Fair.

Brook walked home from the library, he was relieved The Irfans, his and Anemone’s work was almost complete, or at least approaching publishable, but it was a significant drain on his energies, starting early and finishing late had become his routine.

Stepping into his home brook was greeted by his daughter,

“Daddy! I missed you, I haven’t seen you in days! Can we play for a bit?”

“Not now Yami, Daddy needs some rest.”

At that Brook walked past his daughter and on into his bedroom.

Yami couldn’t stand it, for months her father had been pulling away from her, she didn’t have a mother to turn to and her advanced intelligence at school made the other children keep their distance. ‘That’s it’ Yami thought, and stormed out of the house and made her way through the night towards the library. ‘I’ll finish his work so he wont have any excuse not to be with me!’

Yami had tolerated loneliness for too long, it was the worst feeling possible, she was sure of it.

–

Yami stepped off the elevator and into floor ninety four, the security wasn’t a problem for her to bypass, as a ten year old doing school assignments 20 year olds found challenging, she was an intelligent girl.

She walked up to her fathers desk to go over his research notes and learn what she had to to complete his work on her own, but something caught her eye, a slight glow at the back of the room, Yami couldn’t help being curious, it was her curious nature that had pushed her to be so smart, to know more. She stepped towards it.

It was coming from inside what appeared to be a lead safe, left slightly ajar. For about 5 meters around it a circle was marked on the floor, with chalk written by it ‘please don’t cross Anemone’

Yami was not Anemone, and stepped towards the safe, she had to see what was inside it.

Standing before the safe, Yami pulled the door open to see a bracelet, with 26 beads embedded in it, one of them glowing brighter the closer Yami got to it. Almost in a trance, Yami knew she was going to wear it, it was for her. Then for Yami, everything went dark.

–

Yami woke up an hour later, she climbed to her feet and saw the bracelet on her wrist, though she didn’t want to take it off, but she knew she’d be in trouble if she didn’t. But no matter how hard Yami pulled the bracelet wouldn’t go any further than her wrist.

“Damn”

Yami was angry, angry at herself for putting it on, angry at her dad for ignoring her and making her come here, angry at her mother for dying, angry at the kids at school for picking on her. She was so furious at her loneliness. If she wasn’t alone she would never be in this situation, if only she could be hugged by someone, if only somebody was there who looked out for her.

Yami suddenly felt a headache and fell forward, it faded quickly and Yami had the odd sensation of seeing both the floor she was looking at, and also her own body looking at the floor. She stood up and turned around, now she could see herself in both images, she had two bodies now.

“This is definitely weird” both Yami bodies said completely at the same time, it took Yami all night experimenting, moving and interacting, but she realised, she was now a girl with one mind and two bodies.

“floor ninety four” both of Yami’s bodies heard the elevator, thinking at double speed (as she now had two brains to use) she hid one of herself and stepped towards the elevator, whatever the punishment was for trying on the bracelet, she had no idea what would happen if she was found out for what she had become.

Anemone stepped off the elevator.

“Oh hello there Yami, have you come again to check-” Anemone almost immediately noticed the bracelet on Yami’s wrist. “Yami…”

The bracelet was different, with only 13 beads, and one only half glowing, Anemone knew something had happened, she closed her eyes and used her abilities to try and sense the bracelet, she felt it both before her and across the room behind a pile of books.

“Yami, if there are two of you, I need to see both, you might need help.”

Yami looked at anemone, how could she know already? But her face wasn’t one of anger like she had expected, it was one of concern.

“Ok” she said, and walked her other body to beside her. Anemone was definitely shocked to see Yami’s twin.

“I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting this sweety.”

“What does it mean Anemone?” Yami asked, both her bodies talking simultaneously.

“I’m not a hundred percent sure yet hun, we’ll have to talk it out a little to figure it out.” Anemone wrote a short note and left it on Brook’s desk “We’ll go to the private boothes on another floor so we can be sure no one walks in, how does that sound?”

Both of Yami nodded, she was glad Anemone was considerate, if her father walked in now he’d flip out, and this way she could at least prepare for it.

Anemone and Yami entered the elevator, each of her holding one of anemone’s hands.

–

“Floor ninety four” Anemone returned to the floor to find Brook and Mr and Mrs Irfan waiting.

“Anemone! I know your note said not to worry, but Yami is missing, and the bracelet too! What’s going on?”

“We need you to be calm please Brook, I know its going to be hard but please try.” Anemone didn’t want to make this any harder for Yami than it already was, and she had lost a little sympathy for brook he left his child so lonely when her abilities awakened the only thing she wanted was another body that could hold her. Anemone knew Brook’s dedication to his research was his way of avenging his wife’s death, but she couldn’t imagine putting work before a child.

“Yami, you can come out now.”

Both of Yami stepped off the elevator, and Brook fell back into his chair. Speechless.

–

That night Brook tucked his daughter into bed, it was a little small for the both of her now but she didn’t seem to mind, she was clearly glad he hadn’t shouted at her, but how could he have done, Brook knew he was the one who should be punished.

“Are you really quitting dad? I know the research is really important to you.”

“Nothing is more important to me than you Yami, I’m sorry I forgot that.” Brook walked over to the door and turned out the light.

What pained Brook most of all though, was he was one of the few people who knew what the bracelets meant for those who wore them, sooner or later someone would try to kill his daughter, and she would either die or have to become a killer to survive.

Brook didn’t sleep that night, it was all he could do to keep his crying quiet so neither of his daughter heard him.