Suppressed and betrayed (Patreon)

Mika watched from her kitchen window, and her heart was filled with a fury she could scarcely contain. The young woman holding Tyler's hand, walking carefree under the summer sun, should have been her. She should have been out there, feeling the warmth on her smooth, unblemished skin, instead of sitting here, trapped within a body that creaked and groaned with every movement.

When Sally had first introduced her to the world of magic, Mika was spellbound. The wisdom in Sally's aged eyes had seemed comforting, her knowledge vast. When the old witch had proposed a temporary body swap, Mika was enticed by the promise of understanding the vitality of her youth from an elderly perspective. The old woman wanted a chance to experience youth again, even if it was only for a time. Little had she known that she would be trading away her youth forever.

Once the switch had occurred, Mika found herself trapped in Sally's body, her youthful essence swapped for brittle bones and tired muscles. Sally had cast a permanent hex, leaving Mika voiceless and incapable of reversing the curse. Whenever the young girl tried to tell somebody what happened, her mouth would stutter into nonsense. The old witch had planned everything in advance, and the realization struck Mika like a bolt of lightning when she found the spell that made the temporary body swap a permanent one. It required consent between two parties, but a permanent swap could occur if there was a third willing participant. She realized that Tyler was the third person, and the fact that he and Sally wanted the spell to be permanent meant that her body was gone for good.

Mika realized why he had done it. The two were on the verge of having their relationship fall apart. They were growing distant since she started learning magic. She didn’t think that Sally would have had such ill intentions, and the more Mika thought about it, the more she realized that she probably seduced him at some point. He was adventurous and wanted to explore the world, while Mika was shy and reserved. She preferred staying inside and getting lost in her college books. Compared to Mika, Sally was a significantly better and more outgoing version of her.

Sitting at her table, the young girl brooded on her lost youth. The strength and energy she'd once taken for granted were now cherished memories. She longed for the agility, the ability to move without the pang of aching joints, the energy to dance into the late hours of the night, the radiance of unlined skin, and the boundless possibilities that lay before her. She wanted somebody to actually love her again. Mika also missed her thick, glossy hair, now replaced with thin, brittle strands.

She missed the freedom, the sense of invincibility that came with youth, and the belief that she had all the time in the world. But most importantly, she missed her magic, the exhilarating rush of power, and the sense of control it offered. Learning magic from Sally had been a lot of fun. Sure, the witch was only doing it so that she could eventually trick her into voluntarily switching bodies, but the concept of it was exciting. Now, it was forever out of her reach.

Regret gnawed at her heart. She should have never agreed to the swap. She regretted not cherishing her youth when she had it. The sight of Sally in her body was a constant reminder of what she had lost. She was a prisoner in her own life, trapped in a shell she could no longer recognize, and her life was irrevocably changed forever.