Casey’s emotions were playing hell with her mind. She felt her arms shrinking and plumping up. She pinched at her much larger upper arm, it felt soft and pudgy as her forearms shrank up and her wrists puffed out much like her ankles had done.

She caught a quick glimpse of her plain feet down below and knew her hands would soon match. Her palms and the backs of her hands puffed out and up just before her fingers shrank down fatter, thicker. Her nail polish faded again down to plain bare nails. The uniform length and cut of them now went haywire. A few nails grew out longer while other were all the way down or just slightly up. The skin around her nails grew rough and acquired a picked at appearance and immediately she began picking at spots around her thumb with the nails of her forefingers.

Casey brought the first word from their dream to the forefront of her mind and lingered on it. It no longer felt as powerful though. She had literally felt the world shake and move when she had said it out loud in tandem with Ann but now she ran through all 5 and thought they sounded like gibberish.

She thought about the work on her desk and worried that this was taking too long; Eileen would be looking for her soon. She grabbed up her green top and put it on, grateful to be covered up again.

She watched as Ann leisurely buttoned up her black blouse and tucked it into her skirt. She searched the floor looking for her heels, locating them and pulling the closer to her using her long toes.

Ann slipped her feet back into her heels raising her up even higher over little Casey. Now nine inches separated them. They felt good on her feet; her toes settled into the slight depressions made just for them, by them.

Casey still stood barefoot as her neck changed, thickening up especially near her chin. She was self-conscious of how she looked if she pulled her chin in and down since it created a double chin when she did it but she still tucked her chin down anyway. “Did I really look like that?” she thought looking over at Ann.

Ann’s neck slimmed as her weight settled in at its rightful place. Her scalp itched as the follicles sprang into action, sprouting growing brown hair. The brown overtook the black dye, blending it in as it faded away. Her hair slicked down as it grew covering her ears and touching the tops of her shoulders, tickling the back of her neck as it grew out.

It kept going longer and longer; loose waves rolling over the top of her back down to her shoulder blades. The front and top grew out and fell differently over her forehead coming down and tucking behind her ears.

Casey looked up “My Face!” she said suddenly upon seeing the twitch that began shifting Ann’s chin, taking away the roundness of it and replacing it with Casey’s sharper one.

Ann was surprised to hear such a loud exclamation from Casey “SHHH!” she said “Don’t make anyone want to come in here”

“Sorry, it’s just…seeing you with my hair and my body and…I just…sorry” Casey said. But in her mind, she was already thinking “My face is all I have left yet part of me said that because I want the face I’m seeing on you, on me”

Ann looked at Casey who seemed on the verge of giggling again before her expression turned more serious. Ann watched Casey’s hair lift up, pulling higher and coming up from her shoulder blades and the tops of her shoulders.

Casey looked both left and right watching her hair lift. Her longer looser waves began to shorten and tighten up. Ann’s hair had body to it at her shorter length but she was losing sight of it.

Ann saw the top and front of Casey’s hair change style and begin to darken from her natural brown to a bottle black just as Casey felt the first crack of air at the back of her neck. She ran a hand up as it tightened even giving way to a shaved feel underneath.

Casey’s hair poofed outward into Ann’s style, she ran her hand through feeling the residue of mousse while catching glimpses of it out of her peripheral vision.

Ann was fascinated to watch the changes occurring to Casey’s face. Her previously sleek and polished look slowly changed in what she knew had to be the reverse of what she was feeling occurring to her own face.

Casey’s face began to round. The point of her chin pulled up and rounded off affecting the rest of her face immediately. As her jawline came up shorter in conjunction with her chin, her cheeks rose up and pulled in, smooshing her face in making her cheeks go from long and sleek and high boned to apple round and a bit chubby.

This in turn affected her mouth. Her lips thinned and pressed in closer as her upper lip and bottom portion of her face changed their look.

Casey was in for a surprise inside her mouth. For all the inclusivity of the dream and even knowing her own mind and memories were altering, she was still more than a bit shocked when she felt her first premolar on her upper left hand side disappear.

Her teeth were shifting inside her mouth, changing shape and position and size as her mouth turned into Ann’s mouth. Her tongue, which was changing too, was constantly moving about, running up and over and around her altering teeth when she suddenly hit an open hole. “Mmmm!” she let out a quick exclamation through her closed mouth.

“Oh” Ann said simply. Casey watched as she flicked her tongue up off the roof of her mouth and pulled out a retainer. There, sitting bright white was a false front of a tooth to fill in the spot.

“I had no idea you were missing a tooth!” Casey said.

“Yeah, well, it never came up…I’ve had this since I was a kid. That tooth just never developed and the dentist at the time gave me this; you can get a permanent replacement but this has always worked for me and it was cheaper” Ann said with a shrug passing off the wet retainer.

