It had only been one day, but somehow things were already starting to settle.
Janine—Jon, once upon a time—was almost grateful that her husband, Zack’s dad, was away on a three-week business trip. That explained the big house, she supposed, and gave her breathing room to figure things out.
And, apparently, she had a job too. A secretary for a local dentist.
The first morning had been humiliating: Zack standing in the doorway, smirking, coaching her through putting on a bra properly, buttoning a blouse, smoothing a skirt, even taming her hair into something professional. She’d hated how easy it became—how quickly her hands seemed to know what to do, as though this body had muscle memory of its own.
Answering calls, scheduling appointments, handling bills… it came naturally. Worse, it was calming.
By the time she got home, Zack was sprawled on the living room floor with two other boys, glued to the wrestling match on TV. Within minutes, they were reenacting the moves, shrieking with laughter, pinning each other to the carpet.
Janine froze in the doorway, watching him—her sister, now her son—laughing harder than she’d ever seen Zoe laugh. He looked utterly at home.
When he spotted her, Zack shoved one of his friends away and hopped up. “Oh, hey, Mom! This is Jace and Conner. Remember? I asked last week if they could sleep over?” He grinned wide. “Here they are!”
Something in this world must have planned it long before yesterday’s wish, because she found herself smiling back, nodding. “Okay. We’ll get takeaway tonight.”
“Pizza!” all three boys shouted at once.
“Pepperoni!” Zack added, pumping his fist.
“And pineapple!” Conner chimed in—only to be tackled instantly by the other two, who declared pineapple an unforgivable crime.
Janine chuckled despite herself. Good. At least some things never change. Pineapple on pizza will never enter this house.
Leaving them to their chaos, she called over her shoulder, “I’m going for a bath, then I’ll be in my office. Call me if you need anything. We’ll eat in four hours.”
“Okay, Mom!” Zack’s voice rang out, followed by another round of mock-wrestling shrieks.
She sighed, climbing the stairs, wine glass in hand. Zoe—no, Zack—had wanted this, and he was thriving. It was unnerving how naturally he played the part of a nine-year-old boy.
Janine, meanwhile, was starting to understand why mothers loved their baths so much. Her back ached from heels and the damned bra straps cutting into her shoulders. The thought of sinking into hot water with a glass of wine was intoxicating.
And tomorrow was Saturday, thank God—a half-day at work.
She’d noticed something else on the family calendar too. A name. “Ken.” Labeled as Zack’s baby sister.
Her chest tightened. God, she hoped that wasn’t Karyn. She wasn’t ready to think about what had become of her best friend in this twisted new world.
“Not tonight,” she muttered, swirling her wine. “Tonight’s just for me, and this… sexy new body.”
She closed the bathroom door, already stripping off the suit. Time for hot water, silence, and pretending—for just an hour—that this new life wasn’t so terrifyingly easy to slip into.
