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 is an entire frontier of extremely trivial exploits for your bonus," snorts Bella.

[you_miss_it]

Savannah giggles. "That's got to be fun."

[alli_oop]

"It's weird, when I'm split up we're stuck doing all the same things till somebody picks one of us and unsyncs us so Bella's been doing that. It's kinda spooky but I guess I'll get used to it."

[point_b]

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't have to be me, I'm not using a power for it, I just point at one at random and tell her to blink twice or something."

[blink_and]

"Huh. You might be able to work out a system where the one on the left does a silly dance or something, so you don't need outside help."

[alli_oop]

"Maybe. I guess that'd work if I started out with my back to a wall. It seems like if I'm just standing around we appear back to back."

[point_b]

"The one who's still in the same place as the one of you was can do the little dance," suggests Bella.

[alli_oop]

"Oh, that works! I dunno, for some reason it seems like it makes more sense for you to do it though."

[blink_and]

Shrug. "Well, it's an option, anyway. In case you - fork? Fork, without anyone else there."

[alli_oop]

"Yeah. One who stayed put does a little dance or something," nods Alli.

[point_b]

"Twine me and I'll remind you in case you forget which it's supposed to be."

[you_miss_it]

"You could also play rock paper scissors."

[point_b]

"She tried that. They tie. They're really in lockstep till something disturbs them."

[you_miss_it]

Savannah snorts. "Well okay then, there goes that idea."

[alli_oop]

"It got really, like, layered, trying to be like 'well I wanna do this but the other me is probably thinking the same thing so I could do this other thing' like sixteen of that in a row until we both just threw paper, it was stupid."

[you_miss_it]

"Okay, that's kind of funny and adorable at the same time."

[alli_oop]

"And then I started doing less of the sixteen-of-that but I both did that at the same time!"

[point_b]

"I'm actually not sure why the fact that they appear in different places and therefore looking at slightly different things doesn't do more than it seems to. Alli says it doesn't feel like they're in any kind of mental contact and they can't even twine each other."

[blink_and]

"But they can both twine you, right?"

[point_b]

"Yep, I get to play coordinator."

[blink_and]

Adana snickers. "Lucky you."

[point_b]

"Eh, so far it hasn't been intrusive."

[alli_oop]

"Plus it gives her an excuse to be bossy."

[you_miss_it]

"Pfff. Fun?"

[alli_oop]

"Well, if she's going to be bossy it might as well be helpful."