Chapter 31

I could feel the sun warming the blankets. The dream last night was still fresh in my subconscious. When I opened my eyes, Sydney was laying there staring at me with a big smile.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” she sang to me.

“Good morning,” I smiled back.

She touched her forehead to mine - our version of a morning kiss in these bodies. “Ready to go home and swap back?” she asked me.

My body language must’ve given away my trepidation because she backed her head away. “What’s wrong?”

I haven’t had any waking moment to really interpret that dream and what it meant for us moving forward. “Nothing,” I lied. I stretched my limbs. “It’s just that I’m not looking forward to swapping back. It’s like my vacation is over.”

“Vacation from what?” she giggled. “From your super awesome group where you can be someone new each week?”

“Well, I had such a great time as you, and with your family. I’m just sad that it has to end.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. But look at the bright side. The sooner we swap, the sooner we can resume our original weekend plans.” She gently brushed her fingers against my bare arms. “You remember? I recall something about spending the rest of the weekend wearing nothing.”

I could feel the goose bumps pop up, and a tingling between my legs. “Hmm,” I cooed. “That does sound nice.” I tried to hide my reluctance. Yes, I wanted to have sex. But, I wasn’t ready to swap back. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have both unless K somehow stopped seeing me as her sister. “Let’s go home, then.”

“Then you take the first shower,” she said, pulling back the blankets and swinging her legs off the bed. “While I start packing.”

“OK,” I said as I slowly got out of bed too and made my way to the bathroom and a shower. 

During the shower, I finally found a few quiet minutes to think about last night’s dream. During my swaps with the other five Guild members, I’d never felt this way. Sure, I felt at home in Jasmine and Morgan. But that was fun. This body - Kaylee - it just felt…right. More importantly, I felt comfortable. A favorite pair of comfy jeans that you’d rather wear more than anything else.

The hard part is, how do I explain that to Kaylee? What would she think? Would she think that I want to steal her life? Do I? S, R, G, and J all decided to permanently swap. It's a decision I never thought I’d have to consider. How would it feel to have Kaylee’s mom and dad as parents instead of Daniel’s parents? How would it feel to never be male again? Or maybe I'm worried about the fact I’m not worried about any of that.

I pushed those thoughts out of my head. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I’m mistaken. Hell, I haven’t even talked to G about being trans. I might not be. Another part of me feels like an imposter every time K accepts me as being trans. As if I’m not worthy of it.

When I returned after a nice warm shower, Sydney already had our clothes folded on the bed and the suitcase opened.

“I set aside an outfit for you,” she said to me. Folded nearly was a burgundy dress and black leggings.

“Thank you,” I replied, eyeing the outfit, excited to put it on.

“You’re very welcome. My turn for the shower!” Sydney squealed excitedly.

When she was gone, I shed my bath towel and got dressed. The dress was soft and warm. A perfect fall dress. I ran my hands down the sides. Oh, wow, it has pockets in it!

I hadn’t once looked in the mirror. I knew who was there. Like someone stalking me. She wanted me to turn around and look. What if I looked? What if I liked what I saw again? What if I didn’t?

The temptation won and I looked in the mirror.

This is me. I was cute. No. I was beautiful. Even if I had wet hair. I spun for my reflection and the dress flared out. I knew Kaylee was beautiful from the first time I laid my eyes on her. But this felt different. I was beautiful. It wasn't lust. I didn’t have a need to kiss my reflection. I just wanted to… be. I want to stay her. With my cute red hair. Those freckles. Those dimples when I smile. Did I just make up my mind? No. I must push those thoughts away again. At least until I can have a real conversation with G and K.

I then realized a tear was rolling down my cheek. I wiped that away and started to pack the clothes back into the suitcase. Sydney will be done with her shower soon. This way we can eat breakfast and get on the road.

After breakfast we packed up and said goodbye to Mom, Dad, Alyssa, and Owen. Mom made sure I was coming home for Christmas. Dad promised to visit in the coming weeks to either look at my heater or tell me what I need to tell the landlord. Alyssa gave me the strongest hug and asked me to keep in touch and perhaps invite her over one weekend. Owen did the typical teenage boy thing and pretended he wouldn't miss us.

