Chapter #42Split into two by: sdaze   The blur split into two. The two shapes became solid again. There were now two identical Natalies standing in front of Emma's desk. They stared silently into space.
Emma looked at Liz 2 and then back at both Natalies. "Err..., are you all right luv?" She asked cautiously.
"Yes, I am fine." They both said in unison. "Hang on, that sounds weird." Both held a hand in front of their face. They were matching each other's movements precisely. "I've got double vision or something."
"I know how you feel." Emma said. Liz 2 pointed at them.
"Look at the bracelet." She said. Both Natalies brought their wrists to their faces to examine the bracelets. Each bracelet was about half the width it had been and now contained only one gem. It looked like it had actually been split in half along it's length.
"Well," Emma said as she looked at the identical pair, "it looks impressive but I can't see what use it is."
"What looks impressive?" The confused Natalies asked.
"Try doing a quarter turn." Liz 2 suggested. Both Natalies did as requested. One of the Natalies was now looking at the other one's back.
"Woah, who is that?" They both asked.
"It's you. There are two of you." Emma said. Both Natalies did a quick half turn and now their positions were reversed.
"I don't, I don't understand." Two very confused Natalies stated. She was able to interpret what she was seeing from both sets of eyes but it didn't make much sense.
"It's like your stuck in sync with each other." Liz 2 said. "Let me try something." She came walking round the desk as the Natalies faced it again. "Right I'm going to touch one of your arms and I want you to lift it after I do. Okay?" Both Natalies nodded.
Liz 2 touched the left Natalie's left forearm. Both Natalies lifted their left arms. She tried again with the left Natalies right arm. Again both lifted their right arms. "Hmm," Liz 2 said, "this doesn't appear to be working. Let me try something else."
Liz 2 slapped left Natalie's wrist. The right Natalie shivered. The left Natalie grabbed her own wrist. "Oww! That bloody hurt, Liz." The spell was broken.
"You did it Liz." Emma said with a grin.
"I thought a quick shock to the system would work." Liz 2 agreed.
"Did what?" Left Natalie asked. Liz 2 pointed behind Natalie and she slowly turned round. Standing motionless was the other Natalie. "Wow! There are two of me." Left Natalie looked down at herself. "So, I've moved my mind into this body. That one is an empty shell now." She pointed at right Natalie. Liz 2 shook her head.
"No, I think you are still controlling her. Subconsciously at least, otherwise she would have collapsed." Left Natalie gave right Natalie a little push on her sternum to unbalance her. Right Natalie repositioned her feet so that she was no longer unbalanced. Natalie tried focusing on the right Natalie. She felt her awareness shifting. She was staring at left Natalie who had just poked her in the chest. "I'm in this body now." She told Liz and Emma.
"Okay, now see if you can control both at once." Liz 2 suggested. Natalie wasn't sure about it.
"I have enough trouble controlling one body when I'm on the gin. Controlling two bodies at the same time might be a bit too much."
"You said it yourself. You've got two bodies." Liz 2 said.
"And?" Right Natalie said.
"You might only have one mind but you've got two brains. That should be enough brain power to control two bodies."
"Of course." The left Natalie said.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this." Right Natalie said. She put her hand out and left Natalie took it and shook it. "Hi, I'm Natalie."
"Delighted to meet you." Said the left as both giggled. "This is stupid, it's like I'm talking to myself."
"I wonder if you can share information." Liz 2 said.
"What?" Both Natalies said in unison as she got distracted. Liz 2 grabbed right Natalie's shoulders and got her to spin round. Both Natalie's were now facing opposite directions.
"Okay how many fingers am I holding up." Liz 2 held up three fingers in front of left Natalie who could see her.
"Three," said right Natalie who couldn't see Liz 2's hand. Liz 2 shifted her fingers, "two, three, one, five, two."
"There is some sort of telepathy between the brains." Liz 2 said. She felt a little jealous of the instant mental link between the two Natalies. She had to share everything second hand with Liz in person. If they had a mental link, she could have avoided the problem with Emma this morning.
"Okay, now I'm impressed." Said Emma. "Imagine being two people. How crazy is that?" She asked Liz.
"Yeah, crazy." Liz 2 echoed. The irony wasn't lost on her.
"It certainly opens up a lot of possibilities." Emma said.
Right Natalie turned back round. "Yeah, I could watch the shop floor and keep an eye on the break room at the same time."
"Wow!" Emma said. "Keep thinking big Natalie." She said in a condescending tone. Both Natalies frowned.
Left Natalie spoke. "I will! It was just the first thing I thought of. I'm sure I can come up with other ways of helping the company." Right Natalie put her hands on her hips, to emphasise her point. She then realised it was the left Natalie who had been speaking and she also put her hands on her hips somewhat awkwardly.
"Like I told Liam and Ruby, just don't expect to get paid two wages." Both Natalie's sighed.
"I wonder how I turn back?" Right Natalie asked.
Liz 2 answered her. "Try taking off the bracelet." Left Natalie removed hers and nothing happened. When right Natalie did it too, they both went blurry and formed one big blob. The Blob turned back into a single Natalie. She pressed her hand to her head and her eyebrows furrowed in pain.
"Oh, I've got a killer headache." She closed her eyes and wobbled a little on her feet.
"It's probably the price you'll have to pay when you become one person again." Liz 2 speculated. "Double the memories will be too much for you." Natalie's headache eased a little. "The longer you stay in two bodies the worse the headaches and disorientation will get, not to mention other side effects."
"Other side effects?" Natalie asked as she rubbed her forehead.
"Well not to be too indelicate," Liz 2 said, "but what happens if both your bodies have a full bladder when you become one person again?"
"Ooooh, gross." Natalie was disgusted by the thought.
"I think," Emma said, "you are going to have to make a decision on what you are going to be. Switching between one body and two is going to cause you all sorts of problems. You'll have to be one or the other." Natalie was already getting annoyed with the headache and put the bracelet back on her wrist.
The headache vanished as she split into two again.
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