A Leap of Faith -Closed-

[RubyRose]

29th of February, 2012


The day always started early for the Jones' household. Though every now and then the family was allowed to sleep in (mainly holidays) the weekends was not one of them so early mornings were every day of the week, as per the norm, as soon as the sun was beginning to rise alarms went off around the house. Ben's usual alarm was set to play music from the radio strictly at 5 a.m., preferring to wake to something pleasant. And, being who he was, the radio channel he preferred was a country one. The song 'big green tractor' blared from the radio. 


His room was a mess. Not a chaotic mess, but certainly not organized. Dirty clothing was piled to overflowing in his hamper, some dirty socks and a stained shirt lying on the floor around it. This was right next to the door leading out of the fair sized bedroom. The small twin bed was to the far left corner of the room, pressed against the wall with a nightstand next to the head that held the radio and a lamp. Not that he ever used the lamp. A regular old flip phone lay next to the radio, hooked up to the charger so that the batter would be full. A little farther to the right was a dresser with an array of hats scattered across the top, along with a pair of work gloves. Near that was a regular work desk, something Ben also didn't use often except when he needed to use the ancient computer hooked up there. It wasn't quite dialup age, but the screen was of the box variety and it couldn't run any of the newer videogames- not that Ben cared. He wasn't a big fan of those kinds of games anyway. 


A pair of muddy shoes were set near the door, upside down and over a vent so that the insides would be dry by morning. No one likes putting on a pair of wet shoes. There was soft carpet that coated the floor and helped hold the heat in the room, and the overall theme of the room was soft blue and rustic. Yesterday's jeans and shirt were set on the foot of the bed because wearing clothing a couple days in a row wasn't entirely outside of the usual for Ben, including the boxers that he wore to bed now going on their third day of wear. 


Directly across from Ben's room was one of three bathrooms, unoccupied for the moment. It had a large mirror behind the sink, as well as a toilet and bathtub again in the soft blue and rustic theme. Christian phrases and images decorated the bathroom, unlike Ben's room which had pictures he had taken himself from some of his hikes and fishing expeditions. All in all, it was a very traditional type house. Not able to perfectly warm every part of it, there was a morning chill in the air but it wouldn't take long to warm up even without a shower. Ben's Mother would soon be cooking a large breakfast in the kitchen down the stairs and with the rush to get food and the cram of so many bodies together, the chill of the house would quickly be pushed away. The sound of people waking and going about their morning business was thick in the air, even with the sound of the country music playing. 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

When the alarm clock on her phone rang this morning Anna-Klara refused to open her eyes. She wished that the damned thing would shut up soon so she could go back to sleep. She felt dizzy, heavy and like she'd not gotten enough sleep during the night, not by far. Her head was spinning, probably from the rather impressive amounts of wine she had consumed last night in hopes of forgetting the bad news that she had received earlier during the day - those of her boyfriend dumping her. The jerk, he'd called her several times during an important lecture and when she had gone through the horribly embarrassing ordeal of leaving the in the middle of the lecture to take a call, he'd told her that he couldn't handle a distance relationship right now. It was clearly and excuse for something, heck, Uppsala wasn't even an hour away from Stockholm by train. Besides, Frida's boyfriend, William, had remained by her side when she moved to Umeå in the North where you had to go by plane or sit in a train eight or so hours. It really wasn't fair, and the only reasonable thing to do was to drown her sorrows at one of the student pubs together with Hannah. But now she had to pay the price, being hung over and still remembering everything. And to make matters worse someone had changed the alarm clock signal on her phone to some silly country song that was already driving her nuts.


She reached out with her hand from under the covers in an attempt to turn of her alarm, but as her fingers fumbled along the bedside table she found not her brand new iPhone 7 but an old flip phone. She'd not owned one of those old things since back when she was in grade school, and she couldn't fathom how it had ended up on her bedside table. Then she froze in motion and held her breath for a short moment – what if she wasn't alone?! What if she'd brought some guy home from the pub last night without remembering it? That sure would explain the stranger phone! She instantly opened her eyes and found that she was not in her student room at all. She was in a completely different room, and not a student room from what she could tell. Her best guess was that this was someone's boy room. Oh my god... What if there are parents?! This is going to be embarrassing! At least whoever she guessed she'd shared the bed with last night was nowhere in sight. She turned of the radio and dragged the covers all the way up to her cheek to cover herself when she looked around for her clothes in the half-mess. They where nowhere to be found, all there was to be found was used clothes. Yuck! But they'd have to do for now, she needed to visit the bathroom and did not intend on walking around in a stranger house in nothing but her underwear.


She quickly put on a white t-shirt that she found by on the floor the foot-side of the bed and sneaked outside of the room, trying all she could not to make any sound. On her way there she managed to look quickly outside one of the windows. Trees, fields, nature... It was pretty, but it made her sigh, she clearly wasn't in central Uppsala anymore. At least luck smiled upon her when she popped her head outside the room in search for a bathroom; the door just over the hallway appeared to be just what she looked fore. She went inside and closed the door slowly behind her and almost panicked as she tried to figure out the lock. What is this?! Who puts door knobs on doors this day and age?!


