THE REVERSION INDEX
So it continues. I must say I'm shocked at the few reads Chapter 1 got, compared to 12 things you should know about The Reversion, which was record-breaking.
Lets hope we can improve.
The Reversion
by Planet
Chapter 2
Text only version:
Chapter 2
July 15 – 3:44 am
Wow. Just wow. What a few couple of hours we have
just gone through. What would have sounded like a complete impossibility this
morning has become the truth that will rule our lives from now on.
I wasn’t intending to continue thins account of
my life since what used to be “my life” is now gone forever. Am I a different
person now? It seems so, and yet I feel like I’m the same inside. I certainly
remember everything of my old self as if I had been her just hours ago (which I
was). And yet it’s as if I had skipped 14 years of my life.
In fact, what made me come back to this diary
is that I can’t seem to sleep. I suppose nobody can around the world, and yet I
bet they’re all as physically exhausted as I am.
So, maybe I should continue with this
chronologically, as I used to do it?
I believe I left this when Ash… Mom called me to
change (That seems like ages ago!)
Both Jane and I went to mom’s room where she was looking for large
clothes for us to wear.
In the end, Jane put on a sleeveless cotton undershirt, while mom
gave me one of her nighties
with a matching robe over it. They hung on our thin frames, and should gave us
a lot of space to grow. Mom even suggested to we should be prepared in case one
of us ended up pregnant, which of course terrified us even more.
Dad came back from buying the evening
newspaper, which had Underwood’s 12 Reversion effects printed in the front
page. The event was just 15 minutes away.
The wait was uneasy. We turned on the TV in
case there was new information, but all we could see were people making ready
all over the world. Then, the signal wet out. The lights flickered.
At first we wear a distant bombing sound.
Behind the windows, against the black sky, we saw the blue flashes flickering.
We all felt, for a few seconds, a tickling in our bodies, and we all knew we
had been radiated already. We looked nervously at each other, trying to spot
who would manifest the changes first.
It was about 30 seconds until The Reversion
selected the first victim in the household.
And it was me.
I’m trying to put in words what I felt just
then, but it was something completely new, and I suppose the right word to
describe it will have to be invented after today. I suppose I can say that my
whole self was kind of vibrating. I guess it was generating new cells, making
me much bigger than I was. I was conscious that everyone was looking at me, my
mom sobbing a little and orbiting around me. I didn’t notice exactly when, but
at some point I realized I had become taller than her. I think I had been too
distracted by the filling up of the flesh, particularly in my legs and chest,
which was now tightly encased in mom’s nightie.
It was suddenly over, and I remember standing
still there, my eyes on my hands while mom said weakly “You look gorgeous,
Barbara” and Jane exclaimed “I want to go next!” once and again. It was dad who
first asked me how I felt.
I knew before I spoke that my voice would be
different, but I still was shocked by it when I answered, with honesty, that I
was feeling fine.
I went to the large bathroom to look at the
mirror and my family followed me there. Indeed, I was facing a 25 years old
version of myself.
With all my family around me, awaiting their
own changes, I thought it would be selfish to focus too much of my attention on
myself, so I decided to postpone it, with the exception of that short look at
the mirror, until all of us were done. I was still shaking, so I sat on the
sink, purposely avoiding my reflection.
We waited for about three more minutes, and
nothing happened. Maybe not everyone would be affected after all? But I took a
brief glance at the paper my father had brought and read aloud the part about
not everyone changing at once. Some took up to 10 minutes.
And, indeed, my mother started regressing just
then and there. She was only reentering her teens when my dad’s changes also
began.
At lest, I thought, adults knew more or less
what to expect, for they had really been 10 at some point in their lives, while
the woman who had stared back at me from the mirror was a complete stranger.
I realized I was, at the moment, the only adult
in the house. After dad was done, we only had to wait about 30 seconds for the
maturation of Jane. I remember we were already out of the bathroom and in the
kitchen because mom wanted water. I guess her changes were pretty similar to
mine, but it’s much different watching them from the outside.
I could see her growing each second, her body
filling out and her face metamorphosing. There was a moment when I grasped that
her features had changed so much I could no longer recognize my sister in them,
but that I was looking at a new person.
Her body was getting a lot bigger. In fact, the
only thing getting shorter was her hair. Her breasts in particular, were
growing so much that she grabbed them and let herself slip to the floor. When
it was over, though, she was smiling.
She had become a few inches shorter than I had,
but compared to her, I’m build like a toothpick. We have not spend enough time
as adults for me to develop jealousy over cup sizes, but she seemed to have
already developed her pride for her. She kept smirking while holding her chest,
and her first words were to complain about how tight her shirt was, though she
didn’t look actually bothered.
Mom told her that the reality wrap would give
us better fitting clothes and was only a few minutes away.
Indeed, our clothes soon started transforming.
