Chapter 1
Alex Saunders sighed heavily as he leaned back on the worn-out couch in the living room of his parents’ suburban home. The summer had just started, and he already missed the city. He missed the campus. He missed the quiet hum of the university library, far removed from his sister Lanie’s relentless chatter.
“Please, Alex! I need to go to this concert!” Lanie’s voice rose in pitch, her blue eyes wide with desperation.
Alex crossed his arms. “No way. I’m not spending an evening surrounded by screaming Swifties. I’d rather chew glass.”
Lanie frowned, pacing back and forth. Her parents had paid a lot of money for these tickets but didn't want Lanie, just 17, going on her own. Lanie had spent weeks trying to let her parents take one of her friends, but her parents insisted that Alex accompany her, much to his chagrin.
“Mom and Dad already said you have to take me," Lanie protests. "It’s Taylor Swift!”
“Exactly. Taylor Swift,” Alex grimaced. “I’ll never live it down if someone from high school sees me there.”
Lanie smirked, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “What if no one knows it’s you?”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Lanie dashed upstairs and returned moments later, clutching a dusty, leather-bound book. The cover was cracked and worn, and the title, written in faded gold lettering, read Mysticae Incantamenta.
“Where did you get that?” Alex asked, narrowing his eyes.
“School library. It was in the back, behind a bunch of boring history books.” Lanie flipped through the pages. “There’s a spell in here that can disguise you. No one will recognize you, and you can just blend in!”
Alex snorted. “You expect me to believe that? That’s ridiculous.”
“Come on,” Lanie said, holding the book out. “What’s the harm? It probably won’t work anyway. But if it does work, you’ll get to stay under the radar, and I’ll get to see Taylor. Win-win.”
Alex hesitated, eyeing the book warily. “This is insane.”
“Please?” Lanie pouted. “Just humor me.”
Against his better judgment, Alex rolled his eyes and nodded. “Fine. But when it doesn’t work, you owe me a week of no nagging.”
“Deal!” Lanie grinned and eagerly flipped to the page with the spell. She cleared her throat dramatically and began to chant in a language Alex didn’t recognize.
Unbeknownst to Alex, Lanie improvised the ending, adding a bit to the spell under her breath: “And make him like Taylor Swift too, so he won’t ruin the mood!”
The room grew still, the air heavy with tension. A sudden gust of wind burst from nowhere, swirling around Alex. His skin tingled, and his vision blurred.
“Uh… Lanie?” Alex’s voice cracked as the wind dissipated. He looked down at his hands -- and froze. They were smaller, delicate, and adorned with pink glitter nail polish.
Lanie’s jaw dropped. “Oh. My. God.”
“What?” Alex demanded, his voice unnervingly high-pitched. He stumbled to the mirror and gasped. Staring back at him was a petite 13-year-old girl with bouncy, curly brown hair. Braces gleamed on her teeth, and she was wearing a bedazzled Taylor Swift T-shirt, a pleated pink skirt, and glittery sneakers.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Alex shrieked, spinning to face Lanie.
“I... I didn’t think it would actually work!” Lanie stammered, eyes wide.
“You’ve got to fix this!” Alex said, gripping her shoulders. But even as he spoke, a strange thought bubbled up in his mind: 1989 really was an underrated masterpiece.
Alex blinked, horrified at the realization: he actually might like Taylor Swift. “No… I…” He hesitated, then turned angrily towards his now bigger sister. “Wait, I thought you said this would just changed how I looked. Why do I have... opinions... on which Taylor Swift album is the best? Why do I know every single person Taylor has ever dated?”
Lanie bit her lip. “I thought it’d make the concert more fun…”
Alex groaned, sinking onto the couch. “This is a nightmare.”
Lanie, however, was grinning again. “Look on the bright side. You look perfect! No one will ever recognize you. And you’re kind of adorable!”
Alex glared at her, but the effect was somewhat diminished by the glitter headband now adorning his curls.
Lanie grabbed her phone. “Let’s test this out. I’ll show Mom and Dad, and we’ll see if they recognize you!”
“Lanie, no!—”
But before Alex could stop her, Lanie was already running out of the room, leaving him to come to terms with the sparkly, Swift-loving stranger he had become.
Chapter 2
“Mom! Dad! Look at this!” Lanie burst into the kitchen, waving her phone like a trophy.
Alex scrambled after her, his glittery sneakers squeaking on the floor. “Lanie, wait—don’t—”
Too late.
Their mom glanced up from slicing carrots, while their dad looked over the rim of his glasses. Lanie proudly held up her phone, displaying a hastily snapped photo of Alex, braces and all, awkwardly standing in the living room.
“Is this what Lexie’s wearing to the concert?” Lanie's father asked, feigning casual interest.
Their mom’s face lit up. “Oh, how cute! Lexie, you look so grown up!”
Their dad chuckled. “Just make sure you keep an eye on your little sister, Lanie. She’s young, and this is her first concert. No wandering off, okay?”
Alex froze, his mouth hanging open. “Little sister? What are you talking about? I’m Alex! Your son! Your 23-year-old son!”
His mom gave him a puzzled look. “Alex? What are you going on about, sweetheart? Are you practicing for a school play or something?”
“I... what?” Alex stammered. He turned to his dad. “It’s me! Alex Saunders! I’m your son!”
His dad just laughed and shook his head. “You’re Lexie, kiddo. Our youngest. Don’t get too nervous about the concert, okay? It’s supposed to be fun.”
Lanie watched the exchange, her expression teetering between shock and amusement. She tugged on Alex’s—no, Lexie’s—sleeve. “Um, 'Lexie?' Can I talk to you for a sec?”
Alex let her pull him out of the kitchen and into the hallway. “What is happening?” he hissed. “They don’t remember me! They think I’ve always been… this!” He gestured to his glittery shirt in disbelief.
Lanie frowned, flipping through the spellbook again. “Okay, this is… unexpected. I thought the spell would just, you know, change your appearance. I didn’t realize it’d mess with people’s memories too.”
“You think?” Alex snapped. “My entire identity is gone! They don’t even remember who I really am!”
“Hey, calm down,” Lanie said, though her voice was tinged with guilt. “Maybe it’s temporary? Like, maybe the spell wears off after the concert or something?”
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, his braces glinting under the hallway light. “So, what? I’m stuck like this until then?”
“Well… yeah, I guess,” Lanie admitted, biting her lip. “But look on the bright side—”
“There is no bright side!” Alex interrupted. “I’m thirteen! And I’m supposed to like Taylor Swift!”
Lanie gave him a sheepish grin. “Okay, but admit it. You’ve already started humming Love Story, haven’t you?”
Alex glared at her, but the faint strains of Taylor's hit song off her second album were already playing in his head, unbidden. He groaned. But also, involuntarily, he smiled.
“This is a disaster.”
“It’s not that bad,” Lanie said, patting his shoulder. “Mom and Dad said you look cute, so at least you’ll blend in perfectly at the concert.”
Alex groaned again, slumping against the wall. “If this doesn’t wear off, you’re going to regret it, Lanie. I swear.”
“Relax, Lexie,” Lanie said with a wink. Alex was annoyed at how easily his sister had started using his apparent new name. “It’ll all work out. And who knows? You might actually have fun.”
Alex doubted it, but the look on Lanie’s face told him there was no way out of this. For now, he was stuck as “Lexie,” Taylor Swift superfan extraordinaire, heading to her very first concert with her big sister.
Lexie stormed up the stairs, to wait out the hours before the concert in the privacy of her room. But when Lexie reached what was supposed to be Alex’s room, she froze.
The door was no longer the plain wooden panel she remembered. Instead, it was painted lavender, adorned with glittery stickers that spelled out “Lexie’s Lair” in bubbly letters. A plastic Taylor Swift poster hung below it, featuring a smiling Taylor holding a microphone mid-performance.
“No,” Lexie muttered, shaking her head. “No, no, no.”
She pushed the door open, bracing herself for the worst.
Her room -- or rather Lexie’s room -- was a pastel explosion. The walls were painted pink, covered in glossy Taylor Swift posters from every era. There was Fearless Taylor with her signature curls, Red Taylor in her iconic black hat, and Midnights Taylor looking chic and mysterious. Fairy lights strung with glittering star shapes framed the posters.
The bedspread was pink and purple with Taylor’s face printed on the pillows. A shelf above the bed held every Taylor Swift CD and vinyl record ever released, along with books about Taylor, and home-made memorabilia.
“This… this can’t be real,” Lexie whispered, stumbling inside.
Lanie peeked in behind her, biting her lip to stifle a laugh. “Wow. You’re dedicated, huh?”
Lexie shot her a glare and spun around, taking in the horror of her transformed space. A vanity table in the corner was stocked with sparkly lip glosses, scrunchies, and a Taylor Swift-themed hairbrush. Even the lamp on the nightstand had a custom shade featuring Taylor’s silhouette.
On the desk sat a pale pink laptop covered in more Taylor stickers, and next to it, a phone on a charger. The phone case bore a picture of Taylor with the words “Swiftie for Life.”
Lexie snatched it up and hit the home button, revealing a lock screen wallpaper of Taylor on stage under a shower of confetti. The phone’s passcode had changed to 1-9-8-9 -- Taylor’s birth year.
Once inside, the barrage of Swiftiness continued. Her messages app showed she was in no fewer than six group chats with names like “Fearless Fans Forever,” “Speak Now Stans,” and “Swifties Unite.” The most recent message in one chat read:
Katie: “Lexie! Are you SOOO excited for the concert tonight?? I can’t believe you’re going! Take a million pics!!!”
The notification banner cut off the rest of the conversation, but Lexie had seen enough. She scrolled to her social media apps hoping for some sense of normalcy, but when she loaded TikTok, her discovery page was filled with Taylor Swift videos.
“This can’t be happening,” Lexie groaned, sinking onto the bed. Even her Spotify was locked to “kid-friendly” mode, with playlists like “Best of Taylor Swift” and “Clean Swiftie Jams” already queued up.
Lanie sat down next to her, trying to suppress her grin. “Okay, yeah, this is… a lot.”
“You think?” Lexie snapped, holding up the phone. “My life is gone, Lanie. My life. I’m a 13-year-old girl who can’t even go to a PG-13 movie without mom or dad being there!”
Lanie winced, but it was clear she was having too much fun with this.
“I mean… it’s kind of sweet, though," she said." You have such a… passionate personality now.”
Lexie glared.
“I don’t want to be passionate," she fumed. "I want to be Alex! I want my room back, my music back, my freedom back!”
“Maybe it’s not so bad,” Lanie offered weakly. “You like Taylor now, don’t you? That’s got to make this easier.”
Lexie opened her mouth to protest, but hesitated. Her brain was betraying her. Somewhere deep down, a voice whispered, “Yeah, Taylor’s lyrics are just so relatable.”
She groaned and flopped onto her back, staring at the ceiling, which was covered in glow-in-the-dark stars.
“Change me back... now,” she muttered. "I'll take you to the concert as Alex, just change me back."
Lanie didn’t answer right away. When Lexie turned her head, Lanie was flipping through the spellbook again, a small frown on her face.
“I... ummm... I don't think I can,” Lanie said, unable to find a reversal spell. Her voice lacked conviction as she tried to calm her former big brother, now her little sister. “I'm sure we just need to get through tonight, then the spell will wear off and you'll change back.”
Lexie sighed, clutching her Taylor Swift pillow to her chest. For the first time in her life, she actually wished she didn’t have front-row seats to the show.
Chapter 3
The family minivan pulled into the packed parking lot of the stadium, the muffled roar of a crowd already audible through the rolled-up windows. A sea of Swifties, dressed in glitter, sequins, and friendship bracelets, swarmed the venue like a colony of hyperactive ants.
Lexie sat in the backseat, arms crossed and face set in a scowl, but her foot betrayed her by tapping in time to the faint strains of Taylor Swift’s pre-show playlist leaking out from the arena.
“This is so exciting!” their mom said, turning around in her seat to beam at them. “Lexie, I can’t believe you’re finally going to your first concert. You’ve been talking about this for months.”
Lexie forced a grimace. “Yeah. Totally. First concert.” Alex had been to dozens of concerts in his life. Usually in small venues, where he'd watch his favorite up and coming acts. It was bad enough he was attending a Taylor Swift show in a massive stadium, where he'd much rather be watching his hometown football team -- even if he had resigned himself to the fact that they'd likely never win a Super Bowl in his lifetime. But because of the modification Lanie made to the spell, he was actually looking forward to seeing Taylor Swift perform live.
“I’m proud of you for being such a good big sister, Lanie,” their dad added. “You’ll make sure Lexie stays safe, right?”
“Of course, Dad,” Lanie said, shooting Lexie a smirk. “She’s in good hands.”
Lexie shot Lanie a glare. She was supposed to be the older sibling, the one watching Lanie. And much to her frustration, their roles had reversed. “You’re enjoying this way too much,” Lexie whispered to her sister.
Lanie didn’t even try to hide her grin. “You’re adorable when you’re mad.”
As soon as the van came to a stop, Lexie pushed the door open and scrambled out, clutching her tiny crossbody bag adorned with a sequined heart. She barely registered the familiar weight of her phone inside, now adorned with Taylor Swift-themed accessories she’d never owned -- or wanted -- until today.
Their mom leaned out of the window. “Have fun, girls! And Lexie, make sure to take lots of pictures to show us later!”
“I will!” Lexie said, her voice unnervingly chipper.
Wait... what? Lexie clamped a hand over her mouth, horrified at the genuine enthusiasm that had crept into her tone.
As the van pulled away, Lanie nudged her. “Wow, you’re getting into it already. The spell must be working overtime.”
“I’m not...” Lexie started, but her words faltered as her eyes caught sight of the stadium. Bright lights illuminated banners and billboards with Taylor Swift’s face plastered on them, larger than life. The excitement in the air was almost palpable.
Something bubbled up inside her -- a giddy, uncontrollable joy. She bounced on her heels. “This is insane! I can’t believe we’re actually here!”
Lanie stared at her, trying not to laugh. “You okay there, Lexie?”
“No!” Lexie exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “I mean, yes? I don’t know!” With conflicting thoughts swirling in her head, she turned in a circle, taking in the glittering outfits, the glowing bracelets, the joyful chatter of fans. “This is amazing! I’m so excited!”
Lanie snorted. “You literally hated this five hours ago.”
Lexie glared at her, but it was half-hearted at best. “I still hate this… somewhere. Deep down. Probably. But…” She glanced at a group of girls walking past, all wearing matching “Swiftie Squad” T-shirts and laughing together. “I mean, look at them. How can you not feel happy around this?”
“Uh-huh,” Lanie said, smirking. She'd always been a big Taylor Swift fan, but the changes from the spell were giving her an up close look at what an obsessed Swiftie looked like, in the form of her now-younger sibling.
Lexie groaned, yanking her glittery phone out of her bag. She held it up, the screen lighting up with a notification from one of her Swiftie group chats.
Fearless Fans Forever: “Is everyone ready for the best night of our lives??”
Lexie groaned again, but instead of closing the app, she found herself typing a reply:
Lexie: “OMG I’m so excited!!!”
She hit send before she realized what she was doing. When she looked up, Lanie was laughing so hard she had to clutch her stomach.
“I hate you,” Lexie muttered, though the words felt hollow as a grin spread across her face.
“Sure you do, Lexie,” Lanie said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “Come on, we’ve got a concert to get to. Don’t want to miss your girl, Taylor!”
Lexie groaned but followed, her heart thumping with an inexplicable blend of dread and exhilaration. Against her will -- and thanks to the spell -- she couldn’t deny it: to borrow a line from what her mind was telling her was one of Taylor's more under-appreciated hits, Lexie was... Ready For It...
Chapter 4
The stadium roared with anticipation as the lights dimmed and the opening notes of Taylor Swift’s intro echoed across the crowd. "It's been a long time coming..." rang out repeatedly, and Lexie, clutching her lighted bracelet, practically vibrated with excitement. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much, but she couldn’t stop herself.
When Taylor appeared onstage in a glittering bodysuit, the crowd erupted into deafening screams. Lexie was on her feet instantly, jumping up and down, her hands in the air.
“OH MY GOD, SHE’S RIGHT THERE!” she screamed, grabbing Lanie’s arm and shaking it wildly.
Lanie winced at the volume but couldn’t help grinning. “Okay, okay, calm down, Lexie!”
“I CAN’T CALM DOWN!” Lexie shouted, tears already brimming in her eyes. As Taylor launched into Cruel Summer, Lexie sang along to every single word, her voice cracking with emotion as she shouted the bridge.
