"Have you seen my Psychology textbook?" Carl asked Jake. "I've got an exam tomorrow and I can't find it anywhere."
Jake shakes his head. "I saw a math book downstairs in the den yesterday."
"Nah, I don't need that. Just the Psych book." Carl rummages through a stack of papers and books he's probably already searched five times. "Jeez this place is such a mess. I never get around to cleaning up when I mean to. I wish I wasn't the slobbiest one in the house."
Jake felt another tingle like the one when he put on the necklace. It was more intense than before. He turned and left the room, unnoticed by his brother who was picking through a pile of junk on the floor.
Jake staggered into the bathroom. He was disoriented for some reason. Nothing seemed the right size or height. Closing himself in the bathroom, he leaned against the sink to brace himself.
Then he glimpsed himself in the mirror. He looked different...older. His hair was a little longer. His pimples were disappearing, and he could see stubble on his chin. As he watched, the stubble grew into a goatee close to what Carl had.
He knew he was taller, as well. He must have been close to six feet. When he realized his clothes didn't feel tight on his larger body, he looked down. He was now wearing a grungy gray shirt with a frayed left sleeve and faded jeans with holes in both knees as well as tattered bottoms.
He glanced up at himself again and saw that he was older still. Probably 22 at this point. His hair was close to chin-length and getting a little rough. His goatee had grown thicker and longer than Carl's, and lots of stubble and shaggy hairs were covering the rest of his chin.
The tingling started to fade away, but Jake continued to age. He looked around 24 or 25 by the time the sensation faded completely. His hair was matted and scraggly, brushing his shoulders. His shirt had gained a couple of unidentifiable stains, and his jeans were even more shredded than before. On his feet were two linty socks. He could feel the cold tile floor through a large hole in the bottom of the right one.
Jake pulled the hair away from his eyes to get a look at his new reflection. He looked like a down-and-out twenty-something. His stringy beard was uneven and unkempt, longer at the chin than on the sides. He had dirty fingernails and rough skin.
"How did this happen to me?" Jake asked in a deeper version of his own voice.
That's when...