Chapter 6- The Swap
Flora woke up in a bundle of blankets. She yawned as she sat up and took a deep breath, then started to cough. What is that disgusting smell? She pinched her nose and looked around. She was in a black room. The walls were coated with posters of bands; one she hadn’t heard of: Bell Rock. The floor was atrocious; it was coated in a layer of clothes and empty cans of pop. What on earth? Where am I? Flora rubbed her eyes; she must still be asleep. She yawned again, lent back and closed her eyes. One. Two. Three.
Flora sat up and opened her eyes. She looked around and groaned. Posters still covered the walls and cans still polluted the ground. I must still be asleep. She pinched her arm and squealed. Ouch. Not seeing any other options, she got up and tried to navigate her way through the jungle of clutter. Then she paused and gasped when her eyes made contact with a large mirror.
Flora was a boy. A boy with gold tinted skin, messy brown hair, no shirt, and black eyes. Wait, no shirt. Flora covered herself with her arms. Then remembered she was a boy now.
She bit her hand to stop herself from screaming.
“Jack Devon Burton!” A voice yelled from downstairs, “You better get down here in less than five minutes unless you’re planning on being late again!”
Flora slouched down, pulled her knees into the nook under her chin, and felt tears roll down her cheeks. What was going on? Why was she a boy? Why was she in someone else’s body? Flora gasped. She was in someone else’s body. Someone else’s body. Meaning she was someone else. Hadn’t she always wanted this. She wiped her face and stood up; took a deep breath then started to cough. It really smelled horrid here.
Flora went downstairs four minutes later much to the woman standing in the kitchen’s shock.
“Jack, are you feeling all right?” asked the puzzled woman. Flora smiled.
“I feel absolutely amazing,” stated Flora in Jacks’s sonorous voice.
The woman -who Flora assumed was Jack’s mother- grinned showing her dimples.
“All good then, you better get going or Trystan is gonna leave you, I left your school uniform in the basket so get that on and get out, you little rascal.”
“Okay thank you, mum?” Flora tested. Jack’s mother stared at her blankly before she hit Flora on the head passionately.
“Yep, I’m still your mother just as I have been for the past 17 years, son?” she joked. Jack’s mum pushed Flora forward. “Uniform, remember,” she repeated after seeing Flora’s confused expression.
“Oh yes right, thank you mother,” replied Flora but Jack’s mum was already gone leaving her in a small, crowded room. Behind her a monster growled. Flora jumped, before realising it was just a washing machine. She felt her cheeks go warm and squeezed her left hand. She needed to focus and get back to her own body.
Flora looked around the busy room for the basket Jack’s mum mentioned. She sighed as she pushed through layers and layers of coats, under shelves covered in shoes and even inside the drying machine. Flora groaned. She was never going to find this basket. She had looked everywhere. Not sure what else she could do; she sank to the floor and lent her head back; then suddenly became overwhelmed with drowsiness.
This time Flora didn’t fight it, she closed her eyes and welcomed the tiredness to overcome her.
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