By the time Taylor transitioned into her Fearless and Evermore eras, Lexie was a blubbering mess. The haunting notes of Enchanted, the lone Speak Now song on the setlist, had Lexie clutching her heart like she was in physical pain.
“She’s so beautiful,” Lexie sobbed, tears streaming down her face. “And this song… it’s just so real! Why is she so good at writing about heartbreak?”
Lanie handed her a tissue, laughing but also touched by Lexie’s unrestrained emotion. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I know,” Lexie wailed, blowing her nose loudly.
But it wasn’t until the Red era began that Lexie truly lost it. As Taylor belted out 22, she moved closer to the edge of the stage, scanning the crowd.
“I can’t believe we’re here for this,” Lexie whispered, her hands clasped in front of her like she was praying.
And then it happened. Taylor walked over to their section, leaned down, and handed her famous black hat to someone. That someone was Lexie.
For a moment, Lexie froze, staring wide-eyed at the hat in her hands. The crowd around her screamed, and Lanie gawked in disbelief.
“She gave it to you?!” Lanie shouted, shaking her arm.
“She gave it to me,” Lexie whispered, her voice trembling. Then it sank in. She jumped up and down, holding the hat above her head. “SHE GAVE ME THE HAT! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! I’M NEVER TAKING THIS OFF!”
A flash of jealously flickered in Lanie's eyes. “You’re so lucky,” she muttered. But when she saw the pure, unbridled joy on Lexie’s face, her expression softened. “Okay, fine. I’m happy for you.”
Lexie hugged her tightly, practically sobbing into her shoulder. “This is the best night of my life!”
“I can see that,” Lanie said, laughing.
The concert continued, each song hitting Lexie harder than the last. She sang, cried, and danced, completely swept away by the magic of it all. By the time the final confetti rained down during Karma, Lexie’s voice was hoarse, her face was streaked with tears, and her heart felt like it might explode from happiness.
As the lights came back up and the crowd began to disperse, Lexie hugged the hat to her chest, a dazed smile on her face.
“I don’t care what happens tomorrow,” she said, her voice soft but resolute. “Tonight was perfect.”
Lanie put an arm around her, smiling. “It really was.”
Much to her surprise, Lexie wasn’t worried about who she used to be. She was just a 13-year-old girl who had experienced something magical, and for now, that was enough.
Chapter 5
The car ride home was filled with the glow of streetlights streaming through the windows and the hum of the minivan engine. Lexie was in the backseat, still clutching the 22 hat in her lap, her voice racing as she recapped every single moment of the concert.
“And when she played Dear John, I thought my heart was gonna burst!” Lexie gushed, practically bouncing in her seat. “And the Folklore cabin! How cool was that?!”
Lanie, sitting next to her, chuckled softly. “Yeah, I saw. It was pretty incredible.”
“And the Red era!” Lexie continued, her voice rising with excitement. “I can’t believe she gave me the hat! Me! Out of all those people! It was like… it was like she knew how much I love her!”
Lanie smirked. “I’m sure that’s exactly what she was thinking.”
Lexie leaned forward, her hands gripping the back of the passenger seat. “Mom, Dad, did you see my hat? Isn’t it the coolest thing ever?!”
Her mom glanced at her in the rearview mirror, smiling. “It’s very cool, Lexie. I’m glad you had such a good time.”
“Good time?!” Lexie exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. “It was the BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE!”
Her dad chuckled, shaking his head. “Sounds like it was worth every penny.”
“It so was,” Lexie said with a dreamy sigh, leaning back against the seat. Her voice grew softer, as if her energy was finally starting to wane. “Thank you for letting me go. And thank you, Lanie, for taking me. You’re the best big sister in the whole world.”
Lanie turned to her, surprised. “Wow. That’s… unexpectedly sweet of you.”
Lexie grinned at her, her eyes sparkling with the last remnants of her concert high. “I mean it. I love my big sister so much.”
Before Lanie could respond, Lexie’s head lolled to the side, her body finally succumbing to exhaustion. She curled up in the seat, her arms still wrapped protectively around the hat, and drifted off to sleep.
Lanie looked at her for a moment, her heart softening. Lexie’s face, even with the lingering glitter and smudged makeup, looked peaceful and innocent in the dim light. Still, Lanie felt a sense of unease at how easily Lexie had referred to Lanie as her "big sister."
“She really is a Swiftie, huh?” their mom said softly, glancing in the rearview mirror again.
“Yeah. She really is,” Lanie said with a nervous smile on her face. "Now."
As the car continued down the quiet road, Lanie rested her head against the window, watching the stars twinkle above. Despite everything -- the spell, the chaos, even the tiny bit of jealousy over the hat -- she couldn’t help but feel grateful.
For tonight, at least, everything felt just as magical as Taylor’s songs promised it would be.
Chapter 6
Lanie yawned as she shuffled down the hall, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Last night’s concert had been incredible, but it had also left her completely drained. Still, the first thing on her mind as she headed toward Lexie's -- no, Alex's -- room was whether or not the spell had worn off.
She stopped in front of the lavender door, still covered in glittery stickers spelling out Lexie’s Lair. Her heart sank.
“Okay, maybe it’s just the door,” she mumbled to herself.
Taking a deep breath, Lanie knocked softly, then turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Inside, Lexie was sitting cross-legged on her bed, wearing pastel pink Taylor Swift pajamas. Her AirPods were snug in her ears, and she was nodding along to whatever song she was listening to. Her phone was in her hands, her thumbs flying across the screen as she texted, her face lit with pure joy. And the 22 hat was perched precariously on top of her untamable curly brown locks.
“Morning, Swiftie,” Lanie said cautiously, stepping into the room.
Lexie looked up and pulled out her AirPods, her face breaking into a wide grin. “Lanie! Good morning!”
Lanie blinked. “Uh… hey. How’re you feeling?”
“Amazing,” Lexie gushed. “Last night was the best night of my life. I’m texting the group chat right now about it. Everyone’s freaking out that I got the 22 hat. Like, it’s totally iconic.”
She held up her phone, showing a picture of her with the hat at the concert, captioned: I’M NEVER TAKING THIS OFF!!!The responses from her Swiftie friends were a cascade of heart emojis and ecstatic messages.
Glancing around the room, Lanie frowned. Nothing had changed. The pink walls, the Taylor posters, the glittering fairy lights -- it was all still Lexie’s. And, more distressingly to Lanie, Lexie didn't seem to care anymore.
“So… uh, have you noticed anything, I don’t know, different this morning?”
Lexie tilted her head, confused. “Different? Like what?”
“Like…” Lanie hesitated. “Like maybe you're not quite... yourself?”
Lexie laughed.
“This is myself," she said in her too chipper tone of voice. "Last night made me realize how lucky I am to have the best big sister ever and the best life ever. I mean, seriously, I’m living the dream!”
Lanie winced. “Right. The dream.” Lanie worried her nightmare was just beginning. She'd just wanted to go see her favorite artist perform in concert. She never intended to lose her brother in the process.
Lexie patted the bed next to her. “Sit! I was just about to make a playlist of all my favorite Taylor songs from the concert. You can help me decide which ones to add!”
Lanie hesitated, her eyes scanning Lexie’s glowing, happy face. Lanie thought the spell would just change how Alex looked -- and that the little bit she added would make Alex enjoy the concert enough not to ruin it for Lanie. But now it seemed like it was changing who he was. A part of her wanted to blurt out everything -- remind her that she wasn’t really a 13-year-old girl, that this wasn’t who she was supposed to be. But another part of her couldn’t bring herself to burst Lexie’s bubble.
Lexie was happy, somehow. Really, truly happy.
Lanie realized that maybe she hadn't done quite enough reading of the spellbook to know just how powerful the magic was. Admittedly, she never even thought it would work. She thought she would "cast" the spell and it wouldn't do anything, but Alex would be charmed enough by her ridiculous efforts to agree to go to the concert.
“Uh, maybe later,” Lanie said, backing toward the door. “I’m gonna… figure some stuff out first.”
“Okay!” Lexie said cheerfully, putting her headphones back on. She sang along softly to You Belong With Me, her voice slightly off-key but filled with enthusiasm.
As Lanie closed the door behind her, she leaned against it, exhaling slowly.
“Well,” she muttered to herself, “this might be harder to fix than I thought.”
Chapter 7
The house was quiet, save for the faint hum of Taylor Swift playing from Lexie’s room. Their parents had left for work, leaving Lanie alone to deal with the aftermath of the spell. She sat at the kitchen table, staring at a bowl of cereal and trying to figure out how to approach this.
“Okay,” she muttered to herself, tapping her spoon against the bowl. “Just… remind her who she is. Or was. Then we can work together on changing her back. Easy, right?”
But as soon as Lanie stepped into Lexie’s room, she knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Lexie was sprawled on her bed, a Taylor Swift songbook open in front of her, humming along as she practiced writing out lyrics in bubble letters on colorful stationery.
“Hey, Lexie,” Lanie said cautiously, leaning against the doorframe.
“Hi, Lanie!” Lexie said brightly, not looking up. “What’s up?”
Lanie hesitated. “Uh… can we talk for a second?”
“Sure!” Lexie said, setting her pen down. “But can we make it quick? I told my friends I’d send them my ranking of Taylor’s eras before lunch.”
Lanie sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “Okay, so… do you remember what you were doing yesterday morning?”
“Yesterday morning?” Lexie frowned, thinking. “Oh, right! I was picking out my outfit for the concert. I wanted to make sure I looked perfect. Why?”
“No, I mean before that,” Lanie pressed. “Do you remember, like, being in the living room with me? And we were talking about a concert you didn’t want to go to?”
Lexie blinked.
“Why wouldn’t I want to go to a Taylor Swift concert?” She laughed, as if the idea was absurd.
Lanie groaned. “Because, Lexie, you weren’t you! You were Alex. My brother. Remember?”
Lexie’s smile faltered. “Alex?” she repeated, her nose wrinkling. “Your brother? What are you talking about, Lanie? I’m your sister.”
Lanie leaned forward, trying to keep her voice calm. “No, Lexie, you weren’t. Just yesterday morning, you were Alex. A 23-year-old guy. You hated Taylor Swift, remember? You said her music was ‘overrated.’”
Lexie gasped, clutching her chest like she’d just been insulted.
“Overrated? That’s awful!” She shuddered. “I can’t even imagine hating Taylor Swift. That’s just… gross! Who would say something like that?!”
Lanie stared at her, exasperated. “You did! You said it all the time! You couldn’t stand her music, and you’d roll your eyes every time one of her songs came on the radio!”
Lexie’s face twisted in disgust. “Why are you making up such horrible things about me? I would never say that! Taylor’s music is amazing! It’s like… it’s like she gets me, you know?” She gestured toward the posters on her wall. “How could anyone hate her?”
Lanie threw her hands up. “You weren’t her biggest fan 24 hours ago because you weren’t you! You were a guy! My annoying, sports-obsessed, Taylor-Swift-hating older brother!”
Lexie’s mouth fell open, and for a second, Lanie thought she’d finally gotten through to her. But then Lexie shook her head and started laughing.
“Oh my gosh, Lanie, you’re hilarious,” she said, wiping a fake tear from her eye. “A guy? Me? That’s the weirdest joke I’ve ever heard.” She looked at Lanie, her smile fading just a little. “Wait… you’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes!” Lanie said, desperate.
Lexie stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter again.
“You’ve officially lost it. Me, a guy who hates Taylor Swift? That’s like saying the sky isn’t blue!” She rolled her eyes and grabbed her pen. “You’re so random, Lanie.”
Lanie groaned and flopped backward onto the bed, covering her face with her hands. “This is impossible,” she muttered.
Lexie leaned over her, grinning. “Hey, maybe you’re just jealous because I had the best night ever and got the 22 hat.”
“Yeah, that’s it,” Lanie said, her voice muffled by her hands.
Lexie sat back, humming again as she returned to her makeshift rankings, struggling to place Midnights on the list. Lanie peeked through her fingers and watched her, trying to figure out her next move.
“Well,” she thought to herself, “if I can’t get her to remember, I'll have to get to work on reversing the spell myself.”
But as she watched Lexie happily singing along to Anti-Hero, Lanie couldn’t help but wonder if reversing the spell was really the right thing to do.
Chapter 8
Lanie carefully paged through the old spellbook for a reversal spell, but nothing seemed like an obvious solution. Still, she rushed back into Lexie’s room anyway, the spellbook in her hands. She held it up like a piece of incriminating evidence.
“Look at this!” she said, flipping through the yellowed pages. “This is the book that caused all of this. This is the spell I read yesterday morning that turned you into... into this!” She gestured at Lexie, who was now lying on her stomach on the bed, doodling in a notebook.
Lexie raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Uh-huh. And?”
“And?!” Lanie spluttered. “This proves I’m telling the truth! You weren’t always Lexie! You were Alex! This book is proof!”
Lexie sat up and shrugged, her expression skeptical. “Lanie, just because you found an old book doesn’t mean it did anything. Like, do you even hear yourself right now? Magic spells? Come on.”
“Magic is real! How else do you explain this whole situation?” Lanie said, shaking the book.
Lexie rolled her eyes and reached under her bed, pulling out her Evermore-themed journal. The cover was decorated with a sepia-toned photo of a misty forest, and the inside pages were filled with swirly handwriting in pink gel pen.
“Okay, if that is real magic, then I guess this is too!” she said, holding up her journal dramatically.
Lanie blinked. “What’s that supposed to be?”
“My spellbook,” Lexie said with a smug grin. She opened it and started reading aloud. “Behold: *‘The Loneliest Rain,’ by Lexie Saunders. ‘The rain falls like tears on the ground, / A broken heart’s the only sound.’”
Lanie groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s not a spellbook, Lexie. That’s just a bunch of bad poetry.”
Lexie gasped, clutching the journal to her chest. “Bad?! These are my feelings, Lanie!”
“This is serious!” Lanie snapped, pacing the room. She flipped through the pages of the real spellbook, resuming her desperate search for something -- anything -- that might reverse what she’d done.
Lexie watched her, frowning. “Why are you so obsessed with this, anyway? Why can’t you just let me be happy?”
“Because, happy or not, this isn’t you! Don’t you see that?” Lanie shouted, slamming the book shut in frustration. “You’re not supposed to be a 13-year-old Taylor Swift superfan! You’re supposed to be Alex, my 23-year-old brother who thinks this kind of thing is lame!”
Lexie folded her arms, looking genuinely offended. “First of all, Taylor Swift is not lame. And second, maybe you’re the one with the problem, not me. Did you ever think of that?”
Lanie groaned and flopped into the desk chair, her head in her hands. “This is impossible. There’s no reversal spell. I thought it would just wear off on its own.”
Lexie sighed, shaking her head. “You sound like mom. She always says this Taylor Swift thing is just a phase, but it's not. I've loved Taylor my whole life and I'm going to love Taylor my whole life. Knock yourself out with your little spellbook. But while you’re doing that, I’ll be over here ranking Taylor’s best bridges.”
Lanie opened the book again, scanning the cryptic text with a sinking feeling in her chest. If there really was no way to undo the spell, then what was she supposed to do? Keep living with this alternate version of her brother forever?
She glanced at Lexie, who was happily scribbling in her journal, humming along to All Too Well (10-Minute Version), and looking more content than Lanie had ever seen her.
Fixing this might be harder -- and messier -- than she thought.
Chapter 10
Lanie sat cross-legged on the floor of her room, the spellbook spread out in front of her. She had spent hours flipping through the pages, her frustration mounting with every cryptic incantation. Finally, she found something promising: a spell labeled "Revelatio Vera Persona" -- Reveal the Truest Self.
“This has to work,” she muttered. “This spell will show Lexie her ‘truest self.’ If that doesn't change her back into Alex, maybe at least it’ll snap her into remembering Alex.”
Clutching the book, she hurried down the hall to Lexie’s room. She found her sister sitting at her desk, headphones on, blissfully singing along to Fifteen while doodling little hearts and music notes on a notepad.
“Lexie,” Lanie said, standing in the doorway.
Lexie didn’t hear her.
“Lexie!” Lanie said louder, yanking one of her AirPods out.
“Hey!” Lexie whined, turning around. “I was just getting to the best part!”
“This is important,” Lanie said firmly. “I found a spell that might fix this whole thing.”
Lexie groaned, crossing her arms. “Ugh, you’re still on that? I like who I am, Lanie. I don’t need fixing.”
“Just… trust me, okay? If this doesn’t work, I’ll drop it.”
Lexie hesitated, then sighed dramatically. “Fine. But only because I want you to stop being so weird about it.”
