“The money would become available to you the moment the experiment is finished…Any other questions?”

I was dumbfounded at what I had just heard. My mind was in shock a bit and I needed a minute to regroup and recover “Um…” I sighed and shook my head “Can I ask about who I would be swapping with or do you even know that yet?”

“Of course I know…I can give you some information at this point but not a lot. There’s still privacy restrictions at this point and either one of you could still change your mind” Dr. Jacobson said sitting across from me behind his desk.

“Um…Would I be swapping with a man or a woman?” I asked.

“A woman” he said quickly and surely.

“Okay…” I replied.

“Is that good or bad?” he joked.

“It’s a good thing, I mean, I don’t know…I’m all…” I put my hands up and smiled awkwardly. “Um…is she like, around my age? I don’t want to sign up and give myself a death sentence you know. I don’t want this to be some kind of thing where some 80 year old woman is waiting behind the curtain picking out the body she wants” I chuckled nervously.

Dr. Jacobson laughed out loud “I think I’ve seen that movie from back in the 50’s! No…the woman I have in mind to swap with you is just a few years older; 26 to your 22”

“Oh…um any health problems?”

“No…none at this point. Remember you will be taking on this person’s body and therefore, their future. You would become heir to the things that they may come up against in the future due to their genetics or lifestyle. And she would be getting yours” He looked up at me. “This is a complete swap. Everything in your body becomes that of your swap partner and vice versa”

I get that, I just…once again…like someone with cancer gets in and this is their ticket out and…” I mumbled.

“Nothing like that at all Miss Sullivan…” he shook his head but carried a reassuring smile.

I sat back. I needed the money badly. My brother’s medical expenses the medication he would need had bankrupted us. Luckily surgery had fixed most of it and a year’s worth of the medication would finish it off, but our cost was going to be in the millions. But it meant saving my brother’s life and I would do anything to save him.

What else could I do that guaranteed this amount of money?

“Where do I sign?” I asked resolved.

Three weeks later I received the notification that everything was ready and it was time to swap. I had spent the last weeks wondering constantly about who I would become; what I would look like, what I would sound like, would food taste the same, would I like the same things, how would I dress…just a million thing always popping into my mind.

My heart was pounding as I pulled up. My legs were numb as I walked in I was so nervous. A nurse with big brown eyes and a friendly smile welcomed me in and walked me behind the doors.

“So…am I going to meet my partner beforehand? I asked a bit shakily.

“Yes, I think you will. She’s already arrived and is going through the preliminary stages too” she said as she led me into a standard doctor’s office room.

“I need to get your vitals and I will be taking a full vial of blood” the nurse said.

I simply nodded and hopped up on the table. My feet dangled off the ground so I swung them back and forth.

She took my temperature and blood pressure and pulse before I had to get down to get measured.

“5’3” and 112 pounds” she said and I nodded. “Sounds about right”

After a few more minor things, she ushered me back into the hallway and I walked behind her before asking “Can I go to the bathroom before we, um, you know…”

“Oh sure!” she replied and steered me in the right direction.

“I’ll just be a second” I replied.

I ducked in but I didn’t actually have to go. I just needed a minute to compose myself before I went on.

I stood in front of the mirror and sink and stared at myself “This could be the last time I see this” I thought. “I can’t believe I’m about to become a different woman…I know it’s been coming and I have to do it…” I shook my head “But now that’s it’s here…” I rubbed my right hand up and down my left arm nervously.

I don’t like to brag, but I have always been considered pretty.

I’m small and petite but with enough curve on my hips and rear to get attention. My breasts are rather small; a 32B but they’re pert and perky and firm.

My hair should be brown but I’ve dyed it blonde for years. My roots are showing right now because I didn’t want to force my choice on whomever would get this hair next. I have big blue eyes, a small nose, nice high cheeks and straight white teeth behind decent enough lips.

Yes I was a cheerleader. No I’ve never had a problem getting a date. Yes, I work as a waitress and get great tips from the guys I flirt with. It’s been my thing. It’s who I am.

But now I have to realize that I won’t have that anymore. I mean, I don’t know who I’m changing with yet or what she looks like. She could be drop dead gorgeous or she could be average or whatever.

I splash some water on my face and take several deep breathes to steel my nerves “Go time” I say to my reflection.