Casey held it in her hand as her mouth wasn’t finished transforming just yet. She could still feel the roof of her mouth moving still changing how her mouth sat and felt. Once she thought she was done, she popped it into her mouth where it fit perfectly, custom made for her mouth in fact.

Casey pressed her cheeks up feeling them still filling in before she felt her nose begin to itch and twitch.

Neither woman had a large nose; her nostrils flared changing size and shape, the bottom came out a bit rounder and the bridge a bit broader.

She reached up and took out her earrings; a single pair of gold hoops when her ears began to burn. Casey’s ears shrank down and additional holes appeared; a second set down below, one up top on the right and another through the lobe in front of her eardrum on the left.

She saw Ann taking out her earrings now too. Ann’s chin and jaw had realigned taking her round face to more of an oval shape. Her full cheeks had streamlined out and her cheekbones had risen up changing her look to more of the one Casey knew from her mirror.

Even as Ann’s lips plumped and grew longer, as her upper lip shifted and the bottom portion of her face transformed into Casey’s, Casey watched.

Ann pursed her lips taking out her earrings as her tongue and teeth rattled, shifting about inside her mouth. Her missing tooth was now filled in, anchoring a full set of straight white teeth. As she ran her tongue around tasting a different taste and feeling a different veneer to her teeth, she flicked her tongue out and licked her lips.

Ann’s nose twitched as her nostrils narrowed and the end of her nose flattened and her bridge narrowed. Her ears too burned as her holes closed up and her ear lobes grew larger making a better fit and match to her head.

Casey’s forehead came down, completing her hairline shift as she felt her eyebrows thin and shift along her brow line. She blinked her eyes rapidly as they felt dry. Her brown eyes lightened to blue but also weakened in strength; she knew the glasses were nearby but didn’t grab for them just yet.

She wanted to itch her eyes as her lashes changed as well as the actual seating of her eyes. They narrowed down smaller and she blinked accordingly as the pain in them subsided.

Ann’s eyes widened and pulled out slightly longer; smoky eyes…almost cat like took shape. Her vision wasn’t perfect but it was stronger as her blue eyes darkened to brown. Her forehead lifted and her eyebrows shaped up and her eye lashes thickened bringing more attention to her eyes. Ann had always noticed and been intoxicated by Casey’s eyes; now they were hers.

A lump rose up in Ann’s throat, it was only there for a moment before it cleared.

“You look exactly like me” Ann said shocking herself with the sound that came from her mouth. Her hand went up and covered it as it hung open. Casey’s voice had come from Ann and both women shared a look of shock. For Casey, something different caught her eye; the clock on the wall had stopped. She realized she didn’t hear the office bustling around her at all; time had stopped while they swapped bodies and lives. When the clock started moving again, she knew it would be over.

“Well! Say something!” Ann said to Casey in an excited voice.

Casey paused, unsure of herself. Her mouth worked up and down but no sound emerged “When I speak, I’ll never hear my own voice ever again” she knew. She looked up at Ann, so much taller and prettier than her “And you look exactly like me” she said as strongly as she could.

Ann clapped her hands and smiled wide at hearing Casey’s voice “This is so complete, don’t you think Ann?”

Casey reeled back “Don’t call me that; not yet”

“But you are…I mean, everybody else is going to call you that from now on” Ann said. “You sure look like Ann now”

Casey’s neck tingled at being called Ann, the prospect of it, the enormity of it “I know, but I thought that at least between us, we could, you know, still use our old names”

Ann smiled condescendingly “Sure” she said succinctly.

Ann picked up Casey’s earring and put them in. She took off her rings and handed them over.

Casey had finally put on Ann’s glasses and the world focused up for her. Ann appeared even taller now that her vision lost its fuzzy edges. She held the wedding band in her hand for a moment contemplating its weight and heft.

“Once I put this on; it means I’m the one who’s married…I’m actually married” Casey said bewildered.

“More than that; you have kids now” Ann reminded her.

“You don’t have to remind me of that fact” Casey said seeing her kids’ faces clearly.

She slid it on and modeled it for her own eyes. “Maybe you can get through to Sean” Ann said.

Casey looked up and nodded “What if I do get your problems with Sean and Eileen settled?”

Ann smiled slyly “You can” was all she said.

Casey methodically put in all of Ann’s earrings and looked around for her shoes. The clock on the wall remained stopped “So what now?” Casey muttered.

“Now you can stand up to Eileen for me...” Ann said. But thinking about Eileen no longer scared her in the least “What was I so afraid of with her?”

Casey took two steps to her left and pursed her lips as she slipped her feet into Ann’s black flats. Her right foot went in first but when her toes on her left foot hit the end and her heel slid into the back, the entire world shifted around them.

Casey bent forward; she exhaled and felt dizzy as if the air were sucked out of the room. A deep thrumming noise rang through her head as if a guitar, bass and piano all hit the same chord as loud as they could.

The clock began to move; ambient noise struck up all around them replacing the total silence they had been in while they swapped. She turned and saw Ann with one hand on her stomach and the other at her temple looking pained.

