"Minus seventeen years, seven months!" Let's see how Jon likes being only a couple weeks old aga-
Karyn suddenly found herself on her back, staring up at the food court ceiling. She was pinned down by something warm and heavy, she couldn't move her arms or legs. She tried to look around, and to her horror discovered that she couldn't lift her head up either. She heard a familiar sound a few feet beside her. Jon was crying. And another noise, quieter but growing louder. Two sets of heels on the tiled floor, and voices. "-was wondering when you would show up. I was grabbing us these drinks. Don't worry, I kept my eyes on them the whole time." It was Joan's voice, nineteen again.
Why couldn't she move? Panicked, Karyn started to scream. Or tried to. It felt like her lungs couldn't take in enough air, and all that came out was a sobbing whine. "Poor dears. They've woken up," said a vaguely familiar voice. "When was she feed?"
"I gave her the bottle during supper, Beth. But maybe she's hungry again."
And Karyn felt arms wrapping around her head and back as she stared into her mother's face. Except Bethany Black had de-aged as Joan Stevenson had. As Jon had. And, Karyn realized with horror, as she had. Her mother got pregnant with when she was twenty one, and now she looked uncannily like Karyn did a minute ago, down to the long blonde hair that had changed along with Karyn's. Beth lifted her out of the stroller and placed her against her shoulder. As she started rummaging around in a diaper bag, Karyn saw Joan kiss Jon on the forehead and place a pacifier in his mouth.
"Supper time," her mother said in a sing-song voice, and darkness fell on Karyn as a blanket was dropped on her. A hand reached in and undid some buttons, and she found herself looking at her mother's left breast, as big as hers used to be. No, bigger, her mother was nursing, after all. As if an echo, Karyn heard herself say, "Hey, that's completely natural. Besides, it's nothing you haven't done before." At first, Karyn tried to resist, but her mother was insistent, slowly guiding Karyn with the hand on the back of her head. Eventually, she gave up, and clamped her mouth on her mother's nipple. The milk surprised her, not just the taste but also the temperature. The warm milk filling her tiny stomach was... soothing. Beth started rocking back and forth, humming, and Karyn found herself drifting off, her tongue pressing against her mother's nipple as she instinctively suckled.
By the time her mother had switched sides, Karyn was almost asleep. She didn't hear the sound of stone scraping on wood as Joan asked, "What's this?"
