Two Souls
Ellis woke with a start. Their first glance was at the smart watch on their left wrist, checking the time. It was 2 PM. Ellis cursed a little under their breath before rising from the armchair where they had apparently fallen asleep. The part-time shift at the retailer they worked at began at 2.30, and it would take at least ten minutes to get there by bike.
Ellis rushed into the bathroom, checking their looks in the mirror - apart from a little make-up, their face was in good shape, and the make-up was quickly washed off. After some quick brushing, Ellis tied their hair in a low pony tail; they hated having hair in their face. At least they were wearing an appropriate outfit for work. After another quick glance at the watch, Ellis decided to get a snack on the way and not waste any more time by eating, even though their stomach growled like a feral wolf. They sprinted out of their tiny apartment, grabbing the keys by the door and rushing doen the stairs while pulling on their coat. If the clouds outside were to be trusted, there would be rain later.
Ellis arrived at work just in time, with only a minute to spare. They quickly pulled over the tee required for workers to wear - a disgustingly sack-shaped thing, in a hideous vomit green with the logo of the shop printed on the back. At least Ellis had gotten one that seemed to be freshly washed. They murmured ´hello´s´ and ´how are you´s´ to their coworkers before shuffling off to their designated area to restock shelves and sort the wares. Some idiot customer had made a mess in aisle five and Ellis was the unfortunate soul designated for clean-up. Ellis meticulously scrubbed their hands and arms afterwards, even though they had been wearing gloves. Just thinking about that sticky, filthy mess made their stomach churn.
Finally, after two hours of work, Ellis granted themselves a short break. They trodded off to the bakery next door for a long overdue lunch. While waiting in line, they checked their smart watch. Ellis opened the notes and read through the scribbles and memos Robin had taken. Apparently they had had oatmeal for breakfast, worked out a little, taken a shower and worked their part-time journalist job in the morning. Good, Ellis sucked at that. So far, two cups of water and one cup cofee. Oh, and Robin had added an appointment - the hairdresser´s, next monday. Ellis groaned inwardly a little, wondering what mess Robin would come up with this time. Hopefully just a cut and not dye. The last time they had dyed their hair, they had ended up with seaweed green for a month. Ellis added their own memo to that appointment: no dye!!! With three exclamation marks, just to be safe. Then they added their notes to their day - mostly just jotting down that they had gone to work and were currently fetching lunch. Then they turned off the watch and went to order a coffee and some breadrolls.
As Ellis returned home that evening, they were utterly exhausted. It wasn´t physical exhaustion, but mental - the sheer overwhelming pressure of people and noise and light and sensors. Ellis didn´t even try to do anything else. They just flopped down onto the bed and closed their eyes, drfiting off almost immediately.
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Robin woke. They stretched their limps and took out the hairtie - they hated the feeling of having their hair up, it gave them a headache. Then, they glanced at the watch. It was close to eight PM. Robin opened the little notes app, skimming over Ellis´ memos and daily log. Good, apparently they had managed to do the whole afternoon job and even gotten a halfway decent lunch. Robin had felt a bit bad for not eating beforehand, but they had simply forgotten the time while reading their favourite book. They snorted as they read Ellis´ remark regarding the hairdresser´s appointment next week: no dye!!! With three exclamation marks. Of course. Ellis was such a drama queen. Robin hadn´t planned on dyeing their hair, but was tempted to do so simply to spite Ellis. They would consider it. For now, their stomach grumbled. Per log, their last meal had been three breadrolls and a cup of coffee at four. Ellis must have really echausted themselves if Robin was hungry again so soon. Usually, they could do with half a day without food. Robin got up, kicking off their shoes and socks, wondering why they were still wearing any at this point anyways, and trodded off into the small kitchen to make some late night dinner. They found a half eaten apple, some stale bread and a jar of strawberry jam - not the most nuitritous meal by far, but eh. They logged it into their smartwatch. Then they went back to the bedroom with their loot and turned on the TV to binge some Anime.
