Life entered a new, calmer, and more enjoyable phase after Thomas truly accepted Daniel as part of their family. With this newfound peace, Daniel began interacting with Sarah and Thomas in a more carefree, open manner—sharing his experiences and knowledge more freely.

  Emily, of course, was delighted that her brother had been embraced, feeling that she too had been fully embraced in turn.

  The family still maintained their secrecy—none of them believed the world was ready for the truth about Emily and Daniel. The risks were unimaginably high - but secrecy didn’t mean life couldn’t be fun every now and then.

  —

  One of the first outings where the family let Daniel ‘have fun’ was at a bustling computer expo.

  Emily had discovered the event in a local newspaper and hounded her parents for days to take her. Even Daniel had made a plea for ‘encouraging her interests and intelligence’.

  In the end, Sarah and Thomas relented, but only after a promise from the two that no new hardware or software would be purchased.

  That promise lasted precisely 15 minutes although oddly enough, it was Thomas who broke it, the family leaving with a set of computer speakers, a subwoofer, and an expensive CD writer.

  As they exited, Emily chatted excitedly with Thomas about the possibilities of their new tech, while Sarah trailed behind, trying not to dwell on the bill.

  Until a voice boomed from a nearby booth, stopping Emily in her tracks.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on the future of computing! Our latest processors are faster and more efficient, clocking in at an astounding 500 megahertz!”

  Emily turned slowly, almost disbelieving - her eyes wide.

  The presenter, from a major processor manufacturer, stood before a captivated crowd, practically glowing with pride as he sold the benefits of his company’s latest offering.

  Emily’s curiosity got the better of her, and she tugged her parents toward the demonstration. She listened intently as the presenter sang praises about faster response times, advanced software capabilities, and cutting-edge gaming performance.

  “This is it, ladies and gentlemen! You will never need another computer after this!”

  Emily’s brow furrowed. A small flash in her eyes. A slight change in tone and cadence.

  “Five hundred megahertz, my—” She caught herself just in time. “My rear end,” she muttered. “This’ll be a dinosaur in a few months.”

  Sarah and Thomas, overhearing, exchanged looks.

  “Did she just—?” Thomas began.

  “Yep,” Sarah replied, smirking. “Daniel’s in the house. This should be interesting.”

  “Should we stop them?” Thomas asked cautiously.

  “No,” Sarah said, folding her arms. “Let’s see how this plays out. They’re smart enough not to blow their cover. Besides, it might be fun to see Daniel riled up.”

  The presenter, having overheard tidbits of Emily’s muttered comment, smiled with a mix of indulgence and condescension - “Excuse me, young lady. Do you have a question?”

  Emily blinked.. “Oh, uh… yeah.” She raised her hand, her expression suddenly serious. “Are you planning to break the one-gigahertz barrier soon?”

  The presenter froze, his smile faltering.

  “Well, that’s… quite ambitious!” he said, his voice tinged with condescension. “But for now, 500 megahertz is cutting-edge technology. Why would we need to go beyond that?”

  “Uh oh,” Thomas whispered to Sarah. “Shots fired.”

  Emily tilted her head, her eyes gleaming.

  “Well, 500 megahertz is impressive, but isn’t it just a stepping stone to more advanced CPUs? I mean, you’ll hit bottlenecks as graphical hardware improves. You’ve got to be planning for the future, right?”

  The presenter’s confidence wavered. “That’s an interesting point. Where did you learn all this?”

  Emily—no, Daniel—smiled innocently. “Oh, just reading about tech trends. You know, I imagine one day there will be advancements in processing speed, efficiency - maybe even parallel computing…”

  He paused, letting the words sink in, eyes gleaming mischievously as the presenter opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water.

  “It’s just that saying 500 megahertz is the last processor anyone will ever need feels, I dunno….”

  Murmurs rippled through the crowd as the presenter’s smile turned strained.

  “Honestly,” Daniel continued, emboldened, “there’s got to be a limit, right? You can’t just keep adding power. Eventually, you’ll end up with a power-hungry brick. So, the real breakthroughs will involve different ways of thinking right? Maybe…parallel processing, energy efficiency, and materials science?”

  Sarah and Thomas stood a few steps away, looking at each other trying not to laugh.

  “What did Daniel do in his past life, again?” Sarah whispered.

  “I thought you knew,” Thomas replied, his eyes wide. “You’re the one he calls Mom.”

  “Should we stop them? I mean - this stuff is probably in development right?”