When finally the lock was secured she let out a sigh of relief and walked up to the mirror. Staring back at her from the mirror was a man. She jumped at the sight of him and he mimicked her with perfect timing. It took only a short while before she started figuring out what was going on... She leaned in towards the mirror to look closer and felt her face with her hands to make sure it wasn't an illusion. She had a faint stubble on her chin and cheeks. She had brown eyes. She had broad shoulders... She backed away from the mirror again, noticing now that her entire body was that of a man's... Her eyes widened, and she stared at her reflection in the mirror for a few seconds. Then suddenly, from sheer confusion she let out a scream. What normally would be a high pitched girl's scream came out as a broken sort of growling howl that was clearly of a man's voice.


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

If the house hadn't already been awake, they certainly would have been after Ben's shout echoed through the house. Seeing as it wasn't a normal thing for Ben to make any sounds like that, Sarah, Michael, and Mindy all came racing up the stairs with Ben's mother shouting along behind them. Feet thundered up the stairs as 3 teenagers raced for Ben's room, sliding to a stop at the open door. Not seeing him in there, they turned back towards the bathroom, wondering if Ben was in there. His shout had certainly come from this side of the house.  Mindy reached the door first, fist coming down hard on it while shouting through the door: 


"Ben! Are you being mugged? Should I call 911? Did you slip?" All very plausible options for why Ben had shouted, or so his enthusiastic Cousin thought. Her tone had some concern but there was also a note of playfulness in it. Ben was seen as the type of guy who could handle a lot, and though he had made a sound of distress Mindy just had to believe that he was alright. Because Ben wa always alright; the world wouldn't be right if there was something actually wrong with Ben. 


As was the norm, Mindy, Joanne, and Joseph -Ben's cousins- were all at the house for breakfast. Uncle Evan and Aunt Cindy came to some breakfasts but were not present today. Standing a full head shorter then Ben, Mindy was blond with forest green eyes and peach skin that was covered with freckles. Even in the colder months, she was speckled with the minor skin flaws. Joanne and Joseph had the same brown hair Ben had, and eyes that were a much darker brown. Their skin was a few shades darker then Bens and without freckles and the interesting thing was that they both had short hair. Joanne preferred it to having it long, and it was more fun playing twins when they looked similar- at least in Joanne and Joseph's opinions. They were both a little taller then Mindy, despite being younger. 


"Yeah bro, are you alright? That was a pretty unmanly shriek you just made!" Joseph teased, though his voice showed a lot more worry for his brother then Cindy's voice had had. 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

The loud thumping sound of several persons running up the stairs and down the hallway made the Anna-Klara shiver. Oh why did she have to panic like that? Why had she shouted out loud to alert everyone that was in the house? They were flocking outside the bathroom door now, asking questions directed to this guy they called Ben, in English. Ben? Who is Ben? Is he the guy I slept with last night? Anna-Klara's mind was racing, trying to figure out what was going on here, but nothing made sense. She looked at her reflection in the mirror for another short while and then a new sudden thought hit her: Am I Ben? With her new looks the idea of her being named Ben seemed plausible. “Det kan fan inte vara på riktigt...” She whispered to herself, noticing that her voice was truly not her own but that of a man. She looked at her hands, big and strong, the same things could be said about her arms, and the rest of her body, she seemed to be in good shape. If it was her body at all... If she was this... Ben, how could it be her body? Must be his, right?


This whole thing felt more real than any dream she had ever had, but it just couldn't be, could it? She pinched her own arm to make sure she wasn't dreaming. When she didn't awake she pinched it again several times but harder, in hopes of finally waking up in her room in Flogsta. She could feel the stinging pain of her nails biting down on the skin of her arm but she did not awake. So, it was not a dream? But if it wasn't a dream, then what was is? Only one way to find out...


“Erhm... It's not Ben, it's uh... I mean, this toilet is taken. Don't disturb. I'm fine, thank you.”


She bit her lip, knowing that her response to their questions wasn't really perfect, or even good at all. At best it was a really bad impression of a real person, and those outside the door would know something strange was going on. For some reason she had expected that she would speak them perfectly fine, as if that was a perk with this new body of hers, but apparently it was not. For one, her pronunciation of the English words she'd just spoken was way off, and she was pretty sure she'd made at least one grammatical error.


Instinctively she started looking for possible ways to escape, such as windows, more doors or... Anything! Her feeling was that of being an imposter, and as such she needed to flee before the people outside found out!


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

The only window in the room was a thin rectangle that was lined with thriving plants, ivy dangling over the wall and other plants bushy and thriving green. On top of it being too small to fit more than an arm through, it was fairly high on the wall so that it was only just at Ben's eye level when standing. 


The silence seemed to extend forever for Mindy, and even as she tried to tamp down her fear it build within her slowly. She held her breath, pressing her ear to the door to see if she could hear Ben moving around in the bathroom. She didn't, and began to really fear for Ben's well being. She was turning to Joseph and Joanne to discuss lock picking the door when Ben's voice came through. It's not Ben. That was an odd thing to say. Mindy looked back at the door uncertainly before meeting Joseph and Joanne's confused gazes. 


