We are a twin. I know that sentence doesn’t make much sense, but it’s the
most accurate description of what we are. You see, one of us absorbed the
other in the womb. There is no way to know which, but it doesn’t really
matter, because it’s the end result that counts. For most people, this is
what is known as a chimera. The individual will have two sets of DNA inside
of their body. This can cause some health concerns, but it is mostly only a
genetic rarity. We, on the other hand, are more than merely a combination of
two individuals. We are two separate people, with two separate
consciousnesses, living inside one body. We’re sure you think you’ve heard
of this before. You probably call it multiple personality disorder. Besides
the fact that this is an outdated term, it’s not what’s happening here. Like
dissociative disorder, however, we have had a hard time finding psychiatric
care from someone who actually believes us that we’re single body twins.
Even the ones who have been willing to be patient and open with us are under
the impression that we are one person who is suffering from some kind of new
disorder. We assure you that this is real, and while proving it to anyone
else would be impossible, we know in our hearts that it’s true, and in the
end, that is all we can hope for. Our newest psychologist is at least
willing to humor us, and help us work on our problems as if they believe,
rather than constantly trying to find ways to rid me of my delusion. As I
said before, this is not DID. Each of us is always there, always awake. We
experience the same things, and move in harmony, but we possess independent
thoughts. We can’t even communicate telepathically. For one to know what the
other is thinking, she has to vocalize her thoughts. In order for us to have
a private conversation, we have to be careful with who is nearby, because
we’ll just look like one woman talking to herself.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Kelsey. For a long time, we both went by
the same name, but we flipped a coin when we were five years old to see
which one of us would get it. Both of us got what we wanted, because I
wanted to keep the name for myself, and Selima wanted to come up with
something new for herself. We were too young to realize that we didn’t need
the coin. Anyway, I’m the boring one. I make sure we finish our homework,
and get enough sleep. Selima is smart too, though. We’re obviously enrolled
in college as one person, but we get to work together. Some of the margin
notes on tests make it seem like I’m arguing with someone, but it’s in the
same handwriting, so they can’t call it cheating. Selima isn’t this big mess
who only wants to party, but she ensures that we enjoy our lives. Hi, yes,
Selima here, that’s me, the fun one. Kelsey is right, I’m smart enough, but
she’s much smarter, and if only one of us gets to have a real life according
to everyone else, and be graded, I may as well let her handle that burden. I
consider it my duty to keep her ground, though, and also protect her. She’s
not great with confrontation, so whenever anyone is giving us trouble, I
step in to take care of that. People have noticed that we seem to have a
split personality, but being twin sisters, we’re not like polar opposites,
or anything. Kelsey likes to have fun too. It was her idea to hike down to
the valley last week, and I never would have thought of that myself. In the
end, we make it work, and despite some complicated problems that require us
to maintain our therapy sessions, I wouldn’t trade this life for anything.
Now if we can just agree on what we’re going to do for a living.
