Henry sat at his desk, the Chronivac app glowing on his phone as he scrolled through its endless possibilities. The sight of the snake eggs in the terrarium kept lingering in his mind. At first, he’d just been teasing Jeff—well, Kain—about staying in his snake form until the eggs hatched. But the more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea became.
Why not? Henry thought, leaning back in his chair. Jeff’s already a snake. He’s got eggs to take care of, and he can’t complain too much—it’s all instinct for him now anyway.
More than that, Henry was having the time of his life. Being 15-year-old Jeff had turned out even better than he’d imagined. Maddie adored him, Jeff’s friends thought he was cool, and the freedom that came with being older was intoxicating. But with only three days left in their original arrangement, the thought of giving it all up and going back to being Henry—the awkward 12-year-old little brother—was unbearable.
“I’m just making the best decision for both of us,” Henry muttered to himself. “Jeff stays with his snake family, and I keep living my best life. Win-win.”
With a grin, he opened the Transformation Duration menu on the Chronivac and selected Jeff’s profile. He adjusted the timer, setting it to 50 days. A confirmation message popped up:
“Extend current transformation for 50 days? Note: All modifications will remain in place until the timer expires.”
Henry tapped Yes without hesitation.
Inside the terrarium, Jeff felt a strange, tingling sensation ripple through his body. He hissed in confusion, coiling tightly as the sensation subsided. Something was wrong. He flicked his tongue, tasting the air, and froze as he saw Henry on the computer with that stuped program open and looked like he just pressed something, and realized what had happened.
No. No, no, no!
Jeff slammed his tail against the glass, his body writhing in frustration. He couldn’t speak, thanks to Henry disabling his communication, but he didn’t need words to express his fury.
Henry glanced at the terrarium, smirking as he watched Jeff thrash. “Calm down, Kain. It’s for the best. You’ve got eggs to look after, remember? Don’t worry—I’ll take great care of your life while you’re busy being a dad.”
Henry chuckled at his own joke, then turned back to the app. If he was going to extend his time as Jeff, he needed to make sure he could handle everything that came with it—especially school. High school was a whole different world compared to middle school, and he couldn’t risk falling behind.
He navigated to the Mental Enhancements menu, scrolling until he found what he needed: Genius-Level Intelligence. With a few taps, Henry set the adjustment to make himself a high-achieving student capable of acing any subject without breaking a sweat.
“Perfect,” he said, grinning as he hit Apply. A warm sensation washed over him, and within moments, he felt sharper, more focused, and more confident. Concepts he’d barely understood before now felt second nature, as if he’d been studying them for years.
Henry glanced at himself in the mirror, running a hand through his hair. “Looks like Jeff just became the smartest guy in school,” he said with a smirk.
Over the next couple of days, Henry fully embraced his extended role as Jeff. He spent his mornings with Maddie, his afternoons with Jeff’s friends, and his evenings studying advanced subjects he now mastered with ease. High school no longer felt intimidating—it felt like a new playground for him to dominate.
As for Jeff, he could do little but watch from his terrarium as Henry continued to thrive. The female snake coiled protectively around their eggs, and Jeff hated how his instincts made him feel an obligation toward them.
This isn’t fair, Jeff thought bitterly. He’s living my life, and I’m stuck here as a snake dad.
But no matter how much he hated it, Jeff couldn’t deny the pull of his instincts. Every time he looked at the eggs, a strange sense of pride and duty surged through him, making it harder and harder to hold onto his human anger.
Meanwhile, Henry barely glanced at the terrarium anymore, too absorbed in his new life to worry about the snake that used to be his older brother. As far as Henry was concerned, things couldn’t be going better—and he had no intention of giving it all up anytime soon.