Katherine had made her way downstairs and into the crowd in the living room, she caught Allie’s eye and waved her over.

Allie smiled awkwardly and made her way over. “Hey Katherine” she said as she tucked a few stray strands of her stringy brown hair behind her ear.

“Hey Allie” Katherine said, shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously. “So, um, I guess it’s just you and me now huh”

Allie looked down and blushed hard and did a slight up and down bob. “Yeah…I guess…”

“There’s no need to beat around the bush Allie; I like you…you’re a good kid” Katherine said. “But it looks like you and I are going to swap ages soon”

Allie looked up and tilted her head while listening.

“So, that means that I’m going to be the kid and you’re going to be a teenager” Katherine laughed nervously. “You’re going to get to be 17 and I’m going to be 9 again”

“Um, Katherine; can I tell you something?” Allie asked.

“Sure, you can tell me anything Allie” Katherine responded.

“Don’t hate me for saying this but…I want to go up. I don’t want to get left behind. If all my friends are older now…”

“I understand Allie and I know. All my friends are kids again and younger than me and part of me doesn’t want to leave them behind either” Katherine admitted. “It’s hard though, for both of us, what’s about to happen to us is…mind-blowing”

They looked at each other intently as Katherine continued. “I like being 17” Katherine leaned down and continued “But part of me is excited about going back to 9: Is that wrong?”

Allie perked up at hearing her babysitter’s admission. “Um…no, no it’s not wrong…I don’t think it is at least”

Katherine smiled relieved. “It’s just that I’ve always been the oldest…the responsible one my whole life. I’ve babysat every girl here and all three of my own siblings…but if I’m nine, well, then my brother Ryan becomes the oldest. And I get to stay with my friends too”

“You know I’m an only child so I don’t have to worry about what a brother or sister might think about me becoming a different age. Mia and Caroline have been like my sisters: If I get to be the same age as them again…well…” she shrugged. “I still feel bad about taking your age away from you Katherine”

“Call me Katy” Katherine said with a sparkle in her eye.

“Well then you can call me Allison” Allie said. “If Elizabeth and Victoria can go their full names, why can’t I?” she added with a giggle.

“Don’t feel bad; there’s obviously nothing we can do at this point but make the best of it” Katy said. “Will you come and babysit me after this?”

Allison smiled “Of course I will Katy”

Victoria came up to them and asked “What are you two doing over here in your little personal corner?”

“Coming to peace with the inevitable” Katy replied.

“What if Skyler was right though?” Victoria asked them. “What if it is like a horror movie and somebody gets away at the end?”

“If it is, then I guess it’s us…but if Athena was right and we’re all going to switch ages tonight, then, we were over here discussing future babysitting plans” Katy said in return.

“Guess we just have to wait and see” Allison chimed in.

Everyone was now simply milling about looking at Katherine and Allie and waiting for the storm to pick back up, but outside, the winds were dying down as dawn approached.

Victoria sat on the couch and turned the TV back on and picked up her movie where it had been left off. Mia and Caroline drifted over as well but Athena just looked out the window.
Charlie made his way over to Skyler, who was trying to hide in the corner by herself.
“Um, Sky” Charlie said from behind her.

Skyler didn’t turn around; she kept her face towards the wall.

“I just wanted to let you know…there’s no hard feelings with me; we’re still cool” Charlie said.

Skyler began to sob lightly. She turned around and looked up to Charlie who was taller than her once again.

Skyler leapt forward and hugged her boyfriend around his neck, pulling him down as she did.

Charlie hugged her back, a bit awkwardly though as he tried to get used to their new sizes.

“I think it stopped raining” Stella said from her perch by the window with Athena.

Katherine and Allie exchanged a look between them.

Stella and Athena both screamed as a flash of lightning came out of the blue and crashed overhead. Allie and Katherine both jumped and joined their hands together.

Katherine smiled and nodded as her heart raced in her chest. “Guess I’m going back to Katy”

“And I’m going up to Allison” Allie said smiling, eyebrows raised.

Katherine stood up; she was 5’3” but wouldn’t be for very much longer. She was wearing a white shirt and jeans that she smoothed out, preparing for what was to come.

Allie stood at 4’8” as she also rose off the couch and stood facing her swap partner.

Both of them had slight ornery smiles creeping across their faces. Allie tugged at the bottom of her red top as she untied the drawstrings of her pink cotton shorts. They sat loosely at her waist but she hoped she had given herself enough room for when she expanded. “I wonder what I’ll look like” she said.

Allie was rather skinny with long brown hair that she couldn’t really control and she had always thought her eyebrows were too thick for her face.

“I’m guessing you’re going to be beautiful” Katherine said as she undid her ponytail and let her blonde hair hang down to her shoulders. She blinked her blue eyes as she felt a tingling beginning in her arms and legs. “I think it’s starting” she said after a long exhale.

