"Lewis!" Mike called from the front door just before it shut. You and he had practically grown up together, so you each entered the other's house just as any family member would.
"In the kitchen." You responded as you finished cutting the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for your younger sisters. As you were the eldest, your mother often expected you to care for Jessica and Jennifer while she was gone, an obligation you begrudgingly accepted. 'At least with Mike here, we'll have some fun while watching the brats...' you said to yourself within your mind space. "Girls.... your lunches are ready." you called out to your sisters.
You heard the loud pounding of feet as Jessica and Jennifer rushed down stairs. "Is that you Mike!" They said at the same time in excitement.
Mike, along with your younger sisters in tow, came around the corner. Each of the girls clung to his waist with bright smiles. It was abundantly clear the crush they shared on him. "Alright, alright. Thanks for the warm welcome..." Mike said as he gently pulled them off and directed them to the sandwiches on the kitchen counter.
Like a pack of hungry beasts, the brats grabbed their plates and rushed out of sight. You heard their soft steps climb the stairs to their room. You sighed, "How is it they swoon over you but leave me with not even a thanks..."
"Probably because you call them brats behind their backs..." Mike stated. He raised his between the two of you.
"If you had to live with them, you'd completely understand." You responded while bumping your friend's fist with your own.
"Good thing I don't have any siblings then; I'd probably be in the same situation." A cocky smile formed on Mike's face. "But enough about that, what is this new program. You were practically begging me to stop by to see it. Something about sharing my Hoplite title..."
"Oh, right!" you smirked. "You'll probably get a kick out of this. Remember that biology lesson about twins in development. If we were actually related, this is how we could have ended up!" You pulled the photo from your left jeans pocket and handed it to Mike. The moment his right hand touched the picture, there was a flash as the image seemed to grow infinitely large and swallow you both. In the next moment, the picture was gone, and you and Mike were suddenly standing right next to each other rather than facing each other. Disoriented, you shifted your gaze downward at the floor. You immediately took note of something odd. Where you were standing was only a single pair of legs; a single pair of legs with two different colored socks. You were certain that you dawned one of your usual pair of black socks this morning, but you could not comprehend why there was a white sock on your right foot with a grey patter over the toes. Then, the toes of the right seemed to drum the floor beneath you, seemingly of their own accord. In that moment, you realized that you could not feel that leg either, just the left with your black sock.
"Lewis..." Mike's voice said.
Your brain could not process the inflection in his tone, only your name. You were not sure if he was scared, shocked, indifferent, angry, or anything else. Your gaze followed the right leg upward to a single waist where it joined with your left. As your gaze continued upward, you noted that you were now wearing a sweatshirt with the embroidered gladiator on front, the mascot of your high school. And not just any sweat shirt; these were limited to varsity team members, which you had never earned. As your gaze climbed higher, you noted that your chest seemed to stretch sideways more than typical. To your utter shock, Mike's own head rested on his neck, beside your own. You realized that he and you had turned into the photoshopped image. You were conjoined.
"Lewis..." Mike said with more urgency.