Timeless

When Jenny and Genevieve switch places thanks to Prince Gavin’s kiss, their lives are turned upside down. Now Jenny is stuck in a time of castles and princes, while Genevieve must navigate the unfamiliar world of indoor plumbing, malls, and high school.

In order to return to home, they must break the curse caused by that fateful kiss. The only catch? They can’t fall in love or they’re stuck forever. Now if only the princes around them weren’t so charming!

Jenny was sure the mountainous pile of laundry would be the death of her. She’d been cleaning for hours and the sun had already set. In a family with seven children, it was nearly impossible to keep up with the chores around the house.
Since she and her twin, Ammon, were the oldest, they were stuck doing most of the chores. Or, more realistically, she was. He usually managed to get away with no chores because he had a job as a bagger at the local grocery store.

“Jenny, can you come play dolls with me?” Mary asked from where she sat
on the floor. Mary was six, and the third youngest child. She was soft-spoken and often overlooked. Not that Mary minded. Usually she played with her dolls by herself.

“Just a minute. I have to fold these clothes. Want to help?” Jenny
tossed a towel to Mary, who concentrated on folding it just right. Jenny smiled and got back to work.

Hunter and James went thundering past, shouting about the latest episode of their favorite show.

Jenny rolled her eyes. “Boys, slow down! You know Mom doesn’t
want you running in the house.” The boys kept running, and Jenny cringed when her mom yelled at them from the living room. At least she’d tried.

The laundry was soon done and sent off to the right places. Jenny tried
to sneak away to her room for a few minutes of quiet. She plopped on her bed and pulled out her newest fantasy novel. She’d been dying to read it for weeks. She only hoped she could keep her eyes open for more than ten minutes. She had homework to do, but that could wait until morning.

“Jenny? Can you help get the girls to bed? The boys are giving me a hard
time.” Mom stood in the doorway. Her already frizzy hair was sticking out and she had dark circles under her green eyes.

“Sure.” Jenny sighed. So much for an escape. She grumbled under her breath and shoved the book back under her pillow. She knew it had been too good to be true. She rounded up the girls and stuffed them into their nightgowns before ordering them to brush their teeth.

“But I brushed my teeth yesterday,” Bonnie moaned.

“Nice try. Get in there.”

Bonnie slowly trudged into the bathroom, following her sisters. After
they were done, Jenny shooed them off to their rooms.

Jenny went back to her room and flopped onto her bed. She closed her
eyes and silently wished that for just a moment, she could slip away to another world where there wasn’t so much to do.

Her cell phone rang and she reached over to grab it. “Hey, Lucy. What’s
up?”

“So did he ask you yet?”

Jenny smiled. “No. He has to know I exist first, remember?” She fell
back on her pillow, envisioning Erik’s perfect face.

Lucy sighed into the phone. “I know. Kinda like I have to become more
than just your best friend to a suddenly hot brother of yours.”

“Ew. You know I don’t like hearing you talk about him like that. He
likes you too, you know. I just think he’s too chicken. Maybe you should
ask him.” Jenny knew that Ammon had wanted to ask Lucy out for months, but couldn’t do it.

“As if. Did you ask your dad about the party yet?”

“Not yet. He’s still at work. I’m not sure he’ll let me have a party
until my grades come up. Listen, I need to get to bed before Mom finds another chore for me to do.”

“See ya. And don’t forget that you need to talk to Erik tomorrow.” Lucy
hung up before Jenny could say good-bye. Jenny set the phone on her nightstand and stared off into space, daydreaming of Erik.

Suddenly, she felt pressure on her lips, and everything went black.

 ***

Jenny woke up to find the most beautiful eyes just inches from her face, a strange boy’s lips pressed against hers.

She shoved him away. “Who are you? Get out!” She leaped off the
bed and threw a punch that connected with his mouth and then kicked him in the stomach, getting her foot caught in the hem of her dress. Wait—dress? She looked down. Why was she wearing a dress?

The young man doubled over, holding his stomach, gasping for air. He wiped a drop of blood off his lip with a hand covered in scratches. Where had those come from? “I was simply trying to wake you with a kiss.”

“Wake me? I wasn’t even a—” Jenny stopped short. What was going on? Her pajamas had been traded for a long, fine gown made of what—satin? She hoped no one had actually changed her. It had to be part of this whole strange dream. Her hair fell over her shoulder, and she grabbed on to it. It was usually shorter and kept in a ponytail to stay out of her face. Now it was almost to her waist. She whipped around, taking in the strange scenes woven into the tapestries on the walls. There were statues of women she’d never seen
before, and the corners were draped with cobwebs. She didn’t recognize anything in the room. Was this real? Because if this was a dream, it was pretty vivid. She pinched herself and winced at the pain.

“A—are you all right, m’lady?” The concern on the young man’s face made his handsome features even more so. Well, except for his now-puffy lip.

“Is this a dream?” Jenny asked.

“Dream? I am not sure I understand.” He took a step backward.

Jenny stomped her foot in frustration, tears welling up. “Is this real? Did I really . . . are you okay?” She moved toward him.

He took several more steps away. “I assure you, this is no dream. You
have been awakened from a long sleep.” The pity in his eyes sent a shiver of panic up Jenny’s spine. What was going on?

“Where am I? And where is my family?” Jenny had to get out of this place and figure out where she was. But not in this awful dress—it was too
restricting. She paced the room, looking through the wardrobes and vanity to find clothes to change into. A pair of jeans, maybe a T-shirt. She was beginning to panic. There were fine gowns, beautiful cloaks, and underclothes, but no pants or shirts. Nothing looked familiar. She could feel herself hyperventilating and forced herself to take deep breaths to calm her heart. This was the last straw—she hated dresses.

“They are in other parts of the castle. They may not yet have awakened
from the curse.” He continued to watch her, stroking his chin.