Exulting in their special gifts, Alan and Tegan spent the rest of the day offering help to their troubled and needy friends.

"When I'm finished," Tegan explained to Augusta Winslow, "Maria's personality will be a part of you. Being a woman won't be so difficult and awkward for you anymore."

"That would make it a lot easier," said Augusta, looking over at her good friend, Maria Harris. "But Maria has helped me so much already—and I don't think she'd want to share my body."

"Oh, I don't know," Maria joked. "You're cuter than I am."

Dudley Green proved to be a harder sell. "You want to change my personality and make me think like a boy, so I'll be content with my situation," he accused. "I shan't allow it."

In the case of Van's feuding parents, Alan and Tegan chose to operate without prior consent.

"Come in," said Mr. Cooper when he saw the pair on the doorstep. "We're in the middle of an argument, but it can wait."

As soon as the couple was close enough together to each other and to her, Tegan dropped her barette and went to work. Alan tried to keep Van and Dallin distracted, so they wouldn't ask why their parents were standing motionlessly in the middle of the study.

Five minutes later Tegan cut the link, and watched as Mr. and Mrs. Cooper looked over each other, and their own bodies, in startled horror.

"What's happened to me?" Mr. Cooper exclaimed.

"I'm so confused," Mrs. Cooper remarked. "I feel like I'm in the wrong body, but I know I'm not."

"I've mixed your personalities," explained Tegan as she followed the pair to the full-length dresser mirror.

"This is so strange," said Mr. Cooper, examining his reflection. "It's like one of those dreams where I look in the mirror and see Mel, only part of me thinks I'm really him."

"I'm me, but at the same time I'm you," said Mrs. Cooper as she ran a hand over her coiffed hair. "Am I going crazy?"

"We'll come back tomorrow and restore you," said Tegan. "In the meantime, you can take the opportunity to learn more about each other than you ever have before."

She smiled mischievously at Alan as the siblings left the duck couple in their jumbled state.

"I don't know how you can go to work every day in these uncomfortable clothes," Mr. Cooper remarked to his wife.

"Having six babies really does take its toll on the abdominal muscles," she responded.

----

Twenty-four hours later, the Coopers appeared truly exhausted from their ordeal.

"We've learned our lesson," Mrs. Cooper pleaded with Tegan. "Whatever you did to us, please undo it."

"I had a horrible day at the office," Mr. Cooper complained. "I turned into a total neat freak. Every time I saw a dust bunny, I had to pick it up and drop it in the trash. And I even asked a client if I could fix him something to eat. It was so embarrassing."

"My day wasn't any easier," Mrs. Cooper related. "I spent an hour trying to decide whether to shave my legs, and then I spent an hour shaving them."

Without further ado, Tegan lowered her barette and established a mental link with the Coopers and her brother. Alan carefully pruned the sagebrush from one plateau and the juniper from another, until the two minds had returned to their pristine state, as far as he could tell. He had a gut feeling that he could have dispensed with the task in much less time, but he knew he had to be careful to avoid removing the wrong memories.

When the procedure was finished, both Coopers sighed with elation. "I'm glad that's over," Mr. Cooper remarked. "My wife's nagging is bad enough when it doesn't come from inside my head."

"What are you complaining about?" said Mrs. Cooper haughtily. "I had to listen to myself whining about all the silly things women do to look good."

"I knew you were superstitious," said her husband sternly, "but until I had a look inside your mind, I didn't know just how far it went."

"And I learned something about you," Mrs. Cooper rejoined. "When you sit quietly in church and pretend to be listening to the reverend, you're really thinking about law."

As the two ducks argued, Alan looked at Tegan and shrugged.

----

It was Friday evening, and the prospect of an exciting weekend beckoned to Alan and Tegan. The announcer on the TV commercial was hawking the soon-to-be-released children's book Henry Skreever and the Cauldron of Porridge, but they found it hard to concentrate on his words.

"I don't want to go back to Ballford Prep," Tegan said softly.

"I don't want you to go back either," was Alan's response.

Tegan sighed wistfully. "There's so much to explore in the world. And with our powers, there's no limit to what we can do."

"Yes," said Alan. "And with Putnam gone, who can stand in our way?"

They both sighed. After another half hour of less-than-engaging television, Alan rose and walked to the kitchen to get a drink.

His father motioned to him from the bedroom, and he put down his glass. Upon entering the room, he found that both his parents had very, very serious looks.

"Close the door," his mother instructed him.

Once they had privacy, Mr. Powers began to speak. "Alan, I know this will be hard for you, but Tegan must return to the school. There is no alternative."

Startled, Alan opened his mouth for a retort, but Mrs. Powers stopped him.

"The Ballford scientists don't know the extent of her powers. She's already developed new ones since coming here. And the powers you get when you merge with her are even more dangerous."

"Does that mean I have to go to Ballford Prep too?" asked Alan nervously.

"No," Mr. Powers replied. "But it does mean you won't be allowed to visit her. I'm sorry."

Alan's heart dropped like a lead weight.

"She may not want to go back," said his mother, "especially if it means she'll never see you again. You must convince her."

"What if I can't?"

Mrs. Powers took a deep, serious breath. "You can."

When Alan realized what his mother was insinuating, he was struck with horror.

He shuffled from the room, shocked and disgusted at what had to be done. When Tegan noticed his distraught expression, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Alan mumbled.

How could he ask her to go back willingly—to say goodbye to him forever? She would never agree to it. He had to do the deed immediately, get it over with, put the pain behind him.

"Come with me," he requested.

He led Tegan into her bedroom and closed the door. "What is it?" she inquired.

"Take off your barette," he ordered.

She did so. As their minds came together and his intentions became clear to her, she recoiled in terror.

Alan acted without hesitation. By his mental command, Tegan's memories from before her visit appeared as sagebrush, while the memories she had accumulated since arriving appeared as juniper. He caused the juniper to wither, die, and disappear.

----

They drove Tegan to Ballford that very night.

"Welcome back, Tegan," said Dr. Payne warmly. "Did you have a good time visiting your family?"

"I don't know," replied the bear girl. "I can't remember anything."

"Don't worry, dear," said her mother. "The doctors will help you get your memories back."

Alan wore a dejected expression as he followed the rest of his family, sans Tegan, through the school exit. "Cheer up, honey," said Mrs. Powers, rubbing his shoulder.

"I can't believe I'll never see her again," the boy lamented.

"Maybe a movie will cheer you up," said Mr. Powers as he pulled open the driver's side door.

"I doubt it," Alan responded. "Unless it's a really good one."

As they left the school parking lot, a pair of eyes watched them through binoculars. The eyes belonged to a man wearing an elephant mask and a shaggy wig, who was sitting in the cab of a nearby pickup truck.

"I'll get you out of there," the man silently swore. "I'll get all of you out of there. Whatever it takes."

----

THE END