Once out I get another polite smile as my nurse leads me to a door. “This is where you’ll meet your swap partner. You two will change clothes and get a chance to talk some”

She must see the look of panic on my face as she pats my arm “Now calm down. It’s going to be fine Hollie” she tells me. “You’ve got this”

I nod “Yeah…I do”

She opens the door a crack and slips backwards as I step through.

The world was moving in slow motion as I stepped in. My vision blurred from my nerves and I saw movement across the room. But then it snapped back and my chest felt like it was about to explode as I took in what I was seeing combined with what the nurse had just said “You’ll meet your swap partner”

The woman in the room had her back to me and was already undressing but I immediately saw and focused on first the excess skin and flab hanging down and out from the bottom of her panties.

Her thighs were big and thick and together all the way down to her knees.

Her claves were thick, even her feet looked puffy.

My eyes shot up to her back. I could see excess rolls of fat along her sides as she was just in a bra and panties. She jumped and giggled as she now turned to face me with the words "Oh my gosh you scared me! I’m sorry and you…”

She stopped and her jaw dropped.

My face was already in a state of shock taking her in. I couldn’t speak. This. This is who I was swapping with?! My mind raced to all the wrong places immediately “I’m going to be fat!”

I saw her face. Her cheeks were huge and round and seemed to swallow up her narrow eyes. Her nose was small, her lips were thin and I saw her teeth were slightly crooked and not as white as my own. Her hair was to collar length; plain brown and limp.

“Oh my God you’re gorgeous!” she said before shutting her mouth tight and putting her hands up in jest “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to say that out loud but…Wow!”

“Um…hehe…yeah…thanks” I mumbled nervously. My stomach flipping and twisting. My eyes wandered down to her prominent belly “It could be worse” I thought quickly. “She could be even heavier” I tried to talk myself down as quickly as possible. “She’s probably like 230…240…” I looked her up and down “Her breasts aren’t very big…” I thought before saying “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to stare, I just, I just got really nervous when I saw you” I forced myself to laugh nervously trying to sound friendly.

“It’s okay. I know what you’re thinking. I’m glad I’m getting 10 million dollars if I have to take a body like that” she said.

“No! No I didn’t mean it like that I…”

“It’s okay. I’ve seen that look from girls that look like you my whole life” she said. She looked me up and down “But I guess I won’t ever have to see it again now huh?”

“I…I…” I stammered feeling my throat tighten.

“It’s okay. Really. We don’t have to be best friends. We are two strangers who both signed up for an experiment and a lot of money. We both get that, but I’m getting the better end of the deal and we both know it” she had an honest look in her eyes as our eyes met and she nodded. “Well get used to it sister. It’s going to be all yours real damn soon”

“I’m Hollie” I said shyly and quietly.

She sighed and seemed to catch and compose herself. She put her hand out to shake “HI Hollie my name is Anastasia but everyone calls me Annie”

I took her meaty hand and shook “That’s a beautiful name”

“Thanks…I’ll miss it but I can live with Hollie. Hollie what?” she asked.

“Hollie Lynn Sullivan” I replied taking a step into the room.

“Well what a coincidence; that’s my name” she added with a sarcastic tilt of her head “You must be Anastasia Marie Martin”

I nodded and snorted through my nose my acceptance.

“I was going to change into the clothes they had here. Just basic shorts and tank tops. I won’t be able to fit into your clothes until after we’re done” she admitted unhooking her bra.

I was a bit shocked seeing her boobs just flop right out in front of me. She just laughed at me and took down her giant panties too “You’re in for one hell of a case of sticker shock. Skinny little thing like you turning into me…haha…must be your worst nightmare”

“No, I mean…”

She just put her hand up “I know we’re supposed to get to know each other better both beforehand and afterword. Maybe we’ll stick to the big things to start and then work our way down once you’re not so tongue tied”

“So what am I going to be doing? What job do you have?” she asked.

I watched her lift her thick leg up and step into the black shorts. Those shorts looked like a sail to me. I’d never been bigger than a size 2 in my life. Her thigh was as wide as my chest “I’m a waitress”

“Oh of course you are…shit!”

“What? What’s wrong with…?”