They felt like my family now, and I was looking forward to seeing them again. Perhaps we’ll do this again for Christmas.

During the drive back home, Sydney and I were mostly quiet. I felt like I should be D again, and stop being Kaylee. Mentally prepare for the inevitable swap. The longer I stayed as Kaylee, the harder it would be to leave. I wonder if K was having a similar thought since we hadn’t addressed ourselves as K or D since before Thanksgiving dinner.

“So, how were your three days as Sydney?” I asked her. “You were a guest in your own home.”

“Oh, it was wonderful,” she replied with a wide smile.

“Even though you had to sit through your own family drama?”

“Totally. I was worried at first that it would be too much for you. But you handled it great. And I kinda enjoyed being the girlfriend in that situation. I saw a side of Mom and Dad I had never seen as their daughter. Same with Alyssa and Owen. Once they learned I was your girlfriend I was elevated to family status. But not like a daughter. Like a special family status. They wanted to talk to me and include me. I was the center of attention for what seemed like the first time in my life.”

“That’s awesome. I’m happy you got to see that side of them.”

“Oh - and the look on Dad’s face when I stood up and said I was a lesbian. That was incredible. And then when you stood up and said you were bi and I was your girlfriend. It was scary. But I keep reliving that moment in my mind.”

“I was scared too. But wow that felt good!”

“Oh, and I had no idea you could disarm Dad with football. Hell, if I knew that, maybe I would’ve watched more of it growing up.”

“I didn’t know either. I figured I’d give it a shot. What was the worst that could happen? It was a total Hail Mary.”

“I don’t know what that is, so I’ll just trust you,” she giggled. “Also, I was just teasing you this morning. I know what you meant by a vacation ending. I feel the same way.”

“Oh, good. I thought I was going crazy. I was worried you had a bad time as Sydney.”

“No. Quite the opposite. In fact, I was thinking of asking you something.”

“What? Anything.” Does she know I want to stay as Kaylee? I tensed up in anticipation.

“Can I… um… join the Guild?”

I sputtered at the unexpected question. “You want to join the Guild?” I repeated. This wasn’t a surprise from what I’ve learned about her this weekend. Her desire to be someone else. I just had no idea what the others would think.

“Yeah. This was so much fun. I want to try someone else next. Maybe Morgan. She’s hot. Or hell - I’d love to try being a guy. That would be so surreal.”

“I can ask,” I said hesitantly. “Our next meeting is tomorrow. I think they prefer a group of six, so I’m not sure if there’s an opening. So, no promises.” I had no idea if that was true, and a bigger group would certainly give more variety and flexibility. But a part of me was being selfish. If K joined the Guild, then Rule Five would apply. We wouldn't be able to date each other. I mean - It’s not like we’re intimate at the moment. I imagine it would be the same if K was a guy.

She looked disappointed at my answer. “I understand.”

* * *

When we got back to Sydney’s apartment, we parked the car, unloaded our luggage, then wasted no time walking over to Jasmine and Morgan’s apartment. At this point I didn’t care if Morgan or anyone else saw me as Kaylee.

I knocked on the door and was surprised it took longer than usual for anyone to answer.

“Are they not back yet?” Sydney asked.

“I remember them telling me that they'd be getting back this morning. Earlier if things didn’t go well with Jasmine’s mom.” 

Just then, Morgan opened the door. She looked distraught. “Hey,” she said to both of us, but was mostly looking at Sydney. “Come in.”

She let us in and we walked into the apartment. Jasmine was sitting on the floor with her legs pulled up against her chest. She didn’t even look up to see who her visitors were. Something wasn’t right.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Jasmine, what’s wrong?”

Morgan gave me a blank stare - I had forgotten for a brief moment that Morgan was A and A had never met Kaylee. “Jasmine was attacked outside the apartment,” she said.

“Are you OK?” I asked, sitting down on the other side of Jasmine.

“I’m just shaken,” she replied. “I’m fine.”