  “Nah - they keep their secret so well, let them have fun this. Not like anyone will remember.”

  “He is doing the squeaky little girl voice well…”

  “Oh that may actually be Emily - hard to say who is driving this second..”

  The back-and-forth continued, with Daniel or perhaps Emily pressing harder and the presenter clearly floundering while feigning ‘little girl innocence’.

  Finally, Sarah stepped in, placing a firm hand on ‘Emily’s’ shoulder.

  “All right, ‘Emily’,” she said with a smile. “Let’s give the nice man a break.”

  Thomas offered the flustered presenter an apologetic smile as Sarah steered “Emily” away.

  Daniel however couldn’t resist a parting shot. “Don’t worry, you’ll get there eventually. 500 megahertz, though… really?”

  The crowd chuckled, and the presenter forced a smile, his confidence clearly shaken.

  As they walked away, Sarah and Thomas exchanged bemused glances.

  “Daniel,” Sarah said, her tone light but pointed, “maybe let people catch up next time. And try not to let your crystal ball into the future be quite so obvious.”

  “Also,” Thomas added, smirking, “maybe save the tech talk for people who are actually ready for it. Poor guy didn’t stand a chance.”

  “No promises,” Emily replied, her nose in the air. ““It’s not like I was talking about fifth generation fighters” - though at that moment, neither parent was honestly sure which sibling was speaking.

  —

  Other outings showed Emily and Daniel’s gentler side.

  One Saturday morning, Sarah visited the DMV for some routine car-related paperwork with an obviously irritated Emily in tow.

  The room was crowded, full of grumbling, uncomfortable people. The only real sounds were chairs screeching against the floor, the robotic voice of the PA system calling numbers, and DMV officials speaking in dull, monotone voices to customers who were even more worn out than they were.

  Emily poked at Daniel, her tone mischievous. “Hey, remind me—was the DMV this boring in your universe? Were you a regular?”

  Daniel sighed, quietly switching out with her “It was boring. No way around it. Everyone was stressed, tired, and cranky. Never ending forms, never ending proof of this or that. They even made a movie ripping on the DMV with sloths running the counters.”

  Their shared giggles drew a glance from Sarah, who was busy filling out forms, who stopped and shushed them glancing around her. “You two,” she hissed. “Banter at home all you like, but we’re in public. In a government office! Focus or talk mentally—whatever you do!”

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Okay, okay!” Emily whispered, raising her hands in mock surrender. “Going mental but seriously, a calculus lecture from Danny’s time sounds more interesting than this!”

  With a final warning glare, Sarah turned back to the forms, her head in her hands as she worked through the monotony.

  She couldn’t resist a smile as she saw a mischievous expression on Emily’s face - aware that the banter between Emily and Daniel was continuing - even if it seemed invisible.

  As minutes passed, Sarah’s train of thought was suddenly broken as Emily’s chair creaked loudly. She looked up to see her daughter’s posture straight-backed and alert, gaze more focused as she stared at someone or something in the distance.

  “Danny, you seeing this?” she whispered softly - loud enough that Sarah just heard her.

  Sarah frowned, half tempted to shush them again, but instead unconsciously followed their gaze intrigued by what her daughter may have noticed.

  She observed a nearby station where a couple appeared to be conversing with a frustrated DMV officer in a mix of broken English and Spanish. Their faces were marked with confusion and stress as they stared at forms in their hands, and then blankly back at the visibly irritated officer, their voices hushed and strained.

  “Language barriers suck, Mom,” Daniel said softly, switching in with a quick nod at Sarah. “Government agencies are hard enough as is. Throw in exhaustion and confusion, and voila - look at their body language - they are one push away from breaking down.”

  Sarah’s face softened as she watched the couple. “I never thought about how difficult it must be in situations like this,” she said quietly.

  “It’s brutal,” Daniel murmured. “I saw this so often in my old life with friends and others. It’s like trying to learn calculus before you’ve mastered addition.”

  He nodded and added, “Yes Emily, or like jamming a second consciousness into a kid’s brain. Wait a minute HEY!”.

  Sarah smiled gently despite herself, her heart warming as she realized her children, two souls in one body or not ,were showing empathy many adults wouldn’t.

  Daniel continued staring in the direction of the couple, sitting on the edge of the seat, rapidly tapping Emily’s feet.

  A moment later, he suddenly stood up muttering “Oh, to heck with this” and began walking towards the couple.

  “Danny, Emily! Wait!” Sarah whispered as she chased after them “What are you doing?”