Lanie opened the spellbook and read the incantation aloud. The words were unfamiliar, ancient-sounding, and seemed to hum with energy as she spoke them.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, a faint golden glow surrounded Lexie. Her eyes widened as the light grew brighter, shimmering like sunlight on water. Lanie took a step back, shielding her eyes as the glow intensified.
When the light faded, Lanie blinked, her jaw dropping.
Lexie's braces had disappeared. Her curly brown hair was now blonde, and much longer. She had delicate features and a soft, youthful glow. She was wearing a flowy sundress and cowboy boots. In short, she looked exactly like Taylor Swift -- a 13-year-old Taylor Swift.
“What just happened?” Lexie asked, her voice sounding even more Taylor-esque.
Lanie stared, speechless.
Lexie caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and gasped. “Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed, spinning around to get a better look. “I look amazing! This is like… the best glow-up ever! Did you do this, Lanie?”
“This isn’t what I meant to do!” Lanie said, panicking. “You’re supposed to be Alex again, not… not this!”
Lexie tilted her head, confused. “Why would I want to be whoever Alex is when I can be this?” She twirled in front of the mirror, admiring her reflection. “I look just like Taylor did when she started out! This is so cool!”
Lanie groaned, clutching the spellbook. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. This is supposed to reveal your ‘truest self,’ not… turn you into a Taylor Swift lookalike!”
Lexie beamed. “Well, maybe this is my truest self. I mean, I’ve always felt like Taylor and I are kindred spirits. Maybe the universe is just confirming it.”
“The universe has nothing to do with this!” Lanie snapped. “This is a disaster!”
Lexie ignored her, striking a playful pose in front of the mirror. “Do you think people will ask for my autograph? Oh, I should totally make a TikTok. My friends are going to lose their minds!”
Lanie buried her face in her hands. “What am I going to do?” she muttered.
Lexie, meanwhile, was too busy perfecting her Taylor-inspired poses to notice her sister’s distress. For her, this was just another step closer to living her dream. For Lanie, it was a reminder that magic wasn’t something to mess with -- and she was running out of ideas to fix it.
Chapter 10
Lanie sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by open tabs on her laptop, furiously scrolling through search results. She typed and retyped variations of the same question: “How to reverse a magical transformation” and “How to change someone’s appearance with magic”. But the results were mostly forums filled with people joking about Harry Potter spells and articles about fictional witches. She'd even paid a visit to the school library -- imagine, a high schooler voluntarily visiting the school library during the summer -- but the librarian insisted he'd never seen the spellbook before, and it definitely wasn't part of their collection.
She hadn't found anything useful, only dead ends.
She slammed the laptop closed in frustration.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered, standing up and pacing around the kitchen. “Why are answers about real magic so hard?”
Her mind raced. There had to be some way to fix this. But Lexie was acting like nothing was wrong, and now she looked like Taylor Swift -- specifically Taylor at 13 -- thanks to the second spell. It wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened, but it certainly wasn’t what Lanie had intended. And it made everything feel even more out of control.
Lanie’s eyes darted to her phone, where a new message from her mom had just come through. She opened it, barely registering what it said until she saw the attached photos.
It was a picture of Lexie from last night’s concert, smiling happily, her arms draped around Lanie’s shoulders.
Lanie squinted at it, her breath catching in her throat.
In the photo, Lexie didn’t look like the 13-year-old girl she’d turned into after Lanie's initial spell. No, this Lexie looked just like the version she had become after the second spell: the curly blonde hair, the increased height, and the gleaming, wide-eyed expression that looked just like Taylor Swift in those old promo shots from when Taylor was first gaining attention.
Lanie’s heart dropped. She opened her photos app and scrolled through, seeing the same thing. In every single photo and video, Lexie looked like a Taylor Swift lookalike. The spell hadn't just changed Lexie's appearance -- again, Lanie thought, remembering she'd already changed her brother into a 13-year-old girl in the first place. It was changing history so Lexie had always looked like this.
“Wait,” Lanie whispered to herself. “What if... What if the magic didn’t just change her on the outside, but also... made everyone see her this way -- including herself? What if the change isn’t just physical, but perceptual too?”
Lanie’s thoughts were racing. That could explain why their parents hadn’t remembered Alex and had only seen Lexie as their 13-year-old daughter, and how Lexie seemed to have forgotten about Alex. Maybe, Lanie thought, she was the only one who was unaffected because she was the one who had cast the spells. It was as though the rest of world, or at least their world, had been affected by the spell. And now, Lexie was living out her own personal Taylor Swift fantasy.
She grabbed her phone and opened up her messages to Lexie, typing quickly.
“Did you notice anything weird about your photos from last night? You looked... different in them. Did you see it?”
She stared at the screen for a moment, then hit send.
As the message sent, Lanie rubbed her temples. Was the spell really powerful enough to change not just how Lexie looked, but how people saw her -- how people had seen her? The improbability of trying to reverse a spell that powerful made her head hurt. Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“What do you mean different? I looked awesome! People said I looked just like Taylor!”
Lanie sighed. This was not helping.
Just then, she heard footsteps from down the hall.
“Lanie!” Lexie’s voice echoed as she appeared at the doorway, a wide grin on her face. “I just posted a video of me singing Long Live on TikTok! Do you think I should do it with the guitar next time? Also, I need more Taylor Swift merch for my collection. Like, now.”
Lanie’s frustration was bubbling up again. She stared at her sister, now a perfect vision of Taylor Swift at 13, and clenched her fists. “Lexie, I need you to listen. You... you’re not supposed to look like this! You're not supposed to be this!”
Lexie blinked, a little thrown off by the sudden intensity in Lanie’s voice. “Uh, okay? But like... why would I not look like this?” Lexie looked down at her outfit. Sure, it was a little country, but it made her feel like Taylor. "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Lanie swallowed hard. “No, Lexie. You don’t get it. I made you who you are now, okay? I turned you into some Taylor Swift... version of yourself.”
Lexie’s grin faded as she looked at Lanie like she was speaking a foreign language. “I... don’t understand. I mean, sure, you introduced me to Taylor's music. But I wouldn't say you made me.”
Lanie wanted to scream. She grabbed the spellbook off the table, holding it up. “I didn’t want this. I just wanted to go to a concert, then I wanted to fix what I screwed up! You weren’t supposed to become... this!”
Lexie’s eyes narrowed as she looked from Lanie to the book. “You did something to me?”
Lanie sighed, rubbing her temples. It was as if the magic was somehow blocking Lexie from even remembering that Lanie had cast a spell, even though she did it right in front of her -- twice!
“This is all my fault, Lexie,” Lanie said, running a hand through her hair in frustration. “I’m trying to fix it, but I’m not sure how anymore.”
“Wait -- are you saying... there's something wrong with me,” Lexie asked, her voice softening, and even trembling a bit.
For the first time, Lanie looked at Lexie like she truly was her little sister. And she knew she had to be gentle. Being the older sibling wasn't a role she was familiar with, or even sure she was ready for, but she knew that look on Lexie's face. She'd had that same look on her face countless times over the years.
“No, Lexie, I didn't mean, fix you like something's wrong with you," Lanie said, trying to be delicate with her words. "I just think, maybe... I did something wrong.”
Lexie stared at her, her eyes wide with realization. “Oh.” She paused, looking at her reflection in the window with a thoughtful expression. “Well, I’m sorry you’re so upset, but… if it helps, I think you're a great big sister.”
Lanie hesitated. She wasn’t sure how to handle this.
But she also started wondering if maybe, just maybe, fixing things meant letting go of her need to change everything back.
Chapter 11
Lanie was sitting at the kitchen table, trying her best not to think about the spellbook. Her eyes ached from hours of trying to find anything that could fix this situation, and she needed a break -- a cookie break. Lexie had locked herself in her room, probably making another Taylor Swift tribute video or getting lost in Swiftie fan fiction. Lanie’s head was spinning; nothing made sense anymore.
Suddenly, as Lanie was downing her third chocolate chip cookie, her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts.
It was an unknown number.
Curious, she picked it up, putting the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hi, is this Lanie Saunders?" a cheerful voice asked.
"Yeah, who’s this?" Lanie replied cautiously.
“This is Claire from Channel 5 Eyewitness News. I’m calling because we came across a video you posted on TikTok of your sister at the Taylor Swift concert last night. The one where she gets the 22 hat?”
Lanie’s stomach dropped. “Uh… yeah?” She didn’t know where this was going.
“We’re doing a feature on Swifties and their concert experiences. We think the footage of your sister is perfect for our segment. Everyone in the office is buzzing about how much she looks like a young Taylor Swift. Would you be okay with us using the video on the air? We'd give you full credit, of course.”
Lanie felt a tight knot form in her chest. “Uh, I… I don’t know. I’ll need to check with my sister.”
“Of course! We understand, but it could be a great opportunity for her," Claire said. "We might even want to bring her down to the station to interview her about her experience. It could be her big break!"
Lanie didn’t respond immediately. “Big break?” she murmured, barely hearing the rest of the conversation as she processed the weight of the words.
She glanced over at Lexie’s bedroom door, suddenly anxious. The last thing she needed was for the attention around Lexie to spiral out of control.
“Thanks for calling,” Lanie said quickly, hanging up.
She immediately marched down the hall and knocked sharply on Lexie’s door. “Lexie! We need to talk.”
Lexie opened the door, having changed into her oversized Eras Tour hoodie from the night before. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lanie. “What’s up? You look stressed. Are you still worrying about all that magic stuff?” Lexie's voice dripped with sarcasm as she said the word "magic."
Lanie didn’t answer right away. Instead, she held up her phone. “I just got off the phone with the news channel. They want to use the video of you getting the 22 hat for a segment.”
Lexie’s face immediately lit up. “Wait, what?! Oh my gosh! That’s amazing! They want to use the video on TV?”
Lanie nodded slowly, trying to gauge her sister’s reaction. “Yeah, but there’s more. They’re talking about interviewing you too. They said it could be your big break.”
Lexie’s eyes sparkled, and she bounced on her toes. “A big break?! Like, what if they invite me to meet Taylor Swift? What if I get to be on stage with her?” She was practically jumping up and down. “This is incredible! I can’t believe this is happening!”
Lanie felt her pulse quicken as she watched Lexie’s excitement grow. “Lexie, hold on a second. You don’t understand. This is all happening way too fast. You’re turning into—well—you’re turning into a full-blown mini Taylor Swift. And now people want to interview you? It’s going to get out of hand.”
Lexie paused, her enthusiasm faltering for a moment. “But Lanie, isn’t this what we wanted? I mean, I’m finally seen. Finally, people notice me! This could be everything I’ve been dreaming about! You always tell me that if I work hard enough, I can make it. Well, I’m working hard, and this is proof!”
Lanie felt a pang in her chest. "If you work hard enough, you can do anything," is the advice Alex used to give her. But now, apparently, it was the advice Lanie gave to Lexie. And, dutifully playing the role of big sister, she didn’t want to be the one to crush Lexie’s dreams. But she also knew how quickly this was getting out of control.
"But what if it's not even real, Lexie? What if this... isn't long lasting?" Lanie's carefully chosen words reflected her inner hope that somehow this spell -- these spells, she had to remind herself, since she'd cast two -- would just wear off.
Lexie folded her arms, looking at Lanie like she was overreacting. “This is real. I basically am Taylor Swift right now. I’m living my best life! And I'm gonna be famous!”
Lanie exhaled, her mind racing. The magic wasn’t just affecting Lexie. It was pulling in the outside world. There was no telling how much more the world might shift if people kept seeing Lexie as Taylor, or if this whole situation kept snowballing.
“Look, Lexie,” Lanie said, her voice softening. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t be excited. But I need you to understand that this isn’t just about you anymore. This is bigger than I thought, and I’m not sure how much further this can go before everything starts breaking down.”
Lexie, however, wasn’t listening. She was already pulling her phone out, excitedly typing something. “I’m texting my friends. They’re going to freak out when they hear about this. They’ll probably want to do a watch party for the segment!”
Lanie bit her lip, the weight of her thoughts pressing down on her chest. She had no idea how this would end or if it could be stopped. The spell wasn’t just a fun trick anymore. It was a force that was growing, pulling in everyone around them, making the impossible feel real -- for better or worse.
Chapter 12
Lanie’s room was a mess -- papers and books scattered across the floor, the spellbook open on her desk, and empty Starbucks takeout cups littering the table. She had been pacing for what felt like hours, trying to find something -- anything -- that could remind her that Lexie was once Alex. She knew she had to find something physical, something that didn’t rely on memories that seemed to be slipping away, if only to convince herself that this wasn't all some bizarre dream.
Her eyes caught on a small, worn diary she used to keep as a child. The edges were tattered, the pages filled with old thoughts, poems, and memories from when she was a preteen. With trembling hands, she opened it, flipping through the faded pages until something caught her eye: a single Polaroid wedged between the pages.
Lanie froze, holding her breath. She didn’t even need to see the picture clearly to know what it was. She had taken it years ago. It was of her and Alex, long before the concert, before the spells, before everything had changed.
She pulled it out, and sure enough, it was a snapshot of the two of them sitting on the porch steps, Alex grinning, his arm slung casually around her shoulders. She could practically hear his sarcastic laugh and feel his annoyingly warm shoulder pressing against hers. This was from when Alex had still been... well, Alex. The Alex she knew.
She blinked, her pulse quickening. She had to show Lexie. She had to prove that something had changed.
Without wasting another second, Lanie rushed down the hall, the picture clutched tightly in her hand. She knocked on Lexie’s door, her heart pounding.
“What now?” Lexie’s voice came from inside, a bit annoyed.
Lanie opened the door before Lexie could respond, holding up the Polaroid.
“Lexie, look at this!” she said urgently.
Lexie took the picture, her brow furrowing as she looked it over. But instead of the recognition Lanie was hoping for, Lexie just stared at it with confusion.
“This is you, right?” Lexie asked slowly. “But... who is this guy? He's not one of your old boyfriends. Did you Photoshop him in there?”
Lanie’s frustration boiled over. “What? Photoshop? This is a Polaroid, Lexie. You can’t photoshop a Polaroid. It’s real!”
Lexie’s eyes flickered over the photo again, her expression unreadable. She blinked a few times, then looked up at Lanie.
“I don’t get it,” Lexie said quietly.
Lanie’s voice cracked as she tried to keep calm.“This is a picture of you -- before all of this. You were Alex. You’re not a 13-year-old Swiftie! You’re my brother.”
Lexie shook her head, the confusion deepening on her face. She clutched the Polaroid in her hands, turning it over and over. “I don’t know. This doesn’t... this doesn’t feel like me. I don’t remember this. I’m... I’m Lexie. I’ve always been Lexie. Right?”
Lanie felt her throat tighten. “No, Lexie. You haven’t always been Lexie. You were Alex, my brother. This... this person you’re becoming, this Taylor Swift-ified version of you, is new. But I need you to understand. This... whatever happened to you, whatever magic I messed with, it’s changing everything, even the way people see you.”
Lexie looked at her for a long moment, then turned her gaze back to the photo. Her fingers shook slightly as she held it. “But... why would I forget that? Why can’t I remember being Alex?”
Lanie sat down beside her, her voice soft but insistent. “I think the spell didn’t just change you physically. It’s changing your memories, too. People see you differently, Lexie. They’re seeing you as someone else. And I... I need you to remember who you were. I need you to remember that you were Alex.”
Lexie’s eyes were distant, and Lanie could tell she was struggling with it. Lexie had never been the kind of person to question everything around her, but this was a lot to process.
“I... I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Lexie said, her voice tinged with doubt. “This photo, it feels like I should remember it, but I don’t. I don’t remember being Alex. I don’t remember being anything else but... me.”
Lanie looked down at her hands, a sinking feeling in her stomach. “It’s like I’m losing you, Lexie. I can’t even get you back long enough to convince you that you were ever anyone else. But I have to keep trying. I have to fix this.”
Lexie looked at her, a small frown on her face. “Why do you keep saying ‘fix it’? What’s wrong with me now? I feel fine. I feel like myself.”
Lanie’s eyes stung. She hated seeing her sister so oblivious, so far gone in this new version of herself. But it wasn’t her fault. This was magic, and Lanie was still coming to grips with the fact that it was a real thing -- and it had twisted everything so far beyond what Lanie ever intended.
“Lexie,” Lanie said softly, “I love you, but you’re not supposed to feel like this. You're not supposed to be obsessed with Taylor Swift. You're not supposed to look like Taylor Swift. I need you to fight this. I need you to remember who you were.”
