Chapter 1: Introduction
The beauty salon, with its frosted glass windows and gleaming chrome chairs, exudes an air of tranquility. The scent of rosemary and lavender fills the air, and soft music plays from hidden speakers. Inside, chaos reigns as a horrified stylist frantically attempts to detach two sets of impossibly conjoined breasts while the now disfigured client writhes on the table. Margaret and Emily sit side by side, their eyes locked in terror as they watch the nightmarish spectacle unfolding before them.
Their breasts are still firmly attached, despite their desperate efforts to pry themselves apart. Tears stream down Emily's face as she struggles to come to terms with her new reality. Margaret, usually so composed, begins to hyperventilate as she realizes that they may never be able to separate.
The stylist, panicked and flustered, tries everything in her arsenal to free the women from their conjoined fate. She applies olive oil, soap, even turpentine, but nothing seems to work. The superglue holds fast, refusing to budge.
Emily whimpers, unable to bear the pain and humiliation of being stuck to her mother like some sort of grotesque parody of intimacy. The stylist, seeing the hopelessness of the situation, calls for backup. Soon, the whole salon is abuzz with people trying to solve the problem.
Margaret feels her heart racing, her breath coming in quick little gasps. She knows that this is just the beginning - soon enough, people will start staring, pointing, laughing.
And worse than that, what if they can't get unstuck? What if they have to live like this forever? The thought makes her want to scream.
Emily sits frozen, her mind spinning. She can feel her mom's breath on her cheek, smell the minty freshness of her mouth. It's all too much for her - she wants to tear herself away, but she can't.
Her mind races, searching for a way out of this nightmare. All around her, people murmur in hushed tones, casting worried glances in her direction. Emily feels the heat rise in her cheeks, hot and shameful. Her gaze drops to the floor, embarrassment flooding through her. How could this happen to her? It's absurd, surreal - she can hardly believe it's really happening. And yet here she is, stuck to her mother like some kind of macabre joke.