I still feel sick in the stomach, things like this just don't happen. Or, well... I just don't know anymore.
Last night my friend, Jadyn, and I, fell asleep after a couple hard days of packing things into truck and trailer. We were hoping that the weather would be nice today so we could enjoy some of the local sights before my cousin Kat, and Jadyn's younger sister Jaci returned.
I was awakened this morning by an hysterical Jaci. The fact that Jaci was strangely hysterical (being hysterical is completely not a normal behavior for Jaci), wasn't as surprising as the fact that she was in the room - that would mean that Kat & Jaci returned from their little excursion sometime after I fell asleep. It was when I heard Jaci screaming for Kat to get up while I was being shaken awake, that I sprung into action - I thought that something must be wrong with Kat. As I bolted upright in bed, I realized something was wrong... VERY wrong! I was just starting to ask what happened to Kat when I noticed there was something wrong with my voice... and there was hair falling in my eyes... my hair! I don't have long hair, or at least, I shouldn't.
This couldn't be... My thoughts turned to this inn's curse that I was warned about. I slipped out of bed and headed straight for the mirror on the dresser in the room. I needed to confirm my suspicions. Even though I was pretty certain what I would see in the mirror, I was still woefully unprepared for the reflection staring back at me. I started to feel light-headed, and before I could brace myself, I fainted.
I've never fainted in my life before this. But then, I'm no longer my normal self.
When I came-to a few minutes later, Jaci was asking if I was okay. I wasn't sure how to answer. She kept me from getting back up right away, probably a smart thing. As I put things together in my mind and realized that what had happened was real, I responded with one simple question to the girl who looked like Jaci... "Jadyn?" A look of relief momentarily washed across Jaci... Jadyn's face and she nodded. I tried to explain the note that I found when I arrived, and what I remembered from this blog about the inn supposedly having a curse. She kept on screaming at me, calling me Kat, and demanding that I tell her what really happened, and for me to give her her body back. I kept trying to tell her that I really was telling the truth, as far as I knew it. I think she finally started to believe me, and calmed down.
I let Jadyn know that I would be okay and again stood to take a look at myself again. My reflection looked a bit different from I remember to be Kat's appearance - probably because I'm not used to seeing it in a mirror - but it was definitely Kat's reflection. The long chestnut hair with very loose curls, the deep green eyes, the olive - almost bronze colored skin. Even fresh out of bed, she still looked beautiful. It was amazing to watch Kat's reflection move as if it was my own. I flipped my head a bit to deal with some stray hair in my face and the action resembled so much, Kat's mannerisms that a smile appeared in my new reflection - the same smile that I loved to see her wear.
The smile disappeared, as the warm happiness that I was feeling just seconds ago was replaced by a cold shiver that went through me. I was angry and disgusted with myself that I had just moments ago felt pleased... almost joyous at seeing my own cousin's reflection in the mirror. I should explain - It's not that I saw Kat the way a man does when he desires a woman - I mean, she's fairly attractive and all - but she's my cousin. It's that I've always had this weight on my soul - I can't say that it was a desire or a need... maybe more of a curiosity... I've always wondered what it would be like to be a girl. And now... well... I'm torn. It's like a dream come true. But I have so many questions. And what about Kat - it isn't right for me to steal her life... or even to be so intimately close with her body - I mean, she's my cousin!
The guilt and conflict in me seemed to trigger a response that I wasn't prepared for. I cried.
It took a hug from and sharing some tears with Jadyn to settle both of us to a more productive state. The whole event was so overwhelming that I couldn't even begin to formulate questions at first, I don't think Jadyn could either. So we just looked at each other for a while.
My mind started to drift a bit and tried to think of Jadyn in a sexual manner - I needed to know just how changed I was. Jaci is or was... I guess it's Jadyn now who is a pretty girl, with fair skin, grey eyes, carmel-colored highlights in her dark-brown hair, her hair looks a bit more curled than... my own head of hair, and it's shorter too - ending just at the top of her shoulders. Jadyn's new body is quite curvy compared to my own new form. I look at her, but I'm not feeling any sexual attraction... at least not any more than I'd felt for Jaci when I was in my own skin. Jadyn must have sensed what I was thinking as a quizzical, yet playful, smirk painted her face. I giggled a little and I know I had to be blushing, Jadyn started to laugh too, but then recovered and asked, "So?" I told her what I'd been thinking, and the fact that I'm not sure what to make of things. She told me that she thought that I was indeed a girl now - as I was comparing my appearance to another woman. I'm not sure if she was joking or not, but I'm in no hurry to find out either.
We decided that we should probably try to learn more about this curse that has changed us. I brought up the blog and we read the entries together at first, and then Jadyn left me to finish while she went to freshen-up... something I was both dreading and looking forward to. I'll have to remember about the curse preventing others from believing that we are anyone other than whom we appear to be, something that I saw in Jadyn when I first tried to explain what happened. I wondered why I had very little question that Jadyn was now Jaci... or that I was now my own cousin. I'll have to see if anyone has an idea about that. I then became concerned nobody would believe me when I told them who I really was, and that they wouldn't trust me enough to help me... and if everyone here changed... how was I supposed to know who any of them were now? Would I even believe them if they told me? How can I trust that anyone is who they say they are? I guess I'll just have to have some faith that they'll believe me since they went through the cursed change too.
After some initial apprehension, Jadyn and I pulled out the girls' luggage to look for a note from them, anything to reveal just how much they knew about this place, and what has happened to us.
There were two letters from Kat... one was addressed specifically to me.
"Trip, I hope that you are the one to find these two letters. If not, you will never believe what I am about to write, so I'll keep it short..."Kat went on to describe her confusion, the letter she found, and who she & Jaci were now... and that the other letter she left would have any additional information that I would need in order to be her.
My heart stopped when I read the next part. It seems that Kat choose me to be the new her (a very risky decision from what I see from Arthur's post). I won't go into detail, suffice to say that she seems to know me much better than I'd ever have given her credit for, and that the hurt I felt initially upon reading of her decision was replaced with a feeling of being truly loved and cared-for. This crying thing is going to get old fast, I hope it doesn't take too long to get some control over my emotions.
Kat also gave me her... his new number and that the being out of contact was merely a story to hide the unbelievable truth without raising undue worry. So I called Kat, who is now some guy named Pete, and we talked for a short while.
I'd have never in my life thought that Kat would trust anyone, much less me, to be in a position to be so intimately close to her body, and yet I'm the only one she felt safe entrusting it to. To be given such trust, and on such an intimate level, will be a very difficult challenge to live up to.
After Jadyn got off the phone with her sister we discussed our plan of attack. There really wasn't much we could do... the soonest that 'Trip' could return to this inn would be this fall, and neither Jadyn or I were in a financial position - even in our new identities - to book a return stay right now. So we're pretty-much stuck as the new Kat & Jaci for the time being.
I guess I'll take a cue from the others and make sure that the new Trip knows how to contact me - and then work out a plan later, after I have enough money to book a room here again.
Right now, Jadyn... I guess I should call her Jaci now, and I need to figure out how we are going to get back to Iowa, and what to do with two cars and a truck & trailer full of Jadyn's possessions.
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