“Ready Katy” Allie asked giggling.

“I am if you are…Allison” Katherine replied. “Oh” she said “Oh…that feels kind of weird” she said as she dropped an inch in height and felt her chest constrict inward. “It feels like I’m collapsing in on myself” she said as she continued to shrink.

Allie brushed her hair back again as her eyes widened “Oh…I get it now; it kind of feels like I’m blowing up…like I’m getting lifted up, but, my feet are still on the ground”

Allie laughed and looked down at the floor as it got further away from her eyes. She wiggled her toes and watched as they grew longer as she was looking. “Wow” she said watching her feet grow out longer and wider. “Wonder how tall I’ll get?”

“I don’t know but it looks like we’re evening out already” Katherine said dropping more height. Her voice had risen an octave in pitch and she clutched her throat instinctively as she blushed. Katherine’s hair was growing longer as her face grew younger. Her chest was decreasing in size and her legs were losing their length and curve.

Allie looked and saw that their height matched for the moment but she continued to grow and surpassed Katherine in size. She felt a tingling and building sensation on her chest and her red shirt began to rise up and out. “Oh” she said surprised at how large they had already grown and the fact that it felt like they would keep going.

“Wow Allison…your face” Katy said.

“What about my face?” Allison said touching her cheeks and nose. “Is there something wrong?”

“No…you’re gorgeous” Katy exclaimed.

Allison face had matured very nicely. Her eyebrows had thinned and her brown eyes were perfectly symmetrical over a small thin nose. Her cheeks were well defined, her chin was perfectly round and her jaw was firm yet no so strong to be considered masculine. Her lips plumped up and filled in and she flashed a brilliantly white smile.

“You have the face of a model!” Katy proclaimed.

Allison’s body wasn’t far behind. She rose up to 5’7” with a strong straight stance and squared shoulders that held her head high. Her breasts had become large and her stomach was flat.

Allison’s hips widened and flared outward giving her a great shape with her small waist. Her ass came outward and rounded into a heart shape over shapely round thighs and well sculpted calves.

Allison flipped her long thick brown hair off her shoulders and down her back. Her hair had a natural curl and wave to it that made it bounce as she flipped it.

Katy continued to regress back younger and younger before the growing Allison. Her blue eyes narrowed as her eyebrows and lashes thinned with youth. Her lips thinned, her cheeks fell and her chin and jaw came inward.

Katy’s body dwindled in size as her chest went flat and her hips went straight. Her butt went flat and her legs became skinny and short along with her arms. Her hands and feet decreased in size, taking her back to nine years old again.

Aubrey came up and hugged her without a word, accepting Katy back into their circle of friends that was once more complete.

“Glad I could join you” Katy said with a slow nod. She lifted up her arms and watched the shirt dangle off of her small arms. Her jeans had drooped down in the back and had fallen down her thighs. She grabbed them and shuffled forward. “Let’s go change clothes” Katy said to Allison.
Allison brushed her hair back in her typical nervous gesture but didn’t have as much to work with now that her hair was much more manageable. Allison nodded and looked around the room. Everyone was staring at her, mostly in awe at how pretty she had turned out.

Her red top was straining to keep her contained and her cleavage spilled out the top so Allison put on hand on her breasts to keep them under control. Her pink cotton shorts were also pushed to their limits. They rode high up her thighs and rubbed as she walked out of the room with Katy.

They went into the kitchen and stripped down; handing each other their clothing as they took each piece off.

Katy put on Allison’s panties and pink shorts and tied them tight across her narrow hips before she put on her red shirt and looked down in wonder at her flat chest.

Allison put on Katy’s panties and bra but both were tight on her. Her white shirt was also too tight but Allison spied a flannel shirt belonging to Aubrey and Mia’s Dad hanging by the back door so she grabbed that and put it on over top the white top.

She pulled on the jeans with some effort and saw that they rode up over her ankles. She got them buttoned, but she wasn’t going to be comfortable in these clothes.

Allison looked out the kitchen window and saw the pink dawn starting to bear in the distance. The storm was over and had cleared out. The sun would be coming up soon; she looked at Katy and said “This is going to be some kind of weird day…trying to explain what happened here last night”


Six Months later…


Caroline sighed as she looked out of the car window. “Ready for the gauntlet” Elizabeth asked her from behind the wheel. Elizabeth was the only one that had passed her drivers’ test and since she had access to her older brothers car most of the time now that he was in the Army; she had become the group chauffer.

She had stopped at the end of the drive since she didn’t feel like putting up with the media tonight.

Allison and Maddie sat in the backseat; they could see the glow of the flood lights that were set up 50 yards away from the door of the school.

Ever since word of what happened to all 12 of them leaked out, their little suburb of Oklahoma City had been an essential stop on every media outlet’s radar.

