That was about fifty shades of weird and creepy, Beth found herself thinking as she trekked the sunny campus on the way to the library, determined to get some reading done early on one of her modules. Alison was nice, and she was enthusiastic about the whole 'Welcome Committee' thing, but there was also the minor problem of her looking exactly like her.

Sure, the hair was different, and there was that thing that she did with her hand were she held it close to her face, and she looked a little scared and not all that confident. But…she was her. They had the same face, there was no denying it.

How had nobody ever realized this? Talked to her as if they were talking to Alison? Confused one person for the other? Asked questions? Introduced them to each other?

And Alison herself had said there were more people around who liked like her.

Beth shook her head and stopped to lean against a tree, screwing her eyes shut. This was too much. She didn't need all this thought, she was trying to do her best this year so she could start her path to Valedictorian…

She looked up, shielding her eyes from the sudden glare of sunlight, scanning the campus. Maybe there was somebody out here, right now, another copy, who maybe had answers…

And she saw her. She was sitting alone, sunglasses on, on a bench, soaking up the rays of sun, and Beth was about a hundred percent sure that she looked exactly like her if she took away the sunglasses. She stared at her, trying to figure her out.

OK, Beth, focus. She looks unfamiliar to campus, maybe she just started off. Leather jacket and boots and torn jeans, she looks like some sort of punk. Her hair is kind of out of place, so is her apparent everything else. Maybe she's here because she was forced to be. She doesn't look too happy, more like an angry person really. What else? She's got a slightly different body shape though, for some reason. Maybe…she's a mother? No, she's too young, but anything's possible. Ugh, what is wrong with you, Beth? Just go and talk to her!

She took a deep breath in and took a step forward, but immediately stopped when she saw somebody plop down on the bench next to the other person. The first one – let's called her Leather Face – looked shocked and offended that someone had invaded her personal space, and seemed to be voicing that. Dreadlocks – the second one to join – was waving her hand in what looked like a dismissal, and was rambling on. Leather Face was trying to get a word in, but Dreadlocks just kept talking on.

Dreadlocks looked familiar too, come to think of it…

Giving a hefty sight and deciding to forget about the library for that day, Beth sat down on the grass under her tree and tried to make herself look as inconspicuous as possible.

She had some spying to do.