“Don’t you see that we need to follow the Common Core Guidelines if we want this school to succeed and get additional funding” Mandy Barnes said somewhat condescendingly towards the rest of the parents at the PTA meeting.

“But at what expense?” Karen Miller stood up and responded “If we just focus on reading and math, look at everything else that gets lost; and frankly, I’m not sure if the way the teachers have to teach math these days is the right way”

Mandy flipped her long black hair back and off her shoulders and thought “You would think that” before she said out loud “These are the guidelines and the rules that we must abide by and we must support our teachers and so what if the kids don’t get to spend three hours a day learning about a bunch of useless historical dates. The focus is where it should be”

“The way they teach math to these children makes absolutely no sense to me and I bet to half the parents here; it’s not the way that we all learned…” Karen said before being interrupted.

“…because we learned math a certain way doesn’t mean that it’s wrong to teach it a new way today…get with the times” Mandy finished.

“Ladies” Principal Garcia stood up and put his hands up “I appreciate both of your enthusiasm on this topic, but we need to move on to our fundraiser that’s coming up”

Karen sat down but shot a glare across the rows toward Mandy Barnes. She adjusted and tugged on her shorts as she settled onto the hard folding chair. Karen had always thought Mandy was a stuck up bitch and today had proved it. “She just has to get her way and get the last word in doesn’t she” Karen thought to herself.

Mandy sat down and did her best to not look in the direction of Karen Miller. “Stupid trailer trash” she thought “So closed minded…” Mandy smoothed out her long skirt and crossed her legs and settled in for the rest of the meeting.

The PTA meeting wrapped up fifteen minutes later and all the parents began to filter their way out. Since the meeting had been held right at the end of the school day, most of the kids had stayed and played on the playground while the parents had met.

Karen found herself walking out right behind Mandy as they both went to gather up their daughters.

Lauren Barnes and McKenzie Miller were friends even if their mothers hated each other and they were at the top of the twirling slide when they heard their names being called out.
“Lauren; it’s time to go!” Mandy called out. She shot a sideways glare at Karen as she came up next to her.

Karen was about 6 inches shorter than Mandy, she carried an extra 20 pounds on her 5’2” frame that she wanted to lose but just couldn’t. Her short blonde hair stopped just above her shoulders and she pushed her glasses up as she came to a stop.

Mandy looked down on Karen; she pulled her long jet black hair back over her shoulders, which along with  her dark eyes and high cheeks reflected her half Korean ancestry. “I was so glad to see that you could make it today…I thought that you would have to work today” Mandy said putting her hands on her hips “Let’s go Lauren!” she added in a yell.

“Yes; not all of us can be stay at home Moms who blog about crafting projects and worry about being the big fish in an elementary school PTA. But just because I work doesn’t mean that I don’t care about my daughter’s education” Karen replied.

“I’m so glad that you think you know everything about me and my life” Mandy began.

“Oh No, I don’t know anything about your life and I’m sure that I never will; like I said some of us have to work for a living” Karen finished for her.

Mandy shook her head and rolled her eyes in disgust. She sighed and said “I’m not going to argue with you on a playground in front of my child”

Karen smirked and called out “Come on McKenzie!” while she thought “You wouldn’t last one day if actually had to work and fight for everything in life”

Mandy set her lips tightly and thought “You have no idea what it’s like…”

Karen waited for her daughter and sniffed the air. She suddenly got a strong whiff of perfume. “Ugh…does she bathe in that shit” she thought as the smell of Dior J’adore perfume came onto Karen’s neck.

Mandy never noticed that she could no longer smell her perfume.

Mandy also didn’t notice that while she stood waiting for her daughter to come over, she dropped a bit lower to the ground. Her expensive Michael Kors sandals changed into just a regular pair of flip flops from Old Navy.

The ankle strap disappeared and the strap that ran along the top of her foot shifted and grew thicker as the sole dropped down and changed from leather to foam. It decreased in size from a 9 to an 8; another detail that she failed to notice as her feet began to shrink down accordingly.