Word had spread fast once everyone’s parents began to show up to pick up their kids the following morning. The ensuing chaos was still being felt.

Skyler’s parents had doctors flown in from every major medical center in the country and they were just as stumped as the local doctors at what had happened and what could be done for everyone. Eventually, all 12 of them had been declared healthy for whatever age they had ended up at.

The school board was stumped as well but felt the need to place the kids in with their age appropriate grade so Athena had been put in the fifth grade while Charlie, Katy, Aubrey, Stella and Skyler were all made fourth graders again.

Vicki had been put in the 10th grade and the other five were put in 11th and given extra tutoring and testing to make sure they would be caught up.

After attorney’s had been hired and the events of the night had been clarified, a District judge had ordered new birth certificates and social security numbers for everyone involved as he set their ages legally to where they had landed.

As word spread over the news and internet, some called the whole thing a hoax while others rushed ahead and began camping out on the front lawns trying to get pictures.
After the testimony of lawyers and doctors though, things got serious in town.

News vans and personalities clogged the streets and every hotel within miles trying to get interviews and exclusives. Months later, some had left but any time an event came around, they showed back up again: Even something as inconsequential as a school program brought all the major players back to town.

Caroline shook her head as she mentally prepared to walk through the screamed questions and flashes.

“Don’t let them bother you” Allison said. The cameras had fallen in love with Allison Ziegler. She was pretty and sweet and she had several offers from reality TV shows, not to mention far less scrupulous offers that she had ignored so far. She was content to just go to school while taking over Katy’s role of town babysitter.

“Yeah, you know the drill” Maddie chimed in. Maddie Engelhart had also shied away from the spotlight after she had given an interview with her parents to Diane Sawyer. She had tried to describe the night as best as she could and told everyone that she wasn’t interested in talking about it again. She was just happy that her little brother Wyatt hadn’t cared that his big sister was bigger now; he still just wanted to play Spider-Man with her.

“You should come with me Elizabeth” Caroline said back through the window.

“Nah…not tonight…I’m tired” Elizabeth said with a sly smile. Elizabeth had had the most fun with the reporters since the night of the swaps. She was always good for a one liner or quote and frankly, she played to the cameras with her long red hair.

She had also taken a lot of teasing from her two brothers. Her now younger brother Frank didn’t like being the youngest now but he also found himself very, very protective of her at school. It had become quite a mixed bag in that very grey area. Elizabeth loved to flirt with the boys, but the boys weren’t sure about how to treat Elizabeth or any of the other girls.

“Wish me luck” Caroline said as she turned and began to walk up the sidewalk to the school doors.

“Good Luck” all three called out. They were on their way over to Victoria’s house to hang out. Victoria was still a bit resentful about becoming the smallest of their group. She had gotten her own special on 20/20 and Dateline though because of her willingness to talk.

Caroline heard her name being called out by a dozen voices at once. She waved at Natalie Morales of the Today Show as well as Kevin Frazier from Entertainment Tonight but she didn’t stop to talk to anyone.

She entered the school and took in the crowd and the kids as they were lining up to go on stage.

She immediately saw Skyler pouting. Her arms were crossed and she just looked pissed as her now older brother and sister stood nearby. Caroline had heard many stories from Charlie about how much they picked on her now that the tables had been turned. Skyler was reaping what she had sowed from those two.

She had of course though been the most outspoken one from that night. Her parents had capitalized on the story and realized it as the cash cow that it could be for them. They had initially been shocked and outraged but once TLC had dangled a ton of money for a reality show in front of them, their moods had changed.

“Skyler’s Big World” was TLC’s biggest ratings hit and it was all about her. She could act pissed all she wanted; everyone, including Caroline knew that she was in her glory now. She was routinely on magazine covers, had a book deal, was in negotiations to be in a movie on Lifetime and was now a spokesperson for a line of kids clothing.

Caroline just shook her head; sometimes not even a setback was really a setback.

Caroline smiled and waved when she saw Katy and her sister Piper coming over. The two sisters were now best friends after Katy had essentially become her twin. They were the same age and had gotten very close.

“Hey Caroline…Thanks for coming tonight” Katy said as she hugged her.

“I wouldn’t miss this” Caroline replied. She knew that Katy was enjoying being nine again much more than any of the others.

Stella Curtis was also enjoying her time though. She had soaked up all the attention as well and had found herself in over half the episodes of Skyler’s Big World.

Caroline saw her over by the wall with her Mom brushing out her hair. They both waved to Caroline as she passed by: Being the baby of the family had its perks and Stella was definitely enjoying it just by the content look in her eyes.

Athena Myers said a quick “Hello” as she rushed past to get in the group with her class further down the hall. Her pigtails swayed as she rushed down the hall. Athena was using her time for practicing soccer even more intensely that she had before. Athena was another one just trying to live a normal life while avoiding the spotlight.

