After Crista returned home the next day, Sky found himself poking his head through Star’s bedroom door. Inside, she lay on the bed, curled around one of her pillows, and looking rather forlorn. Sky took a breath and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. As she didn’t even look up to greet him, he spoke quietly, “miss our blue-haired friend that much already?”

Star just sighed, “if only that was all there was to be upset over.”

With a sad sigh of his own, Sky moved to the bed where he took a place behind her, wrapping her tightly in his arms from behind, their bodies pressed close. He placed a few gentle, rather than passionate kisses over her hair and shoulders before speaking at last, “think mom and dad, the mom and dad from this world; think they really love us?”

“Better hope so since you’re breaking one of their rules again” Star scoffed, though sadly.

“No their new rules are no sex in the house. We’re still dressed” he smiled, though it died soon after, “I mean do you really think they love us for real now? Now that they only remember us as their kids, not their experiments?” he said with a slight trace of remaining bitterness at the former versions of their parents.

“Considering how much they’ve put up with, I’m almost tempted to say yes” Star replied warily.

That was when Sky took a moment to gather the courage for his next sentence, “think they actually love us enough to protect us? I mean, if they knew what we really were again?” he asked shakily.

That was when Star rolled over to face him, more than a little fear in her eyes, “you’re actually talking about ‘undoing this whole fucking world?’” she repeated his words from back when they first arrived in this particular reality.

“Like you said, in that other world, we actually killed Curt, and his friends, and the scientists were able to make it all go away” he reminded, his desperation obvious.

“I don’t think that was mom and dad who made it go away, though. Pretty sure that was their bosses” a heavy sigh, “and you know what else their bosses did to us, later” she whispered, all that pain still clear any time she made herself speak of those times.

Voice breaking, Sky continued, “I can’t think of any other way to get outta this though. Other than trying to trust them. And believe me, that terrifies me, but I honestly don’t have any idea what else we can do at this point.”

“And what if it all goes horribly, horribly wrong again? What if we end up back in that place again? Being forced to do those things again?” Star whispered, trying to force back emotions long enough to get words out.

“But it can’t go exactly the same way again. Not anymore” Sky stated as though the thought just occurred to him.

“How do you figure?” Star asked as she looked at him questioningly.

“The reason they forced us to do those things, to each other” he added more quietly, “it was because our powers only worked when we had sex. We can make them work any time we want now. So, even if they wanna study us, at least they won’t have to force us to do that at all now.”

Star just scoffed, “you’re forgetting one thing.”

“What’s that?” Sky asked.

“The only reason they were able to keep us locked up for so long at all is cause they broke us. They broke the thing that made our powers work. They could control us cause they knew that there was only one thing that ever gave us the ability to fight back. And they tortured us so badly we couldn’t hardly even do that at all anymore” Star sighed, “now that we can use our powers whenever we want, the only control they could possibly have over us now is by keeping us apart. And I don’t think either of us could ever survive that.”

The two didn’t have much longer to ponder how hopeless their options really were though, as they once again heard Brie calling to them from the bottom of the stairs. They sighed and made their way from the bed to head to the banister to give Brie a questioning look. She scowled slightly that they appeared to have both come from Star’s room that time, but at least they were dressed.

“Miss Lewis needs to talk to you again, Star.”

“Miss Lewis?” Sky asked Star.

“Alana’s lawyer” Star answered sadly as she started toward the stairs. Sky caught her wrist though, “you mean with the cops bugging us again, you’re still actually considering testifying?” he asked worriedly.

Star just shook her head helplessly, obviously not sure what she wanted to do at this point, but she did know she still felt the same way about needing to save any future victims from Curt. So she continued sadly down the stairs. Sky shook his head then too before moving to follow her downstairs.

When they arrived downstairs, Brie nervously moved to lean against the wall next to her husband. Miss Lewis looked up at Sky’s and Star’s arrival with some extremely strange combination of victory and fear when she saw them. Star warily took a seat on the couch next to the woman and Sky took a seat on the nearest recliner.

Miss Lewis swallowed hard, “well, we wanted to tell you that we finally have some hard evidence against Curt. Since they technically can dispute the DNA evidence by claiming consent. But now we have proof that Curt is a sexual predator who consent means nothing to.”

“Well, that’s good then, right?” Star asked warily, looking to her parents who looked just as in the dark as she and Sky right then. “Now I don’t need to testify, right?” she asked hopefully.

“Well, that depends on whether we can use the evidence” Lewis told her, still looking cautiously between she and Sky.

“Well, why wouldn’t you be able to?” Star asked worriedly.

Lewis took another uneasy breath, “it’s video evidence. And considering some of the content of that video, Curt’s lawyers will most likely try to claim that it’s not reliable; fake even.”

They all looked at Miss Lewis in confusion then, “What content?” Star asked.

“Well, it’s easier if I just show you” Lewis stated as the rest of them gathered around as she opened her laptop.

There, she started playing cell phone footage that was apparently filmed outside the school. The footage appeared to be taken by someone who was outside during lunch, toying with their phone’s camera, while the football field bleachers were in the distance. Star swallowed a bit as she saw herself come into frame and begin checking her phone. She immediately knew what this day was and silently began praying to any gods she could that the footage would cut out before Sky appeared, but she doubted that would be the case, considering Lewis’ words.