Ann had felt the push and warping of the world whipping around her. She shut her eyes to steady herself, setting her feet and grabbing the side of the table before griping her head. It sounded like a jackhammer going through brick in her head.

Then it was over. Ann opened her eyes and smiled hesitantly, a cool look in her eyes as she turned around and faced the door.

Casey shuffled forward still getting her bearings; everything felt different already. Everything she had ever known or felt about herself changed. She looked at herself and the world in a different light now and at that moment realized that no matter what happened, her outlook would never be the same ever again. Being Casey felt far away to her, almost like it had been a dream and the look in Ann’s eyes in her old body indicated that she would never get it back.

Ann coolly looked over her shoulder at Casey, a pang of pity swept over her but not guilt. “I really can’t thank you enough for agreeing to do this with me” she said as she opened the door before Casey could reply.

Ann stepped out into the hallway hearing a faint “Wait!” from behind her but she was already smiling and engaging one of her employees “How are you coming along with the Alabama project Dana?” she asked and began to walk alongside her taking her away from the conference room and toward her office.

Casey said her meek “Wait” but Ann was gone. She looked around momentarily before taking in a deep breath and stepping out into the hall herself.

Her body moved differently, reacted differently, felt different as she walked to her desk. Her thighs rubbed together under her skirt, her feet shuffled more than stepped high and clear and she tended to keep her head and eyes downcast instead of looking straight ahead.

She got to her cubicle “Yesterday, I lingered here wondering what it would be like to actually sit here, work as Ann…well…now’s your chance” she sat and adjusted her skirt and flipped on her computer.

She didn’t hesitate to get into her daily work. She dug right into her emails and the batches she needed to finish.

“Your work for the day” Eileen said dropping off new bundles “Maybe today you can concentrate”

Casey turned, swiveling in her chair “You have to do this” she told herself. “Eileen, can I ask a question?”

Eileen stopped folded her arms and scowled “What?”

“What do you want from me? What am I doing so wrong in your eyes?” Casey asked.

Eileen opened her eyes taken aback.

“I mean, every day you stop by here and make me feel like I’m doing something wrong. I try to do my best every day and if I’m doing something wrong, I’d hope you would tell me so I can learn and correct my mistakes; my job here is important to me and I don’t want to let anyone down and the way you come in makes me think I’m constantly doing my job wrong so please help me learn if I’m not doing my job correctly”

Eileen looked at Casey directly in the eye and Casey braced for the storm but instead, Eileen broke into a smile “I’m sorry” she said. “I know I can be a bit gruff sometimes but I had no idea it made you feel that way. You’ve never said anything to me before. I’m a direct person, I don’t need idle chitchat…”

“I understand that completely” Casey nodded.

“I would let you know if you were doing something wrong. You’re okay”

“Thank you” Casey replied. “I just felt like I was letting you down”

“You need to speak up for yourself more Thomas” Eileen told her giving her a nod as she left her cubical.

“That wasn’t that hard” Casey thought sighing “Why was she so afraid of her…Why was I so afraid of her?”

Casey settled in and did her work. After about an hour, her coffee kicked in and she got up, stretching as she walked to the women’s room. She was used to be able to look into cubicles from the top with her old height but now, her head was below the top.

She felt good though about standing up for herself “Eileen’s been my boogeyman for years…why didn’t I ever do that before today?” she thought before she stopped suddenly “Because before today you weren’t here” she told herself “The old Ann; the Ann whose memories are now yours didn’t stand up to her. Part of the dream was for you to switch with her so you could stand up to Eileen for her”

Casey bit her bottom lip “Maybe if I can whip Sean into shape we can switch back after just a day…kind of like Quantum Leap; I complete the reason I’m here and I get to go back home”

She smiled and continued on her way.

Sitting down, she felt her belly squish up and her thighs give way “I’m so soft in this body; it feels so foreign to me on one hand but on the other, it feels comfortable…like home” She squeezed her upper arm and thought “I’m never wearing a sleeveless dress ever again”

Ann had been consumed with a sudden thought once she felt that the switch was over “Get out of this conference room and get as far away from Casey as soon as possible; the longer she stays as you, the less likely she will be to want to swap back or even remember how to be able to do it”

Ann mumbled her thanks and opened the door feeling a blast of fresh air hit her face. She could feel her hair sweep back and move around her like never before.

Just stepping and walking took on new meaning. Her body was so different; so tall and lithe “I never dreamt I would ever look like this: HA! I did dream this two nights in a row…that’s what got me here…so funny…” she thought “But really; I was born in that body and I knew what cards had been dealt to me but now it’s like I got a discard and reshuffle and redeal and I just drew an inside straight”

She saw Dana passing by and quickly picked up a conversation with her “If I can stay away from her alone, she can’t talk about it”

Ann had picked up the hints that Casey was having second thoughts about this and was already talking about changing back; but in her mind, this was permanent.

