The lights cut out for a second, then slowly flickered back on.
"OMG, what just happened?" Jon asked, startled by the loud bang and power cut. He had gotten dizzy for a moment but that was passing. Leonard brushed a strand of soft blonde hair out of his face with a manicured finger and examined his phone.
"Looks like a reality buffer leak. The system, like, got overloaded and shorted out. It's running on backup power but, um, I'm locked out."
"What in the world does that mean, Allie?" Jon said, panic rising in his voice.
"Did you just call me Allie?" Leonard asked.
"Yeah, that's your name."
"No that's your name. My name is... Allie Swenson. Hm, that doesn't seem right."
"But my name's Allie Swenson... isn't it? I remember you were copying things and then that- that machine went haywire! I know my name must have been different, but I can't think of what it was."
Leonard sighed, "I guess the 'copy' function wasn't ready. It looks like the traits of Allie's life sort of... leaked out onto us. Our bodies didn't change but I think nearly everything else did."
Jon hopped down from the counter he'd been sitting on, landing deftly on his heels before walking effortlessly over to Leonard. He too seemed perfectly balanced in an identical pair of pumps. "I still don't understand what that means, Allie," Jon said.
"Look, Allie," Leonard said, "You just walked across the room in those heels."
"Well duh," Jon replied, "They're our YSL pumps and, like, the most comfortable heels we own."
"I know that," Leonard said, with a roll of his eyes that caused his long fake eyelashes to flutter. "But just a minute ago you could barely stand up! And even though we practiced our 'pageant walk' for hours for the Miss United pageant, that's not really our life."
Jon thought for a moment. He could clearly remember competing in that pageant. The thought of strutting across that stage in a purple bikini and platform heels with the spotlight on him brought back the wave of pride he felt that day. He worked so hard to get there and he felt like a princess! But when he thought harder, he knew that didn't make sense... and he could remember almost breaking an ankle trying to stand in these shoes just moments earlier. It was hazy, though, like a half-remembered dream.
"OMG you're right, Allie," Jon said.
"Because I had the awareness settings on for both of us, we can still remember some of our original selves. But the Allie identity is pushing out a lot of stuff. The longer we're like this the harder it'll be to remember that we used to be different. I have to get the reality buffers back up and running."
"Do you remember how to do that?" Jon asked.
"I think so. I have to think really hard, though. Quick, run through some things you know about your life. If we can find something we remember differently, maybe focusing on that will help to remember other stuff."
"Ok," Jon said. He began listing things off the top of his head. "My name is Allie Swenson, and I'm 28 years old."
"Same," Leonard said.
"I went to Fisher University where I was a cheerleader and a sister of Phi Kappa Delta sorority."
"Go Deltas!" Leonard said with a giggle.
"I was runner up at the Miss United pageant four years ago..."
Leonard butted in excitedly, "OMG wasn't that gown we wore gorgeous!" Then he composed himself, "That's all how I remember things... try something more recent."
"Well I'm a co-anchor at KDTZ news, and I just finished the newscast and... wait... no I didn't. We were both here!"
"Yes that's right!" Leonard exclaimed. "I was working on my invention and I invited you over."
"Right!" Jon said. He was remembering more clearly too. He remembered walking over from his house. Though he still couldn't remember wearing anything other than this blue dress and heels. There was also a faint recollection of some kind of wish, but something told him he shouldn't mention that just yet.
"OK," Leonard said, "I'm starting to remember how to get into the system... let's just give this a try." He started tapping his phone again. Jon watched, trying to be patient. But another thought occurred to him.
"Hey Allie," Jon said.
"Hm," Leonard responded, trying to focus.
"You and I weren't the only ones changed. Before the power cut out, it looked like Allie's life got copied onto Allie Swenson too." He was referring to Rick Morgan, but couldn't remember him by any other name. "Could that identity leak have affected anyone else?"
Leonard stopped tapping and his mascaraed eyes went wide. They both heard a set of footsteps on the floor upstairs, where Leonard's mother had been. But did she still have her own identity? And what about the rest of town?
