After almost turning back to get your car (which you don't own as a 15 year old) twice, and marveling at how much your town has changed over the last decade, you finally made it back to the magic shop. You had tried calling and texting George and Colby but didn't hear back from them.
Feeling excitement that this nightmare will soon be over. You pause, no, it isn't a nightmare, you fully enjoy the changes despite the timing and remaining side effects. The only thing you don't like is the lack of control, which will soon be fixed, so this is really just an irritation. A bell rings as you enter the shop and look for the attendant.
There was a call from the back of the store saying that they will be with you in a minute, you smile seeing that the store is currently empty so you will be able to share your experiences without being self conscious.
A man appears, smiling and eager to help. Looking him over, he isn't the person who sold the socks to you, though, given the nature of his business and your recent experiences, you really couldn't be sure. "Hello sir, may I help you with something?"
"Yes" you reply, eager to get to a solution. "I am afraid these may be defective." You pull the socks from your pocket place them on the counter.
The mans face grew pale, "I triple check all the enchantments on my products! What happened?"
You run through all the activities of yesterday while the man listened and rifled through books behind the counter.
When you had finished the man said, "So let me make sure I understand what has happened, You used the socks for about 10 transformations between you and your friends, you remained in your altered state for over half the day, and overall you had the socks on for at least several hours. Is this correct?"
"I can tell you what is happening but will need to do some research to find out how to fix it if that is even a possibility at this point."
You went wide eyed in shock but the man just continued, though you noticed he appeared to be slightly older than when you first came in. a few grays at his temple and his forehead seemed more wrinkly.
"When you purchased this item, you were cautioned on how to use them, as they are a tool, not a play thing. If you had chosen someone closer to your age group to do this to, you wouldn't have been so likely to notice, and you probably wouldn't have minded. But seeing that you have chosen your father, this will likely pose problems, especially if you begin lusting after your mother."
The thought hadn't occurred to you but seemed reasonable, if your father was attracted to your mother, then you, as your father, would be too.
"So what is happening, is that you have become a magical battery of sorts, and to try to correct this, your body has been acting like a magical radio, beaming your transformation out to those nearby. The good news is that your friends should revert back completely, by tomorrow morning. This Blaine, and Chris person may have already reverted. George and Colby may take until tomorrow night. They didn't keep wearing the socks, they aren't batteries, they were just too close to you all day."
A wave of relief washes over you, this is good news. "But what about me? What should I expect?"
"I suspect that your body didn't revert completely because this is now your body. Again, your friends were just mimicking you due to proximity, they will be okay so long as you stay away from them, but seeing that your family didn't react with surprise at your new state, tells me that this may very well be who you are from now on."
"Can't I just wear my shoes and turn back into who I was when I last wore them?" you ask beginning to become concerned. This isn't just your body being slightly older, which is totally cool, it's part of your identity, mannerisms, and personality becoming erased.
"You are the one who last wore them, and this is who you are. You aren't magically impersonating anyone else. So being you, trying to become you, is a rather pointless endeavor."
"But... but.." you stammer.
"There are a number of spells that you absorbed from the socks, divination to know who wore the shoes last, alteration to become that person, an enchantment to become that person mentally. So until the magic is out of your system, you should stay away from people and magic. Who you will be when that happens, is anyone's guess."
The man reached behind the counter and pulled out a small vial of red liquid, setting it on the counter. "This is normalizing potion, if you drink it now, your current state will become normal, both to you and the rest of the world. Your life will change, your friends will change, and everyone will think its normal. It will absorb the latent magic within you and your life will move on as a... late teen, early 20 something young man. The world around you will change, you will probably have a job or college, possibly a car, or girlfriend. It will stop all this and any of your fathers mannerisms you have shown will become your own, such as drinking coffee."
You stared apprehensively at the vial, unsure if you were ready to accept defeat at losing your 15 year old self yet. and as awesome as driving and going to college would be. you didn't want to give up your friends.
The man, sensing your hesitation, continued. You noticed that the gray was now reaching into his beard, leaving you with a small twinge of guilt, but he said it was temporary for everyone... but you. "You could of course choose not to take the vial. You may wake up in your mid twenties or early thirties tomorrow. Or, you may continue using the socks and on top of merging your identity with your father's you may become someone else completely like... who was it? Colby? We could always use another soldier. Be cautions of using communal items in your current state. Your body is ready to change and you needn't be wearing the socks to do so. Cars, toilets, urinals, cups, chairs, anything that could be covering part of you, may trigger a change and may leave a remnant. Now leave before you absorb any more magic from the items in the store, This place isn't safe for you."
He hands back the socks and urges you to take the vial. "As you have found out, the moon is a magical thing, expect to transform nightly until you work the magic out or take the potion." You look back seeing the 30 something storekeeper now looked to be in his 50s easily.
You leave unsure of what to think. You feel hungry, having more mass to maintain as an adult and apparently getting your fathers appetite.