Siri stands aside and I step into the room, chucking the roller bag onto the closest bed and unzipping it. Trying to think. Trying to shift the plan for a scenario in which we haven’t turned back into our normal selves. Trying not to panic.

“Jamie,” Siri says as the door closes behind us. “We need to switch back for this to work. I want to be myself again.”

No shit.

“Yes, dear sister,” I respond as I sift through my supplies and pull out our matching outfits. “I, too, want to be myself again. Grams is here, Sier. Why is Grams here?” I lay our outfits on the bed.

“Grams?” Her forehead, which is mine right now, creases up. “She must have come to surprise me at my gig.”

I zip up the bag and chuck it onto the floor. “You mean my gig.”

Siri rolls her eyes. “Your gig, my gig, who cares, it’s a fake gig.” She plops onto one of the queen beds. I toss her a pair of black velvet overalls and a pink crop top and start changing.

“Jamie, what are you doing?” she asks as I’m popping my head through the neck of the crop top.

“I’m changing…?” I sit on the edge of the bed across from her and belatedly finish craning my arms through the sleeves.

“We need to try to figure this out.” She massages her temples. “I’ve been thinking about the note for the last hour to distract myself from the terrible conversation I had with Dad.”

“What’d he—” I start.

“I’ll tell you later; this first,” she snaps. “I’ve been trying to jot it down in my Rediscover Yourself journal thing so we have it for reference. Clearly we’re missing something.”

She’s right. I should have thought of this. Why haven’t I done this?

77. Angst and Recall

SIRI

September 8, Tuesday

Nevada

We hunch over my notebook, side by side on the edge of the hotel bed.

First Stanza

Walk a mile in each other’s shoes?

Let me help pull off the ruse

4 days and 5 nights

Tell just one they’ll see the light

On the 5th day reunite

Second Stanza

Something something feels

Real?

Third Stanza

Or you’re doomed?

Jamie taps on the last line of stanza one. “That’s not right.”

She presses her hands into her eyes, thinking. “I wish I had read this aloud the first time. I feel like stanza three was the one that said reunite by the fifth day.”

“Or in this state you’re doomed to stay!” I yelp, my eyes going wide.

“Yes!” Jamie confirms. She holds her hand up for a high five, and I reach up and slap it excitedly.

I correct the draft.

Third Stanza
Reunite by the fifth day
Or in this state you’re doomed to stay

“This stanza is pretty damning,” Jamie mumbles.