“I have my Master’s degree in Psychology. I’m a licensed therapist. I have to go wait tables now”

“Yes. Yes you do” I said getting at least a little revenge “I never went to college”

She stared me down as she worked a meaty arm through the arm hole and pulled down the white tank top. I could see her belly clearly.

“I get the looks. You get the brains. Great.” She sighed.

I raised my eyebrows at her and took a light step forward “Not all sunshine and rainbows is it?”

“I bet you get good tips with an ass like that though” she replied.

“Yes I do”

“Good. I will from now on” Anastasia smirked.

Her eyes went so narrow when she smiled I noticed “What’s it going to be like looking in the mirror and seeing that face reflected back?” I thought “My body is going to be so soft and so big…I’m going to more than double my weight”

I unbuttoned my top and slipped off my shorts feeling her eyes crawling all over me. I could only imagine what she was thinking seeing my tight body. I glanced over once and caught her. She blushed but also smiled knowingly.

“Come on honey…take it all off” she teased. “If you stay in those little things, you’re going to bust right out of them and ruin them and then what will I have to wear home?”

I smirked this time and bobbed my head.

“Where will I be living?” she asked as I reached up behind my back.

“I have an apartment in Jefferson Hill”

She didn’t look very pleased.

“I also drive a 2010 Toyota Corolla”

She snorted “Well it looks like you’re moving up to a Condo in Lakeside Heights along with my 2018 BMW”

“So you’re not in this for the money obviously. So why are you doing this?” I asked taking off my bra and exposing my small breasts to her.

“For this scenario exactly” she admitted. “I wanted to be hot as shallow and awful as that might sound. I’ve spent my life as the fat girl. The sidekick. The joke. I could be smart and funny and have a great personality and good job all I want…I never had what you’ve got and what I’m about to get and frankly, I can’t wait”

“At least you’re honest” I replied taking off my panties and tossing them aside.

“I kind of thought that if I volunteered that they’d pair me up with someone just like you” Anastasia admitted “And I was right. They probably want to observe how we switch weight. I’m sure they’ve done male and female swaps up until now. Maybe a guy to guy and a girl to girl with similar body types…they’d be smart to pair us up to stretch their capacities”

I found that they had shorts and a tank in my current size or I could choose a pair in Annie’s size. I went for my own, content to show off my body one last time. She looked at my choice skeptically.

“What…I actually want to feel what it’s like to rip out of my clothes. If I have to go this way, I’m curious as to what my current size will look like once I have your body”

“Suit yourself” she said. “You’ll wear my old clothes out of here anyway”

“I know” I replied.

That was when the door opened and Dr. Jacobson walked in with a big smile on his face “Haha…ladies! Welcome to your big day” she embraced both of us; her first then me. “Welcome welcome…how are you feeling?”

“Nervous” I said.

Anastasia nodded in agreement “We’re just starting to get acquainted”

“Good. I find you’re more willing to talk afterwards though. There’s a delay of several hours as your minds take much longer to adjust and change. You’ll never forget who you were; you just gain a lot of who you’ve become. As that happens, you two will bond as you begin to share experiences and emotions”

We both looked at each other.

“So come. Let’s move along to the room” Dr. Jacobson said leading us out and down the hall.

I watched her walk. The extra effort, the extra movement, how heavy her foot falls were compared to my usual light steps.

We walked past rooms that were lined with computers and people running them until we came into a sterile room lined with cameras at all angles and heights.

Anastasia looked all around, lips parted “You’re not going to miss any of this are you?” she giggled.

“No” Dr. Jacobson said “Recording this from multiple angles is imperative. We also need your help. You need to describe what you’re feeling as much as you can” He made eye contact with both of us. “I’ll follow up with both of you as well because sometimes it can be overwhelming in the moment”

I nodded while she put her hands on her hips and put her chin up and out. I realized that she was only slightly taller than me. Only an inch or maybe two separated us.

I looked down at her chubby feet. They were wide with stubby little toes; I could barely even see a nail on her pinky toes. I thought about the effort it would now take me to paint those toes once they were mine. My belly would be in the way. Could I even wear high heels again? Would I even want to?

I snapped out of it hearing the doctor talk to Anastasia about the lack of pain we would be experiencing, or at least he hoped.

