Twice Two

How Amanda got on Plane’s nerves! Not only did she annoy Plane with her so-called ‘aesthetics,’ she was also deliberately provoking scandal. Plane understood that this yapper desperately wanted everyone’s attention, to play the victim and paint Plane as the villain. But it was hard for her to hold back and stay silent. Nymphia seemed worried by the whole thing and kept a tense eye on the situation. When Plane finally threw Amanda a few choice words and walked back to her station, Nymphia was already there. ‘Planey, you’re about to explode.’ She took her hand again and interlaced their fingers. Plane sighed in annoyance but squeezed tighter. ‘You’re not as mean as you want people to think, are you?’ Plane put on her usual shady‑bitch face, pulled her hand away and planted it on her hip. ‘Baby, you don’t know me well enough to say that.’ Nymphia copied her pose and mocked her in the same tone, ‘Baby, you’re so easy to read. If you really didn’t care, you wouldn’t have kept going at her.’ ‘Nymphia,’ she called her by name for the first time, ‘don’t you think you stick your little nose into things that aren’t your business a bit too often?’ She slowly ran a finger along her nose. Nymphia looked into her eyes mysteriously, then turned toward the mirror and noticed something had changed. ‘Why did my heart turn into a smudge? Who dared to ruin it?’ She searched Plane’s table, didn’t find lipstick, so she grabbed the first one from the next station. Carefully wiping away the ruined heart, she drew an even bigger one in its place. ‘Look, Planey, if I see it gone again, our conversation will be a lot harsher than the one you just had with Amanda.’ ‘With you, baby, I’m always ready for harsher talks.’ Plane twirled the tips of Nymphia’s wig around her finger. Why didn’t she want Nymphia to go back to preparing for the challenge? Was it because she was a threat, a worthy opponent? Or was it something else? She hoped Nymphia would stay near her a bit longer. But just like Plane, she also had to get back to her preparations. ‘Promise me you won’t fight with Amanda anymore,’ Nymphia blurted out firmly. ‘Sister, I can’t promise that,’ Plane shook her head in her trademark way. ‘When it comes to Amanda, it’s hard for me to stop. I can’t wait for the moment when her face stops hanging around here. Stupid bitch…’

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After filming ended, Nymphia persuaded Plane to sneak into her room. Plane didn’t know what to expect from the evening, but Nymphia was the only one she’d really talked to the whole time, and she didn’t want to stay locked up all weekend, even if she was dead tired after just two days. She went down to the fourth floor and, making sure no one was in the hallway, knocked firmly on the door of room 426. All these precautions were pointless since cameras were everywhere in the hotel, and everyone knew the contestants didn’t always stay in their rooms, especially on weekends. Some time passed before the door opened. Plane realized Nymphia had deliberately made her wait. She wasn’t in a hurry to let her in, holding the door with her hand and leaving just a small gap. ‘Oh, it’s you, Planey Jane?’ ‘Were you expecting someone else, sister?’ Plane asked calmly and pushed the door, brushing Nymphia’s fingers with hers. She walked in and inspected the room with a businesslike look. It was a complete mess. Bags with clothes and wigs were scattered in the corners. The bed wasn’t made, and a few dirty glasses stood on the table. ‘So that’s the real piggy here,’ Plane thought. ‘Well, tomorrow’s a day off,’ said Nymphia, closing the door. She turned and saw Plane sarcastically looking around the mess. Nymphia didn’t get embarrassed; she just smiled and walked closer. ‘I heard Dawn and Amanda are planning to meet up and invite some of the other girls.’ Plane rolled her eyes and burst out, unable to hold back, ‘Can we forget about Amanda for at least two days? I’ll be sick of that name for the rest of my life!’ She looked at Nymphia. ‘Did you say it just to piss me off?’ ‘Sorry, sister,’ Nymphia shrugged. ‘I like seeing the real you, not the one you show to the cameras. And I promise, about Am…’ Nymphia covered her mouth with her hand and then continued, ‘About that person, we won’t talk.’ ‘Fine,’ Plane muttered gloomily. She looked around the room again. ‘So, where can I land my ass? Feels like you’ve been living here for a month.’ Nymphia scooped the clothes off the couch, dumped them on the floor, and gestured for Plane to sit. Then she jumped onto the bed still in her shoes and yawned with pleasure. ‘Want something to eat?’ Nymphia asked. ‘I haven’t eaten since the daytime shoot.’ ‘That’d be nice,’ Plane answered, stretching out on the couch. ‘I haven’t eaten either, and I don’t care what they bring us.’ By the couch, she found an opened soda can. She picked it up and started sipping through the red straw. ‘I know what we’ll eat,’ Nymphia grinned in her signature smile. ‘Tonight, you’ll have your second star moment with your song. And this time you’ll sing it just for me!’ ‘Oh nooo…’ Plane groaned. ‘If only you knew how many times I had to perform it to prepare! I’m sick of it already.’ ‘Just once,’ Nymphia put her hands together in prayer, ‘and you won’t have to think about it for a whole month.’ ‘Fine!’ Plane gave in. ‘If that’s the price for being in your room, then I’ll do it. But outside of drag, it won’t be the same.’ ‘And you think it was that good in drag?’ Nymphia teased. ‘You bitch,’ Plane drawled. ‘Why do you act like this with me but stay so sweet and innocent in front of everyone else?’ Nymphia burst out laughing. Plane had never heard her laugh like that — it was silly and wonderful at the same time. Nymphia got off the bed and went to the landline phone. Plane had a hard time adjusting to the lack of her cellphone — she used to always have it on her, constantly texting and talking with her sisters. She wondered how her mom was doing. Nymphia ordered burgers and flopped down on the couch next to Plane. Startled, Plane jerked and squealed theatrically. She looked around the room again and shook her head, ‘Baby, how did you manage to make such a mess in just two days?’ Nymphia shrugged indifferently and settled comfortably, pressing her knees against Plane’s ankle. ‘As if your room’s any better,’ Nymphia made a face. ‘I thought I was messy… until I saw this.’ Nymphia stretched and yawned again. ‘I won’t believe it until I see for myself. Next time, I’m coming to your place. And I’ll come unannounced, so you won’t have time to hide your junk!’ ‘And when’s this next time gonna be?’ Plane asked playfully, the straw from the can between her lips. ‘Like I’d tell you,’ Nymphia replied slyly, leaning toward the can. ‘I’m sooo thirsty.’ Still holding the can, Plane brought the straw to Nymphia’s mouth. ‘It’s so hot in this hotel,’ Nymphia said after drinking. ‘They really need to fix the ventilation, or we’ll all cook this weekend and there’ll be no winners at all.’ She reached for the soda again, and Plane accidentally brushed her lips with a finger. Nymphia kept drinking, not paying attention, while Plane froze, staring at her dark hair. ‘Well, it’s gone,’ Nymphia lifted her head and looked sadly at Plane. ‘Throw the can away.’ ‘No way,’ Plane said firmly. ‘I’m not joining your filth. I’m sure there’s a trash can somewhere here.’ She looked around but realized the whole room was basically the trash can. She got up and headed to the bathroom, certain there’d be one there at least. Suddenly, a knock at the door stopped her, and for a moment she froze. Breaking the rules was normal, but getting caught in someone else’s room by an assistant would be straight-up reckless. Nymphia quickly got up, opened the bathroom door, and gently shoved Plane inside. The door closed instantly, leaving Plane in complete darkness. ‘She could’ve at least turned on the light,’ Plane thought, as she heard Nymphia talking with the assistant. She complained about the AC and asked to fix it. The assistant argued back, and it seemed like the conversation would never end. Plane’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she looked around. A single earring lay on the tiles. Apparently, Nymphia had lost it one day. ‘I should check if it’s even hers,’ Plane thought. She examined it as best as the dark allowed and carefully slipped it into her pocket. The conversation ended, the door shut, and a flirty voice called, ‘Planey, dinner’s ready.’ Plane stepped out of the bathroom and saw Nymphia pulling a pile of burgers onto the bed from a bag. Plane froze in surprise. ‘Baby, did they really believe you needed all those burgers just for yourself?’ Nymphia waved her off and patted the bed, inviting her to sit. ‘I don’t care what they believed. I ordered, they delivered. Period.’ She handed Plane a burger with a wide smile and said, ‘You can start.’ ‘Sister, you weren’t joking?’ ‘Of course not!’ Nymphia exclaimed. ‘I’m waiting!’ Plane sighed, unwrapped the burger, poked it with her finger, licked it, and began performing her future hit. Exhaustion hit her, and she stumbled halfway through the verse. Nymphia started laughing loud and silly again, just like before. ‘Alright, Planey Jane, I won’t torture you anymore. Let’s eat!’ Plane, laughing too, looked at Nymphia in surprise, ‘We’re eating right on the bed?’ ‘Well yeah, what’s the problem?’ Nymphia asked sincerely. ‘It’s the only free spot left. Come on, Planey Jane, stop being shy and eat.’ Plane gave in and bit into the burger. She raised her eyes and remembered the earring. She studied Nymphia’s ears. With about five earrings on each one, it was hard to spot a missing one. Nymphia was devouring the burger, not noticing Plane’s gaze. Finally, Plane saw one missing on the right ear. She slipped her hand into her pocket, but instead of handing it to Nymphia, she just ran her fingers over it and didn’t take it out. ‘Cold,’ Nymphia muttered through a mouthful. ‘If I weren’t so hungry, I’d have chewed that guy out already.’ ‘Baby, didn’t you already do that?’ Plane smirked, returning to her food. They sat facing each other with their legs folded, a mountain of burgers between them — enough for all the contestants. ‘Maybe she really is expecting someone else?’ Plane thought. ‘If I have to, I’ll chew them all out. So, where’s my soda?’ Nymphia fidgeted on the bed. Plane handed her the can from the floor. ‘Baby Planey Jane, open it for me, please, I spilled all over myself,’ Nymphia begged pitifully. Plane tossed aside her burger and started opening the can. ‘Sister, someone could write a new song about you since one finger wasn’t enough,’ Plane joked. She stuck a straw in the can and held it up to Nymphia’s lips. ‘That much sugar could kill us,’ she said after a sip, ‘but we’ve got no choice. They’re feeding us crap.’ ‘Miss Banana,’ Plane remarked, ‘you’re not as quiet as I thought you were during the day. What’s going on?’ Nymphia shrugged and looked dreamily upward, ‘During the day you see Nymphia for everyone. At night, you see Nymphia for Planey. And by the way, you’re different too during the day.’ Nymphia nodded, and Plane pursed her lips in a businesslike way. ‘Baby, it’s just that here I don’t see pathetic creatures in need of my critique.’ Nymphia tried to hide her smile. Planey… Who was she trying to fool? As if the only difference between two Planes was the criticism… For the past half hour she looked shy and a little out of place. Maybe because she wasn’t in drag? Nymphia chewed her burger and admired the cute twenty-five-year-old boy who’d taken off the mask of a cunning bitch who thought he was the center of the universe.

