Story by Sophiie93The earlier argument, combined with a stop to buy juice, made Elliot and Rhea arrive at the classroom later than usual. By the time they slipped inside, the board was already covered in writing, and the teacher was deep into explaining a new topic. They tried to make their way to their seats as quietly as possible and remained silent for the rest of the class.
Elliot, as usual, couldn't help glancing at Rhea several times. He watched how her personality seemed to shift whenever she drank from her favorite juice box. She smiled after every sip, and he noticed how she often switched which head she used to drink—perhaps so both could enjoy the taste. Finally, after one last sip, she let out a satisfied sigh, tossed the empty juice box into the trash with perfect aim, and returned to her usual bored expression.
When class ended, Elliot gathered his things as the other students filed out. He glanced over at Rhea and saw that both heads were staring at him, both faces wearing an expression as if they wanted to tell him something. The gaze lingered for a few seconds. Unsure how to react, Elliot raised a hand to wave at her. Rhea rolled her eyes.
Before they could approach each other, Seraphine caught Elliot's attention. "Hey, what's going on?" she said, pointing toward the classroom windows. Outside, students were speaking loudly, pointing in one direction, then running toward it.
"Oh no... This can't be good," Elliot said. "I hope it's not what I think." He looked at Rhea with a serious expression. She hesitated for a second, then understood what he meant and nodded.
Once outside, the three of them followed the trail of students, overhearing murmurs along the way. "It's Lillian." "They're saying she's mutating right in front of everyone." "No way... her clothes must be ruined."
The whispers made Rhea and Elliot tense up even more. Seraphine still didn't understand what was happening. When they arrived, they found a crowd of students gathered around what they assumed was Lillian. Elliot grabbed one of Rhea's hands and began pushing through the crowd, forcing a path open.
Eventually, they managed to see Lillian lying on the ground, propping herself up on her hands, unable to stand. Whatever was happening to her was unfolding before everyone's eyes. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was trying to cover herself as best she could.
"Damn it, Lillian!" Elliot said. He couldn't shove aside the remaining students, who stubbornly held their spots in the front row of the spectacle. For Rhea, time seemed to slow down. She looked around and noticed that the other students were avoiding contact with her. Then she saw Elliot's hand gripping her wrist with a force equal to his frustration as he watched Lillian go through such a terrible moment. Elliot's words echoed through her mind: She's going through the same thing you did. She just needs someone who understands.
Rhea pulled herself free from Elliot's grip, filled her lungs with air, closed her eyes, and then shouted with both heads, "MOVE!!!"
The students in front of her stepped aside immediately—including Elliot and Seraphine—watching her walk toward Lillian in a way that was as elegant as it was intimidating.
"Good lord, those vocal cords are powerful," Elliot said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the entire university heard that," Seraphine said, clinging fearfully to Elliot's arm.
Rhea quickened her pace and dropped to her knees in front of Lillian. She tried to help. One of Lillian's arms was pressed against her chest, which seemed to be changing shape, stretching her clothes and straining the fabric. But the most alarming thing was the tear in her skirt, along with the mass of flesh emerging from between her legs—already grown considerably and beginning to take the shape of a third leg.
"Oh god," Rhea said, taking off her jacket. Lillian lifted her face, and four furious eyes turned toward Rhea. "You? Why? Stay away, I don't want your help," she said, trying to shove her away with one hand.
The movement was so slow and weak that it didn't even budge Rhea. She only returned the glare with equal anger. "Don't be an idiot," she snapped, looking at Lillian's lower pair of eyes, which were full of tears, while the upper pair looked as though they had formed only seconds ago. "Let me help you. You can insult me all you want afterward."
"Ugh," Lillian complained. "Do whatever you want. I'm already the university's freak show."
"You mean we both are," Rhea said. She wrapped her jacket around Lillian's hips and adjusted it to cover her crotch as best she could. Lillian simply stared at her, exhaling through her nose. "T-Thanks."
"Well, well... what a great show. The two freaks together," one of the boys said, pulling his phone out of his pocket to record. Then he felt Elliot's hand on one shoulder, followed by Seraphine's on the other.
"If I were you, I wouldn't do that," Elliot said.
"Drop that, now," Seraphine added. The boy turned, shrugging both of them off. "Don't touch me! What do you think you're doing?"
"Hey, they've got a point. Don't start filming them. Have some respect, dude!" another boy said, shoving him before he could attack Elliot. A second later, a third joined in, and the pushing started.
The commotion made Rhea and Lillian look at each other for a second, taking advantage of the moment. Rhea lifted Lillian's arm over her shoulders to help her stand. "Do you think you can walk?"
"I've never had three legs before. How do you expect me to know?" Lillian said dryly. Rhea looked at her with a trace of hatred. "I see your mutation didn't affect your personality at all."
"Sorry, I'm a little..."
"I know. Just shut up and let's get to the bathroom," Rhea said, practically dragging Lillian along. Her new leg moved, though she was far from understanding how to walk with this new body.
A few minutes later, the two of them entered the women's bathroom. Rhea helped Lillian sit down against one wall, then took off her jacket to jam the door shut. When she turned around, she noticed Lillian touching her new leg with her hands while moving the toes of her foot. The fabric of her top was torn too, along with her bra, nearly exposing the three breasts that now adorned her chest.
Lillian touched her face, then looked down at her fingers. "What the hell is wrong with my vision? It feels really weird."
"Have you not noticed that you have four eyes now?" Rhea said, standing in front of her with her arms crossed.
"My body is a mess. I can't even make sense of what I'm feeling," Lillian replied, running her fingers above her eyes and noticing the new pair by touch. "Damn it, four eyes? I must look horrible."
"Wow, thanks..." Rhea said, rolling her own eyes. "You definitely look just as horrible as I do."
Lillian's four eyes turned toward Rhea, catching what she had said. "Well, at least yours are on different faces. That looks more natural. Mine are useless. Everything just looks... stranger."
"It's not as bad as you think," Rhea said, pointing in two different directions. "You can probably look in two directions at once now, like I can."
Without thinking, each pair of Lillian's eyes followed one of Rhea's fingers, splitting her vision into two different fields. Lillian immediately shut all four eyes, trying to steady herself. "Oh god, no! Don't make me do that—that feels awful. I'm really dizzy now."
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "And who the hell told you to do that? I'm not your mutant therapist. You should at least be grateful I got you out of that mess."
"You only did it out of pity and because your boyfriend probably asked you to."
"My boyfriend? I do not have a boyfriend!" Rhea said, sounding even angrier. Lillian's hands moved away from her eyes, staring directly at Rhea. "Really? I thought you'd already claimed Elliot."
"W-What?! N-No... I..." Rhea's voice faltered as her cheeks turned as red as tomatoes. "Are you—"
Before she could finish the sentence, the bathroom doorknob turned, followed by a knock that froze both girls in place and made them fall silent.