Then, she added, her voice barely above a whisper, so quiet that Lexie couldn't hear, "I need my big brother."
Lexie’s face softened, and for the first time, there was a flicker of something like understanding. “I just... I don’t know what to do. I feel like... like I always have. Like your little sister. Do you not want to be my big sister anymore?”
For a long moment, neither Lanie nor Lexie said a word. Lexie's eyes locked on the photo again. Lanie thought maybe she saw a flicker of recognition in Lexie's eyes, but Lexie handed the photo back to Lanie.
“I hope you find who you're looking for,” she said. "Sorry I couldn't help you."
Lanie exhaled, her heart breaking as she left Lexie's room. “But you can, Lexie," she said to herself. Lexie was already immersed in her phone again, chatting away with her friends. "You can. I’ll figure it out, I swear. But I need you to remember who you were.”
Chapter 14
Lanie sat on her bed, staring at the mess of books and papers strewn across her room. The spellbook, its pages worn and cracked, was still open on her desk, a cruel reminder of how she'd inadvertently changed everything. Her mind was racing, filled with a mix of guilt, frustration, and helplessness. What had she done? Lexie -- Alex -- was slipping away, and Lanie didn’t know how to stop it.
A part of her had wanted to believe that everything could go back to normal, that if she just found the right spell, it would all be fixed. But with every passing moment, Lexie seemed less and less like the person she used to know.
The sound of a soft knock on the door interrupted Lanie’s thoughts. She wiped her eyes quickly, not wanting to let Lexie see how upset she was.
“Lanie?” Lexie’s voice came through the door, hesitant. “Can I come in?”
Lanie sniffed, clearing her throat. “Yeah, sure.”
The door creaked open, and there stood Lexie, holding a guitar in her hands. She stepped into the room slowly, her eyes soft with concern as she looked at Lanie. Lexie didn’t say anything at first, but the look on her face was all the unspoken words Lanie needed to hear.
“I... I know you’re upset,” Lexie said quietly, setting the guitar down on the bed next to Lanie. “And I want to help. I wrote something for you. To, you know... cheer you up.”
Lanie frowned, trying to keep her emotions in check. She couldn’t remember the last time Alex -- or Lexie -- had ever done something like this. “You wrote something?”
Lexie nodded, her fingers nervously adjusting the strings of the guitar. “Yeah, it’s... well, it’s a song. I know I’m not great at this, but I think it might help you feel better.”
Lanie swallowed the lump in her throat, not sure what to expect.
Lexie started strumming the guitar gently, her fingers moving with surprising ease. She sang softly at first, her voice a little shaky but clear, the words flowing like they had always been there.
“I’ve been lost in a world I don’t know,
And I’ve changed more than I ever thought I could show,
But I’m trying to find my way,
In the mess we’ve made, in the words we say…”
Lanie blinked, stunned by how raw and real the song felt. She listened, her eyes widening as Lexie continued to sing, the lyrics more poetic than anything a 13-year-old girl had any right to be writing. The melody had a bittersweet tone to it, like a reflection of the complicated emotions Lanie herself was feeling.
“Now I’m looking at the past and I see,
A piece of you that’s still here with me,
But I don’t know how to be the same,
If I’m not who I was, if I’m not the name…
I’ve changed, but I’ll find my way…”
The song came to a quiet, almost haunting end. Lexie sat there for a moment, staring at the guitar, before looking up at Lanie.
“I know it’s not much,” she said softly, her voice full of vulnerability, “but I wrote it for you. For us. I don’t want things to be messed up, Lanie. I know I'm changing... I'm growing up. But I'm still your little sister, and I still care about you. I still want us to be... us. And that won't change even if I get famous, or whatever...”
Lanie didn’t know what to say at first. She just sat there, her heart pounding in her chest as the weight of Lexie’s words hit her. The magic, the spells, the changes -- they had all seemed so overwhelming. But this song... this raw, honest piece of music felt like a bridge between what was lost and what might still be saved.
It hit Lanie in a way she wasn’t prepared for. She realized that she had been so focused on the changes happening to Lexie, so wrapped up in trying to fix what she thought was broken, that she hadn’t stopped to see how Lexie had adapted. How Lexie -- whoever she was now -- was still capable of deep, meaningful connection. Perhaps even more capable than if she was still Alex.
Lanie blinked away the tears that had started to well up in her eyes. “Lexie... that was beautiful,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I didn’t know you could write something like that.”
Lexie shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed but also proud. “Well, I guess it’s just how I’ve been feeling lately. Maybe it’s because of the concert, or maybe it’s just because I’m... I’m starting to find my own voice, you know?” She gave a small, nervous laugh. “And, uh, Taylor Swift might’ve had some influence.”
Lanie chuckled, wiping at her eyes. “I think Taylor Swift would be proud.”
They sat in silence for a moment, both feeling the weight of everything that had changed between them, but also the faintest sense of something being repaired. Lexie might not have been Alex anymore, but the person she was now -- someone who wrote songs and expressed emotions in ways Lanie had never thought possible -- was still someone Lanie loved.
“Thank you, Lexie,” Lanie said softly. “I think that’s the first time in a while that I’ve felt like maybe... maybe everything’s going to be okay.”
Lanie smiled back, feeling a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in a long time. The road ahead might still be uncertain, and the magic might still be out of her control, but for the first time in days, she felt a little less alone.
Chapter 14
The days blurred into one another after Lexie’s song. Lanie had been so consumed with guilt and frustration that she'd forgotten what it felt like to simply enjoy the company of her sibling -- even if their dynamic was completely different now. Since Lexie had written the song for her, things had shifted. It wasn't perfect, but Lanie had decided to let go of her obsession with "fixing" the spell -- for now. Maybe the magic wasn’t something she could control, but she could control how she treated Lexie. She could be a better sister.
So, for the next few weeks, that’s exactly what Lanie did. She accompanied her to the TV station for the interview about her experience at the Taylor Swift concert, and beamed when Lexie talked about how much she loved her older sister and would always be grateful to her for introducing her to Taylor Swift's music and bringing her to the concert. She encouraged Lexie to keep writing. They spent evenings together, brainstorming lyrics, playing guitar, and recording little demos in their makeshift home studio -- just an inexpensive podcast microphone connected to Lexie's MacBook and a new set of over-the-ear headphones their parents bought for Lexie. And while Lexie -- and even Alex -- had always liked music, this new passion for songwriting was something that seemed to flow naturally, like she had found a new part of herself.
One afternoon, Lexie asked Lanie for advice about a song she had written. Lanie listened to it, impressed by how much Lexie’s songwriting had evolved. The lyrics were raw, vulnerable, and somehow beyond her years. It was about the conflicting emotions of being stuck between two worlds: the past and the present, the old self and the new self.
“I think it’s your best one yet,” Lanie said, a genuine smile spreading across her face. “You’ve really got something, Lexie. You should post it.”
Lexie hesitated, biting her lip. “You really think so? I don’t know... it’s just a little song. I mean, I’m not Taylor Swift or anything.”
Lanie laughed. “Who says you can’t be? Post it. See what happens.”
With a shrug, Lexie agreed, and they recorded the song on Lanie’s phone. She posted it to TikTok with a simple caption: “Just me, my guitar, and some feelings... #songwriting #TaylorSwiftVibes.”
Lanie didn’t think much of it at the time. After all, TikTok was flooded with aspiring musicians, and a song could go viral one minute and be forgotten the next. But when Lexie came back into Lanie’s room an hour later, eyes wide, she was holding her phone in a daze.
“Lanie... Lanie!” she exclaimed. “It’s... it’s going viral! I’ve got like, a hundred thousand views in just an hour. People are commenting about how much I look like Taylor Swift— -- and how much the song sounds like something she would write!”
Lanie’s heart skipped a beat. She grabbed the phone from Lexie’s hands, her eyes scanning the comments. Sure enough, the feedback was overwhelming -- people were comparing Lexie’s look, her voice, even the way she strummed the guitar, to a young Taylor Swift.
“Wow,” Lanie said, taking it all in. “This is... crazy. You’re getting a ton of attention. It’s not just the song, though. People are really noticing you.”
Lexie bit her lip, looking at the phone in disbelief. “I mean, I get that I look kind of like her, but I don’t know. It’s just... weird.”
Lanie, had seen Lexie go viral before -- though it was on Lanie's account, with the video from the night of the concert, the one that had led to her brief TV appearance (which, despite the network producer's optimism, had not been Lexie's big break -- because how many people actually watch the local morning news these days?). But this was different. She was anxiously watching her sister go from relative obscurity to viral sensation in a matter of hours, and couldn’t help but feel a mix of awe and concern. She had never imagined that the changes in Lexie would lead to this kind of attention. The internet was quick to latch onto anything that was even remotely unique, and Lexie’s combination of both a striking resemblance to Taylor Swift and a raw, heartfelt songwriting style had struck a chord with people.
For a few days, Lexie basked in the attention. She posted more of her songs, and the views kept climbing. Comments poured in, praising her voice, her lyrics, and her “Taylor Swift-like” presence. In every TikTok video, Lexie wore the famous 22 hat, her signature accessory that made the connection to the Taylor Swift era undeniable. She was even invited to join a few TikTok live shows with other aspiring musicians, where fans started to call her “Little Taylor” or "Lexie Swift."
But it wasn’t just the fans who were noticing. The buzz caught the attention of the media, and before long, Lexie was back on the news, this time being interviewed about her own original music. The interviewer jokingly asked if Lexie was the “next Taylor Swift,” and while she nervously laughed it off, the idea began to take root in her mind.
Lanie watched all of this from the sidelines, unsure of how to feel. She’d spent so much time trying to reverse the spell, to bring her brother back, that she hadn’t really stopped to think about how Lexie might feel about all this attention. Was she overwhelmed by it? Was it something she even wanted?
One evening, after yet another successful TikTok video, Lanie sat down with Lexie, feeling the need to check in.
“Hey, Lex,” she said gently. “How are you feeling about all of this? I mean, the song, the TikTok... everything? It’s a lot, right?”
Lexie smiled, though there was a hint of uncertainty behind her eyes. “I don’t know... it’s exciting, but it’s also kind of... strange. Like, I’ve always liked singing, but now it feels like there’s all this pressure. I didn’t expect people to take me seriously.”
Lanie blanched anytime Lexie referred to having always liked something. Because to Lanie, Lexie's always was still just a matter of weeks -- even if Lexie didn't remember it that way. But she did her best to support her sister. “I get that. It’s a lot to take in. But I just want you to know that whatever happens, you’re still you. Whether people see you as a ‘Taylor Swift lookalike’ or not, you’re the one making the music. That’s what matters.”
Lexie sighed, a small smile pulling at her lips. “Yeah. I guess so. I just... I never imagined I’d get this much attention for something so simple. But it feels like... it feels like this is something I’m supposed to do.”
Lanie’s heart swelled with pride, even though a part of her still ached with the memory of Alex. Lexie had found something real for herself in this new world -- a passion that didn’t need to be reversed, a path that was entirely her own.
“I think you’re meant to do this, too,” Lanie said quietly. “And I’m proud of you. No matter what happens, I’ll be here for you.”
Lexie nodded, her expression softening. “Thanks, Lanie. You’ve always been there for me.”
Lanie winced slightly, but Lexie didn’t seem to notice. Lanie was still adjusting to Lexie's new identity, something she knew would take time. But right now, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace -- and an unease that the peace wouldn't last.
Chapter 16
Lanie woke with a start, her heart racing, her breath shallow. The pale morning light filtered through the blinds, but all she could see in her mind’s eye was the image of Lexie -- no, Alex -- standing in front of her, smiling. But it wasn’t the happy, carefree smile Lanie had seen on her sister’s face for the past few weeks. No, this smile was twisted, almost malevolent.
In the dream, Lexie had been radiant, glowing in the spotlight of a stage adorned with Taylor Swift memorabilia. She had been living the life Lanie had never thought was possible: adored by fans, celebrated for her music, and undeniably happy. But then, out of the blue, a wizard appeared offering Lexie the chance to turn back into Alex. And Lexie hesitated. Lanie could only watch, heart pounding, as Lexie shook her head.
“I don’t want to go back,” she’d said, her voice sounding almost too confident, but also distorted. “I like who I am now."
Then, with that twisted smile, Lexie looked directly at Lanie. "And I have you to thank for it.”
Lexie picked up a glitter pen -- pink and sparkly -- and signed her name in the wizard's open spellbook with a flourish.
“I’m Lexie now,” she had said, looking Lanie directly in the eyes with that unsettling smile. “And I'll always be Lexie... because of you.”
At that moment, Lanie had snapped awake.
Lanie could feel the weight of the dream even now, her pulse hammering in her ears. That twisted smile. That sense of power in Lexie’s words. It was as if the dream was a warning, a sign that everything had gone too far and there was no turning back.
She sat up, clutching her chest as she tried to steady her breath. It had felt so real. Too real.
Lanie quickly glanced around her room, trying to ground herself in reality. The sunlight was streaming through the window, and everything looked just as it should. She heard the telltale sound of Taylor Swift songs coming from Lexie's room.
Lanie shook her head, desperate to shake off the eerie sensation. But it didn’t work. The more she thought about it, the more her anxiety began to spiral. Lexie was thriving in this new life, yes, but was it really what she wanted? Was it truly Lexie’s choice? Or had the magic altered something deeper inside her? Had Lanie unknowingly pushed her sister into a life she hadn’t chosen, one that couldn’t be undone?
And what about that smile? The way Lexie had signed her name, sealing her fate with that glitter pen... it felt final, as if the magic had now fully taken hold, binding Lexie to her new life in a way that no spell could reverse.
“No, I can’t let this happen,” Lanie whispered to herself, her hands shaking. She swung her legs off the bed and stood, her feet hitting the cold floor with a sense of urgency. The dream wasn’t just a nightmare. It was a message.
Lanie had to do something. She couldn’t let Lexie -- whoever Lexie was now -- live a life that wasn’t hers to choose. The magic had already rewritten her reality, and Lanie had no idea how far its influence could reach.
She grabbed her phone from the nightstand, quickly opening up where she'd photographed every page of the spellbook. She didn't want to risk constantly turning the pages and damaging something as she searched for an answer. It was her last hope, but even as she scrolled, Lanie couldn’t shake the feeling that it might already be too late. Was Lexie becoming someone completely different, and would she even want to go back to being Alex -- if Lanie could somehow even pierce the magic to convince Lexie that she'd ever been someone else?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on her door. Lanie’s heart skipped. Lexie.
“Lanie?” Lexie’s voice was tentative, unsure. “Can I come in?”
Lanie quickly wiped her eyes, forcing herself to stay calm. She couldn’t let Lexie see how rattled she was.
“Yeah,” Lanie called, her voice shaky but composed.
The door creaked open, and Lexie stepped inside, her usual upbeat energy radiating from her as she held her guitar in her hands, ready for another day of songwriting. But Lanie couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different -- something about her sister wasn’t quite the same anymore.
“Hey,” Lexie said, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I was thinking about writing a new song today. Got any ideas?”
Lanie’s eyes darted to Lexie’s face, the mischievous look that used to belong to her brother now replaced with something else. Something more innocent, more naive, but also, in a strange way, like she was more sure of herself.
“You want my help writing songs,” Lanie asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “I mean... really? Is that the only thing you want my help with?"
Lanie wondered if maybe she could spark a hint of recognition in Lexie. But it was not to be.
"I mean, I guess," Lexie said nervously, "maybe you could help me pick out an outfit for my next video. I was thinking maybe I could borrow something of yours... you know, to look a little more mature."
Her words cut through Lanie like a knife. Alex had always criticized Lanie for being immature and now here was Lexie treating Lanie like she was the mature sibling. Which, Lanie had to admit, technically she was, thanks to the magic.
She suddenly stood up, her hands gripping her phone tightly. “Lexie, I need to talk to you about something. It’s... about everything that’s happened. I think I’ve made a huge mistake. And it all started the night of the concert.”
Lexie tilted her head, a soft smile curling at the edges of her lips. “What do you mean? Bringing me to that concert helped me find who I am. It helped me find my voice.”
Lanie’s stomach dropped as she realized that, in a way, Lexie was right. She had found herself in this new life. But it wasn't really herself? It was someone new. Someone increasingly unrecognizable to Lanie.
Lanie’s throat tightened. She felt a tear slip down her cheek. “I need to fix this. I can’t let you stay this way. Not if it’s not what you truly want. Not if you didn’t choose it.”