Mandy’s pedicured feet began to roughen up a bit around the heels and a callous formed along the side, right at her pinky toe. Her meticulously painted nails began to shift as her toes changed shape becoming smaller and wider as they pulled in. The grayish purple color on them darkened to maroon and slight chips appeared here and there on random toes, while the polish came up from around the cuticles of her big toes.

Mandy wiggled her toes absent-mindedly as she waited impatiently. She tapped her foot and yelled “Come on”

Karen huffed a sigh of displeasure at having to stand next to Mandy while her daughter dawdled on the playground. As she shook her head, her feet began to grow. Ever so slightly at first as the strap between her first and second toe thinned and elongated down the length of her foot where it attached to an ankle strap that had just appeared.

The strap wrapped around Karen’s ankle as the sole of the shoe thinned and turned into leather and a slight heel raised her up a half inch. The skin on her feet softened and the veins that had developed after standing on her feet at work diminished and smoothed. Her toes elongated and thinned as her maroon nail polish changed hue to a light purple that was now meticulously cared for.

Karen flexed her pedicured toes as her daughter approached finally.

Without hesitation, Mandy grabbed McKenzie by the wrist and said “Come on…you’ve delayed long enough young lady; get to the car”

McKenzie was confused; “But you’re not…” she began as she followed Lauren’s Mom off the playground.

Lauren just laughed as Karen raised her eyebrows “And what’s so funny? Say good bye to your friend; you’ll see her tomorrow in school again”

Lauren furrowed her brow, but shrugged and went along with it thinking it was a joke “Okay whatever…see you tomorrow McKenzie” she said with a giggle.

McKenzie staggered behind the rushing Mandy and also decided to go with the flow “Night Lauren; see you later”

Mandy’s purse had matched her sandals in color and design, but now, she totted a heavy simple black purse over her shoulder. She dug out her keys and unlocked a 10 year old Chevy Equinox.

McKenzie was all too familiar with the car since it was the one she had ridden in all her life, but she still didn’t get why Lauren’s Mom was driving it.

As McKenzie buckled up, she saw her Mom opening the door of a brand new Lexus and sliding behind the wheel with Lauren climbing into the back seat.

Mandy got behind the wheel of the Chevy and adjusted her seat back as her knee pushed against the dash.
She caught her reflection in the rear view mirror. She pushed a few strands of long black hair away from her dark brown eyes. She reached for her sunglasses and instead of pulling out her usual designer frames; she slid on the pair of prescription frames that sat in the cup holder. As she did, her eyes swirled, changing from brown to blue and adjusting so that they needed that prescription.

Mandy ran a manicured nail along the corner of her eye as it widened and changed, blinking as she did.

She gripped the steering wheel tight, still frustrated from the meeting. She could feel her long fingernails brush against the palms of her hands as her fingers wrapped around. As she drove off through the parking lot, her nails began to recede.

Facing away from her, Mandy couldn’t see her manicured nails pull all the way back to the tops of her fingers leaving no extra length at all. The purple polish totally disappeared from them, leaving them clear and rougher than before. Her fingers shrank down and she readjusted her grip on the wheel as they changed. The skin on her palms became dry and a few veins appeared on the backs.

Mandy pulled up to the stop sign and began to turn left before she stopped herself and turned the wheel to the right. McKenzie still didn’t know what was going on, but she was glad she was at least pointed in the direction of her house.

Karen slid onto the slick leather seat of the Lexus as Lauren got into the back seat still shaking her head and stifling her laughter.

Without a thought, Karen took off her glasses and dropped them into the cup holder where they promptly disappeared. She picked up the large round designer frames that were waiting for her in the car and slid them onto her face.

As she did, her eyes narrowed, turned a deep dark brown and corrected to perfect 20/20 vision behind them.