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Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Plane coughed. ‘Who the hell now?’ she thought. Another knock came, followed by a quiet voice from the hallway, ‘Nymphia, let me in, it’s me.’ Nymphia wiped her hands on her gray T-shirt and opened the door. On the threshold stood miserable Mirage. Despite the heat, she wore a summer jacket, hiding something under it. She quickly slipped inside, and Nymphia locked the door. Mirage immediately noticed the mountain of burgers on the bed and exclaimed happily, ‘Oh wow, you already ordered snacks?’ Plane looked at Mirage in confusion. She hadn’t really talked to her, but her elimination had been a huge shock, and Plane hadn’t been able to hold back tears. Mirage pulled her hand from under her jacket and showed them a bottle of wine. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m getting drunk tonight since they didn’t even let me survive the weekend.’ ‘Sister, I’ll gladly support you, ‘cause I just won my first challenge two days ago, and Miss Banana here was almost as good as me today. Baby, are you joining us?’ she turned to Nymphia. ‘Better your booze than that stupid soda,’ Nymphia said cheerfully. ‘Then, baby, grab all those stinky glasses and mine too, or else we’ll have to drink one by one, like my Russian relatives love to do.’ Nymphia didn’t need to be asked twice. Within a minute, the three of them were sitting on the bed, pouring wine into glasses. Mirage sniffled and said, ‘If I hadn’t grabbed this bottle, I don’t know what I’d be doing now.’ ‘Girl, you’d just be stuffing yourself with burgers,’ Plane replied, raising her glass. ‘Nymphia ordered them like she was feeding the whole crew.’ Nymphia also raised her glass and announced, ‘Well, girls, let’s drink to being on Drag Race. Not everyone gets such a chance.’ ‘Even if you get robbed,’ Mirage added gloomily. ‘Enough crying, drink!’ Nymphia ordered. They drained their glasses and started eating burgers. Plane groaned irritably, ‘Ugh, I’m already sick of these. Couldn’t you have ordered something else?’ ‘Planey, you agreed to them yourself,’ Nymphia gently objected, ‘besides, they were necessary for your song.’ ‘Oh!’ Mirage suddenly shouted, making both Plane and Nymphia jump. ‘Come on, sing your Burger Finger!’ ‘Are you kidding me?!’ Plane snapped, jumping up from the bed. ‘I get that thanks to it I’m a real star now, but can we just forget about it already?’ Mirage scratched her head thoughtfully, ‘Didn’t think you’d react like that. Sorry,’ and she went back to eating. Plane refilled the glasses again and said, ‘Let’s skip the toasts and just drink and enjoy life. And who the hell pours this little?’ Mirage sipped her wine and muttered sadly, ‘What’s there to enjoy when they kicked me out like a stray cat?’ ‘Sorry if I sound rude…’ ‘Breaking news! Plane Jane apologizes for being rude!’ Nymphia clapped her hands. ‘Girl, don’t interrupt,’ Plane gave her a sharp look. ‘Mirage, why didn’t you learn the lyrics? You could’ve taken that Piggy down in no time.’ ‘I don’t know,’ Mirage sniffled. ‘I didn’t expect to land in the bottom. Was I really that bad in the challenge?’ She started wiping her tears, scratching her face with her long nails. ‘Sister, you’ve always gotta be ready to lip sync,’ Plane said in a motherly tone, running her hand over her hair. ‘There can be girls with connections here. But I know for sure Amanda won’t last another weekend. She’s done.’ ‘Baby, you brought up Amanda again,’ Nymphia reminded her, ‘and you said you were already sick of her.’ ‘I can,’ Plane declared firmly. ‘Though yeah, no more talking about her.’ She grabbed her glass and flopped onto the couch. Some drops of wine splashed onto her T-shirt. She clicked her tongue, rubbed the dark stain with her finger, then gave up and took another sip. ‘So sad I’ll have to spend the whole month stuck in this hotel,’ Mirage complained again, tears welling up in her eyes. ‘You’re not alone here,’ Plane noted from the couch. ‘Of course, Mirage.’ Nymphia took her hand and looked her in the eyes, ‘You can come to me whenever you want. Well, when I’m not filming, of course.’ Mirage sniffled and drank from her glass. ‘Do you think the audience will even notice me?’ ‘Sister, are you kidding me?’ Plane exclaimed from the couch. ‘From what I’ve heard, you killed it in the talent show. Who else would come up with heel-clacking dancing? That’s your own idea?’ ‘Yeah,’ Mirage said with satisfaction. ‘It just kinda happened, so I decided to try it. Now it’s my thing.’ ‘Do you perform a lot?’ Plane continued, finishing her glass. ‘Yeah, me and my sisters are always booked. We travel to different bars all the time, people go crazy for us. God, I love that vibe!’ Mirage looked dreamily upward. Plane got up from the couch, came over to the bed, and hugged her from behind. ‘Sister, why do you make yourself seem so miserable? You already had a great life before Drag Race, and once the season airs, you’ll be rolling in money. First thing we’ll do after this is over,’ she went on, ‘is Nymphia and I are coming to see your shows. Got it, baby?’ ‘Planey, sit down with us and let’s drink,’ Nymphia said impatiently. ‘We’re all amazing performers, and even if none of us win, we’ll still be super popular.’ ‘Speak for yourself, baby,’ Plane smirked, filling the glasses. ‘I can’t wait till I’m crowned.’ ‘Planey, there you go again,’ Nymphia sighed and tapped her glass to Plane’s. ‘Right now I don’t wanna think about any wins, it’s my day off. Relax already, Planey!’ Plane didn’t argue and simply gestured for them to drink, then downed her glass. ‘So what’s drag like in Taiwan?’ Mirage asked. Nymphia stretched and threw her legs across Plane’s lap, answering cheerfully, ‘You know, girls, it’s not that different. It’s just that in Taiwan there aren’t many of us. We’re the most popular drag family in the country, so representing Taiwan here is a big honor for me.’ ‘Nymphia, save those big words for your coronation speech,’ Plane rolled her eyes. ‘We’re alone here.’ Nymphia looked at Plane in surprise, ‘So you expect to see me in the finale with you?’ Plane put on her usual shady-bitch face and snapped, ‘First of all, I expect to see myself there. You can start writing your coronation speech — it might motivate you.’ ‘Plane, you’re such a bitch,’ Mirage laughed, nudging her in the side, making Plane smile sincerely. It seemed like it was her first genuine smile. Nymphia didn’t know if she’d ever see it again, but she really hoped so. Plane’s mask had finally fallen in front of her, and Nymphia was incredibly glad to think she’d had a hand in it. ‘My daughters are waiting for me back home. They’ll be so proud if I bring our house the crown,’ Nymphia sighed dreamily. ‘Girls, I’d love for both of you to make it to the finale. You’re sooo good,’ Mirage murmured, laying her head on Plane’s shoulder. ‘Okay, no more drinks for this beauty,’ Plane quipped. ‘Not that there’s anything left anyway,’ she shook the empty bottle. Mirage sighed sadly and said, ‘Thanks for being here for me. I wasn’t even sure I should come. What if Nymphia had gone to bed, and it turned out you two were here…’ Mirage trailed off. Nymphia and Plane kept staring at her until Plane’s eyes suddenly widened. ‘Wait, Mirage, what do you mean?’ Nymphia was about to say something too, but Plane gestured for her not to. ‘I just came to Nymphia’s to eat…’ ‘Don’t deny it, Planey,’ Nymphia cut in, taking her hands. ‘You just missed me. Shooting wasn’t enough for you, so you broke the rules and ran from your room.’ ‘You little storyteller,’ Plane smiled, knowing it was true and pointless to hide. ‘Yeah, I was bored in my room and thought it’d be more fun with you — to gossip about our new sisters, trade some shade with you…’ Mirage started sliding off Plane’s shoulder onto the bed, and Plane reluctantly let go of Nymphia’s hands. ‘Listen, I should walk her back to her room. I wanna lie down too.’ Plane stood and gently shook Mirage’s shoulder. ‘Come on, sleepyhead, time for bed.’ Mirage opened her eyes and slowly got up, trying to wake herself. Nymphia also stood, came closer to Plane, and quickly kissed her on the cheek. A jolt of electricity ran through Plane’s whole body. ‘Go to sleep, and I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Nymphia said with a smile, opening the door for them. Mirage was finally awake, and Plane, holding her by the waist, led her into the hallway. She didn’t bother looking around — she didn’t care if anyone saw them anymore. She walked on, barely hiding her happy smile. ‘Planey Jane, good night.’ Plane looked back and saw Nymphia blowing her kisses. ‘Good night, Miss Banana.’