Sky and Star tensed up as Brie and Connor bit back fearful breaths as Curt made his appearance. Their parents then became even more visibly upset as Curt began his unwanted attentions as Star cried and tried to fight him off. Then that moment when he reached under her skirt, and the next moment where Sky appeared in the corner of the frame, glaring at him as Curt suddenly flew backward, away from where Star continued sobbing in the aftermath of the encounter.

Everyone in the family was more than a bit speechless, though their parents’ loss of words was definitely for a different reason than the teens’. Also visibly uncomfortable, Miss Lewis spoke, “as you can see, we’re going to have a really hard time convincing them to even let us use this, let alone convincing a jury that any of it is real at all. I mean, he obviously tried to assault you, but, you can see why we just...” she just shook her head.

“You can’t show that” Star stated in a broken whisper, afraid to even look at her parents then.

“Well, they most likely won’t let us. But it is the best evidence we have. So do you...” she also looked at Sky, “either of you have any explanation whatsoever for what it looks like happens at the end of this video?”

Sky and Star just stared at the floor, still afraid to look up at their parents or anyone else, knowing that there was no excuse they could ever come up with other than lying and saying it was all fake, but even that made no sense. Why would anyone film an assault and throw a fake magic trick in at the end? Nothing made sense; nothing but the truth. And that truth would seal both their fates, if the video alone wasn’t enough to do so already.

Of course, the inevitable did happen and the video found it’s way to the internet, where it went viral within a day. And that began the also inevitable fight between the police and the scientists, which caught Sky and Star in the middle, with both sides wanting them, and them not wanting to be taken by either.

Eventually the scientists and the shady government organizations that employed them did win, And once again Sky and Star found themselves as test subjects rather than actual feeling, breathing, living human beings at all.

The only hope they clung to at this point was the fact that sex no longer was needed for their magic, so they hoped upon hope that they would at least never have to endure that again. Though the possibility of being separated still wore on them, and whatever other possibilities their imaginations supplied.

Of course, their confinement did start out predictably enough. They were both taken to some lab, stuck in some room, and interrogated like they had been at the police station. The first scientist who came to see their powers in action was a man who simply went by Simmons. He smiled as he entered the room and they glared. Shaking his head at their stubborn and sullen demeanor, Simmons took a seat across the table from them and offered them another insincere smile.

“So, Sky and Star? Adopted? With those names and that back-story, I suppose we should be asking E.T. If your powers come from him?” Though the only response on either of their parts was simply staring at the table, saying nothing. Simmons smacked his lips impatiently and set a pencil on the table in front of him. “Go ahead, move it.” Again, he was met with nothing but silence from either Star or Sky. He sighed again, “so is it both of you, one of you? If so, which one? I’m guessing the one of you who is supposedly male” he said as Sky just glared back at him, “considering she was about an inch from rape-city before you showed up.”

Sky and Star both glared back at him more angrily then. Sky finally spoke, “Isn’t this kidnapping or something? We are only seventeen. And I didn’t hear our parents give you permission to bring us here.”

“Prove it.” Simmons said plainly, which only caused looks of confusion to break through their glares.

“Prove what?” Sky asked with a scoff.

“That you’re only seventeen.”

Another scoff before Sky spoke again, “wanna see my license or something?”

“A license ain’t a birth certificate. And neither of you have one of those, do you?” Simmons pointed out as he watched for their reactions.

They did quickly try to hide that reaction as they knew all too well that that was actually the case, but they had hoped that that wasn’t something that anyone else actually would find out.

Then Simmons continued, as he looked at some file “results inconclusive on these so-called blood tests that some adoption agency allegedly did on you? Hmm, imagine that” Simmons said pointedly, “no birth certificates, no ‘conclusive’ medical records of any kind whatsoever. Just some visit to the suicide ward three years ago, and somehow those records didn’t have anything conclusive in them either. Aren’t you two an interesting pair?”

“Well now that we know the hospitals in this country suck, can we leave now?” Sky retorted.

“Move the pencil, Sky.” Simmons stated simply.

Sky just glared again and reached over to pick up the pencil before dropping it to the table angrily once more. He then responded with continued anger, “now can we leave?”

“Quite the smart-ass aren’t you?”

“See, told you I was seventeen. There you go, conclusive proof.”

Simmons just shook his head and smiled insincerely again, “we already saw the video. Not sure what you think you’re accomplishing by refusing to cooperate.”

“Video’s fake. Just ask the asshole’s lawyers” Sky stated sarcastically.

He then turned to Star, “well then the silent miss here should win a fucking Oscar, cause that looked like real fear to me when he reached for your panties” he told Star as he gave her a head to toe appraisal. Receiving an even angrier glare from both of them then, he continued, “just move the fucking pencil and we’ll all be much happier” he repeated.

“You’re spending a hell of a lot of time and effort on getting a pencil to move” Sky muttered impatiently.

“And you’re spending a lot of effort on refusing to cooperate” Simmons shot back.

“We don’t have any fucking powers. Can we go now?” he asked bitterly again.

Simmons was quiet another long moment before he finally looked back up at them, “so rumor has it you too are hot as hell for each other. Interesting for a brother and sister.”

“Not actually brother and sister” Sky growled back.

“But you’re not denying that you two have a thing for each other, are you?”

“And what the fuck does that have to do with us moving goddamn pencils?” Sky asked with further irritation.

“Well, funny thing; you seemed to have no trouble pulling some pretty serious power outta your tiny little ass when Star here was in real danger. Wonder how we might have to trigger those powers of yours again now” he said coldly as he centered a more than threatening look on Star.