He rushed for the bathroom and locked the door, then gazed into the mirror. A fourteen year old version of himself was staring back at him. Taller, more mature...
"This can't be happening," he said. He opened the door slowly, and saw someone standing there. It was a girl...about his age...his old age.
She looked annoyed at him. "Are you done yet?" She clearly knew him, and...she looked a little like his mom. But he'd never seen her before.
He quickly hurried out of the bathroom, pausing only to catch a glimpse of the family photo at the top of the stairs. The only person who looked familiar in it was his Mom. Zoe was the oldest in the picture, wearing some sort of formal Goth dress. He was the middle child, and then there was this new girl. Where was Jon?
"It's just like out of a comic book," he muttered. He went to find his mother, and found her standing in her room, getting ready for work. "Mom...something is going on?"
"What, dear?" She asked.
"Everything's changed."
"What do you mean?"
"I..the family. It's like magic,' he said. "Zoe and I are older, and Jon isn't in the family photo."
"Jon?" Linda said, blankly.
"Your son...my older brother."
Another blank look. "You're my only son, Michael," she said.
"But...it isn't supposed to be this way. I was holding this," he pulled out the rock, "and suddenly, everything was different."
She took it, and looked at it carefully. "It's a rock," she said. "Is this some sort of joke?"
"No, Mom...I promise."
She looked at him. "I don't know what is going on with you, Michael...but I wish you would act like a normal boy your age." The stone flashed. "What was that?" She asked.
"It did that before too...just before things changed," Mikey said, feeling odd. He couldn't place it, but something was bothering him. "Shit, I'm going to be late for school," he said.
"Language," she said.
But Mikey was suddenly hurrying to grab his bag. He didn't want to be late for first period math, despite the fact he didn't know why he was suddenly so concerned about it.
Linda looked at the stone, and hid it in one of her drawers. Her son was right, something was going on, but she wasn't sure what. Until she found out, she had to take her daughter to school.
