Michaela gets the remote

Zack’s heart pounded as he and Michaela grappled on the couch, her fingers clawing at his arm as she tried to reach the remote. The device skidded across the floor, just out of reach, its screen flickering faintly. Michaela’s breath was hot and frantic against his neck, her panic palpable. “What did you do to me?!” she screamed, her voice cracking.

Zack managed to shove her off, scrambling to his feet. He dove for the remote, but Michaela was faster. She snatched it off the floor, her fingers trembling as she held it out in front of her like a weapon. Zack froze, his eyes widening as he realized what had just happened.

“Stay back!” Michaela shouted, her voice shaking but firm. She aimed the remote at him, her thumb hovering over the buttons. “What the hell is this thing? What did you do to me?!”

Zack raised his hands, taking a cautious step back. “Michaela, calm down,” he said, his voice steady but laced with tension. “It’s not what you think.”

“Not what I think?!” she snapped, her eyes blazing. “I just watched my body change in front of my eyes, Zack! My clothes don’t fit anymore, my—my body doesn’t feel like mine! And you’re holding some kind of… of weird remote? Explain. Now.”

Zack hesitated, his mind racing. He couldn’t tell her everything—not about Francesca, not about her mother. The less she knew, the better. But he had to give her something. “Okay, okay,” he said, his tone softening. “It’s… it’s a device. It can make changes. Small adjustments. I just… I thought you’d be happier if you looked like you did in high school. You know, more confident, more… you.”

Michaela stared at him, her expression a mix of disbelief and anger. “You thought I’d be happier? You didn’t even ask me, Zack! You just—you just decided to change me? Like I’m some kind of project?!”

“I was trying to help,” Zack said, taking a small step forward. “You’ve been so stressed lately, and I thought… I thought this might make things easier for you.”

“Easier for me?” Michaela shot back, her voice rising. “Or easier for you? Because it sounds like you just wanted to turn me into some kind of… fantasy!”

Zack’s jaw tightened, but he **** himself to stay calm. “Look, I get it. I overstepped. I’m sorry. Just give me the remote, and we can fix this. I can change you back.”

Michaela’s grip on the remote tightened. “Change me back? How do I know you won’t just make things worse? How do I even know this thing can change me back?”

“It can,” Zack said quickly, taking another step forward. “I promise. Just give it to me, and I’ll—”

“Stay back!” Michaela shouted, her voice sharp and commanding. She aimed the remote at him, her thumb pressing down on one of the buttons. Zack froze, his eyes widening as he realized what she was about to do.

“Michaela, wait—!”

But it was too late. She hit the pause button.

The room fell silent.

Zack froze mid-step, his body locked in place, his expression caught somewhere between panic and disbelief. Michaela stared at him, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. The remote hummed softly in her hand, its screen glowing faintly.

It worked, she thought, her mind racing. It actually worked.

She stepped back, her eyes never leaving Zack’s frozen form. He looked almost comical, like a statue caught in the middle of a **** lunge. But there was nothing funny about the situation. The remote in her hand was real. The changes to her body were real. And Zack… he had done this to her.

Her mind spun as she tried to process everything. What was this thing? How did it work? And more importantly… what was she supposed to do now?

She glanced at the remote’s screen, the options glowing faintly. Physical Traits, Mental Abilities, Emotional States… The possibilities were endless. She could change herself back. She could change Zack. She could… do anything.

But what should she do?

Her eyes drifted to Zack, frozen in front of her. He had tried to control her, to change her without her consent. And now… now the power was in her hands. She could punish him. She could make him pay. Or she could just walk away, leave him like this and figure out the rest later.

Michaela’s grip on the remote tightened as she weighed her options. The power was intoxicating, but it was also terrifying. One wrong move, and she could make things so much worse.

For now, she decided, she’d take her time. She’d figure out how the remote worked, what it could do. And then… then she’d decide what to do with Zack.

Michaela stands in the middle of the room, the remote clutched tightly in her hand, her mind racing with possibilities. The power was hers now. The question was… what would she do with it?