Caroline came to stop in front of her brother Charlie who was standing next to Aubrey Milbright. Charlie tugged at the collar of his white dress shirt while Aubrey smiled and spun a bit on her slick bottomed May Janes.

Since the night they had become kids again, Aubrey and Charlie had become best friends and shared everything with each other and only each other. Charlie may have still been in love with Skyler, but he could only confide in Aubrey.

“Hey Sis” Charlie said.

“Hey bro bro” Caroline replied. “Ready for the show?”

Charlie rolled his eyes “I guess so…I can’t believe this is part of our music grade” he replied. “If it wasn’t, there’d be no way I was here tonight”

“It won’t be that bad” Caroline replied.

“Yeah, just you and Mia sitting out there giggling away at us” Aubrey replied.

“Oh we will not…we’ll be good, I swear” Caroline said.

Aubrey had sat closed mouth through their Today Show interview two months earlier and her sister hadn’t let her live it down. Aubrey had gotten very shy and Caroline could tell she was nervous just to be in the play tonight.

Aubrey really didn’t say much these days. She went to school, did her homework and then would usually just go and read books during her spare time. She generally stayed away from her now older sister Mia too. Mia would try to get her involved in activities, but she would politely decline.

Aubrey had taken the swapping of ages the hardest. She watched her sister switch rooms and wardrobes with her after her parents had returned. Since she had been in charge and they had been the first to swap, she somehow felt guilty about being a catalyst for the whole night.

She would only ever discuss her private thoughts with Charlie Hughes.

“Did you already shot your scenes for Skyler’s Big World” Caroline asked her little brother.

He blushed hard and looked at the ground as he replied “Yes”

Charlie still couldn’t turn Skyler down when she flashed her big brown eyes at him. She had told him it was essential for the show that he be a part of it as her “boyfriend”. He had given in and despite his parents really not wanting to be a part of it, they had given in and Charlie had found himself a part of reality TV.

“I’m going to head on in…have fun you two” Caroline called out as she left Charlie and Aubrey in the hallway.

Caroline had avoided the TV show so far but her name had been mentioned on it. Caroline was mostly getting attention for her prowess on the athletic field. She was being recruited to play lacrosse for the University of Maryland if her grades could be kept up.

Caroline had been jumped up to the highest level of her club team when she had finally gotten back to practice. Universities had either been super excited about her ability or completely put off by the media circus that followed her around.

It had been difficult on all the now older kids to catch up in their schoolwork. All of them had to put in extra time and effort to try to fit in completely. Mia Milbright though had caught up the quickest. School work seemed to come easily to her as she breezed through the years that they ended up skipping. She was considering her own book deal and was waiting to see what Skyler’s book was about first.

Mia wasn’t as adored by the cameras as much as the other girls. Sure she was pretty but she also came across as sarcastic in her interviews: She one time shut down Katie Couric calling her “extremely condescending”. It got her an interview with Seth Myers but it also meant that most media members kept their distance and picked the easier targets who wanted to talk.

“Hey…you saved me a seat, Thanks” Caroline Hughes said as she scooted past her best friend Mia Milbright. She sat down on the hard folding chair in the elementary school gymnasium.

“Yeah, since I got here early, I wanted to make sure we could sit together” Mia replied.
Caroline took in the festive decorations that adorned the walls of the gym and smiled. A huge Santa Claus took up most of one of the walls and snowflakes, candy canes and reindeer filled the other side.

“I can’t wait to see this” Mia said as she crossed her legs.

The lights dimmed a bit and the curtain pulled back revealing the stage. “Look; there’s Aubrey” Mia whispered to Caroline.

“I see her…where’s Charlie?” Caroline asked before she spotted him in the middle of the second row in his white dress shirt and blue tie that was too long for him. “He looks so cute”

Aubrey Milbright was on the end so everyone could see her pretty red dress and white tights and black Mary Janes as Up on the Housetop was sung.

Caroline elbowed Mia and pointed to the front row. Skyler Young and Stella Curtis were right next to each other, singing and doing the arm motions. Skyler was in a crushed green velvet dress and Stella was wearing a white blouse and red poufy skirt over white tights as well.

“I found Katy too” Mia whispered and motioned to the other side of the stage where they saw their former babysitter singing her heart out in a green blouse and black skirt next to her sister Piper who was in a red blouse and white skirt.

The fourth graders finished their first song to applause and launched into another. Mia glanced to the side and spotted Athena Myers waiting with the rest of the fifth graders for their turn on stage. Athena’s pigtails made her easy to spot.

“It’s not the performance of Shake It Off like we had asked for, but somehow…this is better” Mia said to her friend. Caroline just laughed as she sat back in her chair and took the whole night in.