  “Using our gifts,” Emily, now again in control, replied, glancing back with a knowing smile. “I know Spanish, remember? Thanks to King Doofus.” She tapped her temple playfully. “Don’t worry, I will keep it down low - not like this is school or something.”

  Before Sarah could say another word - Emily had approached the couple with a warm smile.

  “?Hola! ?Necesitan ayuda? Puedo ayudarles con los formularios.”

  (Hi! Do you need help? I can help you with the forms.)

  Both the couple and the DMV officer looked up in surprise - evidently at a loss for words as they appeared to process this child in front of them speaking Spanish. A moment later however, relief washed over the couple’s faces as Emily’s words registered.

  “?Hola! No te preocupes, puedo ayudarte. Aquí, muéstrame los formularios,” Emily continued, gently taking the forms.

  (Hi, don’t worry. I can help. Here, show me the forms.)

  Sarah watched from behind, torn between amazement and concern.

  Emily and Daniel had agreed to keep a low profile but they were threading the proverbial needle perfectly - disguising their reality but using their gifts to help perfect strangers.

  “Is this really happening?” she whispered to herself, her voice filled with a deep awe.

  Sarah saw Emily, or perhaps it was Daniel now, work seamlessly, switching languages effortlessly as they helped the couple navigate the forms, explained procedures and periodically switched to English with the DMV officer, to translate instructions to Spanish or vice versa. She saw the couples’ shoulders relax, their formerly concerned visage now breaking into a smile, as they jabbered happily to Emily.

  The DMV officer blinked in disbelief as Emily, a ten-year-old, began confidently translating for the struggling couple. For a moment, they simply stared, processing the sudden shift in the room’s dynamic before breaking into a bemused smile.

  “That’s your daughter?” the officer asked Sarah with a mix of surprise and appreciation. “Smart kid! Bilingual at, what, ten years old?”

  Sarah, caught off guard by the compliment, chuckled and nodded. “She’s full of surprises,” she replied warmly.

  “They both are,” she added softly, more to herself.

  Meanwhile, Emily—seamlessly switching to Daniel’s more measured tone—reassured the couple, carefully explaining the forms step by step in fluent Spanish.

  “Ya está todo listo. Solo necesitan esperar su turno ahora,” she said gently as she handed the forms back to them.

  (It’s all done. Now you just need to wait for your turn.)

  The couple, visibly relieved, broke into grateful smiles. The man patted Emily’s head affectionately, while the woman leaned down to hug her.

  “Gracias,” they said earnestly, their words filled with warmth.

  They turned to Sarah next, their English halting but heartfelt. “Your daughter, very kind… very smart. Thank you.”

  Sarah felt a swell of pride, her chest tightening with emotion. “You’re welcome. We’re happy to help,” she replied, her voice soft but steady.

  Back in their seat, Sarah placed a hand on Emily’s shoulder. Emily glanced up nervously, the shift in her expression—so brief, so subtle—betraying Daniel’s presence.

  “Hey, Mom. We didn’t blow our cover, you know,” Emily said cautiously.

  Sarah smiled, her voice laced with affection. “I know, Em. That was incredible. You and Daniel—you just knew what to do. I’m so proud of you. Both of you.”

  Emily grinned, the shift in her eyes showing Daniel’s presence as well. “It just felt right,” she replied nonchalantly, though Sarah could sense both their relief and pride.

  “How about we grab some ice cream on the way home?” Sarah suggested, ruffling Emily’s hair. “You two earned it my interpreters!”

  Emily’s formerly concerned posture perked up instantly at the mention of ice-cream. “Sounds good to me!” she proclaimed with some excited gesticulation. “Better be a chocolate though!”

  Daniel switched out momentarily to chime in “I could go for something cold too…maybe a root beer float too?”

  Emily switched back with a giggle “Psh, you just want an excuse to eat more ice cream and soda.” Feigning indignation she added “What do you mean ‘oh whatever little Ms. I-Eat-Till-I-Puke”

  Sarah shook her head, laughing at their antics. “You two are impossible. One moment you’re saving the day, and the next you’re back to being… well, you.”

  The family left the DMV, their bond evident in their playful banter. Sarah smiled, grateful for the colorful chaos her children brought into her life.

  —

  Other days, Emily’s sass and Daniel’s quick thinking could save the day in unexpected ways.

  Thomas had taken Emily for a quick trip to the store, leaving Sarah at home for a rare moment of peace. The drive was beautiful—picturesque, even. The sun was setting behind them, painting the sky in streaks of orange and pink, the empty road stretching invitingly ahead.

