The bright Spanish sun peeked through the curtains of the twin boys’ shared bedroom, casting long golden streaks across the floor. Kenith stirred first, slowly opening his eyes to a new, familiar reality. He stretched his small, lithe body and smiled to himself. Everything had gone according to plan. He looked over at his brother, Sam, still deep in sleep, his long blonde hair splayed across the pillow. They were both six years old again—small, energetic, and full of life, just as Kenith had envisioned.
This was his fresh start. Their fresh start.
The day before had been a whirlwind of change. Kenith had always known that his next move after Jeff’s downfall was to reset things, to begin a new chapter entirely. Being twelve again hadn’t felt right—not with all the baggage that came with it, and certainly not with the questions Sam had begun asking about Jeff. It was only a matter of time before Sam unraveled the truth about what had happened to their dad.
So, Kenith had decided to start over. He and Sam had been reborn, in a sense. Six-year-old twins, identical in every way, now with bright blonde hair like their real father—Riley—and the life Kenith had dreamed of for them. No longer connected to Jeff in any way, they were now Riley’s sons, and their family was new, clean, and untangled from the mess of the past.
Kenith could feel it. This was the way things were supposed to be.
Next to him, Sam began to stir. His sleepy eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, confusion clouded his face as he looked at Kenith. His body felt different, smaller. And then it hit him.
“Wh-what—what happened!?” Sam’s voice came out high-pitched, panicked. He stared down at his small hands, feeling his heart race as he realized his body had been transformed overnight. “Why am I… why are we—”
Kenith sighed, sitting up and crossing his legs on the bed. He had expected this reaction. “Calm down, Sam. I need to explain.”
Sam scrambled out of bed, looking into the mirror on the opposite wall, his eyes widening as he took in his tiny, childlike reflection. He touched his long blonde hair, his wide eyes darting back and forth as he tried to make sense of it all. “We’re six! What did you do?!”
Kenith stood up, walked over to his brother, and grabbed him by the shoulders. “I used the app, Sam. The one I’ve been trying to tell you about.” He let go of Sam and watched as his brother’s face twisted in confusion. “It’s called Chronicle. It can change anything. And I thought… maybe we could start over, have a better life. With Riley as our dad, we can do things right this time.”
Sam blinked, his panic fading slightly as curiosity and disbelief took over. “An app? What app? You can’t just turn us into six-year-olds!”
“I can,” Kenith said calmly, pulling out his phone and showing Sam the app’s glowing blue icon on the screen. “This is how I did it. I found it by accident a long time ago, and I’ve used it before. I changed us into identical twins and made Riley our dad instead of Jeff.”
Sam stared at the screen, still struggling to process everything. “Why would you do that? And why… why six? I liked being twelve.”
Kenith chuckled softly, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. “I thought this would be better. A fresh start. We’re still smart, we still have everything we learned, but now we’re younger, stronger, and we’ve got more time to grow up. Plus, look at us.” He motioned to their reflections. “We’re Riley’s sons now. And I made us healthier, skinnier, like athletes. No more baby fat. Just like Dad.”
Sam’s mind was spinning. This was insane, yet somehow… it felt right. His body felt lighter, more energetic, and his head, though filled with the knowledge of his twelve-year-old self, also had the carefree lightness of a young boy. “But… what about Mom? What about Jeff?”
Kenith’s smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “Mom’s here, and she’s happy. I even made her and Riley younger—like, back in their twenties. They don’t know it, of course, but they’re living their best lives now. And Jeff? He’s out of the picture. We’re not connected to him anymore.”
Sam took a deep breath, still trying to process the weight of everything Kenith had told him. He wasn’t sure if he believed it all—an app that could change anything? The idea was absurd. But then again, he looked down at his small hands, his bare feet, his long hair, and it was impossible to deny what had happened.
Kenith watched Sam closely, waiting for the inevitable meltdown. He knew this was a lot to take in, but he also knew Sam. Sam liked structure, liked to know that everything had its place. This was the opposite of that, but Kenith had faith that his brother would come around. And soon enough, Sam’s face softened.
“And you’re sure we’re smarter?” Sam asked, a mischievous glint creeping into his eyes.
Kenith laughed. “Yeah, we’re still us—just with younger bodies. We can still do all the stuff we used to do.”
Sam opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get another word out, a rush of energy seemed to overtake him. He leapt at Kenith, tackling him to the ground with an unexpected burst of strength. “Fight time!” Sam shouted, giggling as they wrestled on the floor.
Kenith couldn’t help but laugh as they rolled around, the carefree joy of childhood surging through both of them. They tumbled across the room, bumping into the bed, knocking over pillows, all while laughing uncontrollably. Kenith had forgotten how fun this could be. The playfulness, the innocent excitement—it all felt right. And Sam was with him, finally in on the secret, accepting their new reality in a way Kenith hadn’t expected.
Just as Kenith was about to pin Sam to the floor, the door swung open.
Their mom stepped in, a soft smile on her face as she watched her two little boys play-fighting in their underwear. Her long hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and she looked younger, more vibrant, the years of stress erased from her face. “What’s going on in here?” she asked playfully, leaning against the doorframe.
“Just fighting!” Sam called out, grinning as Kenith rolled off him, both boys lying on the floor in a heap.
Their mom chuckled, shaking her head as she came over and ruffled Sam’s hair. “Alright, alright. Get dressed, you two. Breakfast is almost ready.”
Kenith looked up at her, warmth filling his chest. He had done it. He had given them all the life they deserved. His mom was happy, young, in love with Riley, and their lives were perfect. No more Jeff, no more baggage. Just them.
As their mom left the room, Kenith turned to Sam, still catching his breath. “So… what do you think?”
Sam, still in disbelief but feeling a strange sense of peace, shrugged. “I think… I think it’s weird. But it’s also kinda awesome.” He grinned, sitting up. “But if you ever change me into something else without asking, I’ll punch you.”
Kenith laughed. “Deal.”
And with that, the two of them got up, ready to face their new day as six-year-old twins with the world at their feet. The past was behind them, and the future stretched out ahead—limitless, full of possibilities.
For the first time in years, everything felt right.