For the first time, Lexie’s smile faltered. She looked at Lanie with an expression that wasn’t entirely sure of herself. “I did choose this, Lanie. I mean, I didn't choose to have viral hits -- no one can choose that. But I dreamed about it. And my dream is coming true. And I’m happy. I’m more than I ever was before.”
Lanie’s heart broke. How could Lexie know she was happier than she was before when she couldn't even remember who she was before? Lanie didn't want to take that happiness away from Lexie, but she couldn’t stop herself from feeling that she had to try -- she couldn’t just let this magic define Lexie’s life forever.
“I’m going to fix this, Lexie,” Lanie said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m going to find a way. I have to.”
Lexie seemed to understand the seriousness in her sister’s voice, even if she didn't understand what exactly it was that Lanie felt she needed to fix. For a long moment, they stood there, the weight of the decision hanging between them.
And in that moment, Lanie swore she would stop at nothing to get her brother back. No matter what it took.
Chapter 16
As the days began to shorten and the end of summer loomed on the horizon, Lanie found herself consumed by one singular thought: how to reverse the spell. She’d spent the last few weeks experimenting with different incantations from the spellbook, trying to find a way to undo the transformation that had changed her brother into her sister.
At first, it seemed impossible. The magic was so powerful, so pervasive, that nothing seemed to work. But with each failed attempt, Lanie grew more determined. She’d learned to manipulate small objects, turning them into different forms and returning them to their original state. The more she practiced, the more control she gained. And slowly, her confidence returned.
A successful reversal spell wasn’t far off. She could feel it.
With each transformation -- Lanie had tested it on her old stuffed bear, a coffee mug, a book she’d kept on her shelf since childhood -- she could feel the magic pulsing through her fingertips, reminding her that it was possible. She could do this. She could fix everything.
Or so she thought.
It was late one evening when Lexie bounded into Lanie’s room, her eyes sparkling. Lanie looked up from her notebook, butterflies quickly filling her stomach as she saw the excitement in her sister's face.
“Lanie, you’re never going to believe this!” Lexie said, practically vibrating with energy. She was still wearing her signature 22 hat, and her phone was clutched tightly in her hand. “I just got an offer from a record label!”
Lanie’s heart dropped. She had been so focused on the spell that she hadn’t stopped to consider what could happen if Lexie got too involved in this new life. The media buzz, the viral TikTok videos, the constant comparisons to Taylor Swift -- all of it was pushing Lexie closer and closer to a reality she might never escape. But now, a record deal?
This was the tipping point. This was exactly what Lanie had feared all along.
“Wait, what do you mean, an offer?” Lanie’s voice was strained as she set her notebook aside, her fingers curling into tight fists. “A record label? How did that even happen?”
Lexie grinned, completely unaware of the panic rising in her sister. “I guess my TikToks have really been blowing up. A small label, Last Triumph, saw my videos and reached out to me. They love my sound and want to sign me!”
Lanie blinked, trying to keep her expression neutral. “But Lexie, I... I thought you were just doing this for fun, you know? You’re still...”
“I know, I know. I’m still 13,” Lexie interrupted, the excitement in her voice wavering slightly. “But they said they’d support me through the whole process. I don’t know. It’s just a small label, but they’re offering me a deal, Lanie! They're gonna get my music on Spotify! I'll be a real artist!”
Lanie’s mind raced. This was exactly what her dream -- her nightmare -- was warning her about. If Lexie signed that contract, it would seal her fate. The magic would never be undone. If she became a “real” musician, that would be it -- her life would be defined by the persona of Lexie, Taylor Swift look-alike and rising star. The spell would bind her to this new identity permanently.
Lanie forced herself to take a deep breath. She couldn’t let this happen. Not now, not when she was so close to fixing everything.
“Lexie, I don’t think you should sign it,” Lanie said softly, her voice trembling as she tried to make her words sound as reasonable as possible. “You’re just starting out. This might seem like a dream come true, but you’re still so young. There’s time to think this through. You don’t need to rush into anything.”
Lexie frowned, her excitement fading a little as she stared at her sister. “But Lanie... this is everything I’ve ever wanted! All those people on TikTok, they love my music. This is my chance to actually do something with it. To be someone.”
Lanie’s chest tightened. She wanted to say more. She wanted to tell Lexie the truth, that the magic, the spells Lanie had so foolishly cast, had warped Lexie's identity. But she knew better than to say it like that. She couldn’t just take Lexie’s dream away from her, no matter how badly Lanie wanted to undo the spell.
“I get that it’s exciting,” Lanie said, trying to control her voice. “But you don’t have to make this decision right now. You can still take time, think things through. Let me help you research this label. We can see if they’re the right fit for you. Think about what happened to Taylor and her first label.”
Lexie considered the whole debacle that had led to Taylor Swift losing control of the master recordings for her first six albums, but she shook her head, her eyes flashing with defiance. “No. This is my chance, Lanie. And I’m going to take this chance. I can’t keep waiting around forever.”
Lanie felt the familiar sting in her chest. She could hear the finality in Lexie’s voice -- the certainty that this was the life she wanted. It was the magic’s doing, yes, but Lexie believed it now. And that was what made it so much harder.
“Please, Lexie,” Lanie whispered, her voice breaking as she tried to find the right words. “Just... just don’t sign it yet. Give it time. We can figure this out.”
Lexie crossed her arms and took a step back, the stubborn look on her face more reminiscent of Alex than the sweet, starry-eyed girl she’d become. “I’ve already made up my mind, Lanie. I’m signing it.”
Lanie watched helplessly as Lexie walked out of the room, her phone pressed firmly to her ear, probably already discussing the details with the label. The door clicked shut, and Lanie slumped back into her chair, her mind spiraling.
She had just one chance left. If Lexie signed that contract, the magic would be irreversible. Lexie would be locked into this new life forever.
And it would be Lanie’s fault.
“Come on,” Lanie muttered to herself. “I can still fix this. I have to.”
Chapter 17
The car ride to Last Triumph's studio was a blur of excitement and nervous energy. Lanie sat in the backseat with Lexie, who couldn’t stop smiling. Her eyes were wide with anticipation, the papers from the record label clutched in her hands like a golden ticket to the life she had dreamed of. Lanie could feel the weight of the situation pressing on her chest, but she tried to push it down. There was nothing left to do but act.
Their parents, who were equally thrilled for Lexie, chattered happily in the front seat. Lanie barely heard them. All she could focus on was the way Lexie’s face lit up as she scrolled through her phone, replying to messages from her friends and fans. She was living the dream, Lanie thought. The dream that Lanie had feared would consume her sister, forever changing her life -- and forever altering Lanie’s own life, too.
As the car neared the record label’s office, Lanie’s thoughts swirled in a thousand directions. She was certain that this moment would be her last chance to reverse the spell -- to change things back to the way they were. But now, as she sat there, watching Lexie glow with joy, Lanie began to question everything.
Was this really what Lexie wanted? Was the old Alex -- the one who hated Taylor Swift and wanted nothing more than to get through the summer without any fuss -- really the person Lexie should return to? Or had this magic, in its own strange way, brought out something in Lexie that was true and pure? Her truest self, as it were.
Lanie glanced at her little sister, seeing her vibrant energy, her passion for music, and the undeniable happiness in her eyes. Alex had never been this happy. He had always been serious, always so focused on school and responsibilities -- and that stupid cursed football team he loved. But Lexie... Lexie was a star. A real one. She was living out her dreams.
Lanie thought back to her own dream -- the one that had haunted her for days -- of Lexie signing her name in the spellbook with that glitter pen. Of Lexie choosing to stay this way, to live her life as a 13-year-old Taylor Swift superfan and rising star. In the dream, Lexie had been happy. Maybe this was the life she was always supposed to have, and Lanie had just been too scared to see it.
As the car pulled up to the building, Lanie’s mind was made up. She would no longer fight the change. If Lexie was truly happy, then maybe it was time for Lanie to accept her new sister -- her real sister -- and let go of the past. But to do that, she needed to be free from the weight of Alex’s old identity.
Without thinking, Lanie began to quietly recite an incantation under her breath. Her fingers clenched around the pages of the spellbook in her bag, feeling the cool weight of the pages pressing into her skin. She began to speak, the words flowing softly but steadily.
But these weren't the words of her reversal spell.
Lanie glanced at Lexie, really looked at her. The way she was beaming, practically glowing with excitement and possibility, made Lanie realize she was making the right choice in her heart. Maybe this was who Lexie had always been meant to be.
A spell could still work, but... not the one she'd originally planned. This was a different spell, a sigil. It would help Lanie embrace the person Lexie had become, by blocking any memories that she'd ever been anyone else. Not Alex, not the original version of Lexie that Lanie had transformed her into. Just this Lexie. Because this Lexie was happy, and Lanie couldn't take that away from her.
Lanie’s fingers trembled as she whispered the final words to her new spell. The magic hummed faintly in the air, almost as if it was listening to her decision. Lanie took a deep breath, steeling herself for the consequences.
“Done,” she whispered.
As they stepped out of the car and entered the building, Lanie felt a strange sense of peace wash over her. She couldn’t explain why. She just knew she was excited to watch Lexie follow her dream, without a doubt in her mind.
Inside the office, the producers were waiting. Lexie sat down, eyes sparkling with anticipation, and began to look over the contract one last time.
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Lanie’s hands were shaking. Still, she couldn’t help but smile. Lexie was truly happy.
“Lanie, come here!” Lexie called, waving her over. “This is it. My big moment. Can you believe it?”
Lanie smiled, stepping forward to stand beside her. “I’m so proud of you, Lexie. You’ve worked so hard for this.”
Lexie grinned, her eyes glistening. “I’m doing this for us. You and me.”
Lanie felt her heart swell. Lexie was on the way to becoming everything she was meant to be. Lanie was proud to call her sister, proud to watch her step into her new life.
With a final nod from the producers, Lexie signed the contract, her glitter pen trailing over the paper with a flourish. Her parents signed as well -- using much more normal pens. Lanie watched with a smile on her face.
As Lexie stood up and wrapped Lanie in a big hug, Lanie couldn’t help but whisper, “I’m so proud of you, Lexie. You’re incredible.”
“I know, I know,” Lexie giggled, squeezing her tightly. “And I’m just getting started.”
Chapter 18
Following the signing of the record contract, and the recording of Lexie's first few official tracks, things had settled into an oddly peaceful rhythm. Lexie was living her dream, working on music every day, either posting new content on her social media channels or going into the studio to finish up the album Most importantly to Lanie, Lexie was genuinely happy. She had embraced her life, and so had Lanie.
As Lexie strummed her guitar in her room, working out new lyrics and humming along, Lanie sat on Lexie's bed, watching her with a smile. The joy in Lexie’s music was contagious, and Lanie couldn’t help but feel proud of how far her sister had come.
“I love this one, Lex,” Lanie said, grinning.
Lexie beamed, her fingers dancing across the strings with a newfound confidence. “Really? I was thinking it had a bit of a nostalgic vibe. Like, maybe it could be a love song from the Red era?”
Lanie nodded enthusiastically. “It’s really catchy. I can already hear it on the radio.”
Lexie laughed at her sister, who was only 17, but sometimes seemed so much older. "No one listens to the radio anymore, Lanie." Then the sentiment returned to her voice. "But, you really think it's good."
“Yeah, I do. It kind of reminds me of something I once wrote in my journal. I was really into writing songs back then, too.”
“Oh, you were? I never knew that!” Lexie said, her eyes wide. “What kind of songs did you write?”
Lanie laughed. “Mostly terrible ones,” she teased. “But I’ll show you. I think I still have the journal somewhere.”
She walked down the hall to her room and scanned the rows of old books and notebooks on her bookshelf until she spotted the familiar leather-bound journal from her childhood. It was a bit worn, but the cover still held a certain sentimental value. She pulled it down and started flipping through the pages, half-expecting to find old, embarrassing poems from a time before she fully understood her emotions.
As she opened the journal, something fluttered to the ground. Lanie bent down to pick it up, frowning as she saw what it was: a Polaroid photo.
At first, she didn’t think much of it. But as she gazed down at the image, something struck her. The photo showed Lanie, but with someone she didn’t recognize. The boy in the picture was older than her, though she was older now than she was in the picture. He had a familiar face, but she couldn’t place it. He had messy brown hair, and his smile was so similar to hers that it almost felt... unsettling.
Lanie stared at the photo, trying to place the face. There was a resemblance, something that tugged at the back of her mind. But no matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn’t identify him. The strangest part, though, was how familiar the whole thing seemed. She couldn’t explain it, but a small, gnawing sensation told her that this boy was important to her in some way.
“Lanie?” Lexie’s voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present. “What’s wrong?”
Lanie snapped out of her trance, realizing she’d been holding the Polaroid in her hand for far too long. She quickly tucked the photo back into the journal and closed it, trying to brush off the strange feelings.
“Oh! Um, nothing,” Lanie said, forcing a smile, before handing the journal over to Lexie, who had followed Lanie into her bedroom. “Here you go. I used to write in this all the time. It’s kind of embarrassing now.”
Lexie eyed her curiously but took the journal from her sister’s hands with a grin. “Well, I’m excited to see it. Maybe I’ll write some of my lyrics in it, just like you used to.”
As Lexie flipped open the journal to look at the first page, Lanie couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The Polaroid, the boy, the familiarity... It didn’t make sense.
But what truly unsettled her was the quiet voice in the back of her mind, the one that whispered: That boy looks just like Alex.
Lanie shook her head, trying to push the thought away. She didn't know any Alex, other than her sister, who had always gone by "Lexie." And that boy in the picture didn't look like her at all -- if Lanie was being honest, the only person who did look like Lexie was Taylor Swift.
Yet the nagging feeling wouldn’t go away.
“So, are you going to let me read the song you wrote in this journal or what?” Lexie asked, flipping through the pages with a look of genuine interest.
Lanie forced herself to smile again. “Right, right. Sorry. Here it is.” She pointed to a random entry in the journal, one of the early, cringe-worthy poems that seemed like an eternity ago.
Lexie read it aloud with a teasing smile. “'The world’s a stage, and I’m the lead...’ Oh, Lanie, you were such a dramatic little kid.”
Lanie laughed, trying to push aside the strange feeling that had overtaken her. She watched her sister, so comfortable in her own skin, so happy. She didn't even mind that Lexie was making fun of her old poetry. Even Lanie had to admit, it was terrible. Nothing like the beautiful lyrics that Lexie wrote.
Still, the photo stayed in the back of her mind, like an itch she couldn’t scratch.
And as the day went on, and Lexie played her new song for Lanie again, something deep inside her couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Chapter 20
The evening sunset filtered softly through the curtains of their living room, casting a warm glow on the walls, but Lanie barely noticed. She sat at the desk in the corner, her fingers tapping nervously against the surface as her thoughts spun wildly around the Polaroid, the boy, and that nagging name -- Alex -- that echoed in the back of her mind.
The more she tried to push it away, the more it consumed her.
Lexie was at the sofa, strumming on her guitar, trying to get it perfectly in tune, oblivious to Lanie’s growing unease. Lanie’s mind kept circling back to that photo, that familiar face in the picture that seemed like a phantom from a life she couldn’t remember -- one that was slipping further and further away from her grasp with every passing day.
The boy in the picture looked so much like her, like someone she should know. And that name -- Alex. Was it possible that her mind had blocked something out, something that she didn’t want to acknowledge?
Her gaze flickered back to Lexie as she lost herself in her music. Lanie felt a deep pang in her chest. She loved her sister, this bright, happy, creative Lexie who was chasing her dreams. But somewhere deep inside, something felt off. She had to get to the bottom of this.
Lexie’s full name is Alexandra, Lanie repeatedly thought, the name boring a hole into her brain, though no one, not even their parents, ever called her Alexandra or Alex. But she’s always been Lexie.
But what if she hadn’t always been Lexie? The thought whispered to her mind like a secret she wasn’t ready to hear.
What if there was a time before Lexie? A time when her sister had been someone else... someone named Alex?
Lanie froze. The whisper of the thought startled her. What if... what if Lexie had once been Alex?
Lanie’s head began to spin, and she shook her head in an attempt to clear the fog. No. That’s impossible.
She stood up suddenly, pacing back and forth in the room, trying to piece together the fragments of her thoughts. She couldn’t ignore the feeling that something was slipping through her fingers. The way Lexie acted -- her excitement, her love for Taylor Swift, the way she’d embraced this new opportunity -- had it always been this way? Or was there a time, somewhere deep in her subconscious, where Lexie had been someone else entirely?
But her heart pounded as the pieces began to fit into place. The photo... the boy who resembled her... could it really be Alex, from a time when things were different? Could something have altered Lexie... and altered Lanie's memories of Lexie?
