“You should have brought her some clothes of yours to wear” Ellie said.
“Didn’t think about that…let’s see…change bodies with someone…what’s the courteous thing to do?” Julie said tapping her chin.
“Are you ready?” Ellie said.
“No, but I am curious and we need to move this along” Julie said getting out of the car.
“I got a text, they’re in room 218” Ellie said as they crossed the parking lot.
Standing outside the room, Julie was almost shaking from nerves as Ellie rapped her knuckles on the door.
The door opened quickly and Ellie and Laura smiled at each other before Laura caught a glimpse of Julie “Holy shit you do look like Beth” she said frankly.
Julie was shocked enough seeing Laura that she staggered backwards a step feeling lightheaded.
“Easy there” Laura said seeing Julie’s brown eyes roll. “Take it easy”
Ellie and Laura both got underneath an arm and pushed Julie through the door and into the room.
Laura quickly shut and locked the door behind her as Ellie went into the room ahead of her friend. Standing next to the bed was Beth and Ellie stopped upon seeing her there. “Wow” was all she said bringing a shy smile to Beth.
Beth was shocked at seeing Laura’s old body coming toward her but was in for an even greater shock as Julie came into view.
“Whoa” Beth said, her mouth falling open at seeing herself across the room.
Julie stopped, her eyes widened upon seeing Beth. She tried to speak but found it impossible; her jaw just went up and down a few times.
Beth started walking towards Julie but stumbled upon taking her first step “Oh…my…” she said putting her hand out in front of her. They soon stood face to face, close enough to touch, close enough to hear the other breathing clearly as it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop in the room.
Finally Julie found her voice “This is amazing” she said.
“So creepy hearing my own voice coming out of someone else” Beth said. Her hand reached out and touched Julie’s sleek blonde hair. She pulled it back immediately “Feels just like my hair”
“It is your hair” Julie said putting her own hand out to touch her old hair “Freaky” she mumbled staring into her own large green eyes.
Ellie slapped Laura on the ass and they both walked forward now. Laura raising an eyebrow to Ellie wanting to giggle “So…anybody going to pass out now?” Ellie asked.
“Um…I want to but I don’t think I will” Julie said laughing for the first time and hearing Beth’s laugh out loud.
“Yeah, I think I’m good on that front” Beth added. “This is so weird…it’s like looking into the world’s strangest mirror”
“Or like you walked through the world’s strangest mirror” Julie added. Her eyes now scanning the woman before her up and down “My legs…my hips…my boobs…” she said taking inventory.
Beth sat down on one bed and Julie did the same opposite her on the other double bed in the room.
“Now that we’re all here…you two have to answer one question: Did either one of you have anything to do with this?” Julie said.
“No nothing I swear” Laura said.
“Me too…I had nothing to do with this” Ellie replied. “Cross my heart”
Ellie sat down on the bed next to Julie and Laura sat at the end by Beth.
“Aren’t we a sight?” Beth said.
Laura and Ellie laughed but Julie didn’t “I still can’t believe I’m looking at you”
“And everything has changed to make me look like you…pictures online…my license…everywhere I look, I look like you now” Beth said.
“Yeah, I looked at my pages too and I’m you on them…my Instagram feed is the same but so different” Julie said.
Beth looked at Laura “What about you two? You’re the experts in swapping back and forth because you said you did it a few times before you went permanent”
“Anything and everything is worth a shot” Laura replied.
“We had a trigger though” Ellie told them. “The first time we swapped…she mentioned that she thought my glasses were cool so I gave them to her and she put them on while put on hers”
“It was then that we started swapping” Laura finished. ”You two didn’t have anything to trigger your changes”
“Maybe it works differently for people” Ellie offered.
“No…you two have to have something to do with this” Julie said.
“Yeah…I have to agree” Beth said. “I’ve never come across anyone swapping bodies before in my 35 years on this planet and then the second I see you” she pointed at Laura “And I somehow see that something is up and miles away, she sees her and notices the same thing…we both start to change bodies with the other”
“Too many coincidences in one place and at one time” Julie agreed. “You two swap and then your best friends swap without ever having met…too convenient”
“Okay granted, but I still don’t know how to help yet” Ellie said.
