Without thinking, Ryan hit the 'No' button on the screen. His mind was swimming with all of the possibilities. Ryan had always felt that he had drawn the short straw so many times in life without actually choosing and without any way to change it. His brothers and cousins were tall, muscular, and good looking. They oozed confidence. He was short, fat, and plain looking and his self esteem was non-existent because of it. If Ryan didn't know any better and if he hadn't looked enough like his father, he would have assumed his mother had, had an affair. Now, he had a way to change all of it. Even if Ryan only got only got one change, he wasn't going to lose it. In one moment, he'd lost his embarrassing gut and was taller than most of the boys in his class. Ryan reached down and picked up the Chronivac with both hands, it having fallen on the hay when he stood up, he kissed it twice, "thank you, thank you, thank you" he repeated, his pants and boxers dropping as he did so. Ryan laughed a little as his eyes welled up with tears, as he stood there naked from the waist down kissing what earlier he had thought was just a gameboy.
Ryan pulled his pants and underwear up with one hand and walked over to his back back. He gently placed the chronivac in his backpack, as if it was of glass. Ryan left the hayloft and still holding his pants up crossed the yard to the house. Ryan quietly slipped past his family and up into his room. Ryan and his brothers shared an attic room accessible via fold up stairs, that was clearly not meant to be lived in. Their father had put up drywall but never got around to really completely finishing it. The roof was too low and the three twin size mattresses on the floor took up almost every inch of space. Ryan hid his backpack between his bed and the wall, his only hiding spot, put a belt on, just in time to hear his mother call everyone for dinner. The family ate dinner quickly and with the exception of the occasional "pass this or that" in silence. Breaking the silence, "Aaron and I are going to go out with some friends to a bonfire tonight," Mike said nonchalantly as the kids cleared the table. The parents approved without asking a question, farming was hard work and they were too tired to really care about what on its face seemed innocent enough. As the twins got ready to head out for the night, Ryan went over to join them. "Let me come to, guys" he asked filled with a little extra confidence thanks to his changes. Aaron and Mike looked at each other, and Ryan could tell they were coming up with a way to say No, so he continued, "Come on, I'm 16, I'm not going to tell on you, I promise I won't embarrass you, don't leave me here with Mom and Dad". "No" Aaron grunted. Mike laughed, "loser" and the two headed to the front door. Ryan was crestfallen, he walked over to the attic ladder and slowly climbed up, the confidence he had felt earlier had been wiped away by his brothers summary dismissal, they hadn't dismissed him like they always did.
Ryan laid on his bed staring at the ceiling, it would be another Friday night at home alone. Ryan couldn't help but replay the exchange with his brothers over and over again in his mind. What had he ever done to them? Why were they always so mean to him? Mike and Aaron had always treated Ryan like an outsider. Most of his family did. Ryan use to take solace in the fact that they were 4 years into the best 4 years of their lives. Next year they'd be out of high school and they'd be just two more farmers talking about their glory days. Ryan wondered what was happening at the party. He found himself stuck between thinking the gathering was stupid and desperately wanting to be there. Ryan's anger slowly built, if his brothers and cousins didn't want him around then he wouldn't bother them anymore. He'd use the chronivac to make himself into whatever he wanted to be. Whoever he wanted to be. And for their years of abuse, not only would Ryan not help his family, he would actively punish them. Ryan would take everything from them. Ryan reached behind his bed and grabbed his back pack, he booted up the chronivac. Lets begin, he thought to himself.