### Chapter 2: Becoming Jeff
Henry sat on his bed, his phone glowing faintly in the dim light of his room. The Chronivac app, copied and modified just moments ago, felt like a key to a secret world of possibilities. His eyes darted to the terrarium where Kain, his brother Jeff in the form of a snake, lay coiled and asleep. The room was silent save for the faint hum of the house settling.
“I could really do it,” Henry whispered, his voice tinged with excitement and nervousness. “I could be Jeff. Just for a little while. He wouldn’t even know… he’s a snake right now.” The thought lingered in his mind, intoxicating and thrilling.
Being a 12-year-old kid was fun in its way, but Henry often envied Jeff’s teenage confidence, his independence, his status as the "cool older brother." To step into those shoes for real, to know what it felt like to be Jeff—that was a temptation too strong to resist.
With a deep breath, Henry unlocked his phone and opened the Chronivac app. Its sleek interface greeted him with countless options, and Henry quickly navigated to the **Transformation** tab. He selected **Personal Identity** and then **Body Replacement**, scrolling until he found the option to "Become another scanned individual."
Jeff’s profile, complete with all his attributes, was already in the system. Henry smirked. “Perfect.” He tapped Jeff’s profile, feeling a thrill run through him as a preview of Jeff’s physical stats and personality traits appeared on the screen. The app gave him the option to either replace Jeff or create a temporary duplicate of his identity.
“Temporary, of course,” Henry murmured. He wasn’t trying to replace his brother permanently—just experience life as him for a while. Henry selected the transformation duration: **two weeks**, matching the time Jeff would spend as Kain. He hit **Confirm** and hesitated for a moment as a warning flashed across the screen:
*“You are about to transform into another individual. All external perception of your identity will align with your chosen form. Proceed?”*
Henry’s fingers trembled, but he tapped *Yes*. The app began to hum faintly, and Henry felt a sudden rush of warmth coursing through his body, starting at his head and moving down to his toes.
“Whoa…” he gasped, dropping his phone onto the bed.
---
The changes started subtly. Henry’s small, boyish hands stretched out, fingers lengthening as his knuckles became more pronounced. His arms grew longer and stronger, wiry muscles rippling beneath his skin. His legs followed suit, becoming toned and lean, adding inches to his frame. He blinked as his point of view shifted upward—his body was growing taller, fast.
“Holy crap!” Henry exclaimed, his voice cracking mid-sentence. But as the transformation continued, the pitch of his voice deepened, settling into Jeff’s familiar, confident tone.
His chest broadened, and he felt his shoulders push back into a more athletic posture. A tingle spread across his face as his features reshaped: his jawline sharpened, his cheekbones became more defined, and his nose adjusted to match Jeff’s. He reached up to touch his face, marveling at how alien yet familiar it felt.
A moment later, his shaggy hair darkened and thickened, falling into the slightly messy style Jeff always sported. Henry ran his hands through it, grinning as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror across the room. The reflection staring back wasn’t Henry—it was Jeff, complete with his older brother’s signature smirk.
“Wow,” Henry muttered, his voice rich and smooth now. He turned his hands over, flexing his fingers. “I’m… I’m really him.”
He glanced down at his clothes, which were now comically small on his larger frame. The Chronivac had adjusted his body but left his wardrobe intact. Laughing, he quickly rummaged through Jeff’s drawers for something that fit: a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Slipping them on, he admired himself in the mirror again.
“I look *just* like him,” he said, mimicking Jeff’s mannerisms. “Hey, Henry! Go clean your room!” He laughed at his mock imitation of Jeff’s voice. “Man, this is awesome.”
---
Henry, now fully transformed into Jeff, turned back to the terrarium. Kain stirred slightly but remained asleep, oblivious to what had just happened.
“This is going to be fun,” Henry said, his grin widening. “I’ll be Jeff for two weeks. Let’s see what it’s like to be the cool older brother.”
He leaned back on the bed, imagining all the possibilities. School would be different, of course, and his parents would expect him to act like Jeff. But maybe he’d test the waters with some of Jeff’s friends. *How hard could it be?*