“Listen I just need you two to get here as quickly as possible,” Ann sighed.
“Okay Aunt Ann,” Katie answered. “I can get their but it going to be hard getting a hold of Gloria. It’s not as easy for her to miss high school as it is for me.”
“Just find a way,” Ann grumbled. “You have an all powerful magical necklace. I’m sure you can conjure up something or whatever.” Katie agreed quietly before hanging up. Ann now sighed as she leaned against the wall of the bathroom.
“I shouldn’t of been so harsh with her,” Ann thought. “Maybe this is starting to get to me mentally as well? Hopefully those two can figure this out, for right now though I need to get back to my office.” Ann peaked out into the office. Most of the employees were now high school age or younger. Ann could see a group of girls around 7 coloring on the walls as a group of preteen boys played a game of basketball with garbage cans and paper. Ann carefully tread through the chaos before reaching her office. Sighing she leaned heavily against the door.
“This is crazy,” she mumbled. “This place is looking more and more like a daycare center.” Ann now reached into her purse, producing her compact. Gazing at her reflection critically she frowned. “I can’t be more than 25 now,” she thought. “If the girls can’t fix this soon I’m going to end up joining the others.” A knock on Ann’s office caused the woman to jump. “Who is it,” she stammered.
“Ann it’s McIntyre,” the voice said. “Are you feeling okay? Can I come in?”
Panic gripped Ann as she frantically looked around her office. Although she was concerned that she was getting younger she quickly realized he was as well. “Of..of course,” She stammered. Quickly she opened the door, catching a gasp that tried to escape her lips.
A 20 year old McIntyre now entered Ann’s office, a look of concern etched on his young and handsome face. Ann found the young man to be quite attractive at this age but quickly tried to shake the thought from her head, this was her boss after all. “Sorry sir,” she said quietly. “I...I wasn’t feeling so well after the meeting.”
“It’s quite all right Ann,” he said kindly. “After all your one of my best employees, your practically me right arm around here. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Ann stared in stunned silence as she tried to process McIntyre’s words. She knew that the old man respected her, she just never realized how much. “Th...thank you sir,” She stammered.
McIntyre gave her a kind smile, before placing his hand on her shoulder. Ann couldn’t help but notice that his suit now seemed quite baggy, the sleeves having inched over his wrist slightly. “Your welcome Ann,” he smiled, blushing slightly. “I’ve always thought the world of you Ann. You really are such an asset here.”The two twenty somethings looked at in awkward silence.
“Mr. McIntyre, Mr. McIntyre!”
Ann looked to where the childish voice was coming from gawking as she saw Stephanie Marsh. Ann’s former rival was now an innocent looking girl of 8. Somewhere between the board room and her office Stephanie had lost her heels, nylons and skirt. The girl now stood barefoot in front of them, her blouse and jacket covering her to her knees. Giving a gaped tooth smile she now held up a drawing for McIntyre.
“I made this for you sir,” she said. McIntyre took the crayon drawing of a pony and smiled down at the young girl. “Oh thank you Stephanie,” he said. “This is such great work. Good job.” Stephanie smiled up at McIntyre before frowning at Ann.
“What is she doing here,” she said grumpily. “Well it is her office,” McIntyre explained. Stephanie frowned before sticking out her tongue at Ann and running off to join the others. Ann watched the girl in shock as she now happily began playing with another group of girls. Stephanie now jumped on chairs with a few other girls, her bright red toenail polish garishly shining in the office lighting.
“You’ll have to excuse Stephanie,” McIntyre sighed. “That girl is so competitive. She thinks she has to beat you in everything to prove herself.”
“She’s a pain in the ass,” Ann grumbled, causing McIntyre to laugh.
“Sort of,” he chuckled. “But you’d be surprised, she actually has a lot of respect for you. When she started she saw you and aspired to be just like you. Your kind of her hero, despite how she acts.”
“No way,” Ann gaped as she looked at the happy 8 year old. “Stephanie can’t stand me.”
“Your wrong their Ann,” McIntyre countered. “She actually like you a lot. She’s just not very good at showing it. It surprises me that you two haven’t become friends. You two are exactly alike.”
