If the last two changes had been big, this one was absolutely massive. Alex could tell that from the moment he snapped his fingers. He could tell from the stiffness of his back and the absolute exhaustion that existed in every ounce of his new body. Not to mention the two massive boulders hanging off his chest, held aloft by a brassiere that was pinching his skin something fierce.
With a wince, he cracked a single eye open.
It was worse than he thought.
He was a girl again-- no, a woman. Definitely a woman. She was older than the actor, that was for sure, and judging by the crow's feet at the corner of her eyes, she was older than he'd ever been before. Old enough to be his mom's younger sister, but no one with functioning eyeballs would make the mistake of calling her that.
Light bronze skin, black and gray hair cut into a messy, shoulder length bob, and almond-shaped eyes told him that this new version of himself was Asian. Vietnamese, some part of his mind whispered.
The change was massive. Far more drastic than either of his last two had been. He could hardly believe he was the one working the face in the mirror, even though he'd already transformed three times in the last fifteen minutes.
"Diều này thật lạ (This is weird)," he whispered in a unfamiliar, high-pitched voice. Alex's eyes widened as he clapped a hand over his mouth. "Tôi thực sự chỉ nói vậy sao (Did I really just say that)?"
"Yes, you did," the mirror responded nonchalantly. He swore it was making fun of him.
"Tại sao (Why)?" he demanded, still completely lost in his new self.
"Because in this life, your native tongue is Vietnamese. English is a second language, and one you don't have the greatest grasp on."
He could tell that it was true. All of the English in his memories was a blur, barely recognizable. This new version of himself knew enough English to get by and communicate with her bosses, but not enough to hold a lengthy conversation. It was a massive change, something that cleaved a huge valley between his current self and his original form.
He tried to force himself to speak in English.
"This...crazy."
Each word was a struggle to get out, especially through the newly acquired thickness of his accent. He shook his head, giving it up as a lost cause. He'd snap his fingers and move on to the next form in a moment, anyway.
'Just focus on getting your bearings, Alex,' he thought to himself.
He glanced down at his body in the mirror. It could best be described as...curvy. The woman he was now had quite a bust. It was a good thing the knee-length, powder-blue dress she was wearing came up to her neck. He wasn't sure he could handle having cleavage just yet. Her rear was just as ample, with wide hips and a decent amount of roundness. When he'd first brought the mirror into his room, he'd been eye level with the top of the mirror. Now, he barely reached halfway up. Couldn't be more than five foot nothing. She had a belly, too. Fat left over from her pregnancies that she'd never bothered to work off. What did she care? Her husband had loved it.
Alex blinked. Kids? A husband? He'd kind of just disappeared into the role, letting this Alex drag him along on her train of thought. It was scary. He'd barely even realized something was wrong. Even now, as he was thinking about it, the idea of having a husband and children seemed perfectly normal to him. Family was important, after all. That was why she was working here, for people she didn't particularly like in a house that was far too large for them.
She'd moved in here after her husband's death in order to make money to feed her children. Jessica was only twelve, and Thomas was even younger. Only seven. They needed her. They needed her to do this.
Alex shook his head. This was heavy. There were two people that existed out there in the world because of him. Because of this woman he now was. Because he'd snapped his fingers. What would happen if he snapped his fingers again? Would they cease to exist? He'd be killing them!
A sudden wave of fear washed over him. He couldn't do that to them. Or...not yet, at least. He needed to see them first before he made a decision...
'No, no, no. They're not real. I should just move on. Get these thoughts out of my head,' he thought to himself, even as his stomach turned at the thought.
He hesitated for a moment, his fingers ready to snap. But that moment of hesitation was all it took for the door to burst open, revealing the face of his very irritated employer. His hands dropped to his side as he gave her his best appeasing smile.
"Mrs. Madison, what are you doing in your room this late in the morning? There are things that need cleaning. The kids have already gone off to school, and I'm about to head out myself. Clean the table and make sure their bedrooms are in order. The last thing we need in this place is another mess. And don't forget, I can have you and your kids out of here in a heartbeat if you don't do your job right. I'm paying you an extremely generous amount for a maid as it is."
The annoyed looking woman remained standing in the doorway, one hand on the doorknob, her blue eyes burning holes into Alex's own. Alex had only understood about half of what she said, but she got the gist. Clean or be fired. Clean or your kids don't get to eat. Oh, and he was a maid now.
She was waiting for a response, but Alex didn't know what he could possibly say or do. He didn't really know this woman, even if his mind insisted that she was a Mrs. Robinson, and he didn't want to do a whole bunch of menial cleaning work. That's what he'd been using the mirror to avoid, after all. But the kids...he needed to see them. More than that, he wanted to see them. Some deep maternal instinct was urging him to try, for them. He didn't want to get fired.
Maybe he could just snap his fingers, damn how sick the thought made him feel.
Whatever he was going to do, he had to decide fast. Mrs. Robinson looked like she was ready to grab Alex by the shoulders and toss him out into the hallway.
Alex...