The dream for her had been so clear, so euphoric that this would be a chance to change her life, her future and her destiny. “I can’t believe she actually went through with this. She gave up her body to me” Ann thought “She gave me her entire life and I got to give her mine in return…why would she want to look like me? Why would she want to give up single life for parenthood, but I guess the dream was that powerful for her too. It spoke to me, it had to feel like it was our fate to switch places to her too no matter what doubts she might have had about it”

Ann got to her office and looked around “She really wanted to swap…seeing the look on her face this morning; Casey really wanted to be me. I think the part of the dream that said we wouldn’t just be swapping looks but lives was what got her a little bit doubtful but she still had to feel it, she still had to say yes when I asked her to switch places with me”

Ann said at her deskin her office; she leaned back in her reclining chair and crossed her long legs taking in the sight of them stretched out “There is no way in Hell I’ll give this body up and if she gets even a little bit of my personality…my old personality…she’ll accept that as a fact and just live out the rest of her life in her little Ann body and pathetic life”

Casey tried to catch Ann to talk to her about her meeting with Eileen, but every time she saw her, she was with someone else. She went into the break room hoping to catch her at lunch, but saw her leaving with Amy and Tina to go out for lunch. At the end of the day, she came out of her cubicle to find the light off and the door closed to Ann’s office. “Must be nice being management and on salary so you can leave early” she thought as she headed to her van.

Casey pulled out her phone ready to call Casey up but then a wave of embarrassment washed over her “I don’t want her to think I’m too clingy” she thought “It’s too soon anyway; I’ll talk to her tomorrow”

Casey drove home thinking “I should just enjoy myself, I mean, I did dream about this and I wanted to  experience it; If I can’t even go 24 hours before chickening out and asking to go back, she’ll think I’m a loser”

Ann managed to sneak out a few minutes early to avoid Casey; something just kept telling her to stay away.

She made her way to what was now her house. She called up her boyfriend and said “I want to go out tonight”

“Okay” Neil answered “I can make reservations for Gino’s”

“No; I’m in a different mood” Ann answered.

“Club Havana then?” he asked.

“Yes” she replied. “I’ll be ready” she added seductively.

When Neil came to pick up his girlfriend, she met him at the door. Her hair was pulled back into a tight high ponytail, she wore silver strappy 4” heels and a tight black mini dress that clung to every curve.

She smiled and kissed him long and passionately on the lips “Let’s party” she whispered in his ear.

Casey pulled in to her driveway. The grass needed mowing and weeding, the siding was dirty and in need of power washing and the paint was coming off the packed garage.

She got out and slung her purse over her shoulder as she went inside.

An odor of grease hung in the air. She saw a George Foreman grill sitting on the counter recently used but not cleaned up, ketchup and mustard on the counter and dishes in the sink.

The house was empty, she could tell by the lack of sound. Corey and Courtney both had early soccer games and were riding with other kids on their teams, William was at work and Sean was nowhere to be seen.

Casey started water boiling and opened a jar of sauce to make spaghetti for herself and the kids when they got home. She cleaned up her kitchen and restarted the dryer since the clothes in it were still a bit damp and nobody had bothered to finish them.

She easily fell into her routine. She checked Facebook and Twitter while she tidied up and got dinner ready. Corey got dropped off and came in and she smiled seeing him. “That’s my son. I know it; I feel it. I can remember giving birth to him and his sister too. I remember being pregnant, I can still feel it” she thought back and could feel the heft to her pregnant belly, the pains in her sides and back, the swelling of her ankles and feet “That’s how I got this” she thought looking down at her stomach “I earned it!”

Thoughts of what she would be doing if she were still Casey slipped further and further away after Courtney came in and gave her a hug and told her how she had scored a goal. “I’m so proud of you!” Casey told her smiling wide and feeling her heart lift up.

Corey hadn’t scored but as Casey went through his back pack getting his stuff ready for tomorrow, she was equally proud of him when she saw he had gotten a 100% on a math test.

With William working second shift, Casey ran the house in the evenings. She had the place cleaned up and the kids in bed a little after 9 when her stepson rolled in.

Sean came in, all 6’5” and 250 pounds of him in his black jeans and t-shirt, ear gages and nearly shaved head.

Casey eyed him up and down as he walked past her without uttering a sound. “Sean” she said but he didn’t stop.

He headed for the kitchen and Casey got up to follow him. She had long since changed out of her work clothes and was now wearing a pair of baggy pink sweatpants and a gray long sleeved shirt but she padded after him in her bare feet “Sean, I need to talk to you please” she said.

Sean was digging into the refrigerator. He stood up and rolled his eyes “If you’re going to give the same old shit lecture about not doing enough around the house you can just shut your mouth and stop right now”

Casey stood perfectly still and her face gave away nothing about how nervous and intimidated she was at that moment “Sean, I don’t want to lecture you or guilt you or do anything else to you. I just want to talk to you because I want you to feel like you’re part of this family”

Sean rolled his eyes again and leaned up against the counter.