“Who was it?” Sydney asked.

“Aiden.” Jasmine breathed.

I put my hand on her shoulder. “What happened?”

“Lauren had just dropped me off,” she recalled. “I had my suitcase and too much stuff in my hands. I dropped my keys.” She swallowed. “When I stood back up, Aiden was there and was in my face. He wanted to swap back now. I told him I didn’t know what he was talking about. He got angry. He shoved me against the door. I froze.”

Hearing Jasmine’s account made me feel sick. I’ve been between Aiden and a wall before. Hearing that Jasmine had the same experience made me angry. I was afraid to ask my follow-up question. “Did… did he do anything to you?”

“No. He pounded the door a few times. I thought he was going to hit me. But he just stormed off.” She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “I’ve never been so afraid in my life.”

“It’s OK. He’s gone now.”

“I had the pepper spray in my purse, but I froze."

“It’s OK.”

“But I used to be a guy. I was a football player. I should’ve kicked his ass- but I felt so powerless.”

“Honey, gender doesn’t matter when someone dangerous is threatening you,” Morgan reminded her.

“But…” Jasmine tried, but couldn’t get the words out. She looked completely overwhelmed by her emotions.

I held her hand. “Jasmine. It’s OK. It wasn’t your fault.” 

She then hugged me and sobbed into my chest. 

I rubbed her back. “It’s OK,” I quietly repeated. “You’re OK. You’re safe. You’re here with your friends.”

“What do we do?” Sydney asked Morgan.

“I'm going to call an emergency meeting,” Morgan replied as she stood up and started tapping her cellphone.

“What about the police?” Sydney asked.

“Jaz asked me not to,” Morgan replied with a frown. She turned to me and Jasmine. “But I should.”

Jasmine lifted her head up and turned to Morgan and Sydney. “That was E right? If the police are involved, swapping them back might be harder.”

Morgan closed her eyes and exhaled in defeat. She knew Jasmine was right. “I hate letting him - or her - walk free. He assaulted you, Jaz.”

“Swapping them back has to take precedence,” Jasmine replied hoarsely.

“I don’t understand why he did it,” Sydney said, shaking her head. “Aiden was eager to swap back during his last email. Why so suddenly impatient?” 

“Maybe that was E using Aiden’s email address,” I suggested. “Or A2. I never really asked for them to identify themselves. I had the impression they were working together to reply to me.”

Morgan shrugged. “I don’t know.” As soon as she hit send, Sydney’s and Jasmine’s phone buzzed with the QuikChat message she just sent.

Jasmine let go of her embrace, glancing down at the wet spot her tears had left on my dress. “I’m sorry for making a mess on your shoulder," she said with a wan smile.

“It’s OK to show emotion,” I replied. “Especially with what just happened to you.”

Jasmine looked ready to choke up again. “Thank you D, I needed to be reminded of that.”

Morgan gave me a quizzical look and cocked her head. “D?”

I gave a guilty shrug and smiled. “Yeah.”

Morgan then looked at Sydney. “Then you must be Kaylee.”

“That’s me,” Sydney replied.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.” Morgan said. “I wish we could’ve met under…” she gestured her hands out to the complicated situation. “...better circumstances.”

“Same,” Sydney concurred.

I stood and helped Jasmine up. “Is everything accounted for in here? Did he break in? Is the stone still here?”

Morgan walked into her bedroom, then returned holding the stone, “It’s still here.”

We all let out a sigh of relief.

“I wonder what he would’ve done if I wasn’t here,” Jasmine posited. “He was pretty angry.”

“Break in?” Morgan shrugged?

“That could have been worse,” I said.

“I know,” Jasmine agreed. She forced another smile, content for the moment that her assault episode prevented something worse from happening.

“The emergency meeting,” I said to Morgan. “Can K come?”

Morgan looked at Sydney then back at me. “Since K already knows everything that’s going on, I don't see why not.” She went over to Jasmine who was staring off into nothing. “Jaz, let’s sit down in the living room. I’m going to text everyone and tell them to come here immediately.” She led Jasmine to the couch.