“I picked you two to swap for an obvious reason; I need to see different body types swap and see how they react” He looked at both of us “Quite simply, you two are on the opposite ends of a certain spectrum”

A nurse came in with two syringes filled with a thick purple fluid in them. I could already read my name labeled on the side on one of them. My heart raced a bit. I thought about running for the door but in the end, I didn’t.

I stood where I was even though the thought of giving up my body for the one I was about to receive scared the shit out of me. “Everyone you’ve swapped has worked right?” I asked “There’s not like a chance at rejection like I’ve heard in organ donations”

“No” Dr. Jacobson replied “The formula I’ve come up with has worked every time in physically swapping two individuals. We even run computer simulations using all of your data and it’s worked 100% in all the sims”

“Oh” I replied a bit surprised.

“Now…if you’re ready…” He reached for the first syringe; the one with my name on it.

“I…”

“Oh just give her the damn shot” Anastasia laughed “No sense waiting around any longer”

I shot her a look “Of course you’re in a hurry”

She just cocked her head at me “Why wouldn’t I be?” she said sarcastically.

The Doctor Tsk Tsked at us “Now ladies…be gentle with each other. You’re about to have a lot in common with each other” he said as I felt the needle pinch in my upper arm.

I held my breath as I watched the viscous fluid flow into me. I watched liquid Anastasia dispense into my arm.

I rubbed the spot hard after the needle came out and he turned towards Annie.

“Shots won’t hurt you as much from now on…you’re going to have more padding to help you out” Anastasia teased me as she jiggled her upper arm before the doctor took it in his hand. Our eyes met and stayed locked as the purple fluid flowed into her arm. Her eyes even narrowed a bit during our stare down.

“And there you go” Dr. Jacobson said “The effects take a few moments to begin but already you are changing. I’ll be in the next room monitoring the transformation and I remind you to talk as much as you can on what you are feeling as your bodies change into the other. The process takes a few minutes and when it’s done, you will be Anastasia” he looked at me and then turned “And you will be Hollie”

He put his hand out to shake ours again “Good luck to you both. Enjoy it; it’s really the experience of a lifetime”

And with that he was gone. The door shut behind him and I thought I heard a lock click. Anastasia walked around a bit looking at the placement of all the cameras before fixing her look on me again. She began to smile greedily.

“This is so good. A girl like you forced to change into a girl like me. Must be a nightmare for you but at least I got the hard part out of the way for you. You don’t have to go to High School looking like this. I bet you were a cheerleader weren’t you?”

I pursed my lips and looked down at my feet as I nodded.

“You ever make fun of the fat girl?”

I paused.

“Be honest now…that chubby unathletic girl in the back of the room, maybe in the cafeteria eating by herself. You know you did” Anastasia said.

My cheeks burned and I gave her the satisfaction of a slight nod.

“I knew it. Typical mean girl bitch…I was that girl but now; you’re that girl” she had a look of disdain in her eyes as I finally looked up.

“I didn’t know any better. I was just…”

“Just hurting other people’s feelings because you’re conventionally pretty. I know. You had to do it or else you’d lose all your even meaner friends right? I’ve heard that too…spare me” Anastasia laid in. “Well; you’ll never be in that situation ever again so you’ll learn your lesson. You’re on the other side of the coin now pretty girl. You get to be the fat chick…the invisible to guy’s chick. The girl who always hears giggles and whispers behind her back. I can’t wait to take your body and looks from you and give you mine in return”

I was stuck mute. I couldn’t say anything after her rant; her pent up rage against the first 26 years of her life. Finally I managed “So I take it you’ve always been heavy…no luck with diet and exercise?”

“You got it. I’ve tried but I’m…or should I say you’re, destined to be big”

I took in a deep breath and nodded “I’m starting to feel warm” I said as my throat tightened bit.

Anastasia stood still “It’s starting then…I don’t really think I feel anything yet though…just nerves maybe”

“Can I ask…what am I going to weigh when this is…is done?” I asked shyly

“I weighed in at 236 pounds this morning when I came in”

I nodded again “I’m 112”

“Nice” she said in a satisfied tone “What size do you wear?”

“I’m usually a 2 in jeans or a dress…small in tops…”

“I’m usually an 18 in dresses. 2xl since I’d wear shirts a bit loose. I’m a 48D bra”

“32B” I replied to her smile “And, um, a 7 shoe”

“I’m a 9…usually need a wide” Anastasia replied. “This is going to be so different…It’s like through the looking glass strange”

I licked my lips, they seemed dry as she suddenly whipped her head around “I just felt a weird tingle run up my spine!”

