to finish, Brielle said.

It’s fine. I won’t stop you.

Maya went quiet. Occasionally Brielle would prod her with a thought, and Maya would respond to assure her that she was still there, but otherwise Maya didn’t want to talk. When Brielle went down for dinner, there were only three plates set.

“How is Maya doing?” their father asked, sitting down.

“I think she’s depressed,” Brielle admitted.

I’m not depressed, Maya lied.

“I’m not surprised,” their mother said. “She’s going through a lot. Promise me you’ll be there for her, Brielle.”

“I will, Mom. Maya, do you want to take control?”

No.

“Well, if you change your mind…”

What does it matter? I’m not part of this family anymore…

“Dammit, Maya!” Brielle started to tear up. “You know that’s not true.”

“What?”

“She says she doesn’t belong with us anymore.”

They continued talking, but Maya somehow managed to tune them out. Eventually, Brielle returned to her food. Maya listened in on the conversation, but didn’t offer any input.

After dinner, Brielle returned to her room and laid out on her bed.

Please talk to me, Maya, she thought.

I’m here.

Do you regret this?

…No, I don’t. This was the best way out of a bad situation. Thank you. Thank you so much for agreeing to help me like this. You have to live with it too. I’m not going to forget the sacrifice you made.

“Maya, any sacrifice would have been worth it to save you.”

Thank you.

“Alright. Close your eyes or something, because I’m going to get changed for bed.”

Maya did her best to ignore what was going on, but it was hard when she could see exactly what Brielle saw. This was going to be uncomfortable for a long while. They were just going to have to get used to sharing literally everything with each other.

Joy, Maya thought. Can’t wait.

Brielle curled up under her covers and started to doze off. As she did, Maya felt herself slowly gaining more control over their shared body. Soon, Brielle was entirely asleep and Maya could move around freely. She shifted herself into a more comfortable position and closed her eyes.