apollo

[point_b]

It is the first day of the Swan twins's second year at the Phoenix Gemini School, Apollo High, and this time around Alli isn't soliciting reassurance from her sister about conspiracy theories that the schools are designed to brainwash, de-power, or otherwise mishandle their charges. It's basically just high school, with unconventional gym requirements and an above-average proportion of superpowered faculty. And way more money than most public schools, and excellent diversity because the entry requirement cuts neatly across all demographics.

Well, in most conventional demographic respects.

There are no only children here.

Alli and Bella have all their classes together, which is nice - that wasn't always possible in elementary and middle school; here it's a matter of course.

This year they're signed up for gym but they can skip until two weeks into term, at which point they'll have their basics and Bella will be just as competent as anyone else. More so, relative to the general population. She has no idea what bonus she'll get and she's excited anyway. She's going to be able to actually go to dances, and dance at them, if she wants. Not the homecoming dance because that's not for underclassmen, but there will be others.

"Uuuugh," says Alli, "math first thing in the morning."

"Wouldn't it be funny if you said that and you got a math boost of some kind for your bonus?"

"No, that would just be horrible. And sad. Be sad for me if that happens, Bella."

"All right. What do you want to get?"

"I don't even know, is there a point? I'll just get something and so will you and that'll be that."

"Suit yourself."

The bus pulls in and out they get, uniform skirts swishing around their knees, swan emblems matching on their sleeves so everyone can tell who is whose twin.

Comments

[point_b]

"There's no need to shout, you should still be able to do it with me," Bella says in a normal tone.

[alli_oop]

Downstairs Alli giggles. Upstairs Alli grumbles.

"Can you spatial-thing to me?" asks Upstairs Alli through the twine.

[point_b]

"...No. I feel like it does have some kind of exception for you but that's not it," says Bella. "Buuuut I think to might be the right -"

And then Bella is across the room.

"Preposition. Oh hell yes I can teleport."

[alli_oop]

"Woo!" says Upstairs Alli.

"Can you take people with you?" asks Downstairs Alli.

[point_b]

Bella goes over to her downstairs twin-half and tries it.

"Yes. Yes I can. Mom, can I try with you to see if it's just Alli?"

[kindestgarden]

"Of course, Bella."

[point_b]

A few experiments later and Bella has determined that she can take both of Alli (Alli does not seem able to subdivide further) and her mom anywhere she can go by herself. She does not yet know if she can take more than one non-Alli, but suspects not.

"Okay, next question, do you always have to be two of you?"

[alli_oop]

"I dunno - maybe not, but I'm scared to try, which of us gets to keep going?" says she who was once Downstairs.

[point_b]

"If that's actually a matter of it being just one of you it's better to figure that out now than after you've - I don't know, been separate for three years and have different boyfriends or whatever."

[alli_oop]

The Allis hesitate.

"You pick," Formerly Upstairs finally says.

[point_b]

Bella points at one.

She's not sure whether Alli's going to interpret the pointing as 'you stay' or 'you go', which is half of how she manages to do it.

[alli_oop]

The Allis pick an interpretation.

The pointed-at stays. The other goes. There is only one Alli.

"Oh! Oh that's weird I remember being both of me, I'm just all folded up again."

[point_b]

"Oh, there you go, then, you don't have to - die every time you unsplit, that's good."

[alli_oop]

"Yeah. I wonder if I can actually keep it up long enough for the separate boyfriends thing, maybe it wears off?" She splits again. They are again stuck in sync until Bella points at one.

[point_b]

So Bella points at one, and there are two Allis around for the next three and a half hours, after which time they merge (the one who is taking a shower continues to exist; the one who was reading a book ceases, her book falling to the floor) without meaning to but with the ability to control the direction.

[alli_oop]

"I will get so much more stuff done!"

[point_b]

"By which you mean you will do about the same amount of homework and watch twice as much TV?"

[alli_oop]

"Shut up. Yes."

[point_b]

The twins are back at school on Monday.

They don't take the bus.

Bella doesn't need line of sight, though that works; but she does need knowledge of location; but she can use any fixed directions, like latitude and longitude or even street intersection and preferred corner (addresses leave too much leeway about where on the property she'll land) - and she's been to Apollo High before.

She lands her sister right in the school lobby, grinning from ear to ear.

(Alli wanted to leave half of her at home, but Renée wants the school to make a call on whether that's allowed first.)

[you_miss_it]

Savannah zips in shortly after, calls to her sister, "Here!" and then the other twin joins her.

Savannah goes off to find her date to homecoming (she is not the type to assume mutual girlfriendhood) and ask her if her power's any good. She remembers that they got their powers this weekend, and she is curious about them.

It doesn't take very long, Savannah is very fast. "Hi!" she says, when she does. "What'd you get, what'd you get?"

[point_b]

"We got good stuff. I can teleport and Andi can - fork."

[alli_oop]

"It's cool! But it's not perfect, I will still need hall passes, if I do it when I have to pee I still both have to pee."

[you_miss_it]

"Eeee!" says Savannah. "Teleportation and forking! That's great, congrats! I mean, no power's perfect, but getting nice ones is fantastic! I am absurdly happy for you both!"

[point_b]

"And I can teleport both of Alli at once, and I can take Renée along too, but I don't know if I can take more than one person who isn't Alli. You wanna call your sister over and be test subjects?"

[you_miss_it]

"Sure, let's be test subjects." She addresses her sister, "Hey, sis, Bella got a cool teleportation power, come test?"