Chapter 1

Andrea and Kyle had known each other since middle school. He had liked her for years, but she never gave him the time of day. He was just Kyle, the boy next door, always trying too hard. Now, at twenty-three, Andrea still saw him as that awkward kid---even if he had grown into a man who wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Tonight, as she sat at the café table in her yellow skater dress and black pantyhose, she barely acknowledged him. Kyle, in his maroon T-shirt and jeans, leaned forward, trying once again to hold a conversation.

Sophia, Andrea’s grandmother, interrupted their usual dynamic. “Enough bickering, children,” she said, adjusting her floral dress as she set a small bag of cookies on the table. At eighty, she was still sharp, still baking treats for the neighborhood kids---Kyle included.

Andrea sighed and stood up. “Let’s just go.”

Kyle followed them outside, eager to extend the night. That was their mistake.

The van came out of nowhere.

Andrea barely had time to scream before something cold and sharp pierced her neck. She saw Kyle struggling, Sophia gasping in horror---then darkness swallowed her whole.

When the person in Andrea’s body woke, everything felt wrong.

The sterile room hummed with an unseen machine. Restraints pressed into their wrists. Across from them, the person in Kyle’s body groaned, shifting against the chair. To the side, the person in Sophia’s body sat frozen, their fingers twitching slightly against their lap.

A voice crackled from unseen speakers.

“You have been chosen for an experiment in identity. We have swapped your minds. When you wake, you will not know who you once were.”

Panic flickered in the person in Andrea’s body. That couldn’t be true. I know who I am. Don’t I?

The person in Kyle’s body took a sharp breath. His chest rose and fell too quickly. He clenched his hands. Were these his hands?

The person in Sophia’s body swallowed hard. There was an eerie weight in her limbs, a strange sense of displacement.

They all sat in silence, feeling… disoriented, lost.

They clung to the idea that nothing had changed.

The person in Andrea’s body took a deep breath, steadying herself. Her dress felt familiar. The warmth of her pantyhose against her legs, the sensation of smooth skin, the comfortable fit of her body---this is mine. It must be.

The person in Kyle’s body rolled his shoulders. Strong, steady. This body made sense. The way his feet planted on the ground, the way his voice rumbled when he muttered something under his breath. Of course I’m Kyle.

The person in Sophia’s body took a moment to breathe. A little slower, a little weaker than expected, but still… it wasn’t bad, was it? The floral dress, the soft wrinkles of the skin---this body was lived in, filled with experience. Maybe the scientists had failed, maybe she had been spared. Maybe I am still myself.

For a while, they let themselves believe it.

Then, the doubts came.

The person in Andrea’s body flexed her fingers. Something was… off. There was a muscle memory that didn’t belong to her, subtle habits that didn’t feel right. A thought came, unbidden: What if I was supposed to be Kyle? She looked at the person in Kyle’s body, a strange sense of recognition rising in her chest. Maybe that was actually her.

The person in Kyle’s body swallowed. His breath hitched. A strange thought surfaced: What if I should be in Sophia’s body? He looked toward the elderly woman across the room, and something inside him pulled. There was something familiar in the way she held herself, in the way her fingers trembled ever so slightly.

The person in Sophia’s body squeezed her hands together. Her skin was soft but thin, her movements slower. But was this truly hers? Her eyes flickered toward Andrea’s body. Maybe I was supposed to be young again… The idea sent a thrill through her.

The walls of certainty crumbled.

They tried to embrace what they had.

The person in Andrea’s body straightened her spine. Maybe this isn’t so bad, she thought. The body was light, agile, flexible. There was a certain confidence that came with youth, an energy humming beneath her skin. If this wasn’t hers before, maybe it was a gift. Maybe I should just accept it.

The person in Kyle’s body took a deep breath. He felt strong. More capable, more resilient. If this body wasn’t his before, maybe it should be. Maybe he had been given an upgrade. He clenched his fist, feeling the firm grip of muscles. Yes. This is better.

The person in Sophia’s body closed her eyes. She had knowledge, experience, wisdom. She had lived a life, one filled with memories and depth. If this was her fate, maybe she should cherish it. Maybe it’s an honor to be in this body.

They each decided: This will be fine. Maybe this is for the best.

Then, the faults started showing.

The person in Andrea’s body moved too quickly, and suddenly, her ankle twisted. A dull pain shot up her leg. She wobbled and caught herself. Too fragile, she realized. Too delicate. And the way people would look at her now? The expectations of being young, attractive, female? Was that what she wanted?

The person in Kyle’s body exhaled sharply. His hands clenched too easily. His voice was deeper than he expected. And there was something… missing. The warmth of touch, the softness of his previous body. Was I more comfortable before?

The person in Sophia’s body gritted her teeth as a dull ache crept into her lower back. Her movements were slower. The body was wise, was experienced---but it was also old. And aging. And frail. Was she ready to face the world like this? Was I meant for something different?

The discomfort grew, like an itch beneath the skin that couldn’t be scratched.

A door hissed open. A figure in a white coat stepped inside, smiling.

“Welcome to your new selves.”

And in that moment, none of them knew if they wanted to keep what they had---or if they wanted to fight for something else.

Chapter 2

The white-coated figure led them down a stark, metallic hallway. The hum of unseen machinery echoed in the walls, and with each step, unease settled deeper into their bones. The person in Andrea’s body glanced at the others, searching for some flicker of recognition---some clue that would anchor her to who she was supposed to be. But the person in Kyle’s body was scanning the surroundings with wary eyes, while the person in Sophia’s body walked with a slow, measured pace, as if trying to feel out every movement.

A door hissed open.

“In here,” the figure instructed.

They hesitated. Then, one by one, they stepped inside.

The door sealed shut behind them with a mechanical clunk.

Chapter 3

They were alone.