Still visibly struggling with this new information provided by her children, about their own desires, Brie took a breath before speaking again, “and how exactly did this kiss happen?”

Star was the one who spoke then, “How did the kiss happen?” the seventeen year old girl scoffed, “I know we’re adopted and all, but I’m gonna take a guess that you do know how kisses happen.”

Brie blushed slightly, her discomfort obvious, “what I mean is that you don’t just suddenly one day decide to up and kiss the person you were raised as the sibling of. Was there alcohol involved?” she asked worriedly.

“Br—Mom please” Star had to correct herself with the mental reminder that in this version of their lives, this woman had actually not been the one who spent years treating them like lab rats instead of her own children.

Then Sky interjected with a mumble and a shake of his head, “the last thing we need is lowered inhibitions.”

Their parents each furrowed a brow at that comment, but Brie continued, “so, then what brought this supposed kiss on? I mean, have you two done...” she then shook her head, “on second thought, let’s just go with the kiss for now. What led to that?”

Star just shook her head then as well, “ok, I think we’ve had enough of awkward conversations for one day. And we gotta start headin to school. It takes at least twenty minutes to walk there” she said, as she and Sky both eagerly stood to escape and try to bide time to figure out their story to explain an innocent kiss when their heads actually contained a lot more intimate memories of each other than that just then.

Brie looked up worriedly then, “did something happen to your car?”

“Car?” Sky choked a bit on that.

Connor scoffed with his own uncomfortable laugh, despite his relief at the subject change, “I realize it’s been a year since we got you it and all, but I hope you didn’t break this one already.”

Sky and Star looked at each other briefly before Sky spoke again, “no, I just need to fill it up. So we really do gotta go, like now” he added as he and Star turned on their heels and headed quickly toward the garage door, where there was indeed a second car now.

“Um...” Star stammered as the two approached the vehicle.

“We apparently have a car” Sky shook his head again, as he moved around to the driver’s side, his eyes moving over the black Mustang, “a really nice car” he added. He then reached into the pocket of the black leather pants he had found himself clad in when they arrived back in this particular place that morning. He then yanked the chain holding his wallet upwards and flipped it open. “And I apparently have a license.”

“Well in this version of our lives, we weren’t trapped in some lab or another for the last three years. Guess it makes sense” she shrugged, biting her lip as she too warily looked over the car before even more cautiously moving to the passenger seat beside where Sky had just as nervously taken his own seat behind the wheel.

“How does any of this make sense?” he asked her worriedly, “we were supposed to change their memories of us being... what we are. But we come back to a world where the house never flooded, and we apparently have a car and at least I have a license. I think we changed a lot more than our parents’ memories” he admitted, “hell, I feel like the homework I need to be doing is on what fucking world we’re even in right now. Cause none of this is just a result of different memories. This is like a whole different...” he shook his head again.

“Reality?” Star finished his sentence for him, biting her lip once more.

Sky continued to look around in further disbelief at her stating out loud what he was trying not to admit either, “So, we created a whole new alternate friggin reality? And we did it all without even...”

“Touching” Star breathed the end of his sentence for him. She then startled as another unnerving thought hit her.

“What?” Sky asked. At least his ability to sense every minuscule change in her body language and mood still seemed in tact.

“What if we never have?” Star whispered.

“Never have what?” he asked as he looked over at her with narrowed brown eyes.

“Touched” she breathed the word, like it took effort to even get it past her lips.

“I seem to recall us doing that, as stated earlier, a few hundred times” Sky scoffed.

“Yeah, in our world where we fought it, sublimated any way we could, finally gave in, and eventually were just forced to touch... repeatedly. But in this world... we apparently spent the last three years knowing we’re not really related, going to school, and I guess getting licenses and cars, too” she shook her head again, trying to fathom the idea of that being her life now. “And doing it all in a house that never flooded when we...” she shook her head again.

Sky had to scoff as he looked around once more, “so you think you’re a virgin again too? And hell, maybe I’m also one again, for that matter. That would be some magic trick” he had to shake his head once more at that thought.

“I honestly wouldn’t be surprised by anything at this point” Star sighed, her mind still trying to grasp whatever her new reality actually was.

“I guess I have to figure out how to drive before they poke their heads in here and ask us why we’re just parked in the garage still” he sighed as he felt for the keys he found in his other pocket, shaking his head at those as well before putting them in the ignition.

“Sky, you can’t drive. We never even had driver’s ed. Or any of the rest of tenth or eleventh grade” Star mumbled.

“Well if we magicked up a whole new world, guess we can magic the car to school too. And apparently, without even touching” he added wryly, took a breath, and started the engine.

The two of them did manage to will the car to get them to school in one piece, physically anyway. But upon pulling into the senior parking lot and shutting off the engine, neither of them were in a very big hurry to actually get out of the car.

After the two watched their peers entering the school doors for a good five minutes, Star sighed and spoke again, “I feel like I’ve endured a year of torture and pain, yet I’m somehow terrified of facing a school filled with a bunch of other teenagers and three years of a life there that I don’t remember even living.”

“Yeah, I think we needed a bit more time to hone our powers” Sky agreed, “cause this? Not exactly ideal.”

“I mean, it’s sort of ideal” Star shrugged, only to be greeted by a skeptical look from Sky, “I mean, if we actually remembered any of it, anyway” she sighed sadly.

“Well, our lives can’t be too perfect, even in this world” Sky offered, “if they were, we’d be dressed like Emily and Chandler there” he scoffed as he gestured to the most popular of all high school couples as they entered the building.

