He bounces giddily in the back seat, clutching his favorite robot action figure—a gift from his sister. “Are we there yet? How long ‘til we’re there? Does Anna know we’re coming? I wanna surprise her!” His mother knows nothing can stop his endless chattering, so she doesn’t bother trying to quiet him.

“Just a bit longer, Tucker,” she says through gritted teeth, rubbing the bridge of her nose with one hand. Too caught up in his own excitement, he doesn’t notice his mother’s mounting frustration. After a few more minutes of driving punctuated by Tucker’s babbling, they pull up to the street in front of Anna’s residence hall.

“We’re here!” Tucker squeals in delight as he barrels out of the car.

She steps out and grumbles, “Let’s get this over with…”

***

After returning home, I skimmed through Wally’s notes. In my previous scientific studies, I had focused on biology and human anatomy. As a result, I only understood some of the words, and the diagrams and notation used were well beyond me. I would need to learn everything Anna knew about mathematics, physics, and chemistry, all in the span of a few days. Thankfully, I was a fast learner.

I studied late into the night. Armed with Anna’s notebooks, school documents from her laptop, and an array of educational websites, I absorbed a few years’ worth of STEM education over the span of several hours. I didn’t sleep until I was able to comprehend the entirety of Wally’s notes. Finally satisfied, I went to sleep. The clock read 4 AM.

I awoke the next morning at 9 AM to a buzz from Anna’s phone.

Mom, now

Tucker and I are coming to visit. Heading out now, see you in 2 hours.

Tricking two people who had known Anna for most of her life would be a major challenge, but at least I had some time to prepare. I started by eating breakfast: plums, courtesy of Wally. I felt it was important to adopt regular mealtimes, especially since I would be living as Anna in the public eye. I spent the next twenty minutes showering and brushing my teeth. Although I could command my cells to kill bacteria and adjust what chemicals were excreted to eliminate body odor, I wouldn’t be able to replicate the fragrance of shampoo or the minty freshness of toothpaste.

After drying off and getting dressed, I picked up my phone and started to review previous conversations between Anna and her mother. I was interrupted by another text.

Wally, now

Hope you’re feeling better! wanna hang out?

Still on edge from my last encounter with Wally, I was glad to have an excuse to say no. After all, any unnecessary interaction was a chance to make another stupid mistake. I apologetically declined, explaining that my mother would be visiting today. Uh oh, good luck, he replied.

I knew Anna’s relationship with her mother had been strained, but I lacked insight into whether Anna was openly defiant of her mother or chose to keep quiet and fake a smile. For all her complaints to her father, her text exchanges with her mother were brief and curt, almost business-like. And, in the end, hadn’t she caved and chosen a major she had no interest in to appease her mother? Based on this, I decided to act demure and submissive to her, but without affection. In contrast, I would be playful and doting with her younger brother Tucker, or Tuck as Anna called him. Surely a child wouldn’t be hard to entertain.

I soon received another text from Anna’s mother announcing their arrival. I took a deep breath, trying my best to calm my nerves, before heading down to greet them. Reaching the first floor, I spotted a stout woman with sharp features and graying hair holding the hand of a lively young boy. I recognized the child from Anna’s pictures, though his hair had grown substantially.

Tucker’s face lit up as soon as he saw me. “Anna!” he cried, running up to me and holding out his hand, his fingers splayed. I recognized the gesture at once, and slapped my own outstretched palm onto his. “Hi, Tuck!” I grinned, proud of my thoroughly practiced and perfectly executed high-five. I was therefore quite puzzled by Tucker’s reproachful expression. Before I could ask why he looked so disappointed, Anna’s mother interjected.

“All right you two, let’s hurry up and grab lunch. I haven’t eaten since this morning.” It seemed she was just as no-nonsense in person as she was over text. We made our way to a small sandwich shop, ordered our food, and went to sit at an outdoor table. I settled for grilled cheese, while Anna’s mother and brother got to enjoy turkey and roast beef.