Lanie felt a sudden wave of panic. If Lexie -- Alex -- had really been someone else, could she still be Alex? Was there a part of her still buried deep inside that remembered who she had been before... whatever happened, happened?
She snapped back to reality when she heard Lexie humming a melody, completely unaware of Lanie’s inner turmoil. Lanie’s hands trembled as she grabbed her phone, her fingers hovering over the screen. The Polaroid was in the back of her mind, and she couldn’t stop the flood of emotions that came with it. The boy in the picture -- had he really been some other version of Lexie? Or maybe he was just some distant cousin or family friend that she didn't remember. But if she didn't remember him, why had she thought of the name “Alex” when she saw him?
“Lanie, are you okay?” Lexie’s voice brought her back to the present.
Lanie turned to see her sister watching her, eyes filled with concern. For a moment, Lanie couldn’t speak, the question on the tip of her tongue but too much to ask.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Lanie said, forcing a smile. “I just... I just got lost in thought for a second. You know how it is.”
Lexie smiled warmly. “I get it. Sometimes I get so lost in writing that I forget where I am. It’s like everything else disappears for a while.” She paused and then added, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about that song I showed you earlier. What do you think of maybe recording it as a bonus track? I’ve got a really cool vibe for it.”
Lanie nodded, though her mind was still spinning. The thought of Alex, the thought of Lexie, and the overwhelming uncertainty left her feeling confused and scared. “Yeah, that sounds amazing. You’ve got something special, Lexie. I’m sure people will love it.”
But deep down, Lanie wasn’t sure anymore. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a deeper truth lurking just beneath the surface, and that Lexie -- who was so happy and so confident in her budding stardom -- might not know the whole story.
Lanie excused herself and sat on her bed, staring at the journal that still lay in her lap. She opened it again, flipping past the pages of song lyrics and poems she had written as a child. She stopped when she reached the very last entry, the one she had written so long ago, when she was young, full of dreams and questions about herself.
Then, when she went to put it back on the shelf, she noticed something else. A book she didn't recognize. It looked old, older than her journals. She slid it off the shelf and looked at the cover. Mysticae Incantamenta.
Her heart was racing as she flipped through its yellowed pages. It appeared to be a spellbook of some kind. Not a movie tie-in or a children's plaything, but an actual book of magic.
Lanie couldn’t deny it any longer. Something had changed. Something had been erased. Somehow. By magic.
And now, she was desperate to know what that was.
Chapter 21
The city felt strangely quieter than usual as Lanie walked through the crowded streets, filled with people enjoying the final days of summer. Her thoughts were swirling. She’d never been one for mystical things, let alone anything to do with fortune tellers or tarot cards. But the discovery of the spellbook in her bedroom had left her feeling desperate for answers -- answers that couldn’t come from her family, or random internet searches, or from the chaotic mix of memories that refused to make sense.
The spellbook, the photo, the name Alex... even Lexie's out-of-nowhere success... all of it weighed heavily on her. She needed something more than just her own confused thoughts to untangle what had happened.
That’s how she found herself here, standing in front of a small, inconspicuous storefront with a sign that read: Madame Zora's Mystical Readings. The tiny bell jingled as she pushed open the door, and the air inside smelled faintly of incense and herbs. A thick purple curtain separated the room from the rest of the shop, and as Lanie stepped through it, she was greeted by a woman in her mid-thirties. She had long, flowing dark hair, and wore a colorful shawl draped across her shoulders, with beads that clinked softly as she moved.
“Ah, welcome, dear,” the woman said with a smile, her voice smooth and calm. “You’re looking for answers, I take it?”
Lanie nodded, trying to hold back the nervousness that bubbled in her stomach. “I... I’m not sure what I’m looking for,” she admitted, her voice wavering slightly. “But I need help. Something’s... wrong. Something has changed, and I need to know what.”
The woman studied her for a moment, her eyes narrowing in on Lanie’s face. "It’s not uncommon for people to seek out guidance when they feel... lost,” she said, her tone becoming more practiced. “I can read your palms, or perhaps pull a few cards for you. It’s all very simple -- just a way to focus your mind and give you the peace you seek.”
Lanie bit her lip, but she had a sense that this wasn’t what she was looking for. She needed more than vague answers or predictions. “I need to know what’s really going on,” she said, her voice steadying. “Something happened to my sister. To me. Something magical, something real. Something beyond... and I think this caused it.”
Lexie took the spellbook out of the bag she'd slung over her shoulder, and Madame Zora's expression quickly changed. The calmness in her features seemed to disappear in an instant, as a spark of awareness flickered in her eyes. “Where did you get that?”
Lanie froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know. It was just... there, in her bedroom, as if it had always been there.
Madame Zora studied her for a long moment, the playful demeanor from earlier replaced with a far more serious air. “I see... I see. You’re not like the others,” she said softly, almost as if speaking to herself. “There’s magic tied to you. Dark magic. Powerful magic.”
She’d suspected it, but hearing the fortune teller acknowledge it so openly made her skin crawl. “Yes,” Lanie replied, her voice barely above a whisper, as if she didn't quite believe what she was saying.
Madame Zora stood up and began to walk around the room, muttering something under her breath as she grabbed various items from shelves and drawers -- candles, incense, a crystal ball. She set them down carefully on a small table in front of her, and then turned to face Lanie.
“This magic you speak of,” she began, her voice steady, “it’s not ordinary. It’s ancient, and chaotic. That book you hold is very dangerous, even for the most skilled practitioners of magic..." Then she looked at Lanie again, adding "... which I sense you are not."
As Madame Zora continued examining Lanie, she came to a realization. "Something has changed not just your reality, but your memories, too. There are threads here I cannot yet see clearly, but I can feel them pulling at you.”
Lanie felt her heart skip a beat. “What does that mean? How do I fix it?”
Madame Zora sighed softly, her hands resting on the table in front of her. “To undo such a deep and tangled spell, you will need more than just a quick fix. The magic has woven itself into the very fabric of your life, affecting not only the person you were, but the memories that were altered in the process.” She paused, her gaze sharpening. “This is not something I can resolve in a single reading. It requires preparation -- time to focus, time to connect with the deeper threads of magic.”
Lanie’s chest tightened. “So... what do I do?”
“I can’t give you the answers you seek today," Madame Zora said, her voice soft but insistent. "The magic is too complex, too tangled. But in time, I will be ready to guide you. Together, we will uncover the truth of what happened to your sister... and to you.”
Lanie swallowed hard, the weight of the situation settling in. She’d come here seeking answers, and while Madame Zora hadn’t given her everything she hoped for, she’d given her something else: a path forward. "You really think you can help me," Lanie asked.
Madame Zora nodded slowly, her expression serious. “I’ve seen things in the past that defy explanation. I can’t promise it will be easy, but I can promise you this: the truth is out there. It’s buried under the layers of magic and memory, but it’s waiting to be revealed.”
Lanie felt a flicker of hope, but it was tempered by the growing fear that whatever the truth was, it might be something she wasn’t prepared to face. “Okay,” Lanie said, forcing herself to sound more confident than she felt. “I’ll come back when you call for me.”
Madame Zora smiled, but it was a knowing smile, one that seemed to carry the weight of hidden knowledge. “Until then, child, take care. The magic you’ve encountered is powerful, but so are you. Trust in your instincts, and be ready for what lies ahead.”
Lanie entrusted the spellbook to Madame Zora, then left the shop, the bell ringing softly behind her as she stepped back into the world. Her mind was spinning with everything she’d just heard. She didn’t know what to expect from her next visit, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that, when the time came, she’d finally have the answers she’d been searching for.
And those answers -- no matter how much they terrified her -- were going to change everything.
Chapter 22
Lanie stepped through the front door, her mind still racing from her conversation with Madame Zora. She hadn’t had time to process everything -- what the fortune teller had said, the cryptic hints of deeper magic that had been woven into her and Lexie’s lives. But that was all about to take a backseat as she walked into the living room and saw Lexie sitting on the couch, eyes wide with excitement.
"Lan, you won’t believe this!" Lexie practically bounced off the couch, her voice full of energy and a kind of starry-eyed wonder Lanie hadn’t heard in a while. "The record label just called. A major producer heard my songs on Spotify! Taylor Swift herself wants to record a duet with me!"
Lanie blinked, her heart thudding in her chest. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe. This was it. The kind of thing Lexie had always dreamed about, and now it was happening. She felt a surge of happiness for her little sister. But then a tiny knot of unease began to twist in her stomach.
"Lexie," she started carefully, her voice still shaky from the rush of emotions. "That’s... that’s incredible. I mean, it’s Taylor Swift! That’s a huge opportunity, you’re going to be a star!"
Lexie grinned, her eyes sparkling. "I know, right? It’s like a dream come true. I mean, how crazy is that? Taylor Swift herself wants to work with me! Can you believe it? It’s all just... it’s so magical!"
And there it was.
The word "magical" hung in the air like an unwanted echo, its weight pressing down on Lanie’s chest. It was a word she had been hearing a lot recently, but it never sounded quite as unsettling as it did now, coming from Lexie’s lips.
Lanie forced a smile, though it felt like it might shatter at any moment. "Yeah, it’s..." She paused, trying to steady herself. "It’s definitely magical. But are you sure this is the right move, Lexie? I mean, this is all moving so fast. Your own album isn't even officially out yet. Are you sure you're ready for something like this?"
But Lexie was already on a roll, too caught up in the excitement to consider any of Lanie’s concerns. "Don’t you get it, Lan?" she said with a laugh, her words coming out in a rush. "This is my shot. This is what I’ve been working for, and now it’s actually happening. It’s magic. I just know it was meant to be."
Lanie stared at her, her heart heavy. The words “it’s meant to be” echoed in her mind, and a deeper, nagging worry crept in. Could it really be that this was meant to be? Or was it something else, something that had been quietly shaping Lexie’s life in ways Lanie couldn’t even understand?
Lanie thought back to her conversation with Madame Zora: the magic is too complex, too tangled. Was this what Madame Zora had meant? Was this success, this whirlwind of opportunity, the ultimate sign that Lexie had crossed some invisible line? That it was too late to turn back?
She pushed those thoughts aside. She couldn’t let herself think that way. Lexie deserved to be happy, to have the life she wanted. This was everything Lexie had dreamed of, and Lanie couldn’t bring herself to take that away.
But as Lexie continued to gush about the details of the duet and her future in the music industry, Lanie felt like an outsider, watching someone she loved slip away into something she couldn’t recognize. Something that felt foreign, even if it was her little sister standing there.
For a moment, Lanie just stood there, unable to put into words the unease swirling inside her. How could she explain that, despite everything Lexie had achieved, something didn’t feel right?
And then Lexie’s eyes lit up with a sudden thought. "Oh my gosh, Lan, you’re going to be there, right? I mean, when we record the duet with Taylor Swift? You’ll come, won’t you? It’s going to be epic!"
Lanie nodded, but her smile was forced. "Of course. I’ll be there, Lex. I wouldn’t miss it for the world."
But as Lexie turned back to her phone, typing excitedly to her producer, Lanie’s mind continued to spiral. She couldn't do anything but wait until Madame Zora could help her uncover the truth, to finally find out if the magic could be undone, if she could fix everything before it was too late.
But would Lexie even want that now? And what would it mean if she didn’t? The thought gnawed at Lanie as she watched her little sister, so full of energy and promise, oblivious to the tangled threads of magic that had shaped her new reality.
And as Lexie hummed to herself, already lost in plans for the future, Lanie couldn’t help but wonder if the person she’d once known as Alex had been left behind forever.
Chapter 23
Lexie was sitting at her vanity in her bedroom, surrounded by notebooks filled with lyrics she couldn’t seem to finish. The pressure of her upcoming duet with Taylor Swift weighed heavily on her, but it wasn’t the kind of pressure Lexie had ever expected to feel. This wasn’t excitement anymore; it was a constant feeling of frustration. Every lyric she wrote felt wrong, every line too forced, every melody too flat. Nothing seemed to capture the magic she was supposed to be feeling.
Her guitar sat neglected on her bed, her fingers running absentmindedly over the edge of the strings. She needed something. She needed help.
Lexie sighed, rubbing her eyes, and then, after a moment’s pause, she turned to the door. “Lanie?” she called.
Lanie, who had been pacing the hallway nervously, came into "Lexie's Lair" without hesitation. She had been reflecting on the unsettling changes in her little sister, but the sight of Lexie -- her sister who had always been so carefree -- fiddling with the guitar, clearly overwhelmed, pulled at Lanie’s heart.
“Yeah?” Lanie asked softly, walking over to where Lexie sat, her expression a mix of concern and affection.
“Can you help me with the song?” Lexie asked. There was a subtle vulnerability in her voice, a stark contrast to the confident girl who had been sharing her big news all week. “I don’t know... it’s like, I know I want this duet to be perfect, but nothing feels right. It’s like I’m trying to write from a place that doesn’t make sense.”
Lanie sat beside her, her heart aching for Lexie. She hadn’t seen her little sister struggle like this before, and it made Lanie wonder if the whirlwind of success had become too much too soon.
She took a deep breath, trying to organize her thoughts. She had so many things she wanted to say, but she had to choose her words carefully. There were so many emotions swirling inside her.
“Lexie,” Lanie began, her voice soft but shaky, “I’ve been thinking a lot about everything that’s happened these past few weeks. I mean, everything’s been moving so fast, hasn’t it?” She hesitated, glancing at Lexie, whose eyes were full of hope, but also a quiet fear Lanie hadn’t seen before. “You’ve gone from just being my little sister to... well, to all this. It’s like you’re living a dream, and I’m so happy for you, really. But I wonder sometimes if it’s happening too quickly. If it’s too much, too soon.”
Lexie looked at Lanie, her expression softening. “What do you mean?”
Lanie’s eyes started to well up with tears, the overwhelming flood of emotion catching her off guard. “You’re so young, Lexie. You’re only... you’re still only 13. This success, all the attention -- it’s a lot. And I just...” She trailed off, her throat tightening. “I don’t want you to lose yourself in it, you know? I don’t want you to grow up too fast. I don’t want you to forget that you’re still my little sister.”
The words came out before Lanie could stop them. They felt raw and unfiltered, like she was confessing something she hadn’t even known was bothering her until it spilled out all at once.
For a long moment, Lexie said nothing. She just looked at Lanie with those wide, understanding eyes. Then, slowly, she set the guitar down beside her and wrapped her arms around Lanie in a hug.
“I’ll always be your little sister, Lanie,” Lexie said quietly, her voice gentle and reassuring. “You’re the one who’s always been there for me. No matter what happens, I’m still me. And I’ll still need you. No matter how big my dreams get.”
Lanie hugged her back, relief flooding through her, but there was also something else -- something unsettling. Lexie’s words were comforting, but they also sounded too certain, too unaffected by the complexity of what Lanie had just shared. It was as if Lexie didn’t quite feel the weight of what Lanie was saying, like she was too wrapped up in the magic of it all to truly understand.
For a moment, Lanie held onto her little sister, wondering if this was all real -- if this was really Lexie. But as she pulled away, she forced a smile, wiping at the wetness under her eyes.
“Thanks, Lex,” Lanie said, her voice thick but steadying. “I needed to hear that.”
Lexie smiled, her eyes still bright. “Of course, Lan. You’re the best big sister ever. And I know everything will work out.”
Lanie nodded, but inside, she felt a cold shiver of doubt. Was she overreacting? Was she just being protective, like any big sister would? Or was there something deeper going on -- something she still didn’t fully understand?
As Lexie picked up her guitar again, strumming a few more notes with renewed energy, Lanie watched her, still feeling unsettled. Something about the way Lexie said those words, “I’ll always be your little sister,” made Lanie wonder if there was more at play here than she realized. A part of her -- deep down -- was terrified that Lexie’s life, her identity, was slipping further and further away from... whoever she might have been before magic entered their lives.
Lanie didn’t know how to fix it, or even if it could be fixed anymore. But as Lexie started to hum along with the guitar, her voice carrying the same carefree melody Lanie had always known, she couldn’t help but wonder if the magic had already taken root too deeply, in a way that would change everything -- forever.
"Hey, Lan?" Lexie’s voice pulled Lanie from her thoughts.
"Yeah?" Lanie looked up, forcing herself to focus.
"Can you help me with one more thing?" Lexie asked, her face lighting up. "I’m thinking of a chorus that could go with the duet. Want to help me finish it?"
Lanie smiled faintly, trying to shake the unease from her thoughts. “Sure, let’s figure it out together.”