"You must be having a pretty rough time in there not knowing who you are and all. Anyway Not Ben," She said, deciding to make this into a game of sorts (it wouldn't be a first time Ben phrased something wrong, and Mindy enjoyed teasing him about it when he did), she allowed the concern to leave her. "Your mom has breakfast ready and you better get down there quick or it's all going to be gone." She called through the door, fairly sure that if she and the twins didn't get down there soon all the good stuff (bacon and sausage) would be gone and there'd just be eggs, hash browns, and pancakes. 


"Hope you're alright!" Joanne called through the door. With a shooing motion from Mindy and a whispered "Make sure to save me some of the best stuff" Ben's cousin watched while his siblings made their way quickly back down the stairs. 


"You are alright, right Ben? I can grab a plate of food and bring it up to you if you're not feeling well." She said gently, the playfulness from earlier gone. She and Ben were close enough that it wasn't unusual to have chats through the bathroom door or when one was in the shower and the other was using the toilet. It was just the kind of comfort that this family had; they were family and best friends and though they gave each other a hard time, there wasn't much Mindy wouldn't do for Ben. 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

It didn't take long for Anka to realise that there was no getting out from the bathroom other than the same way she came - through the door. But on the other side were a handful of strangers that were expecting her to be this Ben character. She looked at the man in the mirror again, turning her face in all kinds of directions as she inspected it closely, trying to see if there was any seams or anything to reveal that she was wearing a mask or had been altered to look this way, but nothing. She even rubbed and scratched her skin in attempts to find out, but to no avail. It all looked and felt ever so natural.


"Uhm... No, I’m alright. I’m just still half asleep I think. Give me a moment, OK? I'll be right out." She answered the voices outside. Hoping that they would go away and leave her alone for a little while. Her heart was beating like a hammer against and anvil when she spoke out loud like that with her new voice, and she had to grab the bathroom sink in order to remain calm and collected as she did. At least this time around she hadn’t sounded like a complete moron, or at least so she thought.


After quickly reviewing the situation in her mind a few times over, she decided. She was going to get out there and face whatever awaited her. The voices sounded nice and caring enough, and perhaps these people could give her what information she needed to figure out what was really going on? In addition she was hungry and the mention of breakfast was actually more alluring than one could expect in a situation like this. So in the end there was no use hiding in the bathroom forever. But before leaving the bathroom there was one thing she needed to do first – pee.


"So, I have this strange question to ask… Can you ehr… Can you describe me? Like what I look like." She requested from the stranger voices on the other side of the door as she started pulling her boxers down. Sure, it was useful knowledge to confirm that she was who they thought – Ben. But more than anything she needed distraction to keep her from panicking over what she was just about to do with her new body. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and didn’t look down.


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

And that sounded exactly like the Ben Mindy knew. Leave it to him to not wake up fully and be saying nonsense in his half sleep. He probably got startled awake seeing himself in the mirror which would have explained the shout of surprise. Ben's cousin giggled to herself at the look on his face when he had startled awake and shouted, finding the image entirely too amusing. It's something she probably wouldn't let him live down for a little while. 


The request to give Ben a moment had Mindy remaining by the door, waiting to see if he was going to decide for her to fetch him a plate of food after all. The strange question caught her off guard, though, and she scratched at the back of her neck uncertainly. Was he possibly still half dreaming or something? 


"Uh, yeah, I mean we've only grown up together so I should know what your ugly mug looks like." She said playfully before she focused on her task. "You're obviously pretty tall, one of the tallest in the family even though you're not even the oldest. You've got brown hair like your mom, and you are super unfair because you don't have any freckles like me. Your eyes are brown which Uncle Evan teases you about because it means you're full of shit. You also always seem to wear lame plain t-shirts even though I tell you you'd look cooler in rockband t-shirts or at least something that shows off the muscles you have. There, does that answer your question?" Mindy inquired through the door. "What happened? Did you have a bad dream about being ugly and then wake up facing a mirror?" 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

Anka was actually a bit surprised when the girl on the other side of the bathroom door did as she had requested and explaining how the person she called Ben looked. It was a good thing that she did, because it was enough of a distraction go keep Anka's mind occupied while she did the deed, so to speak. At any rate, once the semi-horrifying experience was over and done with she positioned herself in front of the mirror again, having an extra look to make sure that her current and new looks checked out with the description given by the girl on the other side of the door. ”Lame, plain, t-shirts, alright..." Said Anka and looked at the t-shirt she was wearing, sighing at how she'd missed the fact that it was actually rather tight and fitting when she put it on earlier, after all, that was not to be expected when someone her (normal) size was borrowing a guy's shirt anyway. Perhaps she'd just too tired to reflect upon that fact.
 


Looking at the door, then back at her reflection in the mirror one more time, she took a deep breath and turned for the door. Alright Anna-Klara, you can do this! She grabbed the door knob, but spoke up again before she actually started turning it. "Alright, I'm erh... I'm coming out now... Just so you know!" She said, as if to prepare herself and whoever was out there for what was going to happen, like it was some big deal or some kind of a dangerous thing, not even reflecting upon how dumb she must've sounded. She unlocked the door with some difficulties using her free hand, almost and opened the door. Finally she was outside in the hallway again, inhabiting a strange new body, clad in nothing but a t-shirt and boxers, facing a completely unknown person.