“I’ve known you since you were 4 years old…you didn’t always hate me even though you think you did. I know you blame me for your Mom and Dad divorcing and there’s nothing I can say to change your mind on that but as you’ve gotten older and you’re learning more about the world, I’m sure you know that people are complex and there are hundreds of reasons why marriages break up”

“You have no idea” he said.

“You’d be surprised” Casey said. “You’d be surprised at how good I am at putting myself into someone else’s shoes” she smiled at him. “Just know that I do love you. I consider you my son as much as Corey and you are just as important to me. I don’t ask you to help out around here to punish you. I ask you because I know you’re a good guy and your brother and sister both look up to you. Your Dad thinks the world of you and asking you to help is a way of preparing you for the rest of your life when you’ll have a place of your own…I know you don’t want to hear about life skills but making sure you’re not dirty or hungry and waiting for someone to do everything for you is something we have to prepare you for”

Sean’s expression softened. It was only slightly but Casey detected it. “I’m not going to push you. I know 16 is rough, but I want you to know that I only want you to make the best decisions you can”

Sean nodded. He turned his back and made himself a sandwich as Casey just cocked her head and watched him. Her short hair hung down as she waited to see if he would say anything back to her. He didn’t but as he left the room, he didn’t stomp or growl; he just walked casually out and up the stairs.

Casey was already in bed when she heard two voices downstairs. She couldn’t make out any words but she could tell William was home and talking to Sean.

Footsteps up the stairs and then then the crack of light as the bedroom door swings open. Casey sat up and smiled seeing her husband in the doorway. “What are you doing still awake?” William asked unbuttoning his work shirt.

“It was a weird day…I can’t quite unwind” Casey answered. “I had dozed off for a few minutes but I heard you talking downstairs”

“We didn’t mean to wake you up” William said.

“I know…like I said, I wasn’t all the way asleep” Casey replied. She was surprised at how attracted she was to William as well as how comfortable she felt with him. Technically, she had never even met him before but she had also been married to him for 12 years.

He stripped down to his boxers and climbed in bed with her and she immediately snuggled up with him, wrapping her arms around him and getting a kiss.

“You’re almost never awake when I get in” William said.

Casey put her forehead against his, she could fell the warmth of his breath. His hands came up and ran through her hair and his second kiss surprised her and made her excited.

“Does somebody want something tonight?” she teasingly asked. Her hand went down under the covers and grabbed his erect penis to the smiles of both of them.

“We don’t get to do this often enough and I feel guilty waking you up”

“You can always wake me up for this” Casey said rolling over onto her back as William went on top of her.

Her spine tingled as he lifted her shirt and kissed down her chest and stomach. She raised her hips to take off her shorts and underwear giving him full access which he immediately dove into with his mouth working over her clitoris and vagina.

Casey ran her fingernails up and down William’s back and wrapped her legs around him. She threw her head back and moaned in pleasure as he knew exactly how to work her up. Her body responded intimately and she ached to have him inside of her.

He rose up just when she was beginning to feel pressure building up. Her thighs quaked and she curled her toes as he entered her and began to thrust away. “Don’t stop….God I love you” she said as she felt an orgasm on the horizon.

William bore down determined and he only came after he felt her tense up, bit her lip and shudder in an orgasm before him.

Both of them eased back and lay down, sweating and panting but also smiling.

A little bit more of Casey faded as a little bit more of Ann emerged.

Casey cleaned herself off giggling as she used her husband’s boxers to do it. She grabbed her own clothes up off the floor as she peaked out the door before dashing to the bathroom.

Thoughts of being Casey, the woman she had been for 34 years, couldn’t have been further from her mind as she shivered naked redressing in the cool air. Her nipples stood erect and her pussy throbbed in a good way. She pulled her panties up over her chubby thighs followed by her cotton shorts. She pulled her tank top over her head and tugged it down into place over her belly.

She smiled and giggled as she spooned against her husband’s back, draping her short arm over him.

Ann ran her hand through her hair, a very satisfied smile lingered on her lips as she looked at the clock 4:02 A.M.

“I think I’m going to call in sick tomorrow” she told Neil.

“Well I don’t have to be into work until 10 so let’s at least get a bit of sleep” he replied pulling on a fresh pair of underwear.

Ann got out her phone, her naked body glistening in the low moonlight streaming through the window. “Yeah, sorry Mark. This is Casey Kline…I’m not going to be in today; it’s 4 in the morning and I’ve been up all night…I’m not feeling good at all. I’ll talk to you later” she clicked off her phone and tossed it aside.

