Help! Chapter 9 (Patreon)

They walked into the living room and sat down. Jeremy couldn’t take his eyes off of Sylvia, wearing her body. He seemed so calm so confident and strong. Had he really been that confident and strong when she’d been in that body?

“So, to answer some of your questions,” Sylvia said. “Yes, this is permanent, Jeremy. The sooner you start accepting that fact, the easier it will be for you.”

Jeremy felt his face crumble. “B.b.but why would you do this to me?”

“Well, that’s easy. This is a healthy, strong, young, and virile body. Very virile, as your friend Bethany found out a little while ago. By the way, I’ve been able to induce a state of hypnosis with her. She will never again wonder who is the real Jeremy.” He grinned.

Cynthia stood up. “But that’s criminal!” she huffed. “I’ll tell the police!”

“Tell them what, exactly?” Sylvia said. “That your son’s English teacher stole his body? Who do you think would believe that?”

“You can’t possibly think you can actually be me?” Jeremy said. “I mean, there’s too much! All the football, sports, student council.”

“Ahh, that’s where you’re wrong, Sylvia.” He grinned again. “The longer we are in each others’ bodies, the more we become that person. I mean, don’t you already look at me and wonder how you could have ever been me?”

Jeremy considered that, staring at her former body. He was right. Already, he was feeling comfortable in Sylvia’s body. While sitting here, feeling this stress, instead of pacing like she’d done when she was Jeremy, she lit a cigarette and straightened her skirt.

The whole encounter was growing tiresome and tedious and she wanted to go home.

Wait, that wasn’t right. She was home, Jeremy’s home. “No, of course not,” Jeremy said.

“That didn’t sound very convincing, Sylvia.”

Jeremy rubbed her head. Sylvia? That wasn’t right, was it? She was Jeremy Fuller, not...Sylvia Manchester! But the headache was very very real.

“But what am I supposed to do?” she said.

“Switch back!” Cynthia said. “Right now, or so help me—” Jeremy’s mother paused, hands upraised. Frozen in space, like Bethany had been just before...

“I simply refuse to be yelled at,” Sylvia said.

“Don’t hurt her!” Jeremy stood up, frantic that her mother might be changed, hurt, or transformed.

“I won’t unless you make me, Jeremy,” Sylvia said, sighing. “I have nothing against her, but you know I won’t tolerate any more nonsense.

“Yes, okay!” Jeremy could feel tears bite at her eyes. “So, I’m what. Supposed to pretend to be you from now on?”

“Exactly,” Jeremy said. “I’ve taken the next two days off for you at work, so that plus the weekend gives you four days to settle into my body.”

Jeremy sighed. “And then, what, I go to school next week as your teacher?”

He shrugged. “Up to you, really, except I do need to tell you a couple of things.”

“What’s that?”

Sylvia rubbed his neck. “Well, I’d cast a maintenance spell on that body, for one. Now that I’m not in it, the maintenance magic has gone away.”

“Which means what?”

He sighed. “Sadly, you’re going to feel the effects of aging, darling, and in short order.”

“Oh, god! I’m going to die soon, aren’t I?”

“Well, with proper health, nutrition, and rest you could live another full ten to twenty years, darling.”

Jeremy sat down again, stunned. She was going to die. Of old age!

“Aww, how pathetic you are, really,” Sylvia said. “But nevertheless, it’s time for you to go home. Get some rest, take a bath, do all those things you do to feel better, darling.”

“And what are you going to do?”

He stood up. “Well, we do have this pesky football season you were so fastidiously fixated on that apparently has now transferred over to me. “

“Once the season’s over with, I think I might travel to Spain, maybe with the delectable Bethany. She is quite the catch, I must say.” He grinned.

“Regardless, Sylvia, I won’t be a thorn in your side here very long.” He stood up, and held out his hand, helping Jeremy to her feet. “Regardless, and this probably goes without saying, let’s make this your last trip to this house. I’ll be casting the same little spell on your mother as I did on dear empty Bethany, so she will only think of you as my teacher from this point forward and you wouldn’t want to do anything to endanger your career now, do you Sylvia? I mean, at your age, you definitely won’t be able to find another job and I’d hate to think you were cast out onto the street to be a poor, lonely, old bag lady, now would you?

“N.n.n.o,” Jeremy said.

“Okay, now. Drive safe! Wouldn’t want you to come to a violent end now, would we?” Sylvia gave her a devilish grin.

Jeremy shook her head, walking back to the car. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of crying. Wordlessly, she got into the car, and dove off.

***

Sylvia had what could easily be considered a mansion. Several levels, gorgeous grounds. Apparently, after many years of earning, she had amassed quite a bit of wealth.

Jeremy made her way through the empty hallways and into the master bathroom. After unpinning her hair, peeling off the false eyelashes, and wiping her makeup, she stared into the mirror at the person reflected.

Could it really be true? Was this going to be her face in the mirror for the rest of her life? She really hadn’t paid much attention to the body she’d been ‘wearing’ the last few days, or the illusion of it, or whatever. The hair, makeup, etc were all a part of it, so she hadn’t been able to see behind the mask.

She started water running into the tub, and laid in a few rose petals along with some bath salts. Taking off her clothes and purposefully avoiding looking down at her body, she slipped into the water and eased herself down into the fragrant warmth.

It felt wonderful on her soft skin. She inhaled, letting the stress from the day go as the warm water soothed her aching joints.

Something echoed in her mind as she lay back in the water....something Guru Venkman had said...

Just because she says something to be true, doesn’t make it true.

When he’d said it, she hadn’t really understood it.

In her mind she could hear Jeremy’s voice. ‘This is permanent. The faster you accept it, the easier it will be.’

Could he have been lying? Could this be exactly what he wanted her to do? Accept this life, allow Sylvia to become her true identity?

Drowsily, she finished bathing, and got out of the tub, drying off without trying to touch any of those places on Sylvia’s body.

I am Jeremy Fuller, she thought. I am not Sylvia Manchester. Just because he said something to be true, doesn’t make it true.

She needed to see Guru Venkman again, Jeremy thought, just before she fell asleep in Sylvia Manchester’s bed.