The air in the backyard suddenly feels heavier. The smell of barbecue smoke and sizzling steaks mixes with something sharp and electric—like ozone before a storm. You grip the side of your chair, heart pounding.
Ben and Alex—now both giggling girls in school uniforms that hadn’t been there seconds ago—stare at you expectantly. Their voices are still familiar, but lighter, melodic in a way that’s uncanny.
Your skin prickles. At first, it feels like pins and needles rushing across your arms, but then it spreads down your spine. The world tilts, and your clothes feel wrong on you, too big in some places, too tight in others.
You stumble forward, catching your reflection in the sliding glass door.
It’s happening.
Your jawline softens. Your shoulders narrow. Your hair lengthens in a smooth rush, brushing against your cheek. The boy staring back at you fades away—and a younger girl’s face replaces it, her wide eyes mirroring your own shock.
The ground seems farther away as your height shifts. Your shirt hangs awkwardly before reshaping into a neat blouse with a pleated skirt fluttering around your legs. Your voice cracks when you try to speak, then steadies into a high, unfamiliar pitch.
Alex clasps her hands together, eyes shining.
“I knew it! The spell’s randomness finally caught up with you!”
Ben smirks, twirling a strand of her new hair.
“Guess we’re classmates again, huh? Back to square one.”
They both look at you, their grins wide with a strange excitement.
The Wave hadn’t just changed your gender. It had dragged you all back to a time when life was simpler—or maybe more complicated than ever.
“Come on,” Alex says, tugging your hand. “School’s waiting!”
You realize with a sinking, thrilling certainty: your childhood isn’t over. It’s starting all over again—this time on very different terms.