“Hey... What's up?” She said and closed the door behind her only to back up against it again as if she was afraid of Mindy or something.


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

Mindy giggled at the warning but she stepped away from the door. Not that she would have been hit by the door because it swung inwards, but it was very considerate of Ben to warn her. "Ah, my eyes!" She teased, covering her eyes as if seeing Ben in his boxers was some terrible thing before glancing back at him. "Not much cuz, what's up for you? Besides you making us terribly late for breakfast?" She asked, her hands in her pockets, a large grin across her face. 


Meanwhile breakfast was in full swing downstairs. Ben's siblings and two other cousins were at the table chowing down while his mother continued to cook. No one really seemed to mind his tardiness, though they certainly noted it. In fact, rumor and speculation on what had happened to make Ben shout and on top of that late for breakfast began to circle around the table with giggles and whispers. None of them were terribly cruel, though they could be considered a little mean. It was mostly a lot of joking of crazy circumstances. 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

Oh, so we’re cousins, is that it? Anka couldn't be entirely certain of course, but given the fact that the girl had just referred to her a cuz was somewhat of a lead. Besides, it was not exactly farfetched to believe that being cousins was her relationship to Ben. The girl’s speak also got Anka thinking, what kind of English accent was this really? Clearly not British, and not was it New Zealandish or Kiwi as the New Zealandish exchange students back in Flogsta would call their own accent. She guessed that out wasn't Aussie either because she actually understood what these people were saying and they didn’t sound like The Crocodile Hunter... And that left pretty much two alternatives in Anka’s mind: American and Canadian.


At any rate, she didn't have time to decide for sure what accent this was, she had more important matters at hand; like trying to be someone she totally wasn't in front of this complete stranger that though she was her cousin! “Oh! Sorry about that!” Anka said in a stuttering voice and promptly started blushing, crossing her legs as if to cover herself up that way. “I'll just hop into a pair of pants and I'll come right down to.... The kitchen? ” She said, smiling in a very strange and nervous manner. Bloody hell Anka?! This is not going very well, is it?!


“If you... excuse me. I'll just... Thank you.” She said as she started for the room she had woken up in today, and made an awkward detour around Mindy as she passed her in the hallway, trying not to get too close to her. Once inside the room she headed straight for the pair of pants that lay folded by the foot-side of the bed. As for socks she just picked up whatever she found in the mess, she didn't want to make herself look like a fool by not knowing where she stored clean socks.


Once she was done she got back up and looked at Mindy, still smiling awkwardly... “Lead the way, cousin.”


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

Mindy giggled at Ben's embarrassment, a little surprised but very amused by it. She shook her head, running fingers through her hair which was still in a bed head state, before making a point of looking away from the shy Ben. She didn't even think to move out of Ben's way, and she had to bite back more laughter as he made his way around her. She glanced up in amusement when she was told to lead the way, and couldn't help stretching up to pinch Ben's cheek.


"You should have nightmares more often, Ben. You're super adorbs when you're all awkward and stuttering." She teased before waving her hand in a 'follow along' gesture. She lead the way past several bedroom doors and down a nice, sturdy set of stairs. Teh floor was a dark wood that was scuffed from years of use but still had a strong, homey look to it. Unlike the blues of Ben's room, the house walls were white but they were lined with pictures of the family. Ben when he was a child in little league, a picture of Ben's mother and father surrounded by their children when Ben's father was still alive, Uncle Evan and his family, Ben and Mindy covered from head to toe in mud, and so on. 


The smell of breakfast wafted up from the kitchen and Mindy took a deep, appreciative breath before jumping the last couple steps and turning the corner into the kitchen. She immediately set about dishing up a plate, happy to see that there were still heaps of sausage and bacon to go around. When Ben entered the room his mother came over and pressed a kiss to his cheek before going back to cooking the last of the pancake batter. 


"Morning bro." MIchael greeted with a mouth full of pancake so it came out a little slurred. 


"He's alive!" Joanne greeted, causing Lilly to squeal in delight and Sarah to hush the youngest in the Jone's family. It was a good thing that the table was exceptionally large so there was still space to sit even with 5 people already at the table. In fact, the large, long table looked pretty empty. 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

“Feels more like I am in one...” Was the mumbled and almost inaudible response from Anna-Klara when her apparent cousin pinched her cheek and told her that thing about being adorable when having nightmares. Getting her cheek pinched was a surprisingly strange sensation for Anka. Physical contact seemed foreign and alien to her in this new body. Sure, it actually felt pretty much the same, yet there was somehow clearly different, as if she was somehow afraid of the feeling. She sort of felt like an animal that isn't used to being petted, and had to concentrate to not recoil at the touch of her cousin, which would've been rude. In fact, now that she was following Mindy through the hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen, she noticed that just walking around in general had sort of a weird feeling to it in this body as well. She felt stronger, harder and more kinetic than normally. It actually reminded her of her early teens, way back when she was actually an active athlete herself.


