When Dan opened his eyes he was no longer in the hallway. He was lying in what looked like a hospital bed under a sheet.
He felt different.
Lifting up his hand he made a fist and it took him a moment to register that the childlike limb in front of him was in, in fact, his own.
He touched his face. Of what had been three days beard growth there was now no trace; his skin was smooth.
The room was empty.
"Hello, is there anyone there?" he called.
What had happened to his voice? Why was it so high? He tried to call again, lowering the pitch, but try as he might he could not get an adult tone.
He sat up and realised that he had been undressed. He was naked under the sheet and his clothes were nowhere to be seen,
Gingerly, he lifted the corner of the bed covering and took in his much reduced physique, now hairless bar a few wisps under the arms and on the tops of his feet.
His head began to whirl. If he really was an eighth grader again that would make him younger than both his brothers, Brett and Derek, 17 and 15 years of age respectively. What would they say when he was no longer the big man around the house?
At that moment the door opened.
I was the NeoLife woman again.
"Well, Danny, good to see you again and I hope you are feeling well after your age re-adjustment"
Dan pulled the sheet closer to his chest and nodded.
"The procedure seems to have been a complete success giving you an adjusted age of 13 years and 1 month. I know that is a little younger than we were intending but still well within our usual margin of error"
He was aware that he was beginning to blush. This woman, who had looked so unthreatening when he had met her in the office, now looked alarmingly adult and big. He looked at her chest and then immediately wished he hadn't. Below the sheet he could feel himself stiffening; there was no doubt that he was thirteen again.
"Uh" said Dan, his cheeks burning "I might just need a moment, Miss"
The woman put her head back and laughed.
"Why, Danny, that is the most natural thing in the world and If anything, young man, I am flattered"
She continued:
"Now, Danny, I am just going to leave these clothes here, you get dressed, and when I come back we will take you home, so you can see your family again and we can get you ready for the next stage of your re-training"
When she had gone, Dan got out of the bed.
He was short, that was for sure, probably not much more than about five foot. Smaller, and less well developed than Derek, certainly. Being so much older and bigger he had enjoyed some friendly teasing of Derek which, from the perspective of his current situation, he began to regret. He might be going back to eighth grade but they would still have to accept him as the eldest brother, wouldn't they, even if he no longer looked like it? Teenage boys could be mean.
There were other practical difficulties, he thought, as he put on the tee, shorts and high tops that had been put out for him. What would he wear? Would Derek's clothes fit him? Derek's cast off perhaps? Dan has his doubts; Derek was big for his age.
And what about school? He was going have to claim to be a younger cousin, or something.
With a click the door opened again and he stepped out and back into the office where he had started the day.