She pushed the button to ease her seat forward and put her foot on the pedal. Holding the wheel with her right hand and shifting into drive with her left, her hands began to soften and smooth. Her nails began to grow longer and thicker. Purple polish appeared on them in a professional manicure as her fingers elongated and thinned.

With a slight pause at the stop sign, she turned her Lexus to the left and began driving home.

As she drove on, Karen fidgeted with the seat belt. Without looking down at it, she thought it was loose across her waist but tight on her shoulder. At the red light, she eased her seat back some as her knee slightly bumped up against the dash.

Karen concentrated on the road before her as her green cotton top began to soften and lighten to white silk. Her sleeves rose up as it became a sleeveless blouse. She flicked her hand across her thigh as her shorts began to grow out into a long floral print skirt.

Mandy adjusted herself in the seat as she drove. She absent-mindedly picked at the front of her shirt as it must have gotten pinched beneath the seatbelt because it felt tight on her stomach. Underneath the shirt, Mandy’s taut, trim stomach began to puff out: Just a bit at first but it was definitely rounder. Her sleeveless blouse now had short sleeves that were green as was the rest of her shirt now. Her skirt began to inch up her legs and turn into a pair of tan shorts.

“I just can’t get comfortable” she said as she squirmed in the front seat. Her bra felt tight along with the sleeves of her shirt and she ran a finger along the tight hem of her shirt sleeve against her plumper upper arm.

At the red light a block down the road, she pulled the lever and moved her seat up a setting.

Karen turned the Lexus onto Collinwood Circle, a road she had never had reason to visit before. She pulled into the long drive of the white 5 bedroom 4 bath house with the manicured lawn.

Lauren jumped out into her driveway as she spotted her neighbor playing in her yard two houses down “I’m going to go play with Rachel…bye” she said as she hopped out and ran off.
“Um…okay” Karen said hesitantly. Suddenly, it hit her where she was “How…did I get here?” she asked “Why am I here…why am I not driving my own car?”

Karen got out of the car and looked down at herself. She was wearing a white sleeveless silk blouse and a long floral print skirt. She had on expensive sandals, not the black flip flops she had been wearing or her tan shorts and green short sleeved shirt.

“Why am I wearing…” it hit her then where she had just seen this outfit “Holy Shit! Why am I wearing Mandy Barnes’ clothes!?”

Karen started for the front door of the large house, keys in hand. She knew which one opened the front door and she let out a quick “AH!” as she caught a glimpse of her hand. It wasn’t her hand.

She stepped inside and slammed the door behind her. Her head pivoted back and forth before she knew that there was a bathroom down the hall and on her left. She headed for it as her legs lengthened by an inch.

Karen flipped on the light and stared into the mirror. It was her face but yet it was different, she eased the sunglasses down her nose and saw her eyes had become brown “Nuh-uh…no way” she said and looked closer at her hands.

Mandy turned onto Dayton Street and went halfway down where she turned into a short driveway with cracked concrete at the bottom.

She stopped before the garage and looked at the small ranch house before her. Confusion set in and Mandy turned to the backseat and saw McKenzie Miller give her a slight wave.
“Uh” she said too confused to say anything else.

McKenzie unbuckled and got out saying “I’m going to play with Hannah next door”

Mandy’s head shot back and forth several times as she mumbled “What…where…why…”

She opened the door and slowly stepped down out of the SUV. It seemed higher up than it should and she felt the impact as her feet hit the ground. “What the…” she began as she looked down at her feet and her bare legs.

Her hand swiped at her exposed thighs “Where’s my skirt?” she began as she took a staggering step sideways. Her left hand came up to her chest, bent at the elbow and her finger ran across the bottom of her sunglasses. “My clothes…”

She looked down at the green top she was now wearing. It was tight on her and she now brought her hand down and rubbed her slight belly. “This is not my body! And that’s not my hand: What am I wearing…I…” as it hit her where she had just seen these clothes. “Oh No”

Mandy walked quickly up to the house and opened the door with the key in her hand. She took off the sunglasses but found that her vision was blurry without them. She put them back on and went through the living room and turned down the hall, ignoring the worn furniture she was passing along the way.