Chapter 24
The house was quiet, everyone fast asleep, but Lanie lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, the weight of everything pressing down on her chest. She had barely slept for the past few days. Each time she closed her eyes, the same question echoed in her mind: What have I done?
The events of the past few weeks -- the whirlwind of Lexie’s fame, her transformation, her success -- had felt too unreal. Last Triumph had released Lanie's record on Spotify, and even did a short vinyl run, mostly because Lanie wanted a vinyl copy of her own album so she could put it on her shelf next to all her Taylor Swift vinyls. It was supposed to be a happy moment not just for Lexie, but for the entire family. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the deeper she looked into it, the more it spiraled beyond her control. Lexie was still Lexie, but something was... off. Something had changed in the core of who her sister had once been, and Lanie wasn’t sure she wanted to find out what that meant.
That’s when the call came. The fortune teller.
Lanie had been avoiding it, hesitating because deep down, she feared what the woman might say, but something urged her to pick up the phone. Her hand shook slightly as she pressed it to her ear.
“You’ve been waiting for the truth,” the fortune teller’s voice came through, smooth yet mysterious. “I can help you understand. Come to me tonight.”
Lanie’s heart raced. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but now she knew she couldn’t put it off any longer. If there was a way to fix it -- whatever it was -- she needed answers.
She didn’t waste a moment. Slipping out of bed, she grabbed her jacket and slipped out of the house, careful not to wake anyone. The night air was crisp against her skin, and as she made her way down the street, a gnawing anxiety started to settle in her stomach. What would she find out? Would it be worse than she imagined?
The fortune teller’s shop was in a tucked-away alley in town, a place she had passed countless times but never entered. As Lanie approached, the dim light in the window flickered, casting an eerie glow on the cobblestone path ahead of her. She knocked twice, as instructed. A moment later, the door creaked open, revealing the fortune teller, her face barely visible in the dim light.
“You’ve come,” the woman said, her eyes glowing with an unsettling intensity. “I see the threads of fate have already begun to unravel for you. Step inside, child.”
Lanie hesitated, but only for a moment. She stepped into the dimly lit room, the air thick with incense and the soft hum of an unseen energy. The fortune teller led her to a small table, draped with velvet cloth. Strange symbols were drawn across the walls, and the low light of candles flickered in the shadows. The atmosphere was both strange and strangely comforting—like stepping into a world beyond the one Lanie knew.
“Sit,” the fortune teller instructed.
Lanie obeyed, her mind swirling with questions. The woman placed her hands on the table, then pulled out the spellbook, already open to a specific page. Her fingers tracing an invisible pattern in the air between Lanie and the book, as if she could see a connection Lanie couldn’t quite grasp.
“The magic that altered your sister’s life, this magic, this very dangerous spell is still within you,” the fortune teller began, her voice low and cryptic. “But it's tangled with another."
The pages of the book began to flip on their own. Lanie gasped, her eyes not believing what they were seeing. On some level, despite Madame Zora's assurances, Lanie couldn't bring herself to believe that magic was real. But what she was seeing was no parlor trick. It wasn't smoke and mirrors. It was magic. Real magic.
"You’ve been altered too, but the memories that could reveal the truth have been clouded," Madame Zora continued. "Someone has placed a sigil on you. Another tangle in this twisted magical web. I can't undo all of it, but I can show you the truth. The full truth.”
Lanie’s heart pounded in her chest. “How?”
The fortune teller’s lips parted into a thin smile, her eyes now glowing with an almost unnatural light. “Close your eyes,” she said. “Trust me.”
Lanie did as she was told, though her pulse quickened in anticipation. The fortune teller began chanting softly, words Lanie couldn’t understand, and suddenly, the room around her seemed to shift. The air thickened, and a hazy image appeared in her mind -- a memory, but not her own.
There she was, standing in her room, holding the ancient spellbook, the same one sitting in front of her on the table now. She was casting the spell with a look of determination on her face. The familiar words came from her lips, words that had once felt so absurd, so impossible.
The transformation. The spell.
The magic swirled around her as she spoke the words, but then something changed. A shadow appeared -- a ripple in time -- something that shifted the course of her actions. As the spell finished, Lanie gasped in horror as the image of her brother Alex -- her older brother -- morphed into... Lexie.
The image shattered. The room around her cracked like glass, and she felt herself fall into the past. The past that had been erased from her memory.
In that instant, everything clicked into place. The sigil was broken. She could remember. Alex. Her brother. Not Lexie.
Lanie’s eyes snapped open. She was back in the fortune teller’s shop, breathing heavily, her heart racing. Her mind was spinning with the weight of what she had just seen. She saw the truth. She saw how the spell had been cast, and how everything had unraveled. Because of her.
“Do you understand now?” the fortune teller asked softly, her voice almost like a whisper.
Lanie nodded, though the shock still lingered in her veins. Alex. Her brother, who had been lost in the transformation, in the spell she had cast in desperation, selfishly, just because she wanted to go to a concert. And now, Lexie's life was growing far beyond Lanie's control, all because of the spell Lanie had foolishly cast to try and fix her initial mistake.
It wasn’t fair, Lanie thought. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. She just wanted to go to a concert with her brother.
“You need to reverse it,” Lanie whispered, her voice barely audible. “Please. I have to make it right.”
The fortune teller’s eyes softened, but there was no sympathy in her gaze -- only understanding. “The magic is not so easily undone, child. To fix one part is to unravel the whole. You must decide: Do you truly wish to return what was lost? To give up all that has been gained?”
Lanie’s chest tightened. Could she really reverse the spell? Should she bring back her brother? Or had she truly created something better for her sister -- something that was all Lexie's own?
Before she could answer, the fortune teller’s voice echoed in her mind: Remember, you can’t undo fate, only choose which path it leads you down.
Lanie stood up slowly, the weight of the decision pressing on her. The truth had been revealed to her, but now she had to decide: Would she fight to reclaim Alex, or let Lexie’s future unfold as it had already begun?
The choices lay in front of her like two diverging paths -- and neither felt like the right one.
Chapter 25
Lanie sat in the quiet kitchen, the soft hum of the refrigerator the only sound breaking the silence. The sun was starting to set, casting a warm, golden light through the windows, but Lanie couldn’t shake the chill that had settled in her bones. Her mind raced, torn between the truth of what she had done and the undeniable bond she felt with Lexie, who had flourished into someone unrecognizable, yet so full of promise.
After the fortune teller’s cryptic message, Lanie knew she couldn’t keep wrestling with this on her own. She needed someone to talk to -- someone who wouldn’t judge her or get lost in the magic of it all. She needed her mother.
But how could she explain it? How could she possibly tell her mom the full truth without shattering the fragile reality they’d all built since the summer began? There was no way to undo what had been done without unraveling everything. The transformation had been so deep that Lanie didn’t even know where to begin.
With a sigh, Lanie picked up her phone and sent a simple text to her mother: Can we talk?
A few seconds later, the reply came: Of course, honey. I’m home.
Lanie stood up and walked into the living room, finding her mother curled up on the couch with a book. Her mom always had a way of making things feel normal, even in the middle of chaos. It had been part of the reason Lanie had avoided confronting her own emotions about the situation -- she didn’t want to ruin the perfect picture of their family.
“Hey, Mom,” Lanie said, her voice a little shakier than she had intended.
Her mother smiled warmly, setting the book down. “Hey, sweetie. What’s on your mind?”
Lanie sat down next to her, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. She took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm swirling inside her. “I’ve been thinking about Lexie,” she started, keeping her voice casual. “About everything that’s been happening with her... and her music. And I just wonder, do you think she’s... happy? Really happy? With who she’s becoming?”
Her mother looked at her, a slight frown knitting her brows together. “Of course, she’s happy, Lanie. She’s thriving. You’ve seen how excited she’s been, how much she’s grown. She’s found something that makes her shine.”
Lanie nodded, but her stomach twisted. That’s the problem, she thought. “I know, I just... I guess I worry sometimes. It’s all moving so fast, and she’s still so young. I just... I don’t know if she’s ready for everything that’s happening.”
Her mother’s expression softened. She placed a hand on Lanie’s shoulder, her touch warm and comforting. “I get it. It’s hard to watch someone grow up, especially when they’re your sibling. But Lexie’s incredibly mature for her age."
Well, yeah, Lanie thought. Lexie is actually 23, not 13. And a boy. But she listened as her mother continued.
"She has a lot of talent and a lot of heart. We just have to trust that she’s making the right decisions for herself.”
Lanie’s heart ached; she worried that what she'd done had actually taken away Lexie's ability to make any decisions for herself. But her mom was so sure, so confident in Lexie’s ability to handle everything. Still Lanie couldn’t shake the feeling that Lexie’s rise to fame was too good to be true. It was like everything had fallen into place too perfectly, and the magic that had altered Lexie’s life was still lingering, unacknowledged.
“I just don’t want her to be... forced into something she’s not ready for,” Lanie said, her voice barely above a whisper. “She’s changing, and I’m not sure I know who she is anymore.”
Her mother’s eyes softened with understanding. “Sweetheart, I think you’re worried about losing her. But she’s still your sister. Even if she’s changing, that doesn’t mean she’s gone. You’ll always be her big sister, and she’ll always need you, no matter where her career takes her.”
Lanie swallowed hard, the weight of her mom’s words settling heavily in her chest. She wanted to believe that, so badly. But deep down, she knew that what was happening to Lexie wasn’t just normal growth -- it was something magical, something beyond their control.
“I know,” Lanie murmured, feeling the tears prick at the back of her eyes. “But I’m scared, Mom. Scared that I don’t know how to protect her anymore. Scared that I might have done something... something I can’t undo.”
Her mother squeezed her shoulder. “You don’t have to protect her from everything, Lanie. You’re doing the best you can. And remember, just because things seem uncertain now, it doesn’t mean you can’t help guide her. She’s going to need you, more than you realize.”
Lanie looked at her mom, the love and reassurance in her eyes grounding her for a moment. “But what if I made a mistake?” she whispered. “What if... she’s not the same person anymore?”
Her mother smiled softly. “People change, Lanie. It’s part of growing up. And maybe Lexie is changing in ways you don’t fully understand right now, but that doesn’t mean she’s lost. You just need to learn to see her for who she is now, not who she was before.”
Lanie nodded, the storm inside her subsiding just a little. “I’ll try. I’ll try to be there for her.”
Her mother smiled and hugged her close. “I know you will. You always do.”
Chapter 26
The Saunders family arrived in Nashville for Labor Day weekend in the glow of the city lights, the air buzzing with excitement. The bustling energy of Music City was the perfect backdrop for what Lexie called the most important day of her life. She bounced on the balls of her feet as they entered the boutique hotel, her face lit up like a sparkler. She hadn’t stopped talking about the duet for the entire trip, recounting her favorite Taylor Swift lyrics and imagining how amazing the final track would be.
Lanie, meanwhile, trailed behind, her thoughts a chaotic tangle. This trip was supposed to be a dream come true for Lexie, but for Lanie, it felt like a ticking clock. Every smile Lexie flashed, every laugh that bubbled out of her, reminded Lanie of the little brother she had lost -- or had she lost him? The doubt gnawed at her like a constant, quiet hum in the back of her mind.
As they settled into their hotel suite, with Lanie and Lexie each getting their own separate bedroom, Lexie immediately began practicing the song she’d been working on for the duet. The walls of the room filled with the sweet sound of her guitar, her voice carrying a blend of hope and passion that even Lanie couldn’t deny. She wanted to enjoy it, to be fully present and support Lexie, but the weight of her internal conflict pressed down on her chest.
Later that evening, the family went out to dinner at a local café known for hosting up-and-coming artists. Lexie gushed about the opportunity ahead, chatting about Taylor as though they were old friends. Lanie picked at her food, her appetite dulled by the weight of what she was holding back.
After dinner, Lanie and Lexie walked back to the hotel together while their parents lingered to pay the bill. Nashville’s streets sparkled under strings of lights, the hum of distant music weaving through the air. Lexie skipped along, carefree, clutching her guitar case like it was a treasure chest.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Lexie said, glancing at Lanie. “Aren’t you excited? This is, like, the biggest thing ever! We’re going to the studio tomorrow! Taylor Swift’s studio!”
Lanie forced a smile. “I’m excited for you,” she said softly. “This is all happening so fast, though. Are you... are you sure this is what you want?”
Lexie stopped walking and turned to face her sister, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Are you kidding? Of course, it’s what I want! This is my dream, Lanie. How could I not want this?”
Lanie looked down at the pavement, shuffling her feet. “I just... I don’t want you to feel like you’re being pushed into something. Like maybe... I don’t know, you didn’t choose this for yourself.”
Lexie frowned, tilting her head. “What are you talking about? I’ve worked so hard for this. You’ve been with me the whole way, cheering me on. Why are you acting weird now?”
Lanie bit her lip, the truth teetering on the edge of her tongue. This was her chance to tell Lexie everything -- to explain the spell, the transformation, the boy she used to be. But as she looked at Lexie, so radiant and alive, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“I’m sorry,” Lanie said finally. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just... I want to make sure you’re happy.”
Lexie’s expression softened, and she stepped closer to Lanie, slipping her arm through hers. “I am happy,” she said firmly. “Happier than I’ve ever been. And it’s because of you. You’re the best big sister ever, Lanie. You’ve always believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. I wouldn’t be here without you.”
Lanie’s heart twisted at Lexie’s words. It was because of her, but not in the way Lexie believed. Lanie wanted to believe that what she had done was for the best, that Lexie’s happiness was proof that she had made the right decision. But the doubt lingered, a shadow she couldn’t shake.
As they reached the hotel, Lexie squeezed Lanie’s arm. “Tomorrow is going to be amazing,” she said, her voice brimming with excitement. “And I’m so glad you’re here with me for it.”
Lanie managed a smile, though her heart felt heavy. “Me too,” she said.
That night, as Lexie fell asleep in her hotel bed dreaming of her duet with Taylor, Lanie sat by the window of the suite's living room, staring out at the Nashville skyline. She clutched the old Polaroid in her hands, the image of Alex’s face staring back at her like a ghost from another life.
Chapter 27
A soft knock roused Lanie from her restless sleep. She groaned, glancing at the clock -- 4:58 a.m. She rolled out of bed, shuffling to the door in her pajamas. When she opened it, Lexie stood there, fully dressed in her lucky sundress, her blonde curls tied back with a ribbon. She clutched her guitar case in one hand and her phone in the other.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Lexie whispered, her voice shaky. “I kept thinking about today. It’s so big, Lanie. What if I mess up?”
Lanie blinked away her exhaustion, stepping aside to let Lexie in. “You won’t mess up,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “You’ve been working so hard for this. You’re ready.”
Lexie sat on the edge of the bed, setting her guitar case down gently. She hugged her phone to her chest, her wide eyes filled with both excitement and fear. “But what if I forget the lyrics? Or my voice cracks? Or... what if Taylor doesn’t like me?”
Lanie sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “Lexie, listen to me. You’re going to walk into that studio and show everyone why they chose you. Taylor Swift saw something in you that reminded her of herself. Do you know how huge that is? You’ve got this.”
Lexie looked up at Lanie, her lips curving into a small, grateful smile. “You really think so?”
“I know so,” Lanie said firmly. “And if you get nervous, just look for me. I’ll be right there, cheering you on.”
Lexie’s smile grew, and she leaned into Lanie’s embrace. “Thanks, Lanie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
They sat there for a while, the early morning light beginning to peek through the curtains. Lanie couldn’t help but feel a pang in her chest. Every moment she spent with Lexie made it harder to reconcile her doubts about the magic. Even if she, or Madame Zora, or someone else could figure out how to reverse what Lanie had done, how could she take this happiness away from her sister? Could she guarantee that Alex, her older brother, would ever be this happy? And if Lanie was able to reverse the spell, would Alex remember his time as Lexie -- and remember what he had lost? No, what was taken away from him by Lanie?
Lanie's mind swirled as she listened to Lexie ramble, then practice, then ramble again.
By the time their parents woke up, Lexie’s nerves had settled, and she was buzzing with excitement again. They grabbed breakfast at the hotel before heading to the studio.
The building was sleek and modern, with a giant glass front that reflected the Nashville skyline. As they stepped inside, Lexie’s breath hitched. A staff member greeted them and led them down a hallway lined with platinum records.
When they reached the studio, Taylor Swift herself was waiting. Lexie froze in the doorway, her eyes wide as saucers.
“Oh my gosh, it’s really you,” Lexie whispered, her voice barely audible.
Taylor smiled warmly and extended a hand. “And you must be Lexie,” she said. “I’ve been looking forward to this. You make some really beautiful music.”