Anka sort of wanted to make a quick stop to inspect photographs and have a closer look, they might hold important clues as to where they were or who this Ben actually was, but even if she wasn't the biggest fan of bacon and sausage (not a fan at all in fact!) the smell of pancakes was enough to get her stomach rumbling in a desperate call for food and nourishment. The photos could wait for later, there was breakfast to be had!


When mother of the house suddenly and without warning (ok, perhaps Anka wasn't paying attention because she was busy minding the new surroundings) came up to her and kissed her cheek, it was impossible for her not to recoil. “Oh, good morning, didn't see you there... Mum.” She said, and tried to smile as broadly as she could, pretending to be happy to see the stranger woman.


She nodded at Michael by way of greeting him and sat herself down by the table, taking the seat next to Mindy. The atmosphere in the kitchen was actually rather cozy and not at all bothersome. It felt like a happy and safe place with parts of the family gathered. Anka couldn't remember when she had last sat down with her family for breakfast, but it sure wasn't her moving to Uppsala last autumn that marked the spot. They had never really been the sort of family that had shared routines like that, with both parents busy with demanding jobs, and both girls busy with school and many extracurricular activities, the Alm family was more often apart than united, and there was certainly never time to cook breakfast and sit down by the table together. In fact, breakfast was something that Anka had often skipped, or had at the bus or subway on her way to school. But things seemed to be very different around here, and for the first moment in a today Anna-Klara's fear and uncertainty started giving in, and curiosity got the upper hand.


She looked around the table, at each and everyone around it. She desperately wanted to say something to them, to find out more. But she didn't know how, and was simply unable to find any words. So in the end, she remained quiet, only glancing at the pancakes, not daring to take any.

 

[RubyRose]

If there was anything odd with Ben's response to his mother, no one commented on it. Instead, breakfast continued as usual. When Ben sat down at the table, Mindy put a couple strips of bacon and some sausage links on his plate. "You're looking really skimpy on meat, cuz. You're usually the reason we run low on it, come to think about it." Mindy commented thoughtfully before taking a bite of bacon. Finished cooking, Ben's mother takes a seat next to him and begins to eat her meager breakfast in comparison to everyone else's. She never really was the type to eat much, though. 


No one really noticed Ben's quiet; it was one of those things about the guy, luckily for Anka. Some mornings he was very talkative and some mornings he was introspective and after the shout that had echoed through the house the boys at the table were assuming that Ben was ashamed for being so very unmanly. Because what kind of man shouted when there wasn't a serious crisis. A conversation picked up easily about the chores that needed to be done that day- thankfully lighter then usual. Ben was perhaps saved from Mindy's thoughtfulness when Michael reached across the table and stole all of Ben's bacon and Joseph copied and took his sausage. 


"Only real men get bacon and sausage." Michael said boldly and Joseph nodded. Mindy's jaw dropped but not from shock, from absolute amusement. She looked to Ben, seeing if he was going to do something about it, while Joanne kept chatting at Sarah. 


"So Uncle Evan and Aunt Cindy already cleaned out the barn and fed the animals so we just have to water them, and double check them this evening." Sarah commented in a whimsical tone. 


"We're actually going to have a decent day today." Joanne agreed. 


"I'm just glad we don't have school today. Those teachers and their meetings really save us students." Michael stated causing the younger kids at the table to laugh. 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

“Uhm… Oh, thank you. I was going for the pancakes first today I guess.” She said, and smiled at Mindy, even if she was not at all happy with what just had appened. Oh crap, they expect me to actually eat meat! A feeling of light panic started growing inside Anka as she stared at the plate Mindy had just set on the table in front of her. It was flooded with what most would consider greasy goodness of sausage and bacon but the plate was simply a frightening sight to behold according to Anka. The very idea of eating meat was repulsive at best in her world. She had been a vegetarian for five years now, and even if she had initially had chosen that path because she felt bad for cute animals and wanted to help save the climate, the fact that she was now days grossed out by meat was probably what actually kept her on it. Though, Mindy had probably served the meaty plate to her in order to be considerate and friendly and as such it wasn’t exactly easy to just refuse it. Anka knew that if the worst came to happen she could probably handle a side of bacon or two (which was the one thing about meat that she actually really missed, not that she’d ever admit it), but sausage? Yuck! The very idea that Ben probably ate sausage for breakfast everyday almost had her shivering on the spot and made left a bad taste in her mouth.






Luckily the teenage boys by the table were greedy little douchebags and bold enough to steal her sausage and bacon before she knew it. With a thankful smile she observed the two of them as they started stuffing themselves, and she so relieved that she was unable to actually be offended by their mean act, and sexist comments. "That's quite alright, you thieves can enjoy those dead animals all you like." She said and changed her smile into a right mischievous smirk. "If meat is man food I'd rather be a woman anyway." She added in a half-mumble, grabbing a pancake and what she expected to be maple syrup or something along those lines.




When the people around the table started talking about their chores today Anka realized that perhaps there were some expectations on her. Like, what if there were things she had to do today? Work? School? Chores? Perhaps she could find out by asking more about what the others were doing? “What about you then, mum? What’re you doing today?”


