Sarah's departure left Zayne alone with Amber in the living room; she had settled into the pull out bed, but was still sitting up, acknowledging Zayne's continued presence. "Are you ok?" He asked?
"I'll be fine. I know what she's feeling, being a copy of her and all. It's strange, to know everything about her, to know and understand why she's upset, and yet I feel oddly at ease...I can tell a big part of why she's upset is that I have her body, and you stayed with me all day while I was naked. I remember before today, feeling very...ill-at-ease about being undressed."
Zayne was confused. "But you were naked all day? You said you weren't uncomfortable."
"I know. I wasn't. I was perfectly content today; I feel like seeing your reaction to my body...made me like it?" Amber blushed slightly.
Zayne had mixed feelings about this confession; on the one hand, this was his sister- or at least a clone of her. Someone who looked and acted just like her. On the other hand, he did enjoy spending the day with a naked woman. He dared to venture further.
"Well, you don't have to keep wearing those if it's just me. I enjoyed seeing you naked, not gonna lie. I think it may have made me feel more in control the day too, since you being here is...well still weird."
Amber nodded her understanding as she removed the shirt and shorts she was given earlier. "That makes sense," she replied now nude again. "And like I said, earlier, I'm not uncomfortable."
"You should probably get before Sarah gets up though," Zayne suggested. Amber nodded her agreement, and the two stayed up late watching tv before Zayne went off to his own room.
As the sun climbed higher in the sky, filtering through the curtains and bathing the kitchen in warm light, Amber woke seemingly before anyone else, and quickly put her clothes from last night back on, remembering her conversations from last night... and knowing how Sarah would react. Clothes back on, Amber returned to a comfortable lounging position on the couch.
Minutes later Zayne entered the living room, followed shortly by Sarah. Silently, the siblings made their way to the kitchen, and made breakfast for the three of us. The tension from the previous day still hung in the air, a lingering cloud none of them quite knew how to dissipate.
Amber ate slowly, savoring each bite of scrambled eggs and toast that Zayne had made. Her movements were measured, and her eyes occasionally flicked between Zayne and Sarah, trying to gauge the situation. She could tell that Sarah was still uneasy, Sarah's guarded face being easily read, being a face Amber now shared. Zayne, for his part, seemed preoccupied, lost in thought as he absently pushed a forkful of eggs around his plate. He was usually the one to crack a joke or diffuse tension, but he seemed oddly withdrawn this morning, his mind clearly elsewhere.
Amber cleared her throat, finally breaking the silence. "So... what's the plan for today?"
Zayne blinked, as if pulled from his thoughts. He glanced at her, then at Sarah, as though trying to gauge her reaction to Amber's question. "Well, I was thinking we could... try and figure out more about how you got here." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "There has to be something that triggered it--we don't know yet whether it was me or Sarah or both of us."
Sarah's lips pressed into a thin line, her body language stiffening at the suggestion. "And what if it happens again, Zayne? What if we end up with another...me?" She couldn't help but glance at Amber, who immediately looked down at her plate, though she didn't seem offended.
"I know," Zayne said, his voice low. "But we can't just ignore it. I want to understand how it happened, at least."
"I get that," Sarah replied, her voice softening slightly. "But I'm not comfortable with this, Zayne. We don't know what we're dealing with, and the last thing we need is another surprise."
Amber stayed quiet, listening to the exchange. She wanted to be part of the solution, but she understood Sarah's concerns. But she agreed with Zayne. She found herself agreeing with Zayne a lot, actually.
The morning dragged on slowly as Zayne, having missed yesterdays classes, tried to catch up on lectures and homework. Sarah sat in the living room with Amber, watching television. But Sarah hit the mute button after only a couple episodes.