Lexie’s cheeks flushed, and she stammered out a thank-you, her hands trembling as she shook Taylor’s. Lanie watched from the doorway, her heart swelling with pride. Whatever doubts she had, she couldn’t deny how magical this moment was for Lexie.
The session went smoothly. Lexie and Taylor harmonized beautifully, their voices blending like they were meant to sing together. Lexie’s confidence grew with each take, and by the end, she was laughing and joking with Taylor like they were old friends.
Lanie stayed in the corner, her Polaroid tucked in her pocket, as she watched her sister shine. Whatever was ahead, she decided, she would be there for Lexie. She’d made mistakes, but Lexie was her family, and family meant everything.
As they left the studio that afternoon, Lexie turned to Lanie with a grin that could light up the world.
“Did you hear us, Lanie? It was perfect!” Lexie said, twirling in excitement.
Lanie smiled back, her worries momentarily forgotten. “It was perfect,” she agreed. “You were amazing.”
In that moment, Lanie decided she wasn’t going to worry about Alex or the spell -- at least not today. Today was for Lexie, her incredible little sister, who had just lived her dream.
Chapter 28
When the Saunders family returned home, life quickly resumed its usual routines -- though, for Lexie and Lanie, “usual” had taken on a whole new meaning. Instead of Alex returning to grad school, Lexie started eighth grade, stepping into the hallways of their combined middle and high school for the first time since her transformation. With her newfound fame, her confidence bolstered, and her Taylor Swift-like aura, she was an instant sensation.
By the end of the first week, Lexie had firmly established herself as the most popular girl in the middle school. Her classmates swarmed her at lunch, peppering her with questions about her album, Nashville, the duet, and her connection to Taylor Swift. Even high school students whispered in the halls about her.
Lanie watched all of this unfold with a mix of amazement and protectiveness. While Lexie basked in the attention, Lanie couldn’t help but notice how some older students, especially boys, seemed to hover a little too close or laugh a little too loudly at Lexie’s jokes.
After one particularly overwhelming lunch period, Lanie found Lexie waiting by her locker, her bubbly demeanor slightly dimmed.
"Hey, superstar," Lanie said, nudging Lexie gently. "What’s up?"
Lexie shrugged, fiddling with the hem of her cardigan. "It’s just... a lot, you know? Everyone’s so nice, but it feels like... I don’t know, like they want something from me. Like most of them only like me because of my music. Or even only because of Taylor."
Lanie leaned against the locker, her expression softening. "That’s probably true for some of them. But not everyone. Your real friends, the friends you had before this summer, will see you for who you are, not just for what you’ve done. You just have to give it some time to figure out who those people are."
Lexie nodded, her curls bouncing. "It’s just... hard. I mean, I love being here, but sometimes it feels like I don’t know where I fit. Like I’m not just Lexie—I'm this... version of Lexie everyone expects."
Lanie’s chest tightened. She could see the cracks in the shiny exterior Lexie had built, and for a fleeting moment, she thought about Alex. Was Lexie feeling the weight of the magic, or was this just part of growing up? Either way, Lanie knew her sister needed her.
"You don’t have to figure it all out right now," Lanie said. "And you’re not alone, okay? If anyone gives you trouble or makes you feel weird, you tell me. Big sisters are supposed to look out for their little sisters, right?"
Lexie smiled at that, her eyes lighting up. "Thanks, Lanie. I’m glad I have you."
As the weeks went on, Lanie found herself slipping into the role of Lexie’s protector with surprising ease. Whenever Lexie got overwhelmed by her new popularity, Lanie was there to ground her. She helped Lexie navigate the confusing world of middle school social politics, stepped in when older boys got too pushy, and even helped Lexie with her schoolwork when her music commitments started piling up.
The more time Lanie spent as Lexie’s big sister, the less she thought about Alex. The Polaroid she’d once carried everywhere was now tucked away in a drawer, forgotten most days. The memories of Alex felt distant, like a dream she could barely remember.
Fall turned into winter, and Lanie couldn't help but smile when her Spotify Wrapped dropped and holding down the No. 1 spot was Lexie Saunders. She posted the image on her Instagram account, and Lexie rushed into her room to give her a big hug.
"Oh em gee, I'm No. 1 on your Wrapped?! That's nuts! I'm not even No. 1 on my own Wrapped."
Lanie glanced at Lexie with a look of confusion. "But you stream your album all the time. Who could possibly be ahead of..." Then Lanie stopped, catching herself, realizing she was asking a very stupid question with an even more obvious answer.
"Of course," she said with a laugh. "You're still the world's biggest Swiftie."
Chapter 29
The car windows were practically frozen over as Lanie and Lexie made their usual drive to school, through the freshly plowed roads, the bright sun doing very little to warm up the chilly winter morning. Lexie, perched in the passenger seat, was flipping through her phone with her AirPods in, mostly ignoring the music on the radio. Her signature curls bounced with each nod of her head, and her energy was infectious.
"You’re in a good mood today," Lanie said with a grin, glancing at her sister as they stopped at a red light.
"I just feel like it’s going to be a great day," Lexie said, taking one earbud out, her smile radiant.
As the newest Billie Eilish hit came to an end, the familiar voice of 101.3's morning host commanded their attention. "And now, Swifties, we have a very special treat for you. It’s the iHeartRadio world premiere of Taylor Swift’s latest duet, featuring a young artist we’re sure you’re going to hear a lot more of, a girl from our own neck of the snowy woods: Lexie Saunders! Here’s 'Starstruck.'"
The familiar opening chords of Lexie’s song filled the car, and both sisters froze.
"Is this—?" Lexie whispered, her eyes going wide.
"It’s your song!" Lanie shouted, her grip tightening on the steering wheel.
Lexie quickly removed her other AirPod, dropping her phone in the process, in total shock at what she was hearing. Her voice. On the radio. Singing alongside Taylor Swift's. It was real, and it was perfect.
"Turn it up!" Lexie squealed, reaching for the volume knob.
The music swelled, filling the car as the two sisters listened in awe. Lexie’s face glowed with pure joy as she mouthed along to her parts. When her solo verse came on, she couldn’t hold it in anymore -- she sang at the top of her lungs, completely lost in the moment.
Lanie glanced over at her sister, her chest swelling with pride. This was no longer about magic or spells or Alex. This was Lexie, her little sister, living out her dreams.
As the song ended, the morning host came back on. "You can hear 'Starstruck' on the iHeartRadio app, and if you want to hear more of young Lexie Saunders, her self-titled debut album dropped a few months ago on Spotify."
Lexie sat back in her seat, breathless and beaming. "Oh my gosh, Lanie. Did you hear that? I was on the radio. Like, actually on the radio! And they promoted my album!"
"I thought no one listened to the radio anymore," Lanie said jokingly, before adding: "You were amazing."
Lexie turned to her sister, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Thanks for always believing in me, Lanie. I couldn’t have done any of this without you."
"Of course I believe in you," Lanie said, her voice soft. "You’re my little sister. I’m so proud of you, Lexie."
The rest of the drive to school was a blur of excited chatter, with Lexie already planning how to tell her friends about hearing her song on the radio. When they pulled into the school parking lot, Lexie hesitated before getting out of the car.
"Hey, Lanie?"
"Yeah?"
"I know I’ve said this before, but… you’re the best big sister ever."
Lanie smiled, reaching over to squeeze Lexie’s hand. "And you’re the best little sister ever. Now go show everyone why you’re a superstar."
Lexie hopped out of the car, her confidence radiating as she walked toward the school entrance. Lanie watched her go, feeling a warmth she hadn’t known in a long time.
For the first time, Lanie felt no trace of doubt or guilt. Lexie was exactly who she was meant to be, and Lanie was right where she was meant to be as well -- by her sister’s side, cheering her on every step of the way.
Chapter 30
The warm June air carried the sound of celebration across the schoolyard as Lanie stood in her cap and gown, surrounded by her classmates. She had just walked across the stage to receive her diploma, and her parents were snapping pictures from every angle. Lexie stood off to the side, holding a bouquet of flowers and beaming with pride for her big sister.
As the crowd began to disperse, Lexie darted over, her curls bouncing with excitement. "Lanie! You did it!"
Lanie laughed, pulling her sister into a tight hug. "Thanks, Lex. I can’t believe it’s over."
"Are you kidding? It’s just beginning!" Lexie said, handing Lanie the bouquet.
The two sisters made their way to a quieter corner of the lawn, away from the chaos of parents and classmates. Lanie looked at Lexie, her heart heavy with the knowledge that things were about to change.
"Are you going to be okay without me?" Lanie asked, her voice tinged with concern. "I mean, I know Mom and Dad will be here, but... I’ve been your big sister for everything this year. I don’t want to leave you."
Lexie smiled, her eyes sparkling with a mix of mischief and excitement. "Well, I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you... you’re not leaving me."
"What do you mean?" Lanie asked, confused.
Lexie grinned. "I’m moving to New York too."
Lanie’s jaw dropped. "Wait, what?"
"I’ve been accepted into a music school in Manhattan," Lexie said, practically bouncing on her heels. "I didn’t want to tell you until it was official, but it’s happening. I’m going to focus on my music, work on my second album, and still get to live with my favorite big sister."
Lanie stared at Lexie, her eyes welling with tears. "Are you serious? Lexie, that’s amazing! I can’t believe this. We’re going to New York together!"
Lexie laughed, throwing her arms around Lanie. "You didn’t think I’d let you go off and have all the adventures without me, did you?"
Lanie held her sister tightly, her heart swelling with pride and love. "You’re incredible, Lex. I’m so proud of you."
"And I’m proud of you," Lexie said, pulling back to look at Lanie. "We’re going to take on the city together. You’ll be off doing your NYU thing, and I’ll be writing songs and figuring out my next big move. It’s going to be amazing."
As they walked back to join their family, Lanie couldn’t help but feel like everything had fallen into place. Lexie was becoming a young woman in her own right, navigating the world with confidence and grace. And Lanie, who had once worried so much about her sister’s transformation, now felt nothing but joy for the person Lexie had become.
New York City awaited them, full of possibilities and adventures they couldn’t yet imagine. Together, they were ready to embrace it all.
Chapter 31
The new apartment in New York City was small, but it had charm. Lanie and Lexie had spent all morning unpacking boxes and arranging furniture, their laughter filling the space as they transformed it into a home. The window overlooked a bustling street, the energy of the city buzzing below them.
As the sun dipped low in the sky, casting a golden glow over their apartment, Lanie was sorting through a box of keepsakes when her hand brushed against the old Polaroid. She pulled it out, staring at the image of herself standing next to Alex—the brother she hadn’t seen in over a year.
The ache of nostalgia was familiar, but it no longer came with the sharp sting of regret. She turned the picture over in her hands, lost in thought, when Lexie walked in, holding a mug of tea.
"What’s that?" Lexie asked, her voice soft.
Lanie hesitated, unsure of how to respond. "It’s… a Polaroid. From before." She handed it to Lexie, watching carefully for her reaction.
Lexie took the picture and studied it. A small, wistful smile played on her lips. "I remember this," she said quietly, surprising Lanie.
"You do?"
Lexie nodded, handing the photo back. "Yeah, you showed it to me last summer."
Lanie remembered that, from back when she was trying to convince Lexie about her true past as Alex.
"You know," Lexie said with a level of hesitation that Lanie hadn't seen from her in a while, "Sometimes I have dreams... about another life. About being someone else. And sometimes they don't feel like dreams. They feel like... memories."
Lanie was shocked. Was Lexie saying she actually remembered her life as Alex?
"I remember last summer when you told me I used to be someone else, and the more I think about it, the more I think you might not have been that crazy," Lexie said. "But when I have these dreams, they feel like they happened to someone else. Someone I cared about, but not me."
Lanie swallowed hard. "And you’re okay with that?"
Lexie sat down beside her sister, her expression thoughtful. "I am. Whatever happened, whatever you might have done, I think it was always supposed to happen. I think... no, I know, this is who I was truly meant to be."
Lanie felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I’ve spent so much time worrying that I took something away from you. That I made a choice for you that wasn’t mine to make."
Lexie reached out and took Lanie’s hand. "You didn’t take anything from me. You gave me something. You gave me a chance to be who I really am. And I don’t just mean Lexie the singer or Lexie the Taylor Swift fan. I mean me. I think, I mean, sometimes in these dreams, I feel like I was angry at you at first, but now... I’m thankful. Truly."
Lanie blinked back tears and squeezed Lexie’s hand. "You really mean that?"
Lexie smiled, her eyes shining. "Of course I do. And besides, I wouldn’t trade having you as my sister for anything in the world. You’ve been my rock through all of this."
They sat in silence for a moment, the city noise humming faintly in the background. Lanie looked down at the Polaroid one last time before setting it gently on the table.
"I guess it doesn’t matter who you used to be," Lanie said, her voice steady. "What matters is who you are now. And you’re amazing, Lexie."
Lexie grinned. "Right back at you, big sis."
They both laughed, the tension lifting as the warmth of their bond filled the room. Lanie felt a weight -- one she hadn’t realized she was still carrying -- finally lift.
The sisters spent the rest of the evening unpacking and decorating, their laughter echoing through the apartment. They didn’t need magic anymore. What they had was real, and it was enough.
As Lexie hung up her guitar on the wall and Lanie pinned up her NYU schedule, they both looked out the window at the city lights, ready for whatever came next. Together.
Epilogue
The dressing room was quiet, a rare moment of calm before the storm of what would be the most monumental night of Lexie Saunders' career. The tour, aptly named The Chapters Tour, was set to be a journey through her ten-album career, a celebration of two decades of music that had defined a generation.
Lexie sat cross-legged on the plush couch, her once-curly blonde hair now straightened, enhanced with platinum highlights and perfectly styled, more radiant as ever. She was dressed in a simple hoodie and leggings, a stark contrast to the elaborate costumes awaiting her on stage. Across from her sat Lanie, now in her late-30s, with a sharp but kind demeanor that had made her one of the most respected managers in the industry.
The sisters shared a bottle of champagne, though neither drank much. The air was thick with nostalgia.
“Do you remember?” Lexie asked suddenly, her voice soft.
“Remember what?” Lanie said, though the look in her eyes suggested she already knew.
Lexie smiled wistfully. “That night. Twenty-one years ago. You taking me to see Taylor Swift. I was just a kid -- a kid who loved her music so much, but who had no idea how much that night would change her life.”
Lanie chuckled, leaning back in her chair. “How could I forget? You sang every word. You cried during the sad songs. And you wouldn’t stop talking about it the whole way home.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been that happy. Except maybe right now,” Lexie said, her voice catching slightly. “You gave me that night. You gave me… everything.”
Lanie set her glass down, her expression softening. “Lexie, you’re the one who turned that night into this life. You’re the one who wrote the songs, took the risks, and gave your heart to the world. I just… kept the wheels turning.”
Lexie reached over and took Lanie’s hand. “No. You did so much more than that. You believed in me when I wasn’t sure I could do this. You fought for me when I didn’t know how to fight for myself. And you’ve been by my side every single step of the way. I wouldn’t be here without you.”
Lanie swallowed hard, her professional composure slipping for just a moment. “Well,” she said, her voice thick with emotion, “I’ve always been proud of you. From that first song you wrote in your room to this. Lexie, you’ve become everything you were meant to be and more.”
The sisters sat in silence for a moment, the weight of two decades pressing gently but lovingly on them both.
Then Lexie smiled, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “You know… just for tonight, I think I’d like you to call me Alex.”
Lanie froze, blinking in surprise. “Are you sure?”
Lexie nodded. “Yeah. It feels right. I’ll always be Lexie to the world, but here, with you, I can be both. Alex and Lexie. Just for tonight.”
Lanie’s lips trembled as she smiled. “I’d like that.”
The two of them sat together, reminiscing about childhood memories, the ups and downs of Lexie’s career, and the lives they’d built together. By the time the clock struck midnight, they were laughing like they were kids again.
As Lexie stood to leave for a final rehearsal, she paused at the door and turned back to Lanie. “Hey, Lanie?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. For everything.”
Lanie’s eyes glistened, but she smiled. “Always, Alex.”
And with that, Alex -- Lexie -- stepped into the bright lights of the stadium, ready to take the stage, knowing that no matter how big her world became, her sister would always be there, her anchor and her first true believer.
Comments
very interesting story
I liked it!
well done, huggles!
Thanks! I appreciate that!
Thanks! I appreciate that!
Wow!
This was a beautiful story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and visualizing.
Thank You!
Miyata312
'Do or Do Not, There is no Try' - Yoda
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!