As adult Lisa now began calling Katie and Gloria, Lynne gaped at the young teen in front of her. She had seen her mother use age magic before (she fondly recalled the time Lisa became 6 when she was a kid after catching a stomach bug and being unable to go to a sleepover), this though was different.
Somehow the girl in front of Lynne had been made more than physically younger. Lisa appeared to be every bit the 13 year old now. From her mannerisms, to her emotions, to her speech Lisa not looked younger, she was acting younger. Clearing her throat she decided to question this girl about herself.
“So you said you ur in the eighth grade,” she asked, noticing the grumpynlook on the teens face. Lisa frowned as she looked at Lynne. “Yeah now I am,” she grumbled. “But I was in high school. Your stupid magic made me too young. Now I can’t remember anything about high school anymore.” Lisa groaned in exasperation before shoving the older teen.
“Ow What the hell,” Lynne cried. “Geez your angry. What’s your deal?”
“You can’t just go around making people younger or older Lynne,” Lisa exclaimed. “People tend to start freaking out if all the sudden they start going through puberty in reverse. I mean look at me, I’m actually shorter than you are now.”
Lynne looked the young teen up and down, surprised that she was indeed an inch or two taller than her mother now. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “If it helps though you did sound like my mom for a second.”
“I don’t feel like a mom,” Lisa whimpered. “I don’t even feel very adult right now. I mean..I know I’m supposed to be but your stupid spell is turning me more and more into a kid. I’m like, losing my maturity...acting like some petulant teenager. It like....super sucks.”
Lynne could only nod in agreement as she gazed at the sullen looking girl. This Lisa may look like her mother but she was only a shell of the woman she usually was. Ironically if Lynne didn’t know any better, it was her. “Wow,” she breathed. “Grandma was right, we really are pretty similar.”
Lynne now approached the girl, keeping her guard up in case the angry young girl decided to hit her yet again. “Hey Lis...Mom,” Lynne said slowly. “Look, I’m sorry that you kind of had your youth forced on you again but, it is really cool meeting this version of you.”
Lisa looked at the teen, slightly confused. She appreciated that Lynne had corrected herself and called her mom but she wasn’t quite sure what she meant. “Um thanks but what do you mean?”
“Well I never really thought you would understand me,” Lynne stated. “Yeah I’ve seen you younger before but you were always like, too grown up. This version of you kinda of reminds me of Well....me.”
Lisa paused as she looked at teenage daughter, she supposed it was good that the two could find some common ground, even if the idea of having a child seemed odd to her now. “Thanks I think,” she said. Sighing she looked at Lynne a look of concern on her face. “Lynne do you think you can fix this? I’m....im starting to forget what it’s like to be a grownup. Just the idea of me being a mom...it seems really weird.”
“Really how?”
“My parents won’t even let me date yet,” Lisa sighed. “Their like so old fashion and stuff. They say I have to wait til I’m in high school, which is so unfair. I mean, I’m like super mature for 13, but no their like No Lisa your still too young. Ugh so annoying, I’ve barely had the chance to kiss anyone, it’s super frustrating being treated like a kid.”
Lynne just sat in awe as she listened to her teenage mom. Those were her feelings last year. She had felt that way when Lisa and Jason said she had to wait til high school, she had thought it unfair too. Amazingly she had watched Lisa slip back for a moment to the 13 year old girl she once was. A girl very much like Lynne who was stubborn and in a rush to grow up. Lynne could only groan silently as she realized, she was her mother’s daughter.
“Ugh Sorry,” Lisa groaned, slightly embarrassed. “Kind of slipped for a sec there, Ugh it’s getting really hard to keep thinking of myself as an adult. All these, feelings from being 13 the first time keep slipping through.”
“No mom,” Lynne said quietly. “It’s...Okay, I can relate.”
As the two teens now stared at each other silently they were slowly coming to an understanding. They really were way too similar.