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Chapter 32 - Ella Part 1 I stood there stunned. Not because of the vertigo, but because my well-thought plan had just blown up in my face. I also hadn’t expected to get ripped out of Kaylee’s body. Being in Ella was jarring. I hadn’t felt this disoriented since the first time I swapped. Morgan’s eyes were wide, full of confusion and fear. She shook away Kaylee's hand, accidently dropping the stone to the floor. “What the fuck just happened?” she shouted. “Aiden, calm down,” Kaylee said to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. I quickly snatched the stone up from the floor before A2 noticed it or any of us could accidentally step on it. “What kind of trickery is this?” Morgan said, shrugging off Kaylee’s hand. “I was supposed to be back in my own body.” She pointed at Kaylee. “You promised.” “Well, your friend Ella decided to have a change of heart,” Kaylee said. She turned to me. “What now?” I was at a loss for words. Between the unexpected swap disorientation and looking at my

Chapter 31 I could feel the sun warming the blankets. The dream last night was still fresh in my subconscious. When I opened my eyes, Sydney was laying there staring at me with a big smile. “Good morning, sleepy head,” she sang to me. “Good morning,” I smiled back. She touched her forehead to mine - our version of a morning kiss in these bodies. “Ready to go home and swap back?” she asked me. My body language must’ve given away my trepidation because she backed her head away. “What’s wrong?” I haven’t had any waking moment to really interpret that dream and what it meant for us moving forward. “Nothing,” I lied. I stretched my limbs. “It’s just that I’m not looking forward to swapping back. It’s like my vacation is over.” “Vacation from what?” she giggled. “From your super awesome group where you can be someone new each week?” “Well, I had such a great time as you, and with your family. I’m just sad that it has to end.” “I’m glad you enjoyed it. But look at the bright side.

Chapter 30 - Kaylee Part 4 After dessert, most of the family had fallen into a food coma on the couch watching a movie. Sydney’s head was nestled on my shoulder. It felt as if a weight had been lifted now that we had both come out to the family and could stop pretending. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that in these bodies, K still saw me as her sister. I imagine next time I come back I’ll be Sydney and K will be herself again. And… and… I suppose we can be more intimate. There was a knot in my stomach at the thought. Despite everything, if we currently had the stone in our possession, I wouldn’t want to swap with K yet. I looked around the living room and noticed Alyssa wasn’t with us. I carefully moved Sydney’s head off my shoulder and got up from the couch. I went upstairs to look for my sister and found her in her bedroom playing on her phone. “Hey,” I said. “Hey,” she answered. I sat down on the bed. “Thank you for standing up for me. It really means a lot.” “It’s

Chapter 29 - Kaylee Part 3 Reaching over, I woke up to find myself alone in an empty bed. A frown crept its way onto my face, as I had hoped to talk with K before starting the day. I could hear the murmurs of conversation, and so I willed myself out from underneath the warm covers and mentally prepared myself for breakfast.  Before heading to the kitchen, I made a stop in the bathroom. Sleep hadn't come easy after last night’s drama and my reflection showed it. A splash of cold water and a few brushstrokes through my hair did enough to make me not completely dread showing my face. Sadly, my hair was straight again. I should remember to curl my hair later, as I’d really liked that look on me.  Mom had clearly already started the prep for dinner, as small bowls filled with spices and chopped vegetables were scattered about the countertops. K had warned me that Thanksgiving was more of a big lunch than a big dinner in this family, so I wasn't too surprised.  Sydney and Alyssa were

Chapter 27 - Kaylee Part 1 We spent the half-hour drive to Kaylee’s house going over her biography as well as mine. I learned about her family. Her parents Tiffany and Jared, aka Mom and Dad, her twin Alyssa, and her little brother Owen. We also talked about how her parents view her job and hobbies, as well as who was going to be at Thanksgiving. “I don’t get it,” I said. “You love reading. Why didn’t you go to school for writing?” “I love reading fantasy,” Sydney replied. “And romance. Not the boring stuff they make you read in high school. When school would assign us reading, I’d pick up a different book instead. Alyssa had better grades - which is why she got to go to community college.” “You didn’t like Steinbeck, Dickens, or Shakespeare?” “OK, a few of those were good. But for every classic, there were two equally grueling novels I couldn’t get through.” “I suppose that’s fair. I couldn’t get through Catcher in the Rye.” “Let’s be honest, most high school kids only like