“Maybe if you two swap back, then we can swap back” Beth said. “You two can trigger changes and we’re the result of your chain reactions so if you two exchange glasses and change back then we might change back too”
“You have to at least try…for us” Julie said.
Laura’s shoulders slumped a bit in disappointment “But I just thought I got to finally keep this body” she thought slightly panicking.
Ellie and Laura locked eyes. Both could tell and knew that they were happier where they were at and neither wanted to switch back so soon after thinking it was all over.
Ellie sucked in her lips and Laura nodded slowly “We have to…for their sakes” she said.
Ellie nodded “Okay…but…yeah…okay”
With a deep breath, Ellie took off her wire rimmed frames and Laura took off the heavy black plastic frames she was just getting really used to wearing. She blinked her deep brown eyes and could see Ellie’s golden hazel eyes exposed across the way.
They passed their glasses between them as Beth and Julie held their breath in hope.
Laura tipped her head and put on her old glasses; the wire rimmed frames not fitting as well and pinching along the sides of her face. She blinked a few times adjusting to the different prescription that was weaker than the one she relied on now. She could see Ellie wearing her original frames across from her.
Ellie put on the heavier black frames that had defined her previous look. They were way too hipster for her now in this body and the stronger correction gave everything a wavy look as she looked out. She closed her eyes for a moment expecting her eyes to begin to change back and everything would be clear when she opened them.
Laura continued looking ahead and saw that Ellie had closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath and she was nervous enough that she felt herself tingling. She put her hand out and looked at the manicured nails; she was waiting to see them begin to shrink back and the polish to fade away. But her nails remained the same.
Laura looked down to her feet. Their changes seemed to start in their extremities and she slid her feet out of the size 7 black flats she was wearing to watch her feet begin to change.
Her feet weren’t changing though either. Milky pale skin remained on her thin and narrow feet. Her dark painted toe nails weren’t changing to her old usual shade of red. Her toes remained long and skinny; they weren’t shrinking down at all.
She ran her hand through her hair, noting that it was still down to her shoulders and not rising up. She ran her fingers through her bangs which remained steadfast and down over her forehead and were not sweeping off to the sides at all.
Laura ran her fingers down over her nose, giving it a tweak but not feeling it move. She ran her tongue over her teeth and noted that they were still the same larger size she wanted them to be and they were not shrinking down at all.
Laura cleared her throat and Ellie’s eyes popped open.
“My vision’s still off” Ellie thought immediately upon opening her eyes “My eyes haven’t changed to adjust to these glasses”
Her hands went up to her frames and moved them around, they were too big for her head still and they sat too low and hard on her small nose. She licked her lips and teeth and withheld a smile as they weren’t changing back either.
She tugged at her hair which still stopped at her chin and she looked down at her cleavage which was still impressive. She looked down to her thighs which were still full and round and were not thinning at all.
She still felt short; she wasn’t feeling any of the inherent motion that came with growing taller. She too slipped her feet out of her flats and saw her red painted nails remained. “I don’t think this is working” she said.
“No…it started immediately every other time” Laura said. “I don’t feel anything changing and I don’t see anything changing on you or me”
Ellie looked at Laura and even with the wavy glasses, saw that she still looked the same.
“Thank God” they both thought simultaneously. With a wave of relief passing though her, Laura took off the wire rimmed frames and handed them back to their rightful wearer.
Ellie took them in hand and put them on her lap as she took off the black frames and handed them back to Laura.
Laura flipped her hair away from her ears and put her glasses back on with a sigh of relief “I can see again”
“You and me both” Ellie said putting on the lightweight frames and adjusting her hair and ears. Ellie stood up and Laura followed, reveling in the fact she was still the taller of the two.
“That’s not it” Laura said.
“Hmmm” Julie said. “Well I’m not leaving this room until we figure something out”