Sydney turned to me. “You want me at your meeting?”

“Well, since I’m still in your body, and you’re still Sydney…”

“We could swap back now if you want.”

“I don’t see a rush.” I replied with a smile. “Consider it a trial run for when you join.”

“OK, Kaylee,” she replied with a large smile.

We rejoined Morgan and Jasmine in the living room to wait for everyone else to show up.

* * *

Gabriel came over first. He immediately rushed to Jasmine and pulled her into a bear hug, his massive arms wrapping around her petite frame. When he let go he looked at her with concern. “Are you OK? Is there anything I can do?”

“I’m fine,” she replied. “Just shaken.”

“I’m going to kick his ass!” he proclaimed.

Jasmine reached out and held his hand. “Come, sit with me,” and pulled him to sit down. 

Gabriel sat down and wrapped his former body with one of his big arms. Jasmine closed her eyes, her face serene as she nuzzled into him.

“Tell me about Thanksgiving,” he softly urged.

“Mom was pissed about me bringing home Lauren,” she began. “At first. We left. We took Willow with us. Mom broke down crying that she finally realized she was losing her family by being a bigot.”

“Then what happened?” asked Gabriel.

“She called and begged us to come back,” Jasmine continued. “So we stopped at a diner for coffee and discussed our options.” She paused. “We all agreed to go back, but we were not going to put up with any of mom’s insults and bigotry. Then we left and went back a second time.”

“Did she behave the rest of the time?”

“She did. She was respectful to Lauren. I could tell she wanted to make hurtful comments, but she stayed quiet.”

“Baby steps, I suppose,” Gabriel replied. “It’s hard to erase a lifetime of hatred.”

“How was yours?”

“Wonderful. I love your brothers and sisters. I had a blast.”

Minutes later, Antonio and Daniel arrived. 

I wondered how Daniel’s Thanksgiving went. But I decided I’d save that question for when we were not dealing with an emergency.

Antonio stood up in the middle of the living room. “I didn’t bring my gavel,” Antonio said, looking at everyone. “Do we want to just get started?”

There were nods.

“Before we get into the meeting” Antonio said, “We do have a guest. Kaylee, who I believe is currently Sydney.”

“She’s brought up to speed with the situation,” I announced.

"Hello," Sydney said shyly. "I think I know most of you."

"OK," Antonio picked up, "let's get to the reason for this meeting. Aside from Jasmine’s encounter this morning, where did we leave off with Aiden and Ella?”

“Aiden texted me on Wednesday,” Sydney said. “He wanted to swap back that day, but we were already out of town. D suggested I tell him we can swap them back after Thanksgiving break. He seemed OK with that.”

“It’s still only Saturday,” Daniel stated. “The weekend isn’t over. Why today?”

Sydney shrugged.

“Assault is certainly an escalation of the situation,” Gabriel stated, still fuming.

“I mean, this is what we’ve been talking about for a month now,” Antonio said with frustration in his voice. “Leaving them in those bodies was cruel.”

“We had no choice,” Daniel retorted.

“Stop,” Morgan interrupted. “That’s all in the past. Let’s worry about the present. Jasmine was assaulted and it appears Aiden and Ella are eager to get swapped back. So much so, one of them has resorted to violence.”

“You’re right, we can’t put this off any longer,” Antonio advised.

As if the universe heard Morgan, I noticed Sydney looking down at her phone. She leaned over and showed me the message

The message said, “Are you Jasmine?”

They must’ve assumed I was Jasmine this whole time they’ve been emailing me, which explains why they came here looking for Jasmine to swap them back.

“Hey everyone,” I called out. “They’re texting us.”

“The message asked if I’m Jasmine,” Sydney added.

“Do they think they’ve been emailing me the whole time?” Jasmine asked.

“Fuck ‘em,” Gabe said.

“No, no - we said that last week,” Antonio objected. “We have to see this through. Now.” 

“What should I tell them?” Sydney asked.

“Just tell them ‘No,’” I replied. “Keep it simple.”

“Tell them if they threaten violence again the deal is off,” Daniel added.