"And what about you, cousin?"


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

A few pairs of eyes fell on Ben at the mention of 'enjoying those dead animals.' but no one really commented. Just an arched eyebrow or two while they continued to eat. Mindy gave Ben a further questioning look at the mumbling but it was mainly because she didn't understand most of what he had said, but decided to take it as he was upset about having his food taken from him and left it at that. She was also a little irked at the boys, and was wondering if a little revenge was in order or not. 


"That's so sweet of you to ask, darling. I'll be cleaning the house." She said warmly, while Michael mouthed at Ben 'like always.' "There are some dust bunnies under the beds that have been there too long, and quite a lot of laundry to keep up with thanks to all you kids." Her tone was nothing but maternal adoration. Her gaze was loving as it swept across the table. Having finished her own breakfast she collected her plate and began collecting the plates of those who were finished before heading to the sink to begin washing them. 


"Well, it's my job to feed the chickens and collect the eggs today." MIndy sighed, not looking forward to having to deal with the mean roosters that liked to attack most people when they entered. "Otherwise, I have a monster presentation I have to write for Friday and I figured I'd use today to do it. Hey, are you going to need my help with the broken fence? I know Uncle Evan will be helping you, and I'd rather not but if you absolutely need another pair of hands these hands can help." Mindy said, wiggling her fingers at Ben. 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

”Hmm, fixing the fence, that's right... Did uncle Evan say when it was supposed to be done or anything, I can't seem to quite remember?” said Anna-Klara, already starting to worry about how she would be able to fix a fence, or even find the fence that needed fixing to begin with. She didn't know her way around fixing things like that. Heck, she hardly passed wood-craft class in school (that's a thing in Swedish elementary). The only thing that had saved her there was being good at painting and decorating things to look decent even if the quality of the craft itself was mediocre at best. She doubted that making things look pretty and decorative would help her when it came to fix fences on a farm though. And how would she know who was uncle Evan? This could really spell trouble, but luckily, there and then, she got an idea:

“Well, then I have a proposal for you! I'll help you with the birds, and you help me and uncle Evan with the fence. How about that?” Oh, she hoped that Mindy would accept her offer! This way she could tag along with her and not get lost or take any wrong turns. Besides, feeding fluffy little chickens and collecting eggs sounded sort of nice in her naive mind. Do I have to tell you that she had next to no experience with handling birds?


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

"Just that it needed to get done today." Mindy said with a grin, remembering why exactly Uncle Evan had called on just Ben to help. Then again, Mindy didn't want to be around for the party decorations. Or baking. Or really any of the party stuff; just wasn't her scene. She'd rather be out in the clean air which is why she didn't mind offering her help with the fence. 


Not that Mindy needed help with the chickens, but two sets of hands made faster work. And if it got Ben out of the house sooner she was sure her Auntie would thank her for it. Grinning, Mindy pushed away from the table and headed towards the door. "Alright cuz, lets get it done then." She said with a grin, holding the door open for Ben. The air was chilly and immediately set Mindy's skin pimpling with goosebumps but she just grinned, not minding the cold. "I'm surprised you're actually up for helping me with the chickens again so soon. Didn't Bert just about take your eye out last time?" She snickered playfully. Bert, as the rooster was fondly named, had flown at Ben's face and had luckily missed him completely only to land on Mindy's head instead. Thankfully Ben saved her before the chicken could do any serious damage. 


"So, Ben," Mindy asked with a smile when they were far enough away from the house. "Are you ready for your surprise party tonight? You rarely ever get to have a party on your actual birthday, afterall." She said with a grin, walking along to the shed where the food was housed for some of the animals. She set about pouring the food into different containers, stuff that looked like dry corn kernels and so on filling several different buckets before she stacked them up and handed one stack to Ben before picking up her own stack. 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

After an embarrassing moment of not knowing where here shoes could be found, what they looked like or what size they were Anka had finally recalled seeing the muddy old things on the heater in Ben's room, and now she was heading outside to feed the chickens, following Mindy across the farmyard. She was feeling somewhat happy about the fact that Mindy had agreed on sharing chores today, because it made her feel so much more at ease having a guide. She had already started seeing her as a friend, for was actually very easy-going and had a sense of humor and was very found of Ben. He was lucky to have such a nice cousin, and not the rather anonymous cousins that Anka knew from her previous life; who you only ever got to see during midsummer when the entire Alm family gathered at their summerhouse.


“Well, no worries I'm just glad we can help each other ou-... Take my eye out?!” Anka said, sounding more than a bit worried and feeling a bit afraid of this Bert, whatever he was. Can chickens really take people's eyes out? They are round, fluffy and yellow, aren't they?


“Surprise party?” At the mention of the surprise party and birthday celebrations Anka remembered that today was actually her birthday. Well, back in her ordinary life it was supposed to be her birthday the next day after the last one she remembered anyway. She promptly froze in motion, just standing there holding the bucket of chicken feed and staring into thin air as things started getting back to her. Sufjan, her boyfriend, (ex-boyfriend!) had dumped her last night, the night before her twentieth birthday. Before they broke up the plan had been for Sufjan to visit her in Uppsala and take her on a romantic date and whatnot, but now that they were no longer a couple she was left alone with no plans at all. Not that it mattered, because she was here now...