The truth was, she felt great, better than she ever remembered feeling in her entire life up to that very day. “Ann would never have a night like this, but Casey…Yeah, I really like being Casey”

Ann lay back still smiling. Her pussy ached from taking all 10 inches of her boyfriend into her tight opening. Her clit still hummed ready for another round, her head still buzzed from the alcohol and her ears still drummed from the music at the club where they had danced all night.

“I can’t believe how I can dance now!” she kept thinking “I’d watch this body move and dance…I can see why the guys are all watching me” she remembered as she played the night back.

Neil had shown up and taken her to the hottest club in town and even though it was the middle of the week, it was super packed. They had walked right in though and never looked back. Ann couldn’t get enough of the night. She had danced until her feet and back hurt and then had a drink and danced even more.

Once the club closed down at 2, they had come back to her place and Neil had fucked her brains out and still she wanted more.

As Ann drifted off to sleep a little bit more of Ann faded and a little bit more of Casey emerged.

Casey woke to her alarm clock telling her it was 6 A.M. her husband snored softly next to her as she swung her legs out, let her feet dangle above the floor for a moment before she got out of bed, padding her way barefoot to the bathroom.

She had not dreamt anything that she could remember but the thoughts of dreams didn’t jump to the forefront of her mind as she looked at her puffy and sleepy face in the mirror; her short black hair a myriad of corkscrews and wild hairs.

The plain face reflected back didn’t make her jump or even make her think twice that it wasn’t the same face she had woken up to and had seen reflected back to her; to her still revving up brain, the face in front of her and the body below her had always been hers.

She brushed her teeth and started up the shower, getting ready like she always did. She was as quiet as possible as she got dressed in a pair of blue pants and a white and blue blouse for work. She did her hair and only put on some lip gloss before she started waking up kids to get ready for school.

She had been up for at least an hour before it hit her.

“Oh My God” she thought, her jaw dropping “I didn’t even think about yesterday’s swap until now?! How crazy is that?!”

She put her hands out and looked at them. She groped and felt up her body for a minute, squeezing her breasts and thighs while giggling “This is so real!” before she blushed thinking “I had sex with another woman’s husband last night!”

Then she corrected herself “No…he’s my husband” She remembered her entire time with William intimately. All their lives together were in her mind, in her memories “Who am I already?” she thought.

She pulled in and didn’t see Casey’s Audi. The light remained off and the door remained closed as she clocked in and got her coffee and morning files.

Finally she asked Eileen “Is Casey coming in today?” when her supervisor came by to drop off more work.

“Nope; called in sick” she replied. Her tone was more pleasant and she even smiled as she left to continue her rounds.

“It’s a start” Casey thought triumphantly.

“I wonder if I should check on her?” she thought looking at her phone. “But I don’t want to seem overbearing to her” she also thought. She wanted to see her though, just to see how she looked today but realized, it would have to wait.

Ann came out of her sleep slowly, the world was fuzzy. Her head throbbed with a dull ache, her mouth was dry and her left arm was completely asleep. The other side of her bed was empty though and when she focused on the clock, she saw that it was after noon.

Ann lay on her back for another moment with a faint smile on her lips.

She sat up and let her head adjust before she swung her legs out, her feet hitting the floor cleanly as she got up and made her way to her bathroom.

She swiped her messy hair out of her face and took in her puffy face. Slight bags under her dark eyes but otherwise no worse for wear. Her small breasts sat up high on her bare chest as only a small pair of panties were on her lithe body.

She grabbed two Advil and drank a glass of water before she grabbed her fluffy terrycloth robe from the back of the door and wrapped it around herself. She walked out and checked her phone but nothing was new on there.

She went to her kitchen and made some coffee before walking out on to her back deck. The sun drenched boards warming her feet as she leaned on the railing and watched a bird bouncing about.

She rubbed her eyes and made her way to her couch where she stretched out, getting on her phone and checking out all her social media accounts.

It was an hour later before it hit her that this hadn’t always been the norm for her.

A rogue thought passed through her mind “Better than being a short pudgy little thing isn’t it?”

Ann sat up “You switched bodies with Casey yesterday” popped into her head. “She’s you and you’re her now”

She smiled and chuckled at the absurdity of it. She thought to how Ann looked; couldn’t even picture her naked anymore…couldn’t even picture what her toes looked like “Why did we switch places?” she tried to remember “We talked about it…No! We dreamt about it…two nights in a row and then we had to hold hands and repeat some words and then…” she closed her eyes and concentrated. She could faintly remember growing taller, feeling her hair grow out longer but it all seemed like a dream.

“Why would she want to switch places with me?” she asked herself.

When Casey got out of work and drove home, she found Sean mowing the yard. She looked up and nodded as he made a pass.

Casey smiled even though he hadn’t thought of herself as Casey very much that whole day. Only when she stopped and purposely thought about it did she remember even going through with it. She had closed her eyes while in the bathroom and concentrated and she felt herself shrinking. “The thought of even being Casey seems kind of weird” she thought “There’s no way I could be that pretty or that confident” she giggled.

