The upstairs bedroom glowed faintly from the light coming from the morning sun in the window, but the laughter inside had died down. The pillow fight a good memory in his head. The whispered lessons on “how boys act” in to snooze with it is early.
Yet Sam couldn’t go back to sleep.
He lay in the borrowed mattress between Mathew and Markus, staring at the ceiling. His body still felt strange, heavier, stronger, different. But his heart was lighter than ever. For the first time in her life, Sophie wasn’t the girl left on the sidelines. As Sam, he was one of the boys. One of the triplets.
Quietly, he whispered into the dark. “I don’t want to go back. Not yet. Not until the holiday’s over.”
On his left, Mathew stirred awake. “You mean… you want to stay like this? The whole time?”
“Yes,” Sam said firmly. “I like it. I like being with you. It’s… it’s better than being the only girl here.”
There was silence. Then Markus rolled over, grinning even in the dark. “Then we’ll make sure no one can tell. If they don’t know who you are, they can’t change you back.”
Mathew chuckled also being awake now. “Perfect plan. Triplets forever.”
The three clasped hands over the blankets, sealing their pact.
The more later morning, footsteps pounded down the stairs.
Jessica and Robert looked up from their coffee and froze.
Three identical boys, bare-chested in identical plaid pajama shorts, marched into the kitchen in perfect unison. Hair tousled the same way, freckles matching, grins equally mischievous.
“Good morning!” they chorused.
Jessica blinked, her mug halfway to her lips. “Which one of you is…?”
“Mathew,” the first interrupted.
“Mathew,” said the second.
“Also Mathew,” the third added.
Robert set down his plate with a clatter. “Oh no. No, no, no. Which one of you is Sam?”
They exchanged sly glances.
“Not here,” one said innocently.
“Must’ve gone back upstairs,” another suggested.
“Maybe still sleeping?” the third shrugged.
Jessica groaned, rubbing her temples. “This isn’t funny. We need to know which of you is Sophie, with she needs to become her self again.”
“Sam not Sophie,” one corrected.
“Sam,” echoed another.
“Definitely Sam,” agreed the third.
The parents exchanged exasperated looks.
“Alright, knock it off,” Robert barked. “One of you tell the truth.”
But the boys only grinned wider, arms crossed like little soldiers standing their ground.
By lunch, the joke had worn thin for the adults.
Doug threatened to separate them into different rooms. Debbie tried coaxing with pancakes. Jessica demanded honesty, her voice sharp with worry.
But no matter what the parents did, the boys held firm.
“I’m Mathew.”
“I’m Markus.”
“Nope, I’m Mathew.”
It was a wall of identical voices, identical smiles.
Finally, Robert threw up his hands. “Fine! Have it your way. If you won’t tell us who’s who, then you’ll just have to stay that way. But don’t think this trick is clever, you three are on dish drying duty evry day this week antill you tell use whos who.”
The triplets grinned at each other behind their parents’ backs. To them, it was more than a trick. It was protection. A promise.
That afternoon, Jessica announced, “We’re taking everyone to the water park tomorrow. But if you three want to go, we’ll need another pair of swim trunks. it's the only thing you have only two of.”
The triplets exchanged looks, trying to hide their excitement of going out like this.
“Matching ones,” Markus whispered.
“Of course,” Mathew agreed.
"definitely" Sam beamed. The thought of having not just matching faces but matching swimwear too — of being indistinguishable even in the water — filled him with giddy relief.
Robert sighed. “Guess we’re buying cloths for a third son this holiday.”
The boys high-fived when the parents weren’t looking.
for the rest of that day and evening, while the cousins played cards, the triplets huddled in their corner playing and well being triplets.
“We did it,” Markus whispered.
“They really can’t tell us apart,” Mathew said proudly.
Sam grinned, heart swelling. “And they won’t, not until the end of the holiday. We’ll stick together. No one gets left out.”
For the first time, Sam didn’t feel like Sophie pretending. He didn’t feel like an outsider looking in.
He felt like a brother.
And with Mathew and Markus at his side, he was ready for anything the holiday would bring.