Ann just stared at McIntyre, unable to think that her and Stephanie could ever be friends. “Just promise me you’ll try to talk with her soon,” McIntyre asked. “I really want you two to become friends. I think it would be good....for both of you.”
“Okay sir I’ll try,” Ann nodded.
“Great,” McIntyre said happily. “Anyway hope I wasn’t interrupting you Ann. When your feeling better I hope you can join us. We’re playing capture the flag soon.” Ann just grunted in response as she closed the door to her office. “That was surreal,” she thought. “And I’m pretty sure I’m the oldest in the office right now, just not sure for how much longer.”
As Ann pondered what McIntyre said Katie, Gloria and Lisa now appeared in her office. Ann let out a yelp of surprise, almost stumbling out of her oversized heels. “Geez you startled me,” she groaned. Straightening out her outfit she now looked the three of them over. “Why did you bring Lisa?”
Katie and Gloria now turned to Lisa who was sheepishly rubbing her neck. “Well,” Lisa said meekly. “Your not going to believe this Ann.”
“Believe what?”
Lisa turned to Katie and Gloria, motioning for them to answer in her place. “Well Aunt Ann,” Gloria started. “Your never going to believe this. Me and Katie both went to see Merlin about this. Neither one of us had anything to do with this by the way.”
“Then who did,” Ann asked as she became 23.
“We weren’t sure at first,” Katie said. “We thought someone else might be making you and the others younger so we had Merlin investigate. He examined the magic that’s affecting you. It turns out it’s related to us.”
“What do you mean related?”
“Okay Ann this is where it gets weird,” Gloria said quickly. “The magic me and Gloria use is pretty similar. Think of like blood siblings. They share common traits like hair color, eyes, skin color, etc. mine and Katie’s magic is the same way. The magic we use is related and it turns out the magic affecting you is related to us as well.”
“How,” Ann said curiously. “I mean Lisa and my folks don’t have magic. You two are the only ones with magic in the family.”
“Apparently they’re not the only ones,” Lisa sighed as she pointed to her stomach. Ann’s eyes went wide as she now gazed first at Lisa’s stomach before gaping at Katie and Gloria. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“Nope no joke,” Lisa groaned. “This one right here apparently felt a little bad about that you couldn’t relive your teen years. So she decided to make your job a little more fun.”
“Lisa,” Ann exclaimed. “How is that even freaking possible! Your like what a month pregnant!? How does she have that much magic already?”
“You think I have any idea,” Lisa groaned. “This is bugging me out as much as you. I’m just happily sitting at work when these two and Merlin show up and tell me ‘Hey congratulations, your carrying a freaking wizard in your uterus.’”
Ann just gaped at the three of them unable to comprehend that fact that Lisa’s unborn child could have this much power. “So can she stop this?”
“I don’t know,” Lisa shrugged in annoyance. “You need to ask her?”
Ann felt ridiculous as she now found herself staring at Lisa’s stomach. “Ummm hi,” She stammered. “It’s ummm your Aunt Ann. Say uh, you think you can kinda knock this off? Your aunt has a busy day ahead of her.”
Ann sat in silence for a moment before a chill spread over her body. Looking over herself she could see her business coat becoming baggier on her. Quickly picking up her mirror she sighed as she saw an 18 year old version of herself staring back at her. “Oh cmon!”
“Aunt Ann listen,” Gloria said. “Look don’t ask me why she decided to do this but maybe she’s trying to help. You said yourself the job has been stressing you out and making you lonely. Maybe...maybe she just wants you to have some fun for an afternoon?”
“And maybe make some new friends,” Katie added. “You know it’s always easier making friends when your a kid.”
Ann sighed in annoyance as she looked at the three of them. “So theirs no way any of you can stop this?”
“We could,” Katie answered. “But I’m pretty sure she would just do it again. And next time it could be at a very inopportune time. She seems to think that you need this so you may just want to roll with it.”
Ann sighed. She could fight for her adulthood and risk her unborn niece making her younger again anytime she wished or roll with the spell and end up back in grade school. She needed to think her options over now before her unborn niece made the decide for her.