Anna’s brother, who had been staring at me intensely since we left the residence hall, finally spoke. “Hey Anna, do you remember that time you broke your ankle roller skating? Was it your left foot or your right?” I was taken aback by his abrupt and oddly specific question. He hit me with another before I could respond.

“Oh, and you know that birthmark you have that’s shaped like a frog? Where was that again? And um… oh! You know—”

“Stop it with your silly games and just eat your food, Tucker,” Anna’s mother said with a cutting glare, sparing me from a further onslaught of questions.

“But Mom, she didn’t do the secret handshake! Anna never skips the handshake.” He pointed an accusing finger at me. “She could be an imposter for all we know. Like an evil robot from the future, or a shapeshifter, or… or an alien coming to infiltrate the Earth!” I shifted uncomfortably at how close to the truth his last haphazard accusation was.

“Tucker Tran, stop pestering your sister this instant or we’re getting back in the car and driving home.” Anna’s mother had once again come to my rescue. I was beginning to think she wasn’t so bad, despite Anna’s complaints.

Tucker sniffled, looking deflated. He remained quiet for the rest of the meal.

After a while, Anna’s mother broke the silence. “So, Anna, how have your studies been coming along?”

“Pretty well,” I replied. After all, I had given myself an intensive crash course in all of Anna’s classes just the night before.

“Oh? Well, last time I checked, your midterm grades weren’t exactly impressive.” She shot me a derisive look. “I do hope things start to improve.”

“S-sorry, I’ll try harder this time,” I said softly, looking down at my half-eaten sandwich. Maybe Anna was right about her.

“Don’t talk back to—oh.” She seemed caught off guard by how easily I capitulated. “Um… good, please do.”

I realized I had made a grave error in my assessment of their relationship dynamic. I should have fought back, should have argued that I was trying my best or that I’d be doing better if I could major in a subject I actually enjoyed. But it was too late now.

Finishing our meals in silence, we paid and left, heading back to the residence hall. When we were a block from the building, I saw a familiar, tall figure waving at us in the distance. Tucker’s face lit up and he dashed ahead.

“Wally!” he cried as Anna’s mother and I jogged to catch up.

“Hey there, Tuck,” Wally said, patting his head as the excited nine-year-old clamored around his waist.

“Hello, Wallace,” Anna’s mother said once she had caught her breath.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Bernstein,” Wally replied politely. Apparently, she had returned to her maiden name after the divorce.

“Wally, I gotta tell you something super secret. Follow me!” Before anyone could protest, Tucker grabbed Wally by the arm and dragged him across the street.

Too tired to follow, Anna’s mother resigned herself to watching from a distance. Her eyes still on Tucker, she said to me quietly, “I do hope you’ve been learning a thing or two from Wallace. He’s a bright young man.”

I murmured my agreement. I figured that, having already committed to acting docile, it would be even more out of place to start picking a fight now. Besides, Wally’s intellect was hard to deny.

She turned to me, her features soft for the first time since she arrived. It made her seem older and more fragile, in stark contrast to the fearsome look I was becoming used to. “I know I can be hard on you,” she said, just above a whisper, “but it’s because I love you. I just… I want you to have a bright future.”

I didn’t expect something so heartfelt, nor did I anticipate the unknown, visceral emotion it would trigger. Without thinking, I replied, “Thank you mom, I know. I love you, too.” I barely resisted a strange compulsion to hug her.

She began to tenderly stroke my hair. Her voice wavered as she said, “I haven’t heard you say that in such a long time…”

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. I turned to face the street, watching Tucker and Wally conspire in the distance, as she wiped them away.

After a few minutes, Tucker led Wally back to us wearing a satisfied grin. “Alright, Mom, let’s head home. I think Wally and Anna want some time alone,” he said, giving Wally an exaggerated wink.