Leah shook her head to try and clear the fog. She looked down at her hands. They were adult size.
        “What the…..? How long have I been asleep?” Leah searched her mind for memories. The last thing she remembered was being fed by her mom, Mel, while her father, Rick watched on. That seemed like only a few months ago. Now as she looked down she had the body of a full grown woman.
        As Leah looked around she realized that she was sitting outside of Company. She heard someone laughing in the distance so she ran to hide behind some bushes. She didn’t want anyone to see her in her new body yet.
        As the laughing got closer, Leah saw that it was a friend of her parents, Harley Cooper. She had two small boys with her. As Leah looked on she realized that one of the little boys was her big brother, Jude.
        “How is this possible,” she said to herself. “Jude is older than me. How did I grow up and he didn’t? I’ll have to ask Grandma Felicia, if I can find her.”
        All at once Leah felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around quickly to see a girl with blonde hair.
        “Who are you?” Leah asked.
        “I’m Tammy Winslow,” she said. “You’re wondering what’s going on with your body, huh?”
        “Yeah. How did you know?”
        “It happens to many of us. It’s called SORAS.”
        “What’s SORAS? Is it fatal?”
        “It’s Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome. Usually it’s not fatal, unless you’re a clone and taking a rapidly aging drug, but that’s another story.”
        “A clone….?”       
        Tammy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, my Aunt Reva was cloned, but no one talks about it. I swear, I think everything has happened to Aunt Reva.”
        “I remember my parents talking about her. Isn’t she psychic?”
        Tammy laughs. “She used to be, but that was another head writer. She’s not anymore. Now she’s menopausal.”
        “Wow! You’re very smart. Did you have SORAS too?”
        “Yeah. I had it, but no one in Springfield has had it as much as you. Girl, you went from a baby to a babe in a year. My friend, Lizzie Spaulding, and I got it more gradual.”
        “Wow! Does everyone get it?”
        “No. That’s what doesn’t make sense. Those poor Marler kids have been kids longer than any of us. At least we think they’re kids. No one has seen them for years….which brings me to why I’m here.”
        “What’s that?”
        “I need your help. I know your Mom used to be one of Harley’s Angels and I need someone with detective skills. I think you’ll be good.”
        “Okay. What do you want me to do?”
        “I need to find someone.”
        “Who are you looking for?”
        “My aunt Roxie.”
        “Who is that?”
        “Years ago, long before I was born and before my mom knew that she was Reva’s sister, Reva had another sister, Roxie.”
        “What happened to her?”
        “That’s just it. I don’t know. No one ever talks about her. It’s like she never even existed.”
        “That’s weird.”
        “I know. It’s just one of the weird things that happen in Springfield. Will you help me?”
        Leah thought for a moment. She had no idea what the writers had in store for her, so this might be fun.
        “Sure, it might be fun. Where do we start?”
        “We start with a cousin of your dad’s, Johnny Bauer. He was Roxie’s last known boyfriend in Springfield.”
        “Cool. Let’s go.”
        Leah and Tammy ran off behind Company while a man’s figure emerged from the shadows.

To be continued……….