“See, one thing hasn’t changed” Star agreed with forced hopefulness. She then added, “and I think I’d disown you if I ever caught you in a letterman jacket and cargo shorts like the coolest date-raping captain of the football team ever right there” she couldn’t help teasing as she rolled her eyes as Chandler and his lady love disappeared inside.

“So, something fucked us up” Sky agreed, then smirked “yay us. Now if we could only figure out what that was.”

Star scoffed, “so only fucked up people can dress like this?”

“In my experience” Sky agreed with a continued smirk.

“Silly Sky, you don’t even know what your experience is anymore.”

“Look who’s talking” Sky retorted, though simply sighed again as he continued to watch more teens entering the school.

Sky and Star did eventually make their platform-boot-clad feet carry them into the building, but it was a rough morning, to say the least. After dealing with the students they couldn’t remember any of their interactions with for the last three years, the two agreed to meet outside under the bleachers for lunch and a chance to just get away from it all and try to compare notes to help each other piece those years together as best they could.

Star was the first to arrive under the bleachers and found a shady spot to lean against the supports while she checked her phone. Continuing to check for any messages and wait on Sky, her head came up as she heard another approaching with a derisive laugh. Her dark eyes grew even darker and rather shocked then, when it was Curt who had made his way outside that lunch period.

Trying to remember how to breathe and not just collapse in that shock or run away in terror, she forced herself to keep her gaze locked on him as he approached. Curt’s brain was still apparently as in tact as it had ever been, with not even a drop of blood gushing from his eyes, as he was the last time she saw him. Of course, in her mind, that was three years ago, on the night that she and Sky made him the very first victim of their strange powers.

“The little goth princess waiting for sweet little me under the bleachers at lunch? Must be my lucky day” he told her as he let his eyes openly travel over her.

“You’re not the one I’m waiting on, believe it or not” Star forced her voice to work after another moment to take in the reality of him being there once again; alive, and seemingly just as unpleasant as he had been in all the memories she had of that other life. “And he’ll be here any minute” she had to add.

“Who? Sky? Yeah that’s terrifying” Curt scoffed as he moved even closer to her.

“If you only knew” Star muttered under her breath, forcing back the urge to test out her powers again right then. After all, she hated that she had been forced to take the lives of others in her former life and she had no desire to feel that kind of guilt again. Though the way Curt was standing uncomfortably close to her, his eyes moving over her; she was easily reminded of why she had ended this deplorable individual’s life after all.

“So, you know I come out here every day for a run around the track, and yet here you are. I knew you wanted me to see what’s under all that black” he told her as he moved to brace his hand against the underside of the bleachers, pinning her there with only an inch of space between she and him.

“I think you need to back up, right now” Star told him forcefully, trying even harder then to not let herself really see what she could do without Sky being inside her or even near her for that matter. Veda said being near each other should have been enough. But then again, Sky wasn’t near her at all right then, and that thought was even more terrifying at the moment.

“Gonna make me?” Curt smirked as he ran a finger down her fishnet covered arm. “Did you bring your whips and chains to school, mistress?” he teased, “see, I know all about how it works with girls like you” he added as he moved to press closer still, making it impossible for her not to be able to feel how his body was reacting to having her cornered there.

“Last time I’m gonna tell you: Get the fuck away from me” Star repeated, attempting to back up, but having nowhere to go as her back was already against the supports beneath the bleachers.

“Oh, talk dirty some more” Curt teased, as he moved to cover her mouth with a hard kiss as she immediately attempted to push him away, but to no avail as he did outweigh her by nearly a hundred pounds.

A moment later, his tongue was forcing it’s way into her mouth as his hand moved down to her thigh, sliding up under her skirt and grasping at the waist band of her fishnet stockings and panties.

As he began pulling at her clothing, he suddenly flew backwards a good five feet, landing hard at the feet of where Sky had thankfully now appeared, seething as he glared down at him. “You’re a fucking rapist in every world there is, aren’t you? You prick!” he growled down at where Curt was attempting to struggle backwards and to his feet as Star simply trembled, tears cascading over her cheeks in black streaks.

“What did you fucking call me, you fag?” Curt growled back, finally making his way to his feet again.

“You fucking heard me. Get the fuck away from both of us... before you don’t live to regret it” Sky couldn’t help adding, his own memories of Curt’s fate at their hands in that other world clear.

“Oh, I forgot, is it your turn to rape your sister today? Fuckin fag, still wants his own goddamn sister. Fuck you, you two deserve each other!” And with that, Curt shambled off, just like he had done when Star stopped him from raping Sky in that other world; a world that did apparently still have some more than unpleasant similarities to this new one.

Sky stared after him, shaking and frozen somehow at the same time. Star sniffled as she readjusted her clothing and wiped at the black streaks on her pale and reddened cheeks. She took a few shaky steps over to stand next to where Sky still stared after their departing nemesis. “Thank you” she managed through a tear-choked voice, knowing that it was only Sky’s nearness triggering their powers that saved her from what Curt had in mind.

“You’re thanking me?” Sky managed, his own voice choked then.

“Of course” Star sniffled again.

“He’s right though” Sky whispered, not looking back at her.

“What are you talking about?” Star whispered back, her still watery eyes then confused as well.

“Raping you: Isn’t what I did for an entire year?” and with that terrible statement, and all the buried guilt behind it, he also walked off numbly.