Leum woke up feeling like he was falling at terminal velocity straight into the ground.
Jolting awake, Leum snapped his eyes open to a blue-painted ceiling. Without thinking much, Leum sat up and blew hair out of his face.
'Wait...'
'I don't have long hair.'
He raised a hand to grab a lock of hair and then stared at the hand.
Freezing, Leum quickly looked around the room. To the immediate right was a full length mirror.
Dirty blonde hair that came just past the shoulders.
A pretty face.
A narrow frame of body.
And bright, glacial blue eyes. Staring wide-eyed back.
"Holy Shit! I'm a girl?!"
In disbelief, Leum jumped out of bed and examined himself, herself?
He? She? was wearing white women's pajamas and stood on a soft carpet while touching the new face.
Leum kept staring at the new body he inhabited and pinched himself.
"Ow! Frick that hurts." No mercy from the pinch.
Realizing that he was not wearing glasses or contacts gave an even bigger shock that this was reality and became the final factor in confirming that this was real.
'. . .'
'. . .'
Leum tried to think but kept blanking out. Thoughts would not form. How does someone even react in such a situation?
Before Leum could break down in hysterics, a book suddenly popped into existence in front of them.
Instinctively grabbing the floating book, Leum felt the brown leather cover and opened it.
Not even questioning how a book sprung into existence, Leum started reading while still in shock.
{Hello! Confused much? Heehee I thought it would be funnier to surprise you and boy was I right! Actually, it would be 'and girl was I right!' would it not?
I am Rocarn a being in the higher realms and the one responsible for what has happened to you.
Let me start from the beginning.
On July 14th, 2003 AP, I swapped the souls of two babies. The souls of the babies grew up with the opposite family and lived opposite lives. The boy, Leum Lanklin, grew up as Saryn Ptolemy and Saryn Ptolomey grew up as Leum Lanklin. After twenty years, I have returned your original souls back to your bodies.
In short, you are now back in your original body.
Why would I do this? You just have to find me and ask. Not to brag, but I am really well known amongst us higher realmers.
Grow powerful, get smarter, and live life.
I look forward to seeing how you choose to live your life from now on.
The rest of this book has general information about your newly returned life.
-Rocarn}
'This is my original body? And what the hell is this Rocarn person? Higher realms? You telling me I have confirmation of aliens? Why would he screw with my life like this?'
'Am I still Leum? Or am I Saryn? If this is my original self then I guess I am Saryn. But this is crazy! I cannot just change who I am overnight!'
Pacing around the room the poor, confused soul started noticing how light they felt.
Leum stood by the doorway of the bathroom.
'I would guesstimate I am about 5'7 now. I think that might be the average height of a girl? Kind of sucks but I only lost three inches of height.'
Deciding it would be a good idea to read the rest of the book, Leum, now Saryn, focused more intensely on this task than anything else in their lifetime.
Closing the book, 'Wow, original Leum does not have any friends or people close to them. I guess that makes it easier for me. Only family would notice the change in personality.'
'At least I do not have to worry about food or rent. Thankfully the Ptolomy's are rich. This feels unreal.'
"I wonder how they are doing right now?" Saryn wondered aloud.
*Gasp!*
"Is this really my voice? It's much higher than my old one."
"La la la. Doo doo dee. La da dee la da dee do," Saryn giggled as she became accustomed to her new voice.
Deciding to speak out loud to get used to her voice quickly, "What should I do? Saryn, I mean Leum? Was just leeching off his, I mean my parent's money after high school. Oh, and I am a year younger. Twenty instead of twenty-one."
Ba-Boom!
Clutching her heart, Saryn grimaced in pain as a cold feeling encompassed her heart and began to spread.
'Feels like icicles are tearing my veins apart!'
Grunting in pain, the iciness reached all corners of her body and attracted the aura in the room into her body.
With the addition of aura added to her bodily composition, Saryn could feel a strengthening happening all over.
The terrible feeling of needles stabbing her skin in combination with the feeling like bugs were crawling through her made Saryn grit her teeth for a full hour before the feelings started to fade. It took another thirty minutes before she felt normal.
Covered in sweat and breathing normally again she stood up.
"Was that what I thought it was?! Did I just awaken?! This is the best day of my life! I can finally use magic."
Saryn remembered the lessons from school about what to do once a person awakens.
Feel for the core near the heart.
Attempt to manipulate the aura from the heart, through the shoulders and arms, and to the palm.
Then, like pushing water through a membrane, force the aura out of the body and out into the world while still in control of it.
Saryn felt the slight cold near her heart and attempted to prod it around. The aura sluggishly responded and moved accordingly.
Feeling the excitement and new sensation of what felt to be an unused organ, she slowly maneuvered the ice aura through her arm and out of the palm. The ice was harder to control outside of her body and she had a look of total concentration. The ice particles slowly came together to form a crude lotus flower.
Saryn lost concentration from the excitement of using magic for the first time and raised her arms in the air and said, "I cannot wait to show Mom and Dad! They are going to freak out!"
Slowly, Saryn's arms came down along with her head as tears welled up.
'They do not know me. Why would they be excited for some random girl that awakened instead of their son? I mean, they would be insulted if I bragged to them that I can use magic and their son can't. The original Leum did not even make any friends that I could tell about awakening.'
'Mom. Dad. I will never get to talk to you like I used to, will I? No banter, no jokes, no caring if I have a girlfriend or not.'
Falling to the floor on her knees, Saryn wept. With no one to share her excited feelings or confusement at why this happened and the lost relationships, she would never get back. Saryn curled on the carpet and wept, surrounded by silence.