Ike didn’t say a word on the ride home from the museum.
The school bus bounced through traffic like it always did, but Ike wasn’t really there. The voices of the other kids — talking about robot arms, gooey lab slime, and VR glasses — felt far away. He sat beside Ned, his eyes locked on the window, mind spinning.
“You good?” Ned asked at one point.
Ike nodded, but it was barely more than a shrug. “Just tired.”
At lunch back at the museum, Ike hadn’t even touched his food. His stomach had twisted the whole time — not from hunger, but something deeper. His body felt like it was buzzing inside. Almost like his skin didn’t fit anymore.
He just wanted to go home.
As soon as he walked through the front door, he barely said a word to his mom.
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re back early.”
“I’m gonna lie down,” he muttered, already walking toward his room.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Backpack hit the floor. Hoodie hit the chair. He dropped onto his bed fully clothed, face-down, and knocked out cold.
The next thing he knew, his mom was gently shaking his shoulder.
“Ike, honey. Wake up. It’s almost six. You slept the whole afternoon.”
He rolled over, groggy and still out of it. “Huh?”
“Dinner’s ready,” she said, standing up. “Rice, corn, and chicken. Come eat something.”
It took him a few seconds to register the words. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.
Everything still felt… off. His muscles ached, but not like soreness. More like his bones were adjusting. Like his whole body had done something intense while he was asleep.
He shuffled into the kitchen, and the smell of dinner hit him instantly — warm and salty, like home. His mom already had a plate waiting: fluffy rice, sweet corn, and her crispy-edged pan-seared chicken.
She watched him closely as he sat down. “You’re sure you’re okay? You’ve been quiet since you got back.”
“I think I’m just tired,” he said, scooping a forkful of corn. “It was a long day.”
She nodded. “You didn’t eat lunch either, did you?”
“No,” he admitted. “Didn’t feel like it.”
“That’s not like you.”
“I know.”
“You and Ned behave yourselves?”
Ike cracked a tiny smile. “Yeah. He wouldn’t shut up about AI robots.”
His mom smiled too. “That boy needs a hobby that doesn’t involve wires and explosions.”
They ate mostly in silence. The food helped. For a little while, he felt grounded — normal again. But the weird buzzing in his limbs hadn’t stopped. He still felt like something was moving inside him, crawling under his skin but not in a gross way — more like… energy waiting to be used.
By the time he finished eating, the sun had gone down.
“You look beat,” his mom said. “Go ahead and get some more rest.”
“I think I will,” he said, standing up with a yawn.
“Need anything?”
“Nah. Just sleep.”
She gave him a look — a soft, worried kind — but didn’t push.
“Alright. Love you.”
“Love you,” he said, already turning down the hallway.
Back in his room, Ike flopped onto his bed again. The streetlights glowed softly through the window blinds, casting stripes across his desk and dresser. He didn’t bother turning on the light. He just pulled the blanket over his head and closed his eyes.
And this time, when he fell asleep…
…he didn’t dream at all.
The Next Morning
Sunlight pushed through the window.
Ike’s eyes opened instantly — not slowly like usual, not with groaning or rubbing or “just five more minutes.” He was wide awake. Alive.
He blinked at the ceiling.
Then sat up.
No stiffness. No soreness.
In fact… he felt great. Energized. Like he could run a mile, then lift a car, then still not be tired.
He stood up and stretched — and realized something weird.
His clothes felt… looser.
His hoodie, which used to cling around his belly and shoulders, now sagged off him. He grabbed it by the front and stared. Had it stretched? Shrunk?
Confused, he stepped toward his mirror.
And froze.
He was skinny.
Not just less-pudgy or a little slimmer. His whole body had leaned out overnight. His stomach was flat. His arms, once soft, now had muscle definition — actual muscle. His chest looked firmer. His face was a little sharper in the jaw, like someone had chiseled him out.
“What the…?”
He turned slightly. His back looked stronger too. His legs weren’t scrawny — they looked powerful.
He leaned in close to the mirror, touching his reflection like it might be a trick.
“I… what happened to me?”
His heartbeat was calm. His breathing smooth.
He didn’t feel sick. He didn’t feel sore. He felt… amazing.
But also?
Terrified.
Because whatever had happened to him last night…
…wasn’t normal.
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