"All done, piece of cake, no sweat at all."
Barrry slipped back into his straw-man avatar, feeling the power surging through his stuffed body, and couldn't help but think how lucky he was to have a form that actually worked for him.
Sure, it didn't have the sharp senses of a real human body, but damn, it was perfect for unleashing raw strength.
Mariah took the reins of her own body again, but she was all glitchy at first—jerky movements, like she was buffering. Took her a good minute to shake it off and move normally.
"About damn time. All because of that spineless wimp, I had to suffer through this crapfest of a life. It's like binge-watching the worst trashy reality show that spikes your blood pressure every episode."
"Fuck this garbage fire of an existence!"
The second Mariah opened her mouth, it was a whole different vibe. She flipped off the world outside with both middle fingers, full force.
Barrry shot her a sideways glance, and there she was, rolling around on the bed like a hyper kid on a sugar rush.
"You did it too? Is that cool?"
Barrry muttered something that didn't quite make sense.
"Yeah, I totally did. Pfft! What, you get to pull that off and I can't?"
Aylan wasn't some soft cotton ball—if you mouthed off, she'd clap back hard.
Yup, Aylan had hijacked Mariah's account, just like Barrry had done way back when.
While Barrry was out, and before Mariah could fully take over, Aylan jumped into that split-second gap and nailed the takeover.
She wasn't even trying to hide it from Barrry—might as well go full throttle, enjoy it while it lasted.
From birth to being ditched.
Aylan had speed-run life in record time, like a noob player on a fresh account with zero vibes.
Good thing this world wasn't your standard setup—Aylan triggered some hidden mechanic, leveled up into a ghost class, and hitched a ride in her identical twin Mariah's body to scrape by.
"Kid, ease up on the attitude. Uncle Barrry just wants you to be polite, watch your mouth—it's not about being rude. That'll do you favors down the line."
Aylan snorted, throwing up the rock-on horns, and started jamming out to herself, belting some super loud, rowdy tunes.
Can't hear you, la la la, nope, just singing here.
"This damn kid." Barrry shook his head in exasperation. "Taking over the body without asking? Not exactly good manners."
Seeing Aylan's whole "life's too short, gotta YOLO" energy, Barrry clocked right away how she'd come into the picture.
"Mind your own beeswax! You're so annoying."
Barrry's well-meaning advice just got him disrespected in return.
"If you'd cracked a smile at birth, maybe woken up some buried dad instincts in your old man? Who knows, you might've made it, gotten your own body."
"Though, let's be real, you could've ended up looking rough—like, barely passes for human, the kind where folks on the street dial 911 thinking you're a threat. Only the law says you're people."
Hiss!
A deep, sharp inhale.
Pissed. Straight-up raging.
Aylan's little fists clenched, knuckles popping like gunfire.
"You...!" No more giggles now—her face went dark, icy cold. That jab hit her right in the scars.
Why? Why dump disrespect and shade on me when I'm finally having a good time?
Could she take it? Hell no.
You've got a death wish now!
Fuming, Aylan locked eyes with him, her badass aura flaring up.
She was about to throw down!
Whoosh!
She snatched the pillow off the headboard and went full berserk mode—pummeling it like it owed her money, wild and relentless.
Let out a long sigh, and just like that, Aylan's eyes cleared up. She turned to Barrry, all earnest now:
"You're right, my bad—attitude problem on me. I messed up, I'll make it right."
Head down, biting it back!
Aylan knew the power gap all too well, so she folded like a pro, no ego.
"I just wanna live, y'know? Like a normal person. I only wanted to play a bit longer, soak in some joy I never got before."
"Is... is that so wrong? I wanna live for real, go all in, feel every damn beautiful thing this world has."
"Even Mariah—she grew up with love all around. Me? Nada. So I just... sneak a little when she's not looking, pretend it's mine for a sec."
Aylan flipped the script in a heartbeat, channeling her inner method actor—zero to sixty, emotions cranked.
Full-on feels, eyes brimming, straight from the heart.
Crying Aylan played the sympathy card like a boss.
Sobs, wails, tears on tap.
Nailed every beat, spot-on.
Barrry would've slapped a 99 on that performance—the missing point? No buildup, straight zero-frame opener, tiny flaw.
But hey, show like that? Auto-pass.
"Own your mistakes and fix 'em—that's the best. Good kid. If you want it that bad, just say it loud and proud. Don't lie or steal! That's no way to roll."
Barrry figured he'd let Aylan stretch her legs for now.
Stuck inside Mariah's head 24/7? Nothing to do but pop an eye open at night and stare at the ceiling—kinda sad, really.
Aylan wiped the tears from her cheeks, nodding like a bobblehead.
But deep down, she was side-eyeing Barrry hard: Easier said than done, hypocrite. You're the one scamming and stealing my dimwit twin sis—Mariah, the IQ-challenged edition!
You do it, but I can't?
Pfft! Fake as hell.
Switching faces again like a pro, Aylan flashed a sweet grin:
"Uncle Barrry, I just thought of something fun."
"Spill it, let's hear."
"Forget all that dumb drama—let's hit the road, go for a joyride, feel the wind."
Joyride? Cruising?
Barrry eyed her. "You got a ride? Without wheels, you're talking smack."
He paused, like a lightbulb went off, then added: "I'm not without standards, though. It's freezing out—don't tell me your 'cool ride' is some beat-up bike."
Aylan tilted her head, smirking: "Nah, but someone's got one, and that's plenty."
"Oh?"
"A badass Porsche, acid green, turbocharged."
"Now we're talking."
Barrry was in—she'd earned a little fun, so why not roll with it?
Greenlit, Aylan perked right up, grabbed her phone, and tapped a few times.
Ring ring ring!
Call connected.
"Lily, evening!"
"Mariah, what's up?"
"Heard your dad hooked you up with that sick new ride. Wanna take it for a spin, just us?"
"Whoa! I haven't even told you yet. Yeah, sure—half hour, downstairs at your place."
No clue what was going through Lily's head, but she said yes.
Gotta say, Aylan and Mariah were night and day personality-wise.
Aylan was outgoing, gutsy as hell, a tad sharper too—she knew her rep made it tough for Lily to say no. Lily wasn't itching for an elbow to the face, after all.
Mariah? Total introvert, always passive, which landed her in awkward spots way too often.
Not long after.
The phone buzzed again. Peeking out the window, there it was: a lime-green Porsche idling downstairs at Mariah's building.
"Uncle Barrry, ride's all set." Aylan had dolled up quick—looking even cuter now. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and asked, "Where you wanna sit?"