Another chapter. Not a direct continuation of the last one -- I sort of prefer these little vignettes. Not to rule out a continuation of either one. Anyway, here you go.

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“Oh, quit pouting, will you?”

Alyssa glared at her brother from inside the backpack. Her vision was partly blocked by a foot—it was her own—but she was determined to make her dissatisfaction known.

“Come on, you're the one who wanted to come with me. And, well, there really was no other way.” She didn't seem convinced, so he continued, “Do you think I'd carry you all this way otherwise? I didn't leave a piece of you behind, you know. What's the problem?”

The problem was that she woke up in pitch blackness with her face in someone's—her own—ass, unable to move or speak.

“Like I said, I wouldn't lug you all the way to camp at the break of dawn just to mess with you. Believe me, you're not missing much right now,” he said, airing out the sweat-soaked straps of his oversized backpack. Alyssa felt a jolt he dropped her narrow prison on the ground. With the foot dislodged from her view, she could see her brother reaching for the zipper. Now he could see his sister's pleading eyes.

Alex rarely caught glimpses of his sister's delicate side, but in the rare instances when they occurred, he was just as powerless as when she was holding his organs hostage. With a sigh, he retracted his hand. One little toothy grin was enough to send his heart reeling. So she wasn't that mad after all, he thought, averting his gaze. “Okay, let's just hope nobody sees you. I'll put you together soon, okay?”

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The campground was one of the lushest sites on the hemisphere, with huge gorges, a great river, forests, and a surrounding mountain range. Just the kind of terrain that could reconnect an estranged species with its roots. Unfortunately, the activities that entailed—hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, and the like—were unsuited for the fairer sex. Starting society from scratch in the remotest of locations meant the rediscovery of certain practical gender roles, and these precluded the possibility of admitting a female to the Camp.

Alyssa had been crestfallen upon hearing the news. This wasn't the first time she'd be left to waste away while her brother was having the adventure of a lifetime. She really begged this time. Her brother suggested something disgusting, and she suggested he go fuck himself, because even her dream trip wasn't worth doing that again. When she had gone to bed that night, it was in resignation. Consequently, she was not a little unprepared for the events to come.

Presently, she was in about fifteen pieces in her brother's backpack. She was covered by a towel, but he had mercifully let a gap for her to breathe, and catch small glimpses of the mountain range on the way there. It had been five hours now.

“Psst! You awake?”

No answer. Then again, that didn't tell him a whole lot; he had cut a little slit in her throat as a precaution. He peered inside and lifted the towel. Sound asleep. He gently replaced the towel and decided to leave that part for last. Maybe he could make it up to her by waking her up in one piece next time. It was a stroke of luck that they had been given an hour to rest and mingle before the activities started proper, and that he was the only one in his quarters. But that could change any moment, so he got straight to work. He carefully extracted all the parts he could that weren't directly beneath her head in his towering backpack, as if playing Jenga with his dismembered sister. He got both feet, calves, and one thigh lined up on his bunk bed. Had he not written on them with a marker, he wouldn't have been able to distinguish between left and right. Her arms were intact, since he could fold them at the elbow, but her hands took up too much space whether or not he rolled them into fists. Her stomach was trickier, as he had had to cover both ends in plastic wrap to prevent spillage. With both hands, Alex carefully peeled away the cover from above and below her navel, letting her entrails sag a bit in either direction. All that was left was her head and shoulders, currently rested on her own buttocks. With the utmost precision, he slid her cheek onto the towel, removing her hips from the bag and pressing them against their three neighboring pieces.

Finally, he turned to his sister. The part of her that was a sleeping head attached to an armless upper torso. It was no sooner that he had placed the crowning jewel that he heard the door open behind him. With a start, he threw the bedsheets over his sister.

“So what's the story? You gonna stay in your cave on your first day in the wild?” said a booming voice. It was his roommate. What's-his-name. Of course he came to bond just at the right time. Okay. Don't panic.

“I'm... uh, just unpacking my things. Brought a lot of stuff for the trip. You know how it is,” he said, patting his large bag.

What's-his-name looked around theatrically. “Pretty empty in here, brah.”

Alex winced as the sheets shifted behind him. “Uh, I'll be out in just a bit, you don't have to–”

“Huh?” said Alyssa. Alex put his face in his hands. So she got her voice back, too, he thought. Perfect. “Sorry, I think I dozed off. Did you say something?” Alex followed what's-his-face's gaze. She was sitting upright, blanket at her waist, rubbing her eyes. He had cut her hair short, and, with a stroke of foresight, replaced her breasts with some skin patches he kept for emergencies. She might be forgiven for having no nipples, and as long as she didn't move even more, having vaguely feminine anatomy. Soon enough, she seemed to come to a realization, and froze in place.

“Don't try to get up,” Alex whispered, and more loudly, “This is my, um.” Alyssa cast him a quick glance. “My little brother.” Alyssa nodded. I just brought him in here because... well, I think he got a little excited and jumped in cold water, so I brought him to my cabin to warm up.” Alyssa nodded dangerously hard. “He's a bit shy, so if you don't mind...”

“Oh,” said what's-his-ass. “I didn't see anyone go in or out.”

Fed up, Alex responded, “Well, it's either that or I brought him here in a fucking bag. Could we just have some privacy for a moment? Please?” He smells bullshit, he thought. If I want him to fuck off, I might as well say it.

What's-his-face recoiled, wearing a mock hurt expression. “Geez man. If you want to be left alone, just ask.”

After the door shut, there was a long silence. Alyssa eventually broke it.

“So. Some padding would have been nice.”

Alex gritted his teeth. “I put your head on top, and you can't feel the rest anyway.”

“They can feel it. That's what this guy I met last week showed me.”

Another pang. “Who?”

She ignored the question. “In any case, I can feel it now,” she said, stretching.

“I really wouldn't do... that.”

He watched Alyssa lose her balance as her leg came off at the hip, sending her to the wooden floor, where she shattered in half. She decided to let it be for the moment, and changed the subject.

“So bro... where are my boobs?” She felt up her flat chest. “Every piece, you said?” He seemed lost in thought, so she began rummaging around in her midsection.

“Just what have I gotten myself into?” he muttered.

Alyssa looked up, holding her bladder. “Huh? Oh, by the way, I sorta tore this whatchamacallit, she said, pointing at her spleen. It's not in there, is it? Alex?”