“If it’s all the same to you,” Kellie said quietly. “Why don’t we just spend the day as ourselves.”
“Oh thank god,” Adult Kellie sighed in relief, causing her fiancé to laugh while Katie and Kellie gave her an odd look. “Sorry,” she blushed. “It’s just that after the whole Thanksgiving thing I wasn’t looking forward to getting younger for a little while.”
“What happened at Thanksgiving,” Katie asked.
Adult Katie composed herself as she told the story of how her and her friends were reduced to infancy. Katie and Kellie stared in shock as they learned how Lisa and her mother repaired their damaged relationship. Thanks to her little sister, Lisa was on good terms with her family.
“So the whole world was made 20 years younger,” Katie exclaimed. “That’s incredible! I didn’t realize the ring had that much power.”
“It definitely does,” Adult Katie said. “I was so proud of Gloria for that. She was even able to keep people who weren’t alive 20 years ago from being affected.”
Katie and Kellie sat in stun silence as their adult doppelgängers relayed the events of that day. “Yeah it was pretty impressive,” Adult Kellie sighed. “Just wish we didn’t all have to end up back in diapers.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Adult Katie giggled, causing her fiancé to frown. “Yeah right,” Adult Kellie grumbled.
“So,” Katie asked quietly. “What was it like?”
Adult Kellie took a deep breath as she looked at the two teens in front of her. “Well it was mostly the waiting that was torture,” she sighed. “It happened in pairs and it took a few minutes before you were a baby. Mika and Claudia were the first and watching them slowly get younger kinda put it in perspective that your turn was coming.”
“At least we were second,” Adult Katie smirked, trying to find a bright side.
“That wasn’t much better Kat,” she grumbled. “It took what five, ten minutes for us to become babies. We just stood their growing younger and smaller in front of everyone. All the time it was happening they kept asking ‘how does it feel’ or ‘you doing okay’ or ‘omg you were so cute at that age’. Trust me, the last thing I wanted to talk about as I’m going through my reverse childhood is how I’m feeling.”
Adult Katie gave her fiancé a sad smile before giving her a tender kiss on the lips. “I know Kel,” she sighed. “And I want to thank you guys for doing that with me. You didn’t have to, but you did. It meant so much to me.”
Adult Kellie grinned before taking her fiancés hand in hers. “Well can’t let the future Mrs. Carlson do something like that on her own, what kind of a wife would I be then.”
“Wait,” Katie exclaimed. “You two are getting married!!”
The two adults nodded as Katie now showed off her ring to the two teens. “Yeah next winter,” she said happily. “Although, I thought you were going to be the future Mrs. O’Toole?”
Katie sat dumbfounded watching the two adults before turning to Kellie. “So in another timeline,” Katie whispered. “We...we actually started dating?” Kellie shifted nervously as she looked at Katie, she hadn’t mentioned that to her previously to worried about making her uncomfortable. Now that it was out she felt she needed to explain it further.
“Like Merlin said in different timelines things can turn out differently,” she stated. “In their timeline the two of them start dating and as you can see, they get married.” Katie rubbed her temples as she looked between the three. “Okay this is a bit much to handle,” she said. “I mean..we just met what, a couple weeks ago? And in another timeline you and me......we.we...get married?!?!” Kellie nodded sheepishly as she turned red in the face.
Adult Katie had watched the exchange and could see that her teenage self was having a hard time coming to terms with this. “Well a different reality,” she said. “For example I heard that the Lisa in your timeline is your twin while mine is my aunt.”
“And she’s pregannt,” Kellie added.
Kellies jaw dropped as she stared at her adult self. “Lisa’s pregnant,” she exclaimed, leaping to her feet. “How? I mean, when? She’s...pregnant!!!” Sinking to the floor Kellie now tried to process this information. Lisa, her little sister, was preganant with a child of her own now. It seemed beyond comprehension to her that Lisa would even consider having any more children. Unable to form an answer she just stared slack jawed at her daughter and her fiancé.
“Lisa is going to freak when she hears that,” Katie giggled. “It freaked her out enough to not only meet her but find out she was married.”
“Wait Lisa has been here,” Adult Kellie asked to which Katie happily nodded. Kellie now turned to her fiancé, a frown etched across her face. “You never told me Lisa had been here,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “In fact I didn’t even know about this place until a hour ago. How many times have you been here Kat?”
Adult Katie blushed crimson as she sheepishly rubbed her neck. “Um maybe three or four times. The first time was when Lisa and Ann thought you were their sister.”
“Three or four times,” Kellie huffed. “And when were you going to tell me?”
“Well I’m telling you now,” Katie whined. “And besides every time I came here it was for a good reason. The other two times were because I needed to help Kellie here with Mary Elise.”
Adult Kellie frowned before turning to the two teens. “Guess I’m the last to know these things,” she huffed. “Kellie if you two ever start dating try not to follow this ones example and keep magical secrets.” The two teens turned towards each other blushing furiously as the Adult Katie began to complain. “That’s so unfair,” Adult Katie whined. “I was going to tell you eventually. Things have been crazy lately though, I’m sorry.”
“”I forgive you Kat,” Adult Kellie said. “But your still sleeping on the couch tonight.”
Adult Katie groaned as the two teens now tried to suppress giggles. As the conversation now began to lighten Kellie escaped into her thoughts. Lisa was pregnant now, the news both made her nervous and filled her with joy. All she wanted to do now was go and hug the woman and wish her congratulations. With all the talk of secrets though she now pondered another thing. She was originally Katie’s mother before she was transformed into a 16 year old girl and given a second chance at life. Kellie now wondered if she should reveal this information to her adult self and her former kid sister.