The night at home was quiet and uneventful and Casey was sound asleep when William climbed into bed with her but her dreams would not be peaceful.

Casey saw herself walking down a long hallway like the ones at work but so much longer. She kept looking for someone but couldn’t find them. She next saw herself in the ladies room where she walked slowly up to the mirror above the sink full of fear. The reflection was of her old self, her true self. She saw her long hair and thin body; the face she had grown up but as she reached out, she knew her hand was an Ann hand. The nails were short and plain even though in the reflection, she could see black long nails. Her hand touched the cold glass, she couldn’t reach her old life. It was right there in front of her, she could see it but couldn’t obtain it.

Casey’s eyes popped open. Her alarm would be going off in a few minutes but her dream had disturbed her. She was breathing fast and in shallow breaths as she sat up and ran her fingers through her short hair. Her large breasts and stomach rose up under her shirt as she slowed her breathing down calming herself.

Ann had spent the day recuperating and recovering from her night of partying. She relaxed; she didn’t have any responsibility for the afternoon. She made herself a light dinner and went to bed early only to wake up with 3 minutes to go before her alarm went off.

Ann was walking down a long hallway where things felt too big around her. The windows were up too high; she felt like she walking flat footed until she got to the bathroom.

Ann walked up to the mirror and saw her beautiful face and trim body. She looked down and saw she was wearing a bright and tight dress along with high nude heels. When she looked back up, the room seemed smaller, lower around her than before but she also felt a presence around her, behind her that made her uneasy just as she woke up.

Ann did wear her favorite nude heels that day along with a tight and bright purple sleeveless dress. She came in smiling and saying Hi to everyone as she made her way through the office. She knew she couldn’t avoid Casey all day “Might as well get it over with and see where she’s at with this” she told herself knowing that Casey would be in the breakroom.

Casey was sitting in the breakroom drinking her coffee. Ann caught sight of her while still outside of the room “I can’t believe that was me” she thought. She looked over her old body with disdain “Her legs look like sausage casings” Casey was wearing a pair of tan pants that sat tightly over her thighs. Her rough heels were up and out of her tan flats while she also wore an orange and brown top that flattered nothing.

“Hey” Ann said softly but it made Casey jump.

“Oh! Hey!” she said a bit too enthusiastically as she shifted in her seat giggling “I missed you yesterday”

“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling very good” Ann said easing around “Do you mind if I…” she pointed to the chair across from Casey.

“Please!” Casey replied as Ann sat down.

“This is such a trip” Casey said “I can’t even…I mean I’m sitting across from the person I used to be”

“It is pretty trippy” Ann answered folding her hands.

“I’ve been wanting to tell you; I’ve already talked to Eileen and to Sean and both of them are better. Eileen has even smiled at me and Sean mowed the grass yesterday!”

Ann’s mouth dropped “Wow…that’s amazing” she replied “I never got either of those things to happen”

“I know…I mean…it’s what you wanted right?” Casey said.

“Yeah…Yes…standing up to those two were definitely things I could never do when I was Ann; God…you’re good at this…you’re a better Ann than me” Ann said.

Casey blushed and giggled “Thanks”

They looked across at each other before Casey asked “So are you feeling better?”

“Yes, I, um, well…I ended up going out that night and well…maybe I drank a little bit too much” Ann admitted “I just wanted to have a little fun. I’ve never danced like that, I’ve never had men look at me like that…I mean, wouldn’t you want to show off if you had this body?”

“I did have that body” Casey reminded her    

“I know that and I’ll always be thankful that you gave it to me” Ann replied seeing the color rise up in Casey’s cheeks.

“I, um…” Casey was stunned at how brazen Ann stated the obvious “I was, I guess wanting to bring that up with you” she said timidly.

“Oh” Ann replied. “Okay…I thought that our agreement was, and I thought the dream was very clear on it, that we would be swapping lives and not just bodies”

“Yeah but…” Casey began.

“And to me, I took it as a permanent change. The dream and the magic seemed clearly to be for the rest of our lives”

“I don’t…I wasn’t sure if it was really forever” Casey said.

“Well, suit yourself but it was clear to me. I wouldn’t have even gone through with this if it were only going to be for a few days. I thought this meant more to you than just a little day get away” Ann said. “This is serious and I don’t think you’re treating it that way”

“I…I’m sorry” Casey said caught off guard.

Ann got up shaking her head “Honestly” she muttered “So what are you saying?” she confronted her.

“I…” Casey paused

“Because if you’re suggesting that we trade back, I have to be honest with you, I’m not interested” Ann told her.

Casey’s eyebrows knitted down in disappointment. She wanted so badly to speak, to say anything in defense of her desire to change back but instead, she found herself cowed, intimidated as Ann stood over her with anger in her eyes and her hands on her hips.

“But it’s my life and body too” Casey finally managed.

“Look; I’m not in the mood to change back; we can talk about it some other time” Ann said sweeping out of the room shaking her head and making disappointed sounds.

