Chapter 6. The switch

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The next weeks that remained for the girls were a montage of finding out about each other. They showed each other drawn blueprints of their homes, introduced the people they would be interacting with every day and the habits and basic house rules. Addison was surprised to learn that her twin lived with her mother and her godmother, while also living next door to her unrelated aunts and uncles. Kenna was shocked that in her father's household he lived with his younger sister, Alison who was also Addison's godmother and aunt while also helping her brother with his business.

XXX

The entire camp was assembled for a screening of Father of The Bride part II, and naturally all the girls were laughing hysterically. All but two. Kenna and Addison were sitting in the middle of the crowd, whispering.

"But I never bite my nails!" Kenna argued in a whisper.

Addison sighed heavily. "But I always do!" she whispered back. "Dad will notice!"

Her sister shook her head and sat on her hands, "I can't." She whispered back stubbornly.

Addison stared at her. "Want me to do it for you?" She asked, her voice dripping with condescension.

Kenna rolled her eyes and reluctantly started chewing her nails.

XXX

It was after lunch and the twins were back at their cabin. Kenna was sitting nervously on a stool clutching her hairbrush like it was her lifeline and looking at her terrified face in front of the mirror. Her brown curly hair, which fell halfway down her back, was going to be cut. Addison told her that in order for their plan to pull through, they have to look alike and she knew that her twin was right. Although she really didn't like the idea of her hair being cut, she had to agree.

Addison looked expectantly at her sister and gave her a reassuring smile, "ready?" she asked and Kenna closed her eyes and nodded, "Ready," she answered. Her twin went over to her drawer and pulled a big pair of silver scissors. She went over to her twin, measured a strand of her hair and positioned the scissors getting ready to cut.

"Don't shut your eyes!" a horrified Kenna exclaimed. Addison immediately opened her eyes.

"Oh right, sorry, I'm just a little nervous," she said sheepishly.

"You're nervous?! A fourteen year old is cutting my hair!" an incredulous Kenna exclaimed with a loss of her usual English accent, which didn't escape her twin's notice.

"Hey, you sounded just like me," she remarked happily and Kenna smiled proudly.

"Well I'm supposed to, aren't I?" she said then, "Go ahead, just do it."

At her request, Addison started cutting and soon, strands of Kenna's hair were down on the floor. After about an hour or so, Kenna stood in front of the mirror staring at her newly cut hair. It was exactly like Addison's and she was amazed how alike they really looked now.

"This is so scary," she remarked, touching her hair. Addison appeared beside her and waved her hand, "Honey, you never looked better," she said in a English accent that belonged to her sister and that she would have to use once they made the switch.

"Oh my god," she suddenly said and looked closer into the mirror while Kenna watched worried.

"What?" she asked worriedly and her sister pointed at her ears.

"I have pierced ears."

"Uh, no – no, no, no and no; it's not happening! Sorry, wrong number, I won't. I refuse," she said stubbornly while Addison crossed her arms and looked at the ceiling.

"Then cutting your hair was a total waste of time. There's no way I could go to camp with pierced ears and then come home without them. I mean, c'mon, get real." She chided.

Kenna crossed her arms, almost in tears. Cutting her hair and biting her nails was one thing, but this? "this isn't fair. I've had to chew my nails, cut of my hair and now you want to punch holes in my ears?" She cried out. "you didn't have to do one thing to become me!"

Addison grinned sheepishly. "hey, can I help it if I'm a complicated woman with a look entirely of my own?"

XXX

A match was struck and Addison held a needle over it while Kenna watched her with a petrified expression on her face. She was holding an ice cube underneath her earlobe and was currently wishing that she didn't have to undergo this painful process. She watched her sister approach her with a calm look on her face.

"Needle sterilized," she announced.

"Y-Y-You sure you know what you're doing?" Kenna stammered.

"Relax, I've gone with all my friends who got their ears pierced and it's nothing. Just close your eyes and it will be over before you know it." Addison assured like a businessman: suave.

"Earring ready?" she asked and her sister held up a silver earing in reply.

"Good," Addison nodded, "hand me the apple," she ordered and was given the apple slice with a terrified whimper from her sister.

"Just relax," she repeated, "I'm telling you, this is not a big deal. On the count of three, remove the ice. One..." Addison started.

"Two, Three!" the ice was replaced with the green apple slice and the needle pierced Kenna's earlobe. Kenna let out a bloodcurdling own scream which was immediately followed by Addison's own bloodcurdling scream.

Addison fell to the floor, passed out for a minute. Kenna, now wearing the earring, gently slapped Addison's face trying to revive her. "Addison, are you awake? Get up!"

Addison opened her eyes and moaned in pain, sitting up with a hand on her head. "Are you bleeding to death?"

Kenna rolled her eyes at her dramatic ways. "I'm fine. It didn't hurt at all. But I refuse to go through life with only one pierced ear." She held up the needle and smirked at her sister. "Back to work, darling."

Addison took one look at the needle and passed out again.

"Addison!"

XXX

It was the last day of camp and everyone was giving each other tearful goodbyes and promises of keeping in touch. Even the lost boy was giving assurances to his gaggle of new friends, which were of course, girls. Kenna and Addison both walked towards the entrance of the camp. The twins have already switched and both were ready to go their separate ways to meet the parents they've been dreaming of their whole life to meet.

"Okay, this is it." Addison said breathlessly, now wearing her sister's white sundress. Her sister had taken her hair and done twin French braids that Hanna had taught her to do before leaving for camp.

"Okay, remember, you're going to find out how mom and dad met." Kenna reviewed, wearing Jason's nylon jacket with a plain white tee underneath and blue jean shorts. Her hair was left natural, her big brown curls cascading just above her chest.

"And you're going to find out why they broke up." Addison finished.

"Kenna Montgomery, your car is here." Marvas Jr. announced into the bullhorn.

"That's you – here's your ticket and passport. Aunt Emily is going to pick you up at the airport," Kenna hurriedly said, pressing the ticket and passport to her sister's hand.

"What time do you leave?" a worried Addison asked.

"oh, not for a couple hours," her sister answered, "Give mom a kiss for me," she said.

"Give dad one from me." Addison said giving her twin a final hug.

"Last call for Kenna Montgomery!" Marvas Jr. announced again.

Addison rushed to the car, received a hug from Marva Jr. and climbed in. Marvas shut the door and patted the vehicle away as Kenna watched with her fingers crossed.

"Good luck," she said with a sigh and closed her eyes.

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