Then, a blank slate, she began to redress, donning her identity with a set of clothes the old Zoe wouldn't have been caught dead in...well, maybe the sexy underwear. But, over it was a simple blue dress.
Zoe looked wholesome, earthy, and had a wide smile on her face as she headed down the stairs...and nearly tripped over a pair of sneakers. She scowled, and picked them up, and stomped into Linda's room.
"My sneakers!"
"They were on the stairs. And I nearly tripped over them."
"But I checked there..."
"Honestly, Linda, you are completely irresponsible. I'm not asking you for much. But you are old enough to help around the house instead of playing video games with your friends."
"But..."
"No, buts. After school, I want you straight home to do your homework. And then we'll talk more about this." Zoe said.
"Yes, mom," he said, grabbing his bookbag and slinking out. Something about that was very satisfying to Zoe for some reason she didn't understand.
She turned, and caught a glimpse of her husband, Mark, standing there. "Weren't you a bit hard on the kid?"
"Maybe," she admitted, moving toward him. "But there was all this yelling about missing shoes, and there they were. And all the video games, and..." She sighed. "I think after I get Jonny to school, I'm going to try to relax. Maybe I did overreact."
He put his arms around her. "That's the Zoe I know," he said. "Sweet, kind...try not to let the kids get to you. You're a great mom." He pulled her in for a kiss.
Meanwhile, Karen, his former wife, paused at the visage, as she started toward the door. Wasn't that her husband? Was she married? She wasn't sure. She couldn't be, she decided. She'd never seen these people before in her life.