“No, if we acknowledge we know what happened to Jasmine, we’d out ourselves,” Morgan replied.

Sydney looked to me for my verdict. 

“Just ‘No,’” I repeated. “We don’t need to offer up any other explanation that would make them ask more questions or change our plans on swapping them back.”

Sydney typed that and hit send.

The room was quiet as we awaited the next message.

Sydney’s phone pinged. She read the message out loud, “We want to swap today.”

Sydney read out loud what she was typing. “We just got home from Thanksgiving. Where do you want to meet?”

There was an uneasy silence amongst my friends as we waited for the response. 

“What if we swap into strangers to hide our identity?” Daniel suggested.

“Who? How?” Morgan asked.

“I can think of a few people I’d like to be for a few hours,” Gabriel chuckled.

“No, absolutely not,” Antonio replied. “Swapping with strangers is what got us into this mess.”

“How about, we all go in there and I pretend to be the supernatural swapper they think I am,” Jasmine suggested.

“I dunno,” Gabriel objected. “That would still out you, though.”

“But it would keep everyone else safe,” Jasmine replied.

“Can you swap them in the middle of the night?” Sydney asked. “Body swap stories tend to swap their characters while they’re sleeping.”

“We’d need to get them in the same room,” Daniel said, “so they can both touch the stone together.”

“Haven’t they been fucking?” Gabriel asked bluntly. “Getting them in the same room during the middle of the night might not be that hard.”

“Sure, but still, they’d have to agree to that arrangement,” Morgan replied. “They clearly don’t trust us.”

“I’m stumped then,” Daniel said, shaking his head.

The group settled into silence as everyone ran out of ideas.

I felt awful. This was all my fault. I was the one who swapped Aiden and Ella. I was the one in Jasmine’s body that night. I was the one who emailed them. I was the one who told them we could swap them back this weekend. Then they attacked Jasmine this morning thinking she was me. This was all because of me. Did I take responsibility? Sure, to the Guild. But never to the people I actually hurt. Even if A2 technically deserved it.

Finally, I asked, “What if you use me?”

“D?” Morgan cocked her head. “Use you how?”

“Me as in Kaylee. Kaylee doesn’t go to school here,” I explained. “She lives and works twenty minutes away. Aside from dating Sydney, she doesn't have any ties to the Guild.”

“And what will you say to them?” Daniel asked.

“If they think I’m some magic being. I could lean into that misconception—”

“That would be the same plan with you instead of Jasmine,” interrupted Gabriel. “It’s too risky. Even if Kaylee doesn’t go to school here. That puts your girlfriend at risk.”

Sydney reached out and squeezed my hand. “I was OK with your plan.”

“What other ideas do we have?” Antonio asked.

Sydney’s phone pinged again. We all looked in her direction in anticipation as she looked at it.

“Kappa Nu office in the Student Union at five,” she narrated.

Gabriel groaned. “I can’t do that. I have to be at the stadium by four.”

“We all shouldn’t go anyway,” Antonio chimed in.

“What if I sent the entire football team to go and kick their ass?” Gabriel proposed. “Right now. Before the game. They’d do it for me.”

“I understand your feelings, Gabe, but that will likely make things worse,” Antonio replied.

“But we have under four hours to come up with a plan then,” Morgan informed everyone.

“Then just me,” I persisted.

“And the football team?” Jasmine added, hopeful.

“No. Just me,” I insisted.

“We just went through this,” Morgan countered. “I’d hate putting you in danger. I know you’re D, but you’d be putting Kaylee’s body in harm's way.”

“I completely trust her,” Sydney replied, giving me her support.

“Either way, you can’t go alone,” Morgan cautioned. “It’s much too dangerous for one person to take the stone in that situation.”

“What if we created a fake device?” Sydney asked. “They think it’s supernatural. What if we made it technical. Create something fake so they don’t notice the stone. Got any suction cups and wires?”

“The only problem with that is there was nothing like that at Halloween when they originally swapped,” I said.

“Then I can go as backup,” Morgan said. “I’ll hold onto the stone until they’re ready.”

