Max was a nice kid - he was always the nice one, never getting into trouble, doing good in school. Just a third grader, but he was teacher's pet. Quiet, polite, and even athletic for his age. Cute, too, in the way that probably would make him really handsome when he grew up. He had copper-red hair, bright green eyes, and just a smattering of freckles across his nose.
Jake was the opposite - dark hair, pale skin, brown eyes, and features that were a little too coarse and teeth that were too big. He was a troublemaker, and just barely squeaked by at school. As he got into some super-hero adventures using Max's action figures, Jake wondered how they could be so different. He wasn't aware of the faint glow that came from the action figure in his hand, only the odd thought that he sorta wished he was more like Max.
Jake's sneakers slipped off as they were crawling round the room in some mock battles, and then his shirt and jeans started to bind and bag as they slipped out of place. That was weird. Jake figured crawling round must be pulling things loose. Max was dressed for bed, wearing only his Wolverine underpants, and when he tugged at Jake's shirt, it was no big deal to pull it off. That made playing easier, and they continued the battle until Max jumped up on the bed and Jake tried to follow. His jeans fell down around his ankles!
That startled Jake enough to stop the game and look down at himself. His mouth fell open, and he turned to look in the mirror that was on back of Max's door. He could see 8 year-old Max grinning at him from the bed, but the other boy reflected back was a stranger. Maybe 10 years old, he had reddish-brown hair, hazel eyes, and a few freckles. It took a minute for Jake to accept the fact this preteen was now him! Max giggled. "The babysitter told me you would be my twin brother!" He jumped down from the bed and hugged Jake from behind. "This will be so cool!"
The action figure still clutched in Jake's hand was glowing brighter now, but he could not make himself let it go. The odd thought he had started with, about being more like Max, was now more than just an idle wish. Jake suddenly realized more than just his looks were changing. He tried to remember school, the names of his buddies, the taste of beer and the smell of pot. All that came to mind were kids Max's age, and the kind of school stuff they taught in elementary school. And the contact with Max was speeding things up. As he watched, his hair turned copper red, and his eyes brightened to the same green as Max's. Nine now, a slightly older brother. There was a curious ripple around him, and Max's room changed. The bed went from a twin to a double, and the printed-out photos taped to the door now showed two boys playing together. Two identical boys.
Jake couldn't help grinning as the last traces of his 14 year-old self vanished, and he became a perfect match to Max. Even his clothing hanged. His teen clothing vanished, and his boxers became Wolverine underoos. He felt really happy, if a little confused. Something had changed, but he could not think of what. Looking in the mirror, he and Max were the same absolutely identical twins they had always been - so perfectly matched that even their parents could not tell them apart. They talked alike, moved the same way, even had the same exact grades in school.
The door opened and the babysitter looked in. "You boys need to get ready for bed now. School day tomorrow, and your parents want you in bed by 9."
Max and Jake nodded in unison and put their toys away, though Jake held onto the one action figure he had been playing with. It was still glowing, and the babysitter knew that the magic was flowing out into the world, changing records, changing memories. When Jake woke tomorrow morning, his old life would be totally gone. Everyone would know him only as one of the twins.