Mandy made it to the bathroom where she saw a pair of glasses. She switched them out with the sunglasses and screamed.

After a full minute of hyperventilating while staring at herself in the mirror, she finally said “Calm down Mandy…you can figure this out, just calm down Karen”

She looked down and stuck her right leg and foot out straight, the flip flop clad foot hanging a few inches in the air as she took in the sight of her foot. “That’s not my foot…that’s…Karen’s foot”

She eased it down and crinkled her brow as her thighs came together and touched. Slowly, she craned her neck down forward and she watched in awe as her legs filled out and gained weight while losing length. “What’s happening to my legs?” she cried out as her long trim legs shrank shorter and became meatier and thicker.

The tan shorts rode down but became tighter across her thighs as they filled out. Slight dimples of cellulite appeared on the backs of her legs as her calves rounded up as well.

Another tightness encroached across her butt as it began to grow and fill out. Mandy’s panties shifted and slid across her shifting and changing cheeks and the shorts pulled and tugged at her expanding hips. Her narrow and trim build was changing dramatically before her eyes and Mandy was powerless to stop it.

“I’m turning into Karen Miller!” she yelled at the mirror. She felt an odd sensation in the front of her shorts. There was a tingling sensation, it felt like an itch that needed to be scratched and Mandy closed her eyes as she felt parts shift and move that should never move and shift like that.

“Oh God” Mandy cried as her hands squeezed her more ample ass. Her hands hesitantly came forward and she pulled at the waistband of her short sand the simple white cotton panties she now saw that she was sporting.  Mandy was finally speechless.

Karen turned her hands over and back, her mouth open in shock. Her hands had never looked like this. She reached down and began to slowly lift the skirt up her legs. She inched the skirt up to her knees, exposing calves that looked nothing like her own. They were thin and trim and pale coming up from feet and ankles that had already changed as well.

Karen continued to gather up the skirt fabric in her fists, exposing more and more of her legs as she went. Her thighs were becoming firmer and thinner while still remaining round and shapely. Her skin smoothed and her cellulite vanished.

Karen’s eyes widened as she felt her ass begin to rise up. Her somewhat flabby rear tightened under expensive Victoria’s secret cream colored panties. She let go of the skirt and it fluttered back to down to mid-calf. She gave a quick slap at her rear and she was shocked at how tight it felt as it rippled from the impact of her hand.

Her hips came inward, narrowing greatly as her waist and stomach also came in. Her stomach went down to flat and she ran her manicured nails over it lightly.

Karen cocked her head at the strange tingling sensation that she felt below her hovering hand “Oh” was all that escaped her mouth. She felt a rush of moisture and her knees came together automatically. The tingling felt deep seated inside her and she felt her cheeks blush as she realized what was happening to her body.

Mandy’s rough hands gripped the porcelain sink before her so tightly that she felt her upper arms move in conjunction with them. “What’s happening to me?” she asked the mirror. Her breathing was still deep and heavy and now she saw her chest was rising and not in rhythm with her breathing.

Her hands came back and rested on her stomach, feeling the softness there. Her green top was a v neck cut and she could see the top of her cleavage.  A distinct beauty mark appeared on top of her right breast as it bulged up and began to grow. Mandy’s 34B breasts were growing to become Karen’s 38C’s.

Mandy’s hands came up from below and grabbed her new breasts as she now fit into all the clothes she was wearing. She hoisted them up and let them drop back down as her skin continued to change on her upper chest and neck.

Karen felt lighter all over; she was taller and weighed less and now she stood up slightly straighter and taller as weight began to lift off her chest. “Oh” she said as her breasts diminished in size and dropped to a 34B. Her bra fit her better now that she was smaller in the chest and the buttons on her blouse no longer gaped open across the front.