“But then you’d be outing Morgan,” Jasmine said.

“What if I was someone else?” Morgan asked. 

“Who else?” Daniel asked.

“We have one other person that knows of the Guild but isn’t in the Guild.” Antonio suggested, “James. He’d say yes in a heartbeat.”

Daniel nodded. “He would. Anything to help you and our friends.”

Morgan was shaking her head. “We can’t involve James.”

Everyone’s bickering was turning into noise. The solution flashed inside my head. It was obvious, but everyone seemed to be avoiding it. “Stop!” I said above the voices.

Everyone stopped talking and gave me their attention.

“We’ve been having this discussion for a month. We keep spinning our wheels thinking of new ways to disguise our identities. We might not have any choice. What if…” I looked around at my fellow Guild members and K. “What if I tell them the truth?”

“The truth?” Jasmine asked. “Are you crazy?”

“Like, the truth about the Guild?” Antonio asked.

“I won’t mention the Guild directly,” I replied. “I’ll tell them what happened on Halloween. I’ll tell them I swapped too. I was Jasmine that night. I tell them I’m in a group that does this often. Halloween was a mistake and we are prepared to swap them back assuring us they don’t out us and they leave Jasmine alone.”

There was silence as everyone let my plan sink in.

“Even if they said ‘yes,’” Jasmine started. “How could we believe them?”

“Because who would believe them?” I countered. “They’ve been keeping their own body swap secret for a month, likely because they figured out nobody would believe them.”

“I dunno, D,” Morgan fretted.

“Remember,” I said to the group. “They don’t trust me. If they did, they wouldn’t have attacked Jasmine. They would’ve waited until I was ready. I have to earn their trust back. I do that by telling the truth.”

“What if they don't believe the truth?” Daniel asked.

“We have to try,” I countered. “I don’t see any other way.”

“I think D’s right,” Sydney said. “You all avoided this for a month. Deception and avoidance didn’t work. You should try her plan.”

There was silence before Gabriel spoke up. “Alright, D. Walk us through your plan.”

“Well, my plan is still forming in my head,” I admitted. I took a deep breath before continuing. “I go to the Student Union at 4.”

“I can trail at a safe distance with the stone,” Morgan added. “If you earn their trust and they agree to keep the secret it doesn’t matter if I come as Morgan.”

“Sure. Then I will meet Aiden and Ella first. I apologize to them. If, no - when - I’ve earned their trust,” I looked at Morgan. “You will come in with the stone. I swap them back. Return home. Simple. Straightforward.”

“Assuming there’s no complications," Morgan added.

“I don’t like giving away our existence,” Antonio said, “but it’s the only concrete plan we have. And… and I trust you, D.”

“So, I’m thinking how you can do this safely,” Daniel joined in. “There will be four of you. Their original bodies are present, yours are not. Therefore it’ll be a reset for them. How do you want to hide the stone?”

“During halloween, the stone stayed in my clutch, while I held it. They didn’t see it.”

“They didn’t touch it?” Daniel asked. He turned to Jasmine. “Then was our assumptions on how it worked wrong?”

Jasmine shrugged. “You’ve been here the longest.”

“And we did tons of experiments. I guess we never tried not holding it.” Daniel then turned back to me. “That’s perfect then. That would allow you to keep the stone in one of your possessions and not let it be seen.”

“What do the rest of us do?” Jasmine asked.

“Sit tight,” Morgan said. “This has been my and D’s mistake to fix.”

“I want to help,” Daniel stated.

“We can’t risk involving more people,” Morgan countered. “We’re already taking a big risk with this plan. I’d like to avoid any potential complications.”

“D’s got my support,” Jasmine affirmed.

“Mine too,” Gabriel added.

“All for going with D’s plan, say ‘aye,’” Antonio announced.

The group raised a chorus of ‘ayes’.

“Opposed?”

Silence.

“Ayes have it. “Looks like this is your show, D.”

I nodded. I just put the safety of Jasmine, of Kaylee’s body, of the whole Guild, and responsibility of Aiden and Ella all on my shoulders. I hope I can do what I just confidently said I could do.