I lost my balance, for I had acquired very high
heels in the process, and had to lean over the mirror for support.
My mother’s nightie, which I had been wearing,
had changed into a tight and revealing blue dress. Even my nails were suddenly
covered by polish.
Around us, a lot of our belongings were also
transforming, changing positions or, in some cases, both. Jane’s small clothes
were transforming in adult ones midair, while they floated from her room to our
parents’. It was obvious she had gotten the master bedroom now.
Dad’s things moved into my room, while mom’s
were now in mine. Which made me wonder, what had happened to my belongings?
The house suddenly finished changing, it
seemed. So this is our new reality, and we still didn’t know exactly how it
was.
I started to become preoccupied about my new
place in life, but I thought maybe the guest’s room might have become mine.
Looking at it, it was obvious that it was still a guest’s bedroom, judging how
impersonal everything seemed. I noticed a big case on the bed, with carefully
fitting clothing and other things that had to be mine. So am I now a guess in
my own house? It appears so.
There was something on the case that made it
undoubtedly mine: this diary. Strangely, it hasn’t changed at all. All my old
entries are there, and the photos I’d put there are also unadulterated (some of
the portraits in the living room have changed into pictures of this new
reality).
I put the diary on the desk and found some keys
in there. I didn’t recognize the Big Ben-shaped keychain, but the keys were
undoubtedly those of my dad’s classic Mustang. Had I gotten his car?
As Jane also found the keys to mom’s Toyota in
her room, I decided to investigate. I went out to try them out. There were some
people out in the streets, all of them in the same obvious state of excitement
that I was. I sat at the wheel. The seat was adjusted to my size, not dad’s,
which was a further clue, and there was a purse in the back seat. I took it
back into the house to examine its contents.
Now that I had more clothes to call my own, I
decided to get rid of the small blue dress, which didn’t seem like the proper
thing to be wearing at home at night, so I changed into a nightie of my own.
In the purse, I found my driver’s license,
complete with a photo of my adult self and listing my age as 25. I have some
cash too (and credit cards!), a small make-up kit, my old pen (which I thought
had disappeared), and more keys. These are obviously my apartment’s keys, for
I’ve found a direction in the city. This is very exciting. I can wait to visit
it tomorrow.
We gathered into the living room again and
conferred. The house is now Jane’s, and mom and dad are her children. I’ve been
struggling to call them like that while writing, since they’re now for me
Ashley and Jonas, and I’m their aunt. As much as I love them, I was glad Jane
had become their mother. It seems to fit her better. Thought technically we’re
both 25, she still looks to me like the older one, maybe because of her hairdo
and huge breasts (she tells me her bras are labeled 36E)
It was while Jane discussed her new role as a
single mother that I realized she had a wedding ring on her finger. She hadn’t
noticed it before, and honestly she freaked out a bit.
This discovery had a further developing when
Ashley found a family portrait of the adult Jane and a very good-looking albeit
unknown man. Jane’s discomfort started to give way for excitement, and she
confessed me she hoped she was married to Malcolm, though I didn’t see much
resemblance between him and the man in the photo.
This is making me wonder if I’ve also have a
husband (there’s no ring in my hand) or at least a boyfriend. So far I haven't
found anything that suggests this, and honestly I’m quite relieved.
The bell rang and I thought it was strange,
considering the hour and the circumstances everyone was going through in their
respective homes. I opened the front door and found no other than the man from
Jane’s picture.
I let him in, of course, and he explained us
the situation, which was embarrassing for both him and Jane. His name is
Thomas, and he was a 7 years old boy who lived a few houses away. His little
sister is now the sole owner of their house, and apparently the single mother
of their former parents. Unlike me, he hadn’t found anything belonging to him,
not even in the guest’s room. He discovered, anyway, some evidence of being
married to a woman name Jane Morton, and he had recognized that name as
belonging to one of the girls in this house, which is why he came. Indeed,
there is male clothing in Jane’s closet.
I could tell from Jane’s face that she is very
disappointed at not being Malcolm’s wife, but there’s also a gleam of
attraction to Thomas in her eyes. I don’t know since when I can recognize that.
Likewise, Thomas has been staring at her body with a strange expression, and
what bothers me the most is that he has also directed a few glances towards
mine, which makes me regret having changed into the nightie. I can’t say I like
him too much at this point, but this is now his house, not mine.
It was only about two hours ago that the TV
signal finally got back. There’s a new President, one Shane Hopkins, and he
addressed the nation with what I thought was a very good speech. It’s hard for
all of us to become adults suddenly, but getting to be the President too has to
be incredibly tough.
Jonas and Ashley were the first to be defeated
by tiredness, and decided to go to sleep. There was an uncomfortable moment
when they realized Jane and Thomas would be sharing a bed. They argued a little
about that, suggesting he should sleep in the sofa, but they concluded that
they wouldn’t be able to fight something as powerful as the reality wrap. The
Reversion has decided those two are married and they’re now their children, and
they’ll have to accept it. I feel strongly for them.