Wait... Why am I here? And why is Ben's birthday the same as mine?


Panicky feelings started filling her mind for what seemed to be the hundred time just this morning as she started guessing how come she was here in this new body. The most horrible and yet the most prominent guess was that she had killed herself last night, and was now reincarnated somehow. A lonely tear made it's way down her left cheek before she was able to dismiss the train of thought.


“I had actually forgotten it was my birthday today...” She said in a voice almost as weak as a whisper.


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

"Oh I'm sure that it wouldn't have actually gotten away with your eye. Maybe just scratched your cheek or something in the attempt." Mindy soothed, though the effect was probably lost from the mirth in her voice. It was always nice to have Ben with her, though, and she felt so certain that the roosters wouldn't get away with attacking her when he was around. He was a protective cousin, and it was one of the best qualities about him in Mindy's opinion. 


Nodding at the mention of the party, Mindy glanced over at Ben. "Yeah; usually they hold it on the 28th, you know? But this year we actually get a couple more days of February. You weren't even paying attention, where you Ben?" Mindy accused with a laugh, shaking her head. It took her a moment to realize Ben was no longer following her and she turned to watch Ben, her good mood dimmed from the emotions going across Ben's face. Of course her cousin wasn't a robot and Mindy was one of the people who had seen all sides of Ben, but she was confused at why he looked so sad all of a sudden. Plus, with how soft he spoke next, Mindy almost completely missed Ben's words. 


"Hey... Ben... it's alright, Man. Everyone forgets every now and then." She said softly, setting the chicken food down and taking Ben's from him. She then gave him a hug because he looked like he needed it. "You're a whole 20 years old. How crazy is that, right?" She said softly. "I know life's been hard since Tim died but it's good to have you home. I'm glad you came home." She said against Ben's chest, before leaning back and looking up at her cousin. 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

Anka was on the brink of really starting weeping there and then. She didn't want to cry, for she was supposed to be man now, to be this Ben. Sure, in the light of the Sufjan ting, she was almost certain all around her right now was part of a dream, and oh how silly she felt for letting her imaginary pride of being a man in a dream matter. Really, it was so far from reality that she couldn't imagine why she was afraid of crying in front of Mindy, yet there she was fighting all she could to hold back the tears.


”It's just... I can't understand that it's over. That he is gone and that he left me all alone like this. Not even a chance of a good bye or anything. Can you imagine that?!” She said, stuttering from having to concentrate on not crying. Though she was talking about Sufjan, Mindy started talking about some guy named Tim that had died. Was this the dream trying to save itself from reality by making up stories to explain Anka's feelings? Maybe. And if so, wasn't it better to just live in the dream while it lasted rather than to be upset about the harsh and bad nature of reality that she'd eventually have to tackle again once she woke up? She decided to give it a go, perhaps learning more about these imaginary people in the dream was a good way of distracting herself.


”Cousin... I don't remember. Who was Tim? What was he like, and why did he have to die? Please, remind me. Heck, I don't even remember your name.” She said, knowing that this might be a dangerous thing to do, but she was willing to gamble a bit to find out more.


She wiped away the wet trail left by the sole tear with the sleeve of her shirt and picked up the bucket of chicken feed. ”You can tell me while we work...”


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

If things weren't already bizarre, they were about to reach a point that had even Mindy stepping back. She removed herself from the hug, giving Ben an exceptionally uncertain look. If this were some kind of book or movie, she'd think this would be the point that an alien masquerading as Ben would make it's appearance but this was real life and such things didn't exist, right? Ben was just upset... though she had never heard him be all that unhappy about Tim's death. Tim wasn't really all that close to either of them, and to think that he was upset to the point of crying when Ben never cried. And though he was an airhead, even he wouldn't forget his mother having a surprise party. But the thing that set all of these emotions off, all of the sudden doubt and uncertainty, was Ben asking who Tim was. And who she was. Ben didn't forget names and he certainly wouldn't forget who his brother was. 


"Did you hit your head?" Mindy exclaimed, circling Ben and looking for any bumps on his head. The playfulness of her tone was forced at this point; there was an edge of fear to it instead. "Come on Ben, quit kidding around. How could you forget Tim? Or me?" She demanded, not wanting to give any more information away. At the suggestion that she could just answer his questions while they worked didn't sit well with Mindy and she crossed her arms, scowling up at Ben. Mindy's scowls were pretty ridiculous in their entirety, she looked really silly when her face scrunched up, but someone who knew her knew the danger that was behind them. "This joke really isn't funny, by the way. It's really lame actually." 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

“Sorry cousin, I was hoping you'd remeind me is all...” Anka's attempt to draw information out of her supposed cousin already backfired. It was easy to tell that Mindy was upset by the questions even if she was rather playfully going around looking for bumps or whatnot. And before long Mindy looked up at her with a right scowl. Of course, this was only to be expected considering it was such a delicate subject – the death of a close one – that Anka had been touching upon. Besides, who wanted to hear that their cousin had forgotten their name? Anka did not want to be rude or in any way hurt or harm this person, if she was going to be here for much longer she sure didn't want to lose the only friend she had made so far. But then again, she really didn't know who Tim was, or that the girl's name was Mindy. She scratched the back of her head, looking very apologetic and hesitated a while before replying again, not sure how to get out of this pickle.


