Four Of A Kind

Chapter 77: [2.50] Four Sisters, Four Favors

I walked further into the room, studying the four identical figures before me. They had gone all-out for this. Same hairstyle, same makeup, same little burgundy silk pajamas that were going to feature prominently in my nightmares for weeks to come.

But they couldn’t change everything. People revealed themselves in a thousand tiny ways that couldn’t be disguised. The key was finding those tells.

I took a seat in the second row, giving myself some distance to observe all four at once.

“So I can ask questions?”

They nodded in unison, which was deeply unsettling.

“And you’ll answer honestly?”

“That’s not in the rules,” said the one on the far left with a smirk that tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Interesting. Let’s start there.

“First question: What’s your favorite book?”

The four exchanged glances.

Far left: “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

Middle left: “Anything with pictures.”

Middle right: “Fashion magazines count as books, right?”

Far right: “The Bell Jar.”

None of them were telling the truth, I was certain. This was part of the game. They’d prepared answers that matched their sisters’ personas.

I needed to watch for unconscious behaviors, not rehearsed responses.

“Stand up, please,” I said. “All of you.”

They complied, rising from their seats in various ways. Interesting.

“Walk to the back of the theater and return.”

They walked away in a line, giving me a chance to study their gaits. When they returned, I noticed the difference in how they carried themselves—one had perfect posture, one slouched slightly, one bounced a little with each step, and one moved with silent grace.

“Sit back down. Cross your legs.”

They sat. Three crossed right over left. One crossed left over right.

I was starting to form a theory, but I needed more.

“What would you do if you had an entire day free, no responsibilities?”

Far left: “Read.”

Middle left: “Party. Duh.”

Middle right: “Shop for cosplay materials and make a costume while watching anime!”

Far right: “Work. There’s always work to be done.”

I watched their hands as they spoke. One fidgeted constantly. One kept her hands perfectly still. One gestured wildly. One touched her hair repeatedly.

“What do you think of my performance as your assistant so far?”

Far left: “Acceptable.”

Middle left: “You’re okay when you’re not being annoying.”

Middle right: “You’re the BEST! I love how you helped with my calendar and the boba orders and EVERYTHING!”

Far right: “…” A moment of silence, then: “You’re interesting.”

Twenty-two minutes had passed. I had eight minutes left to make my decision.

I stood up and walked to the front row, studying each face up close. They were genetically identical, but the way they held their features was distinctly different. One looked bored. One looked like she was suppressing excitement. One looked calculating. One looked like she was silently cataloging my every move.

“Last question,” I said. “What do you want from me?”

Far left: “Competence.”

Middle left: “Victory.”

Middle right: “Friendship!”

Far right: “Understanding.”

Five minutes left. I had my answer.

I pointed to the sister on the far left. “Vivienne.”

Then to middle left. “Cassidy.”

Then to middle right. “Harlow.”

Finally, to far right. “Sabrina.”

For a moment, no one moved. No one spoke. The silence stretched between us like a taut wire.

Then the one I’d identified as Harlow exploded into motion, jumping up and down.

“He got it right! I KNEW he would get it right! Didn’t I say he would? I TOLD you he pays attention to us!”

The one I’d labeled Cassidy scoffed and crossed her arms. “Lucky guess.”

“It wasn’t luck,” I said. “Vivienne sits with perfect posture even in pajamas and crossed her legs right over left, the most proper way. Her answers were clipped and efficient, and she values competence above all.”

I turned to Cassidy. “You slouch even when trying not to, you cross your legs in the opposite direction of your sisters, and you’re the only one who framed your response to me in terms of winning.”

To Harlow: “You literally can’t stay still even when trying to impersonate someone else. You bounce when you walk, gesture when you talk, and you’re the only one who used exclamation points verbally.”

Finally, to Sabrina: “You move the most quietly, speak the most softly, and somehow manage to say the most with the fewest words.”

Vivienne raised an eyebrow, something like respect flickering in her purple eyes. “Impressive.”

Cassidy narrowed her eyes. “I still think it was luck.”

Harlow was already texting furiously on her phone. “I’m telling EVERYONE! Well, not EVERYONE everyone because of the NDA, but you know what I mean!”

Sabrina simply watched me with that unreadable gaze. “You see more than most.” It wasn’t a question.

“So I get my ’Get Out of a Task Free’ card?” I asked.

Vivienne nodded. “We’ll honor the agreement… if you actually got it right.”

Oh that’s amazi—

“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, holding up my hand as Vivienne’s words sank in. “What do you mean ’if I actually got it right’?”

A slow, dangerous smile spread across the face of the girl I’d identified as Cassidy. She leaned forward, purple eyes glittering with mischief.

“Scholarship Boy finally catches on. Took you long enough.”

Something in her tone made me pause. That wasn’t Cassidy’s voice. It was… softer. More controlled.

My stomach dropped.

The one I’d labeled as Vivienne burst into giggles, her perfect posture collapsing as she doubled over laughing.

“Your FACE!” she squealed, pointing at me. “You should see your face right now!”

That was definitely not Vivienne.

I looked at the girl I’d confidently identified as Harlow, who was smirking at me with an expression I’d never seen on Harlow’s face.

“I told you he wasn’t that smart,” she said, inspecting her nails with bored indifference.

And the one I’d called Sabrina tilted her head, her lips curving into a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“The game isn’t over yet,” she said quietly.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to process what was happening. They hadn’t just dressed alike—they’d studied each other’s mannerisms and deliberately performed them, just well enough to trick me.

“So I’m supposed to guess again?” I asked. “Figure out who’s actually who?”

“You already used your one guess,” said Not-Vivienne with another giggle. “And you got it wrong. Which means…”

“Four favors,” they said in unison.

I dropped back into my seat, staring at the four identical faces wearing four identical smirks.

“This was rigged from the start,” I muttered.

Not-Cassidy—who I was starting to suspect was actually Sabrina—raised an eyebrow. “Not rigged. Simply… weighted in our favor.”

Not-Harlow—probably the real Cassidy—snorted. “Don’t be such a baby. You would’ve done the same thing in our position.”

She wasn’t wrong. If our positions were reversed, I absolutely would have exploited every advantage. I just didn’t like being on the receiving end.

“Fine,” I said, resigned to my fate. “Four favors. No questions asked. But first, tell me who’s who. I want to know how badly I messed up.”

The sisters exchanged glances. Not-Sabrina—likely Harlow—clapped her hands.

“I’m Harlow! I was pretending to be Sabrina! Did you like how quiet I was? I practiced all evening!”

“Cassidy,” said Not-Cassidy with a slight nod. “I was Vivienne.”

“Vivienne,” said Not-Vivienne. “I was Sabrina.”

“Harlow,” said Not-Harlow with a smirk. “I was Cassidy.”

I’d gotten every single one wrong.