The Swap Project

2. Empty chairs at empty tables

~Winter's POV~
I walked home with a massive headache and permission slip in hand. Later I'd compile a list of what and what not that guy can do with me. (Easily the strangest sentence I've ever said... or thought)
"Hey kiddo," my mother called from the kitchen as I entered.
"Hi!" I slapped the piece of paper in front of her and she read it over quickly.
"That's... interesting, to say the least," she commented "Who are you switching with?" I could lie to her, but then she'd know the day I walked through the door in a different body.
"This guy, his name's Jace," I say very quietly and scurry up the stairs to make that list I spoke of earlier.
-
Friday rolled around much faster than anyone could have imagined, and by then the entire school was buzzing with the news.
"Did you hear Winter Myers is switching with Jace Davis? She wouldn't know what to do with such athletic ability!" The rumors were getting kind of vicious as I was the only person paired with someone of the opposite sex.
"I bet she knew about this and had her seat changed so she could switch with him," I'll say it once, I'll say it a thousand times: people will believe anything.
-
The machinery was quite impressive and probably cost a pretty penny.
"Okay we're going to work from this side of this room to the other," Dr. Park pointed to the left side of the room. Jace and I were somewhere in the middle.
"Ms. Brown and Ms. Boyd," he called out.
It was the kind of thing you'd expect to see in a movie. They each had the little patched adhered to their skin and different IV things inserted into their veins. Dr. Park flipped some switches, sending dozens of chemicals flowing through their bodies. It was terrifying to nearly watch all life drain from their eyes, and in a moment's instant; they simultaneously fell unconscious.
The entire class (and those who came to watch) waited in agony for at least five minutes for the girls to wake up. Eventually, they did and we fell into silence.
That's how that half of the class went. Hooked up, chemicals, pass out, wake up, silence.
We eventually stopped being in awe and the process went much quicker which would be great if I wasn't so nervous for my own turn. Unfortunately, before I knew it my name snapped my attention to focus.
"Ms. Myers, Mr. Davis," I slowly crept from my hard, plastic chair and into the cushioned one set up for the procedure.
The sticky things weren't bad, but I hate needles. With a burning passion. I'm actually very surprised I didn't loose consciousness on the spot. There were two tubes in each arm, and more in places I couldn't feel. Dr. Park flipped the switch as he had done a dozen times, and the patches began to buzz in sync with the mechanical sound of the chemicals preparing. The sensation was nothing like I had ever felt before, the substance seemed to surge through my veins in intervals, which made me think maybe it was switching our blood or something. Whirring noises screamed through my ears, letting me know my consciousness was fading soon, and so it was. In a matter of twenty seconds, everything went pitch black.
-
It felt like an eternity before my eyes fluttered open. Wait, not my eyes, Jace's eyes. I felt quite  strange, like when your hand is asleep but with my entire body. I can't describe the feeling. It's like I wasn't entirely in his body yet and just kinda floating around. I look around to see that the classroom was deserted, of course it was- it was past class change. I'm technically late... what an excuse this'll be.
I sit up only to be pushed forcefully back down.
"Ms. Winter, you need to stay down. Your body isn't responding very well to the procedure and you cannot use your legs yet," the crazy- deep voice hushed me.
I obeyed reluctantly, and surprisingly fell asleep.