Body Swap! 2: A Mother's Love

The next morning, Emily and Ember—swapped into each other’s bodies—ring each other up. When the magic still hasn’t come undone on its own, they decide to meet at the library and hunt through every dusty tome for some trace of the same trick pulled on someone else. Hours later, their heads spin with theory and nothing sticks. Then librarian Lauren Phillips drifts by, arms stacked with books, and pauses to see how they’re getting on. She drops the pile on the table, pleased that the girls seem friendly, then moves on—leaving one heavy, leather-bound volume behind. Inside the spellcraft pages, someone has written the incantation that hit them. A riddle follows, the only escape route they can find: For those who'd seek to break the spell, Behold these words and heed them well: A love of self that's full to burst, A true love's kiss to the one who's cursed, A selfless act, a friend come first, With these, you'll find your fate reversed. Emily—in Ember’s body—admits she just fucked her own step-sister. The fight explodes; Emily slams out and Ember is left alone. A spark of an idea hits her: if she handles the “selfless act,” the riddle might count it toward both. Only a true love’s kiss remains. Who loves Emily most? The answer comes quick—her stepmom, Dana. Ember walks into Dana’s home wearing Emily’s face and body, dripping with the smooth confidence a girl of eighteen rarely owns. Dana resists for half a minute, then folds, helpless against the scent of her own “daughter” suddenly wanting her mouth. Their kiss lands hard—tongue, heat, the taste of wine and lip gloss—and Ember learns too late that Emily’s life hides sharp edges behind that pretty suburban door.