Henry sat at the desk in his—well, Jeff’s—room, scrolling through the Chronivac app on his phone. Last night with Maddie had been incredible, and he was starting to feel like he really could pull off being Jeff for the next two weeks. But there was one thing that kept bugging him: the snake in the terrarium.
Jeff—or Kain—had been acting more restless and aggressive than usual, constantly banging against the glass. Henry guessed his brother wasn’t thrilled about being stuck in the body of a snake while Henry lived it up in his body.
“Maybe if we could talk, he’d calm down,” Henry muttered to himself. “I could explain things better, let him know I’m not trying to ruin his life.”
It sounded like a good idea—or at least, not a terrible one. Henry opened the Chronivac app and found the Communication Enhancements menu. After a few moments of scrolling, he located the option: Enable verbal communication for transformed individuals.
“Perfect,” Henry said, selecting the setting. He chose Jeff/Kain from the list of scanned individuals, hit Apply, and sat back.
Inside the terrarium, Jeff felt a sudden, strange sensation wash over him. His forked tongue flicked out instinctively, and his mind felt sharper, more connected. Moments later, he found himself hissing words.
“You idiot!” Jeff snapped, his voice raspy and low but unmistakably angry.
Henry jumped, nearly dropping his phone. “Whoa! It worked!”
Jeff coiled tightly, his slit-like eyes narrowing as he glared out from behind the glass. “Of course it worked, you moron! Do you ever think things through before you start messing with my life?”
Henry scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. “Hey, I was just trying to help! I figured you’d want to talk instead of being stuck hissing all the time.”
“Oh, great! Now I get to yell at you instead of just thinking about how much I hate this!” Jeff snapped. He slammed his tail against the glass for emphasis. “You’re in my body, living my life, hooking up with my girlfriend, and you think giving me the ability to talk fixes everything?”
“Well…” Henry began, but Jeff cut him off.
“No, don’t even try to justify it!” Jeff hissed furiously. “Do you have any idea what it’s like being trapped in here while you’re out there acting like me? Maddie doesn’t even know it’s you she’s kissing, you little creep!”
Henry flinched at the accusation, his smile fading. “Hey, it’s not like I planned this! You’re the one who gave me access to the Chronivac, remember? You said I could try stuff out. I didn’t know I’d be this good at being you!”
Jeff’s body tensed, his long coils writhing. “This isn’t about how ‘good’ you are at it! It’s about the fact that you’ve stolen my life!”
“I didn’t steal it!” Henry shot back, defensive now. “It’s just two weeks, Jeff. I’m keeping everything under control. Maddie’s happy, Mom and Dad are happy—what’s the big deal?”
“The big deal,” Jeff hissed venomously, “is that you’re crossing lines you can’t uncross. Maddie thinks you’re me. When this is over, what happens when she i am now acting different again?”
Henry opened his mouth to respond but stopped short. He hadn’t thought that far ahead.
Jeff saw the hesitation and pounced on it. “Exactly! You’re playing with fire, Henry, and you’re going to burn us both when this is over.”
Henry sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Look, I’ll figure it out, okay? I’ll make sure everything goes back to normal when the two weeks are up.”
“You’d better,” Jeff hissed darkly, his coils tightening ominously. “Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you regret ever touching that app.”
Henry frowned, feeling a spark of irritation. “Maybe you should stop blaming me for everything and try to enjoy the snake thing. I mean, you’re always saying how you’re the cool older brother who can handle anything, right?”
Jeff slammed his tail against the glass again, rattling the terrarium. “I’m this close to biting you, Henry.”
Henry smirked, leaning closer to the glass. “Good luck with that, big guy. I’m the one with hands and you in a cage, remember?”
Jeff glared at him, his forked tongue flicking out angrily. “Thirteen days, Henry. Thirteen. Days. And then we’ll see how smug you are when this is over.”
Henry straightened up, turning away with a shrug. “Whatever, Kain. Don’t get your scales in a twist.”
As he left the room, Jeff coiled tighter in frustration, his thoughts a chaotic mix of anger, helplessness, and a growing determination to take back control of his life—no matter what it took.