Ann nor Jackie noticed the ring glow as they nuzzled into one another before it was too late. Confused by a sudden glow the age crossed lovers did not get a chance to say anything as they vanished, leaving behind two empty wedding dresses. That was not the last of the changes though as a ripple now began to spread.
Ann’s apartment was the first to change as the business woman’s belongings vanished one by one into the ether. From their the ripple spread out. Stephanie and Michelle (Ann’s work friends) were the next to feel it’s effects. The two were at their homes when the wave cascaded over them. Stunned the two business women said nothing as they shrank backwards in age, eventually leaving nothing but their empty clothing behind. The wave spread further, changing everything it touched until everyone in this timeline was affected. Ann and Jackie had created an alternate reality. A reality where Ann was now the youngest daughter of Kellie and Katie’s little sister.
*********
Ann groaned as the alarm went off in her room. Blinking she gazed at the offending object before slamming her fist down upon it. “Hey wake up Ann we’re going to be late.”
Ann gazed up with bleary eyes as her step sister Gloria now stood in her doorway. “Ugh fine,” she groaned, brushing back her dyed pixie cut hair. “I’m up.”
“Well hurry up Okay,” Gloria stated in an almost motherly tone. “Mom is busy with Lynne so she doesn’t have time to yell.” Ann frowned as she gazed at her step sister. Gloria was too perfect. Great hair, great body, cute face and everyone loved her. It annoyed the goth teen to no end that her Aunt Lisa, her adopted mother, seemed to like Gloria more than her own niece. “I heard you Glo,” Ann groaned. “Now can you give me a minute Ugh.” Gloria frowned, almost disapprovingly as she made her way downstairs.
Ann slowly got out of bed,neighing as she gazed at her appearance. Ann wouldn’t say she was ugly but she definitely didn’t feel attractive, especially compared to her too perfect step sister. The freshman girl was skinny, with small b cup breasts and a cute face. Ann now brushed her dyed pixie cut hair out of her eyes and sighed. “Guess this is as good as it’s going to get.”
As Ann descended the stairs she could already see Lisa feeding Lynne as she hurried to get Ann and Gloria’s things ready. “Morning Angel,” Lisa said as she now burped Lynne. “Was wondering when you were going to make an appearance.”
“I tried waking her up mom,” Gloria said. “But you know Ann, she’s a bear in the morning.” Ann grit her teeth as Lisa and Gloria chuckled. This always frustrated Ann to no end, playing second fiddle. First to her older sister Katie. Katie and Ann had been adopted by Lisa following the death of their mother Kellie, when Ann was born. Lisa has been 24 at the time, only starting to begin her career as a model and beach volleyball player. While she was busy, she couldn’t refuse her older sisters wishes and took the girls in, making them her own. While Katie and Lisa got along great, Ann and Lisa had a bit of a strained relationship sometimes.
Lisa was athletic, outgoing, and interested in things that Ann had no interest in at anytime in her life. Ann was quiet, studious, she loved art and it only led to numerous fights when Ann said she wanted to be an artist not an athlete. Lisa tried to understand the girl, but it was hard. Ann, while an introvert, was assertive when she needed to be. She hated sports, hated the popular kids, and would rather paint quietly in her room than hang out with other girls her age. Lisa tried to steer her towards those things but Ann wholeheartedly refused. “You two done,” she grumbled as she narrowed her eyes.
Gloria noticed the look her sister was giving her, blushing as she mumbled an apology before darting into the other room. “Ann,” Lisa sighed. “It was a joke. She’s your sister, she’s just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Step sister,” Ann responded. Lisa could only sigh as she handed the dreary goth girl her backpack before giving her a hug.
As the sisters headed towards the bus stop in silence, Ann began to think about her first year of high school. Ann and Gloria had been gifted magic by Katie. Katie, Ann’s sister, had discovered the Ring of Age years ago when she was in high school. Throughout the years she and her friends had numerous adventures with magic but, after gaining newer items they decided to hand down the Ring of Age. The problem though was Katie now had two sisters after Lisa had married her long time boyfriend Jason Turner the previous year. While Ann though Katie would give the time to her, she was crestfallen when she discovered she and Gloria would both receive Rings of Age. Since then it had been all about Gloria as Ann faded into the background.
Gloria had helped patch up the relationship between Lisa and her parents. Gloria was the one to help Lynne return home after she came to the past to warn them about Morgan LeFay. Gloria was the one that got sick with epilepsy after Morgan attacked. Gloria was the one that had lept to the rescue when Morgan LeFay attacked and it was Gloria’s that had helped defeat the all powerful sorceress. (What Ann didn’t know was that the Ring of Age hadn’t changed all of the history that had happened up til now. The only thing that had changed was that instead of being Gloria’s aunt, she was now Gloria’s sister). It drove Ann crazy that Gloria was the golden child, she had a ring too. She knew magic, just as much as anyone else. Unfortunately the only ones that ever saw it were her friends Stephanie and Michelle. As she now watched Gloria speed towards her friendsAnns heart skipped a beat.
Jackie was standing with Sasha as the three girls now talked in an animated fashion about whatever it was popular girls talked about. Ann though could see Jackie look towards her, a warm and loving smile flash across her face as she waved to her girlfriend. Ann and Jackie had only recently become an item. The two had been friends since daycare and while she may have originally been closer to Gloria, she was now very close to Ann. The young couple admitted their feelings for one another around Christmas and soon became an inseparable couple. While Ann and Jackie’s friends were supportive of them, Ann had a feeling Gloria was a bit jealous at the idea of losing her best friend to her goth step sister.
As the bus pulled up Ann followed behind Gloria and her friends, taking her usual seat next to Stephanie and Michelle. Stephanie, as always dressed in the top of the line fashion while Michelle chose something simpler. The three girls were closer than sisters and with good reason. Ann was a goth outcast and wallflower, while Stephanie was presumed to be stuck up and rich. What no one knew, besides Ann and Michelle, was that the beautiful dark haired rich rl was incredibly lonely. Stephanie’s parents were never around. The girl would go out of her way to be the best at everything in order to try and please parents who rarely showed her affection. For that reason, other girls avoided her. Throw in the fact that the other girls were jealous of her beauty and you had a recipe for an outcast.
Michelle though was in a similar state. A geek in the truest sense of the word, she like Math problems and old English poetry, not exactly the most popular things for a 15 year old girl. This resulted I. The three of them sticking together as outsiders. Ignored by most of the students and only trusting eachother. Ann now gazed back at where Jackie sat with Gloria and her friends. The couple exchanged a loving look, before Jackie was dragged back into a conversation with Gloria and the others. Ann sighed, gazing at her outsider friends. It was already mid May, if she and her friends were going to make an impression and standout in the crowd of high school, they would have to do it soon