Despite the strange, irreversible split of Jeff and Jess into two separate people, life moved on.
Jeff returned to school, a little quieter than before, but slowly settling back into his life. He kept his distance from the Chronivac, avoiding it like it was radioactive. He didn’t trust it. Not anymore. And though he still struggled with how Jess existed—how she felt more like “herself” than he ever had—it wasn’t his fight anymore. He had his own life to live now.
Jess, on the other hand, flourished. Her relationship with Ryan deepened as she found peace in her new identity. She joined the cheer squad officially, not because of leftover programming but because she genuinely loved the energy, the camaraderie, the way it made her feel alive. She and Macy became inseparable, laughing, texting, doing each other's makeup and even sharing secrets the way only best friends could.
Macy, once restored with her original awareness, had the choice to remember who she used to be—and she did. But after some thought and a long heart-to-heart with Jess, Macy decided to stay as she was. She liked her life, her friendships, and even the version of herself she had grown into. She and Jess were bonded now, in a way no one else could understand.
She and Jeff were... civil. Friendly, even. But there was always distance there. An unspoken rift.
And so, weeks passed. Life settled into its new normal.
Until one quiet Saturday morning.
Downstairs, in the living room, Megan—Jeff and Jess’s eight-year-old little sister—was digging around in the closet where Lauren thought she'd safely locked the Chronivac away. She wasn’t supposed to be in there, but curiosity had a way of rewriting the rules for kids her age.
Her tiny fingers brushed against something cold and smooth. She pulled it out.
A sleek, black tablet-like device with strange glowing glyphs and a humming interface.
The Chronivac.
Megan tilted her head. “Huh…”
The screen flickered to life, detecting her presence. Friendly green text greeted her:
Welcome, Authorized User: Lauren. Advanced Mode Available.
Megan blinked.
“Ooooh…”
Her eyes lit up as her fingers tapped through menus filled with strange, magical things: appearance settings, timeline alterations, psychological overlays, outfit programming. All laid out like it was some kind of super game.
And then she smiled a little too wide.
“I wonder what would happen if I had a twin,” she mused innocently. “Or maybe… if I was a teenager like Jess. That would be soooo cool! or how about if stinky Jeff was My Sister too?”
Her tiny finger hovered over a slider labeled Age.
Somewhere upstairs, Jess sneezed, and Jeff’s stomach turned unexpectedly.
Something was about to shift again.
And this time, it wouldn’t just be about them.