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Hair hung into their face, tickling their nose. Ellis sneezed. The TV was blaring that Anime Robin watched recently. Ellis rewound it by a few minutes, then bookmared it and turned it off. In front of them laid the remnants of a dinner, if bread with jam could be called that. Ellis checked their log jsut to confirm: yes, that had indeed been their dinner. Ellis sighed, then went to clean up. They did the laundry while they were at it as well. It was their turn with laundry and cleaning. Not that they really cared; Ellis loved order and cleanliness, it gave them a sense of control and peace. The world outside was so loud sometimes, at least their little apartment could be quiet. A quick glance at the clock in the kitchen told them that it was almost midnight and decidedly too late to vacuume. Elis took the pen and jotted down a quick message for Robin on the whiteboard: ´Sorry, couldn´t vacuume, was too late. I´ll do it tomorrow´. Not that Robin would care much, they were decidedly less clean than Ellis. But still, Ellis felt bad for neglecting their duties. After all, they shared the same living space in every sense possible, and both of them were responsible for keeping it livable.
Ellis took a quick glance into the pantry, craving something sweet, but was met with blatant emptiness. Sighing, they double tapped their smartwatch and opened the shopping list. Ellis took careful inventory of their food supplies, which were almost nonexistent. The shopping list grew rapidly. Finally, they added liquorice to the bottom of the list. Unfortunately, the last shop that had the specific brand Ellis craved had closed half an hour ago. So they settled for some tea instead and went to change the bedsheets while it brewed.
Settling into bed with their tea and hair done into a loose bun, Ellis turned on the TV and was met with the screeching voices of badly dubbed Anime, making them cringe and almost spill their tea. After turning down the volume and brightness, Ellis pulled up their latest documentary series and carefully sipping on their mint tea, ready for a night of quiet.
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Robin groaned at the sight of the insanely long shopping list Ellis had left them with. They knew that their pantry was almost empty, but the thought of carrying those heavy bags back home made them not very eager to go. But, after all, that was their agreement with Ellis: Ellis did the cooking, Robin the shopping. Ellis hated the loud, overfilled stores and had delegated that task to Robin. And Robin wasn´t necessarily keen on going without Ellis´ delicious cooking. So, as soon as they had finished the report for the magazine, they put on some make-up and their favourite wool-coat and set out towards the store.
The bags were just as heavy as expected. And Robin had to go to two different stores to find that darned liquorice Ellis loved so much. Exhausted, they slumped into a nearby chair and closed their eyes. Ellis could deal with unpacking the groceries, and hopefully cooking as well. They hadn´t eaten today yet. Robin drifted off.
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Ellis´ breathing was heavy as they woke, their body exhausted and slightly sweaty. Ellis cringed at that feeling. But before they could blame Robin, they felt some plastic between their fingers. It was their liquorice. Ellis squealed and looked at the little note attached. `Make me lunch, will you?´ So typically Robin. But Ellis got their liquorice and was pretty okay with being bribed like this. So, Ellis rose from the chair, feeling the slight strain in their arms - apparently the bags had been very heavy. They took inventory of their fresh groceries, sorting them into pantry, freezer and fridge, then set out to cook a quick lunch. Once they were done, they set the steaming bowl at the table in front of them and ate a few more pieces of liquorice before dozing off.
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Robin hated the lingering taste of liquorice. But who were they to complain - in front of them was hot, steaming, delicious lunch. A quick clock check told them that Ellis had taken only about an hour. Next to the lunch was a smal note: ´I´ll go to work later´. Robin decided that Ellis would not go, Robin would. Despite the constant bickering between the two, Robin liked Ellis. And they hoped Ellis liked Robin too. The two had never met, and would never. They had once taken videos of themselves for the other, introducing themselves, but it had been so weird and distant that they had never done anything like that again. Also, Robin had found it quite distubing to see the own body being controlled by someone else. It hadn´t even looked like Robin anymore - instead of jeans and crop-tops, Ellis had opted for a knee-length skirt and an oversized top. Their hair had been carefully done in a ponytail, the very same that Robin so often found headache-inducing. It had been so distinctly different from Robin, yet it had been their face, their body. The one Robin shared with Ellis. The one Ellis shared with Robin.
They were two, but at the same time one. It had been this way since both oi them could remember. And it would stay that way until they both died. And it was good this way.