As I said, thought tired, I haven’t been able
to sleep. I decided to record everything here to have something to do.
Over the last few pages, I’ve noticed that even
my handwriting has changed. I don’t know how. It feels as if I were writing as
I’ve always done it, but this is what come out.
My eyes are closing. It seems sleep has finally
caught up with me.
Very good job!! It is nice to see the effect of the transformation! I hope to see more before/after in the next chapters!
ReplyDeleteJust a very minor comment, it was way easier for me to read the captions in the typed version in the description. The handwritten diary idea is awesome, but perhaps the calligraphy of a 25 year old woman could be a bit better...;)
Nevertheless: Amazing job!
Would you believe me if I told you there's a reason behind the choice for her bad caligraphy? XD
DeleteIt will be adressed in Chapter 3.
Of course I believe you! Looking forward to it..;)
DeleteFantastic job!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI enjoyed thus chapter very much. It surprised me in some ways (I thought for sure Jane wpuld marry Malcolm, and Barbra would be president after her comments on politicans last chapter). I am concerned as the series goes on that it will get a bit repetitive, as many of the same themes will be explored in each part.
ReplyDeleteStill, there are many scenarios yet to be seen (grandparents being repositioned, someone becoming pregnant, a sibling below 5 being involved, a sibling older than 15 being involved, to name a few), that there should be something new each time. I just think that the descriptions will sound similar if you're not careful.
That being said, I have confidence that it won't be repetitive. I would like to see some POV of the regressed as we go along, perhaps even allowing a change in POV in each part.
~LM117
Yes, you were talking about foreshading in the first chapter and I knew things wouldn't pay off that way. Thing about writting in first person is that you have to emphatize the character's wants and dreads, but not all of them en up realizing in the future.
DeleteYes, I understand the series can get repetitive (but all TF fiction is repetitive at the end of the day, isn't it?). This story will have six diferent parts, each telling of a very different case, so I'm not very afraid in that respect. What can get repetitive is the description of the processes, which I think I've tired in my previous captions, and so regretably, I've shortened them in this story.
In any case, this one, being the opening part, will be the most traditional episode in comparisson to what I use to do in the blog. Next ones will see me doing new things, but I needed to start with this one, because the Barbara character is basically a self-portrait of my experiences growing up and thus the one I relate to the most.
But yes, becoming repetitive, not in the plot, but in the narrative itself, is a risk. That's why I wanted a true author instead of myself to write this, but we'll have to do with what I can offer.
Regarding the number of reads. I don't know about anyone else, but when there's a new post, I usually just read it on the main blog page. I only click into the post itself if I want to read the comments (or post one myself). I'm not sure what you're using to gauge the "number of reads" a post has, but if someone needs to click on a post in order to register as having read it - and if clicking on the images to enlarge them doesn't count if it's still from the main page - then I would assume that that number is a *GROSS* underrepresentation. As in, but an order of magnitude at least, if not moreso.
ReplyDeleteI count the reads with the stats of the blog account.
DeleteI don't know if you have to open a page or what for it to count it, but the fact is that the previous post had a lot more reads, and they were calculated by the same standard, and that's what I'm comparing.
But thanks fort the confidence. Maybe readers are simply missing the pictures.
Well this is all fantastic. I just checked your blog for the first time in a couple of weeks hoping for a minor update and I was left flabbergasted at what I saw. I'm absolutely amazed at what you're doing. The blog redesign and this new epic story is all very thrilling to me, especially since its an age swap on a scale that I've never seen before.
ReplyDeleteI have a question about the direction of this series though, I know its still very early in but I'm very curious. Do you intend to focus on the age regression elements at some point? I know you're into AP after all but I would love to see an AR viewpoint on all of this. This setting you've crafted has so many possibilities for role reversals. The Reversion has only just occurred I understand but you didn't seem to give that much attention to the former parents despite having their lives usurped by their eldest daughter. I hope we'll see how their relationship with Barbara changes during all of this.
As you can guess I'm a big AR fan and I really enjoyed your earlier age swap stories like Misty Swap and Unexpected Date so this new story has me very hopeful.
Keep up the wonderful work. Seriously, you're making some really great stuff here don't let yourself be discouraged.
I didn't want to reveal anything about the future stories, but what the heck. You all should know more or less what to expect.
DeleteYes, some of the parts will be from the point of view of the regressed. PART II will be one of those, by the way, so it'll happen in a (relatively) short time.
My preference of AP over AR is simply that I like it more when a character gains power than when they loose it, and that's exactly why this story is teh first one. But we'll be also seeing the uglier side of the reversion, no doubt about that.
And thanks for that very encouraging comment. I'm indeed trying to do something on a scale never seen before in a story of this kind.