“I wasn't actually saying that I don't remember, I was just meaning that it's easy to forget who someone really was. You know what I saying?” She said, just improvising some sort of explanation that would make her seem less crazy. Hoping that Mindy would swallow the bait and actually give her some of the information she so desired. “See, once someone is gone you start creating these ideas and pictures of them and who they were in your mind, and as times goes by you keep working those ideas and pictures. They change a little bit each time you think of them. And how long till they show a different picture entirely, how long before you start lying to yourself? Do you get my point? Anyway, forget it, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude or anything I just... Look, it's been a very weird morning for me so don't hate me, ok? I'm sorry.” She said in a voice that clearly showed that she was sorry for offending Mindy. Though she did feel like a right culprit on the inside, who the hell starts lying about things like these!? Anna-Klara, you're the worst.


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

Mindy attempted to keep her guard up but this was Ben she was talking to. Her best friend and the one person she could go to and not be judged, and who should be able to go to her and not be judged. As soon as he began explaining it, the question made sense. And he had been gone when Mindy went through one of her bigger personality changes so... it would explain his comment about her as well (because at this point Mindy only really thought of the 'don't know you' instead of 'don't know your name'). Sighing, she shook her head and gave Ben a tired smile. 


"That was really deep, Ben." She said. "And I get it. You and Tim weren't even all that close and you were brothers. And he became even more distant when he went off to war with Josh who we still haven't heard from since Tim's death. Even though you don't really know people, when their family it still hurts when they die." Mindy sighed and rubbed at her temples before picking up the chicken food once more and leading the way to the chicken pen. "Your favorite cousin, Mindy, is always going to be here for you Ben. Even when you ask dumb questions." She added before unlatching the door and slipping in. The chickens ranged in size and in color between the pens. One of the pens had small, black, fluffy chickens who were exceptionally docile and who Mindy chose to feed first. In the next pen, though, Bert stood large and white and menacing with his flock of medium sized red hens clucking around him. 


@Wavebird

 

[Waverly]

Getting some information out of Mindy was certainly a relief! Now she could refer to her by her name instead of cousin, and she also knew a little bit about this dead brother Tim. But there were also a less relieving side of what Mindy had said, for Anka, who was a swedish woman, the mention of war was very alien to her. Having relatives or loved ones parttake in such things was something very, very distant to her, and having a sibling die in war was something that you only ever heard about on tv. So naturally she was sort of moved by hearing that Ben had lost a brother to it. And this other person too, Josh, that they hadn't heard from? Was he still out there in the midst of the chaos? How on earth could his family live their normal lives without knowing if he was alive or not?


“Thanks for being so understanding, Mindy. I know I'm a handful today. But it's the kind of day when I have a lot to think about. Care to tell me about Josh too? Unless you mind of course.” She said and followed Mindy into the hen house. Once inside she recoiled a bit at the smell inside. Not that it was in any way a horrible or bad smell (for a Hen House at any rate) but she was certainly not used to any smells from animals at all and as such it came as sort of a surprise. But she quickly forgot about the smell when she saw the feathered animals that dwelled in there. They were pretty, and some of them looked fluffy and soft while others looked rather majestic with their big plumes of feathers.


“Wow, they are really cute, aren't they!?” She said, completely forgetting to act like Ben at the sight of the tiny and docile black kind of birds. She looked closely at them, inspecting them while smiling broadly at how fluffy and cute they were.


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

The smell of the chicken coop was actually pretty bad. Most of where the chickens inhabited was pretty muddy, except for the coop that was basically a little shack with special boxes for the hens to sleep and lay eggs in (imagine a cabinet without doors for this one). Holding her breath the best she could while she poured food into one of the feeders, she tried not to step on any of the chickens as they rushed to the food. She sprinkled a little on the ground for the chickens that were a bit slower before facing Ben.


"You act as if I'd know him, but I don't know him any better then you and he's your brother. I don't really know what to say... it was kind of the Josh and Tim show when they were still here. They hung out but didn't like being around us kids and we didn't like them bossing us around either." She said, shrugging. 


"That's what I'm always trying to tell you." Mindy said with a laugh. "At least the banties are pretty nice." She scooped one of the fluffy chickens into her arms and brought it over to Ben. It clucked quietly, eyeing both Mindy and Ben with beady little eyes but putting up with being held. "It's those ones we have to fight with." She said next, pointing at the big white chicken and mid sized red hens that were next door. After finishing up with the fluffy black chickens, Mindy led Ben towards the other, slightly larger, pen. 


"Are you ready for this?" She asked softly, eyeing Bert who seemed to be eyeing her right back. "I still don't understand why we don't just eat him." She added with a huff.


@Wavebird