Casey was stunned, she sat motionless for a moment afraid to move or say anything. A tear came to her eye and she began to shake as another part of Casey faded and more of Ann emerged.

Ann kept moving until she got to her office. Once there, she closed the door behind her and gathered herself “It had to be said” she told herself. “She can be mad at you all she wants; as long as you stand up for yourself, you’ll always be stronger than her and if you really want to stay here forever, this is what it’s going to take”. As more of Ann faded and more of Casey emerged in her.

She shuddered as she opened the door and took her seat.

At lunch, Casey sat with a few other ladies and kept to herself when Ann came and went; they didn’t even make eye contact.

That night, Casey had another dream, this one even more vivid than the last.

She was walking down the halls again, they were even longer and the doors seemed so far away that she would never reach them. She knew she looked like Ann, she knew she was Ann in this dream by how the halls and windows looked so big to her. She knew it by how she was dressed and how her clothes looked.

Once she finally made it into the bathroom, she went to the mirror again. She was ecstatic when she saw her old reflection in the mirror but as she raised her hand toward it, the image in the mirror began to change. She watched as it shrank, the hair got shorter, the face got rounder and plainer. The clothes changed over a changing and widening chest until the reflection showed her what she knew was true; she was Ann in both forms.

When she awoke, it was with a feeling of resignation and acceptance “You said yes. You agreed to it and she’s right Ann”

She caught herself; her cheeks and forehead getting hot as it was the first time she had referred to herself as Ann in her own thoughts. It was enough to be called that at work and at home and to respond to it but to acknowledge it in her own thoughts and mind was something that surprised her but as she swung her legs out and let her feet dangle over the floor, more and more of Casey drifted away from her and more and more of Ann solidified itself as hers.

Ann had also dreamt a vivid dream but hers was very different. She was tall and confident, striding down the halls of work. She could see her reflection in the glass showing off her body until she walked right past Ann/Casey who could only look at her with a stunned look on her plain face.

With each passing day, she thought of herself less and less as Ann and more and more as Casey.

A week passed with Casey unable to bring herself to confront Ann and with each day, it seemed less and less likely that she ever would.

“Hello Ann”

Casey jumped hearing her old voice behind her. She clutched at her chest as she turned around in her chair to see her old body standing over her.

It was the end of the day and Casey had been getting ready to leave when Ann had come in “It’s Friday so the place is going to clear out fast…I got your email…you wanted to talk?”

Casey had finally sent an email and had tried to steal herself for this conversation but she had sent the email a few days ago and with every passing day, the thoughts of being Casey slipped further away.

Now it was her chance.

“Casey” Casey said immediately putting her foot in her mouth “I mean Ann” she composed herself although Ann was smirking.

Casey stood up gathering her thoughts, as much as they were. She barely remembered anything from being Casey; her mind was full of Ann’s memories and Ann’s way of thinking and processing things; she knew Ann was smarter than her now. Intellectually, she knew she had been Casey; that body and life were rightfully hers so she gathered up the strength to say “I want to switch back”

Ann cocked her head “I know you do; but here’s the thing…I don’t want to switch back”

“You stole my life” Casey said.

“No, you gave me your life for mine…we traded” Ann countered.

“Well I want to trade back” Casey said.

“I’ve been thinking about that; I knew it was just a matter of time before we had to talk about this and don’t you think it would be weird swapping again? Do you even remember the words?”

Casey’s mouth dropped “Do you?”

“No” Ann replied “Frankly I don’t and I don’t think you do either and without those words; it’s impossible to switch again”

Ann continued “Look; I don’t even remember being Ann anymore and…”

“And what?” Casey said.

“And the thought of becoming you, well, I don’t think I’d like it” Ann said.

“But we were…I mean you were…” Casey said, her resolve and her argument withering.

“No offense, but I don’t think I could handle being married and having kids; that’s your life” Ann said.

Casey reached forward, taking Ann’s hands in her own and holding on. There was no spark, no wave of what they had felt earlier when this had begun.

But more importantly, no words came to mind for Casey to reclaim her life.

Ann dropped her hands “It’s over Ann; face it; we’re never changing back. We both knew it was forever when we said yes…you’re just having a problem facing that fact. I knew when I said the words my life as Ann was over and my life as Casey would be for the rest of my life: You did too…I saw it in your eyes from minute one”

Ann backed up and looked at the tall, beautiful woman in front of her; Casey. Her chin dropped along with her eyes. Ann found herself staring at what had been her feet, no longer hers, encased in an expensive pair of black leather heels.

Casey tapped her foot “It’s over Ann…it’s been over since the minute it started; you’re the one who can’t seem to accept it Ann”

Ann looked up but couldn’t find anything else to say. Casey shrugged her shoulders and walked out “Have a nice weekend Ann” she said over her shoulder “I know I have a lot of fun planned”