* * *

I paced around the apartment for hours as I counted down the time until I had to meet Aiden and Ella. My nerves had wound up my stomach into a knot.

Sydney had tried her best to calm me down by attempting to take my mind off the impending mission. Promises of a quiet night together sounded nice, but weren’t calming my nerves.

Even Morgan was getting antsy. She constantly checked her empty wrist, then checked her phone. 

Finally, with a half hour to go, Morgan finally stood up. “OK,” she said. “Let’s go.”

“OK” I eagerly said, following her to the door.

“Good luck,” echoed the voices of our friends as we walked out of the apartment.

With no shuttles running on a Saturday, it would be a twenty minute walk from Jasmine and Morgan’s apartment to the Student Union. We’d have to cross a major highway, then walk through the dorms, towards the center of campus.

This part of campus was eerily quiet. Students were either still on Thanksgiving break, or heading to the football game. A muffled murmur could be felt from the stadium area as people were tailgating.

“So,” Morgan began. “You and Kaylee.”

I cringed as I expected a lecture. Was she upset that I had swapped with a non-Guild member? “Yeah, we’ve been getting serious this past week,” I confessed. “I met her family.”

“She seems nice, D. She seems like she compliments you well.”

I sighed contentedly. “She really does.”

“I bet you had a fun time,” Morgan winked and nudged me.

I blushed. “Not that much fun,” I grumbled. “We weren’t the least bit intimate the whole time we were there.”

“Why not? Was it her family?”

“No, because of this whole twin thing.”

“Kaylee is a twin?”

“Yeah. So because I’m Kaylee this weekend, I look like K’s sister. And she’s not into the whole ‘being intimate with her sister’ thing.”

“I guess I could see how that would be awkward. Being intimate with your original body is awkward enough. But doing it with a twin takes it to another level.”

“Yeah, we didn’t even kiss each other the whole time we’ve been swapped.”

Morgan made a concerned hum. “But I’m glad you found someone. You’ve come a long way these past months.”

“Even if it’s hard to maintain that relationship?” I asked, expecting that’s where she was heading with this conversation.

She gave me a confused frown. “No. That’s not what I meant.”

“But if this relationship conflicts with the Guild, don’t I have to quit?”

“D, being in the Guild is temporary. For all of us. There’s an end date. Only we know when that is. We’re not going to kick you out because you fell in love.”

“Oh.”

“How was Thanksgiving?”

“Her family was nice. We kinda came out of the closet to them. That was a tense moment. But it's good now.”

“Wow,” she said. “That’s great. I remember when I came out to my mom as gay. It was touch and go for a little bit, but it didn’t take her long to come around. She wants what’s best for her boys.”

“Even if you’re currently a girl?”

Morgan laughed. “Well, she doesn't know that part. I remember worrying about introducing James to my family. I was floored at how accepting all of them were. My mom loves James, and so do my brothers.”

“Yeah, after the initial drama, Mom and Dad treated K better than they treated her when she was their daughter.” I chuckled.

Morgan looked at me quizzically.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she chuckled.

We walked for another couple of minutes as I let that conversation sink in. When will I quit the Guild? The allure of body swapping has already lost its shine. Morgan is implying I’ll know when the time is right to quit and resume my life as… I wonder if Morgan knows I don’t want to go back to Daniel?.

“Kaylee, let’s exchange numbers,” Morgan suggested to me. “Then call me, so I can listen in.”

“Good idea.” We exchanged numbers, and I called her. Her phone rang and she picked up. I slid the phone into my dress pocket and then asked, “Can you still hear me?”

“Yes,” she said, listening to her phone.

As we neared the door to the Kappa Nu office, Morgan stayed behind. 

I took a deep breath to steady myself. I was ready. Then I entered the office.

Upon entering, I saw both Aiden and Ella standing there. Aiden, dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks - way more formal than one would expect for a holiday break. Ella was much more casual, wearing a sweater and leggings.

Aiden slowly eyed me up and down, taking in my small stature. “You’re the one we’ve been emailing?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I’m D.”