My eyes widened as she shuffled her feet and waved her hands “I’m feeling warm now too” Annie said excitedly as I tried to calm myself with deep breaths.

As I took in a deep inhale, my tank top pinched under my arms. I froze. I flexed my muscles in my chest and sides and nodded “My top is starting to feel a bit tight on the sides” I acknowledged.

Anastasia’s eyes went right to me. She craned her neck looking at my sides hoping to see me bust out I’m sure but for now, I was hypervigilant to anything feeling different on my body.

I looked at my thighs. There was still room between them and the legs of the black shorts I was wearing. I poked my stomach to test for softness and maybe I felt something give way more than normal or it was my imagination.

“I wish we had scales in here. We could both stand on them and watch the numbers swap” Anastasia said.

“One hundred and Twenty Four pounds difference” I said.

She looked at me like I was prey.

I winced and tightened my shoulders. I looked around “Something just changed…I know it. I felt my torso pop”

“And I felt my shoulders drop and my stomach kind of flipped” Anastasia added.

I looked over and realized that my eyes were higher than hers now “Did we just…?” my hand went back and forth between us.

“You’re taller than me!” Anastasia realized “We swapped height…well…we swapped like an inch! I noticed I was just a little bit taller than you”

“Everything is starting to feel tight” I said as I pinched my forearm “My skin feels tight. Like how it gets tight when you get stung by a bee and it swells up, but like, all over my body”

I bent over and ran my hand over my shin back to my calf which did feel super tight. I slapped at it and it didn’t wobble. I ran my hand up over my thigh and it too felt different. The skin was taut and it was getting thicker even though I wanted to deny that.

“Um…I think you’re starting to put on a few pounds” Anastasia said looking at my belly.

A soft pouch had popped up and was visible beneath the thin tank top I wore. Nothing much yet, but I knew it was just starting to grow.

I grimaced a bit feeling a slight pinch in my upper arms as they began to expand and thicken. “It feels like I’m getting pinched” I said for the record. My skin was stretching out to accommodate the fat and weight that was suddenly building up on my body.

My body was creating pounds out of nothing; just the information in the sludge they had shot into me “How does this even work? How can I just create weight like this?”

“It’s in your DNA now honey” Anastasia said. “Your body is now hardwired to be mine; to be my size, my weight. How is any of this possible? Our features are going to change…our faces and hair…whatever he’s unlocked; it’s working well beyond our capacity to understand it”

I just shook my head and closed my eyes for a second. In the quiet of the room, the stillness, I swear I heard my body growing. That faint sound like fingers on a balloon; that was the sound of my body getting fat.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that Anastasia had a happy look of wonder on her face. “Look at this Hollie…my shirt’s getting bigger on me which can only mean that I’m getting smaller” she pinched the fabric and pulled it out. When she let go, there was room between it and her stomach.

Anastasia put her hands on her belly and pressed down “I swear it went down as I pressed on it!” she said.

I didn’t want to tell her but looking at her face; I could tell it was beginning to slim down and change. Her cheeks didn’t look so chipmunk like.

“I feel heavier” I admitted.

“How does that feel?” she asked.

“I mean, I feel weighed down. I want to lean forward…I feel bloated like my worst period and swollen up. My ankles are itchy…” I leaned to the side and cocked my foot on its outside edge as I bent down and poked my ankle “It’s all puffy”

How could I tell how much weight I had gained already?  15, 20, 25 pounds; what does that look like just coming onto you? I wasn’t as big as Anastasia yet; not even close but even if we’d swapped 30 pounds, we still had over 90 pounds to go.

“This is already bigger than I’ve ever been” I said looking down at my hot dog legs. I had made note of how soft and loose the insides of Annie’s thighs were when I first saw her; now my legs were turning into those legs. My thighs were already touching at the tops and feeling soft up against one another.