Karen glanced at her trim arms and even noticed the small arrangement of freckles on her bare shoulders.

Somehow, the panic was leaving her, being replaced by a strange sense of calm and acceptance as the changes reached her face.  Her eyes had already switched and now her nose rose up, creating more space between the bottom of it and her lips and it narrowed across the bridge. A few very faint freckles then broke out across the bridge.

Her cheekbones became higher and more defined as her mouth began to shift. Her lips filled in a bit and a weird sensation came into her mouth and gums as her teeth began to shift. They grew slightly larger and whitened creating a brilliant smile that offset her brown eyes.

Her jaw and chin strengthen and also became more defined as her face lost more and more of its original look. “I’m almost entirely Mandy” she thought as her ears grew longer and her forehead grew wider.

Karen took in her facial changes as her hairline and part shifted. Karen’s blonde hair began to darken as each hair began to turn black and grow long and wavy. It curled and fluttered down over her shoulders as it changed into Mandy’s hair. Karen stared into the mirror; she had become Mandy.

Mandy’s labored breathing began to ease. Calm was coming over her now as the changes continued to progress with her body. Her body was Karen’s now: She was shorter and heavier but somehow, she was coming to terms with it.

She took in her face in the mirror; it was the last thing that hadn’t altered itself yet but she knew it was coming soon. She already had Karen’s eyes and her need for glasses. They didn’t fit quite right though as they didn’t sit well on her nose or ears. Mandy felt the glasses shift as her ears shrunk smaller and pulled closer to her head. She nose then came down closer to her upper lip and it broadened across the bridge. Her freckles disappeared as her skin continued to change.

Her lips thinned slightly and set smaller on her face as she felt a tingling in her mouth and gums. Her teeth were shifting and becoming smaller and not as bright as before but they still felt strong as she clamped them shut.

Mandy’s chin and jaw line weakened and became less defined as her cheeks dropped a bit and became rounder as Karen. Her forehead narrowed and her eyebrows grew shorter and lighter just as her hairline and part shifted on her head.

Mandy’s hair began to lighten and pull upwards as each hair turned blonde as opposed to jet black. It straightened as it came up and stopped just above her shoulders. “I’m Karen” she said to the mirror.

Just then, her two large gold hoop earring disappeared. A split second later, they were replaced by two small silver studs. Her almost 2 carat diamond ring disappeared from her finger along with her wedding band. Her fingers were now free of all jewelry as a single Mom.

Karen was looking in the mirror when she saw her silver earring pop out. Her ears were bare for only a split second though as two large gold hoops appeared. She also looked down as an enormous diamond appeared on her finger along with a gold wedding band. Karen wiggled her fingers watching the light catch off the diamond.

Karen was mesmerized by the diamond and didn’t hear the front door open and close until she heard a girls voice coming from the door “Oh Hi Mom…when did you get here?”

Mandy turned to the voice; she pulled her long black hair back off her shoulders and looked at her daughter. “What are you talking about Lauren; I drove you here…how else would you get home?”

Lauren just kept walking and shaking her head “You’re weird Mom” she said as she headed to the kitchen.

Mandy took a step out of the bathroom and into the hallway. She smoothed out her skirt and caught a glimpse of her purple colored toes against the dark hardwood floor of the hallway. “Tom will be home any time now” she thought about her husband. “Your Dad will be home soon so no snacking. I’ve made a Capriccio Salad for dinner” she called out to Lauren as she followed her into the kitchen.

Mandy looked down at her unadorned hands and allowed her gaze to trail all the way down her legs to her feet. “I need to repaint my toes” Karen said.

Karen heard the screen door close loudly and McKenzie come in. She stepped out and saw her daughter in the living room. “I’m going to throw some burgers on the grill for dinner if that’s alright with you” she called down to her.

McKenzie wrinkled her forehead “When did you get here Mom?” she asked.

“What are you talking about honey…I picked you up from school today” Karen replied.