The Way Caraval Used To Be

He or she

What was Japeth looking for? He searched under the blankets and pillows. He looked into his clothes' pockets. He lifted the bed and the couch.

He sighed. He didn't find anything. He was visibly worried. It's not like Aric would've cared. He left after he had that talk with Jacks. Arguing wasn't the answer in that case.

"Aric, have you accidentally seen a tiny blue bottle somewhere around here?" Japeth asked.

"No, I have not -"

But Japeth ran into the kitchen. Bang. He must have broken a glass.

"Not here, not there. Where can it be?"

Japeth's voice was pitched. He didn't seem ok.

"Japeth, do you need help?"

Aric sprang into the kitchen when he heard him screaming. He was looking into the cabinet glass door. He slowly touched his eyes like something was wrong. Aric put his hand on Japeth's shoulder. Only Japeth was getting shorter. Why? How? And, it was stupid, but his hair seemed longer. No. It didn't seem. It was. Japeth turned around. But the girl barely looked like Japeth. She had doe green eyes, and she had coffee colored freckles on her pale skin.

"I think someone took my pills."

"Excuse me, your what?"

"My pills. They work better than potion, but that can work too. Do you have bat wings powder? I only need that, a unicorn chimney and some frog legs, bird eyes..." She pulled her pants up. Those were Japeth's pants. She was Japeth.

"Japeth, would you mind explaining?"

Japeth giggled.

"Well, you see, my mother stuffed me with those pills since I was a child, and they kind of get addictive..."

"So, you're a girl."

"Yeah. That's pretty much it, so if you don't mind, I'd actually love to put some proper clothes on."

She walked away with an impossible speed, holding her pants up. She was, in fact, prettier than a doll. And she was not just a doll. She was Japeth.

Knock knock knock.

"Japeth, are you there?"

It was Jacks. Aric couldn't do more than answer the door. Jacks had a crooked boyish grin. He probably expected to see Japeth, so when Aric showed up, his face dropped.

"Um... he's not here."

"I know he is. Now, let me talk to him. Japeth, I'm here!"

Aric stopped him from going farther. He turned around, angry.

"Ah... in fact, I have a girl over. She's changing right now, so I will ask you not to go into the bedroom."

But that is what Jacks did. He opened the bedroom door and closed it as fast as he opened it.

"You- you weren't joking."