“You still have so much further to go” Anastasia told me before looking at a camera at eye level “I feel lighter” she said rising up on her tip toes and bouncing a bit as she came down flat footed “I’m not bouncing as much…my jiggle is already on its way down” she patted her still large stomach “And I have to say mentally, I’m ready. I’m really anticipating losing it all. I want it gone. I’m already feeling like I should look like her. I should be skinny. This isn’t me any longer and I don’t want to simply accept being fat anymore”

“Um…” I stumbled. I felt insecure, less confident than ever before. I just shook my head “I don’t feel like myself I’ll admit that. I’m really conscious of my size and, well, I know you’re all over there looking at me and judging me already for my size and weight”

“We have to be swapping more than just our bodies then. I’m getting your confidence, your self-image and you’re taking on mine!” Anastasia said excitedly “It has to be that!”

My upper arms twitched and I felt them inflate again. “He said we would. It will take longer but we are”

“So you’re really going to be Anastasia more than I will” she said.

I watched her stomach contract. It simply popped backwards and shrank down smaller. Her shirt was getting large on her. “I could go down a size or two already”

“Best diet you’ve ever been on” I murmured.

“You’re damn right it is” she shot back. “Like nothing else on Earth…I get to switch places with you and I’m getting paid to do it” she laughed.

“My face feels funny” I said to change the subject. “My cheeks were tingling and I was starting to see them come up in my vision. I put my hands up to my cheeks and pressed down and patted them. They felt bigger. I slid my hands down to my chin and neck and it definitely felt thicker. Anastasia’s smile confirmed it.

“You should check your own” I told her and her hands flew up to her cheeks “They’re slimming down”

“Ah…Oh…Yes!” she said running her fingers over her slimmer face. She blinked and looked around “I don’t have the top of them in my vision anymore. They have to be going down”

“They are” I confirmed.

I felt the bottom of my tank top lift up and felt the air on my fleshy belly as it popped out. The sides of my tank were getting really tight “I’m getting wider” I said as Anastasia nodded.

My shirt lifted up even higher and exposed even more of my pale white belly as the shirt constricted my sides. A hole burst open at the seam and immediately widened. The skin and flesh rushed to the opening and bulged out.

I had to have already put on 50 pounds although I had no way of knowing. I could feel my shorts shift as my ass grew suddenly popping outward. The shorts dug into my waist as my hips spread outward. They pulled down exposing the top of my crack as the flesh piled up and pushed the light fabric down and out of its way.

My thighs were rubbing together as I shifted my weight from foot to foot. “I can feel my body moving differently. I’m sloshing. I feel every movement now clearly. I feel huge”

“You’re only about halfway there” Anastasia said with mock surprise “You have a lot more to go” She sized us up “We’re really getting close to the same size if you ask me. We look about the same size”

I nodded.

“I can’t wait to tip the scales in your direction. The moment you go bigger than me…it’s all downhill after that”

I felt a burp come up and I let it out as gently as I could making no noise but pursing my lips and blowing outward “I feel like a balloon getting blown up”

“And I feel like I’m shrinking down to nothing. I have this weird weightless feeling of my body just leaving me, lifting off and away lightening my load more and more with every passing second. I wish I could find better words to describe it. It doesn’t hurt. It kind of tickles and I feel like a spasm sometimes as fat sucks away and just disappears and my body adjusts to that. It makes the void, whole. Part of the new me”

I exhaled through my nose. It was physically getting harder for me to breathe in as deep. My breath was getting shallower as my chest grew. The fat was coming onto me, gradually building up and not in an all at once blast.

I stuck my thumbs under the waistband of my shorts and dug them out again; this time, they tore. A big split ripped right down the middle of the front.

“You should have brought the bigger pair in too” Anastasia said.

With the rip, I felt my flesh roll. Freed from its prison of tight fabric, my stomach sloughed forward and my thighs did a sudden pop out, bulging at the top.

I sighed as I simply ripped the shorts off, stumbling a bit to get my legs and feet free “Full Winnie the Pooh” I said about my look of no pants and a shirt that no longer covered my expanding belly.

Anastasia stifled a laugh with the back of her hand. Her own shirt was hanging off of her, threatening to slip off her narrower shoulders and smaller chest.

She grabbed the drawstrings of her shorts and looked down the gaping hole in the front, giggling at what she saw. She looked up at me “You have to be bigger than me now”

I looked at her and then down at myself. I had to agree that she was right. “Yeah. I think I am” I said softly.

“Fatty” she said with spite in her voice “Fat ass!” she added “How do you like it?”