Getting ready.

You shower, and dress to impress. As you go through the living room, your sister whistles.

"- Well, someone's looking good today, hermanito!"

You realize two tiny details. First, you're now Latino. It's not really a problem to you, but it definitely unsettles you that you missed such an obvious change. The second, your younger sister, Alexandria, obviously is just as sassy at home as you remember her to be in the classroom. Hermanito, really? Is that a way to talk to your elder brother?

You choose to ignore her jab. Nothing good can come from reacting to such obvious bait. You wink at her, though, and you realize a third tiny detail. You feel a very strong, brotherly attachment to her. The Voice has blessed you with a parallel history, a whole family life where the lovely Alexandria is your wonderful sister, whom you'd do anything for.

You are headed to college, as every day. You marvel at the knowledge this new you possesses, knowledge you remember working hard to obtain, even though you never did. Magic is weird. You're glad you chose **** over magical knowledge, as you start to understand just how complicated it really is.

On the way, you stop at your parents' house, under the pretence of checking if your brother is better. With the ass-kicking he got from getting caught snooping on Sandy, one of the hottest girls enrolled in the Retail Business curriculum, in which most of the cool kids decided to participate, he's missed a fortnight. You wonder if he'll even dare show his sorry face again, given his weakness and his stupid actions make him a prime target for every would-be suitor to the cheerleader. You wonder when reality altered. This clearly wasn't part of your design, the Voice has taken some artistic liberties. You don't disagree, though. Your brother must be going insane, since he still has full access to the original memories, including what he did to you. You wonder if he suspects you're to blame for his predicament, but you know he can never suspect the new you.

As you ring the bell, your mother comes and opens the door for you. You can see her checking you out as she listens to your speech about being concerned about your brother. Hogwash. You only want to be witness to his shame. She thanks you profusely and invites you in. You accept, mentioning that you have only a little time before you have to go. As you sit on the sofa, a sofa you know so well, your father comes in. You see the way he looks at your mother's sexy ass, a look filled with frustration and despair. You see her turn around, notice him, and ignore him entirely. Her gaze can't entirely hide the contempt it holds for the weak excuse for a male he now is. She offers you a drink, which you refuse, but as she insists you relent and accept a soda. As she brings one from the kitchen, you notice she's removed her sweatshirt, exposing a deep V-neck shirt showing an astonishing amount of cleavage. Then she pours the drink, bending over at the waist and giving you full view of her exposed breasts. She used to be your mother, though, and the armour from that fact and the general contempt you feel for her make all her efforts useless. You despise the creature she used to be, and you despised the one she now is, but you thank her profusely.

As your brother finally gets into the room, having clearly used the few minutes to wash his ugly mug under a quick show, you note his hand is still bandaged and his face pretty hurt. The boys really went to town on him, and he's actually lucky to be alive and free. A black guy snooping on white girls in the Deep South might have had it much worse. You can see the rage burning in his eyes. He utterly hates what is happening to him, and he very obviously doesn't have a clue what to do about it. You chuckle inwardly. He has no idea how bad this is going to get. You offer to bring him copies of the courses he's missed, provided he'll lend you his campus print card. There is after all no reason you should shoulder the costs. He gladly accepts, and your mother uses the opportunity to sit next to you and slide her hand on your leg, thanking you for your kindness. You wonder if she's even aware how inappropriate and slutty her behaviour is. She's just despicable, which is exactly what you wanted.