“Then what about Jasmine?” Aiden asked, confused.

“I was Jasmine,” I calmly said to Aiden. “Much in the same way you were Ella.” I looked to Ella. “And you were Aiden.”

“You did this to us?” Ella asked.

I stood silently for a moment as I considered my answer. I was prepared to tell the truth. “I did. And I was ready to fix everything this weekend. Why did you attack Jasmine this morning?”

“I don’t want this anymore!” Aiden lashed out. “This isn’t me.”

“I tried to stop her,” Ella added. “Told her to be patient.”

“Fuck patience!” Aiden swore. “All patience got us was a month of living lives that weren’t our own. Forcing us to be people we aren’t.”

I stood there and crossed my arms, hoping Aiden wouldn’t turn violent again. Maybe I should’ve accepted more backup from the Guild.

AIden looked at my defensive posture and backed away. “I didn't mean to scare Jasmine. I- I’m still not used to how intimidating this body can be.

I nodded.

“Why?” Aiden asked me. “Why did you do this to us in the first place?”

I could easily point the blame at someone else. I could blame A2 for attempting to rape me. Or blame E for not doing anything to stop him. But that’s not why I came here. “Can I tell you about that night first?”

Aiden nodded.

“I’m in a group. We swap often. We learn by seeing things from another person’s point of view. We literally walk a mile in another member’s pair of shoes. On Halloween I was Jasmine when I ran into you two. You were both drunk, but I’m sure you remember Aiden sexually assaulting me.”

“I did no such thing!” Ella spoke up, finally showing some emotion.

“You kinda did,” Aiden said, looking derisively at Ella. “Yeah, I remember that part.”

“And you didn't stop him,” I said, pointing at Aiden. “You’re an accomplice. I had no choice but to find a way to escape.”

“What did you want me to do?” Aiden tried to defend her then-inactions. “I was a girl. Aiden was a strong guy. The… the look in Jasmine’s… your eyes that night was the same look she gave me this morning. I had become the monster.”

“I am not a monster,” Ella retorted.

A pregnant silence filled the Kappa Nu office. I think it was time to swap them back.

“So you know the truth now," I said. “I’m assuming you both want to swap back. I can call up my friend, and we can forget about this whole thing and all go our separate ways.”

“What about me?” Ella asked. “Did you ask if I want to go back?”

I sighed. Of course. “Do you want to go back to your old body?”

“No. You heard her. I’m a monster. But when I’m Ella, I’m not a monster. People treat me differently. Girls come up and say hi to me instead of actively avoiding me.”

“But you want to swap back?” I asked AIden.

Aiden slowly nodded his approval.

“We have a rule,” I explained. “The body’s owner gets the final say. Sorry, Ella, you’re not the owner of that body.”

“Fine,” Ella hissed.

“Are you ready?” I asked, looking from one to the other.

They both nodded in acceptance.

“Morgan?” I said out loud.

A few seconds later, Morgan came into the office.

“Wait, I recognize you,” Aiden spat in disgust. “You’re Jasmine’s lesbo roommate. You were hitting on my sorority sisters.”

“Well, never mind then,” Morgan sang in a mocking tone, as she turned around and reached for the door.

“Wait!” Ella called out. “She didn’t mean it.”

Morgan stopped and faced Aiden waiting for him to apologize.

Aiden sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re lucky I'm in a forgiving mood.” Morgan turned to me. “Are we ready to do this?”

I turned my focus to Aiden and Ella. “OK, I need Aiden and Ella to hold hands with me and Morgan.”

I held Ella’s hand and Morgan’s hand. I could feel the stone in Morgan's palm pressing up against my own.

I silently started counting to five.

All of a sudden, Aiden’s eyes popped open and his facial expression shifted from resignation to resistance. Then he pulled his hand away from the stone.

“Wait, no!” I shouted as I felt the familiar vertigo shift around me. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

When the world stopped spinning, I saw Aiden running out of the office. I looked around and saw Morgan and Kaylee standing there. The realization stunned me that I wasn’t Kaylee anymore.

I looked down at my body. I was Ella.