Mary continued reading the occult book, until there was a bright flash of light, causing her to drop it and raise her hands to her eyes. The light was so blinding that closing her eyelids just wasn't enough. And then the light was gone.
She opened her eyes and looked around, wondering what could have caused that white-hot light. And that's when she saw her reflection in one of the cabin's mirrors. She was back to normal!
"They did it. I'm normal again," she whispered. Then she looked down at the book she was reading. It was sitting on the floor. She reached down and picked it up. If she was so normal, then why did she have the impulse to continue reading it? That certainly wasn't what a good Catholic woman would do. But even so, she couldn't shake the feeling that what she was doing was right.
She opened the book and, after hesitating for a moment, began to continue where she left off.
Steve Farber walked down the aisle of the Goth store he found, while walking seemingly aimlessly around the neighborhood. The place was called the Occult Stop. And while he had been there before (right outside, actually), he hadn't remembered. It was right after he swapped with Trevor Blake and started walking home.
He picked up a CD, featuring death metal music. He smiled. He had never listened to that type of music before, but he had this feeling that he'd like it. More and more, there were things about this new life that he was starting to like. And as much as Trevor wanted Steve's life, Steve was now finding that he wanted Trevor's life. It was very strange, but it just felt right.
Steve put the CD back and reached for another one. And that's when it happened. The entire store was bathed in a bright white light. It was so bright that he needed to cover his eyes with his hands. And when it was gone and he opened his eyes, he saw that the people roaming the aisles looked different. He turned and looked at his reflection in a nearby window and realized that he too looked different ... or rather, back to normal. He was back to looking like his normal jock self.
But instead of being relieved, he snarled at this turn of events. He didn't want his old life. He wanted to be Goth. He paused for a moment, wondering if that was truly how he felt. It was certainly an odd feeling. But one look at the death metal CD's told him that he did really want to have Trevor's life afterall. Or at least a Goth boy's life. And he didn't give a fuck what others thought about that.
Jack continued to sit next to the person who looked like his father. He was still holding out hope that maybe his father could come back, even though all the evidence pointed to the fact that he was gone for good. This man Michael Johnson wasn't his father. Not only was he black instead of white, but he was also nearly the same age as Jack, maybe a little younger. It was just so strange to experience something like this.
He leaned back in his chair and that was when it happened. The entire hospital room was flooded with white-hot light, causing him to shut his eyes immediately. Somewhere out in the hall, Jack heard a tray hit the floor. One of the nurses must have dropped it. He could hear the clattering of whatever was on the tray hitting the floor as well.
And then the light was gone. He opened his eyes and saw that his father was gone, replaced by a thirty-something black man. It was Michael Johnson, the man who was there the whole time, hiding behind the image of his father.
Jack slumped into his chair. Then Dad really is dead, he thought.
There was a bright flash of light, and then it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
Chris Benitez opened his eyes and then opened them even wider.
"No, no, no, no!" he yelled. He was back to normal. He didn't look like Sarah McMillan anymore. He had her life and now it was all gone!
Just as the light began to dissipate, Sarah opened her eyes. It was really bright and it hurt her eyes, but she needed to see where she was. From what she could see in the split second she was given, she was in some sort of small metal room. There was some junk in the corner, making her think she was in some sort of shed. At least she wasn't in someone's basement. Being outside gave her better chance at being rescued. If she just yelled loudly enough, maybe someone could hear her.
"Help! Someone help me!" she screamed as loudly as she could.
"You can go now," the agent said, after opening the door.
"Where's my son?" Jane demanded.
"He's not here."
"Then where is he?" Jane asked.
The agent sighed. "Listen, I don't know where your son is, and frankly, I don't care. Just go, okay? Go ask some cop. I'm busy," he said, before turning around and walking down the hall.
Jane glared at him, then made her way out of the building. Once she left, she realized where she was and headed in the direction of her house. On the way, she spotted her reflection in a storefront window and realized why she was probably released. She looked like herself again. And if she looked like herself, maybe Jon looked like himself too. It certainly made it easier for her to find him. But Lake Point was a big town. Where should she start looking?