  Thomas drove, music playing softly, and occasionally glanced at Emily in the backseat.Perhaps feeling a bit too relaxed, he pressed his foot a little harder on the gas than he should have.

  The peaceful moment was ruined by the wail of sirens and flashing red and blue lights in the rearview mirror.

  “Oh no,” Thomas muttered, his knuckles tightening on the wheel as he pulled over and slowed to a stop. “Oh no, no—Sarah is going to kill me. I wasn’t going that fast, was I?”

  “Actually, you were,” Emily chimed in gleefully, her tone carrying just the right amount of ‘I told you so.’ “Mom is totally going to kill you. Better start calculating how much you’re going to owe!”

  “Emily!” Thomas hissed, his heart racing as panic set in. “This is not the time!”

  Daniel switched in, and Emily’s demeanor shifted instantly. “Relax,” he said, his tone calm.

  “You’re not the first person to get pulled over. Mom doesn’t need to know. Just play along, okay? We’ve got an idea.”

  Before Thomas could respond, the officer approached his side window, clipboard in hand.

  “Good evening, sir,” the officer began, his voice all business. “License and registration, please. Do you know how fast you were going?”

  Thomas fumbled to respond, glancing nervously at the officer and then at Emily in the rearview mirror. He opened his mouth to stammer out an apology, but before he could speak, Emily shrieked at full volume, cutting through the tension like a foghorn on steroids.

  “DAD! WHY ARE WE STOPPING?!” she wailed, her voice a mix of panic and desperation. “I NEED TO GO! RIGHT NOW!”

  The officer blinked in surprise, his professional demeanor cracking slightly as he glanced past Thomas toward the source of the commotion. Meanwhile, Thomas turned to stare at Emily in sheer disbelief.

  “Uh… everything okay back there?” the officer asked cautiously, peering into the backseat.

  “Oh no!” Emily moaned dramatically, clutching her stomach as she leaned forward. “I told you I didn’t want all that ice cream, but nooo! You said, ‘Don’t waste food! Think of the starving kids in…wherever!’ Now I’m gonna—oh no, oh noooo!”

  Thomas gawked, completely at a loss for words. The officer, however, took an involuntary step back, a faint chuckle escaping him as he lowered the clipboard.

  “Oh man,” the officer said, shaking his head with a grin. “She overate? I feel for you. I’ve got a daughter too. Always at the worst possible time.”

  “I-I’m so sorry,” Thomas stammered, his face burning. “She’s just, uh…”

  “DAD!” Emily shrieked again, her voice hitting an octave Thomas didn’t know she—or Daniel—could reach.

  “WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING?

  I’M

  GONNA

  CRAP

  MY

  PANTS!”

  That was it. The officer short circuited - doubled over, laughing so hard he slapped his thigh and thumped the car with his clipboard.

  “All right, sir,” the officer wheezed, straightening up and wiping his eyes. “I should write you a ticket, but this…this is the best thing I’ve seen in years. Just slow it down, okay? And maybe…lay off the ice cream next time.”

  His eyes twinkling he nodded at Emily “I hope you get home soon before…ah….”.

  “Thank you!” Thomas blurted out, already shifting the car into gear. “Thank you so much!”

  As they pulled away, the car was silent for a few moments, save for the sound of Thomas’s breathing as he tried to calm his nerves. Finally, he glanced into the rearview mirror, his brow furrowed.

  “Emily,” he began, his voice both suspicious and confused. “When did you have ice cream? No, wait—you didn’t have ice cream. We were just at the store.”

  Emily grinned innocently, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Nope,” she replied simply.

  The subtle shift in her expression signaled Daniel’s presence. “And you didn’t get a ticket, did you?” he added, his tone full of mock innocence.

  Thomas groaned, shaking his head as a reluctant smile crept onto his face. “You two are impossible.”

  “Aw, come on man,” Daniel said with a chuckle. “Teamwork makes the dream work. Told you we had it covered. And you’re welcome, by the way.”

  “Remind me to teach you about appropriate times for theatrics,” Thomas muttered, though his voice carried a note of amusement. “Mr. and Ms. ‘I’m Gonna Crap My Pants.’”

  The car was silent for another beat before Thomas’s quiet chuckle grew into a full belly laugh. “Life with you two is going to be anything but ordinary, isn’t it?”

  From the backseat, Emily grinned like a cat with a canary, her expression saying all it needed to. No words were necessary.