Chapter 1

My sister Jessica and I both woke up with systems we hadn't asked for.

One could make things a hundred times bigger. The other could shrink things a hundred times smaller.

Jessica smiled and picked the shrink system, which meant the enlarge system was mine.

Just three days later, a storm hit. It was like the end of the world—days of pounding rain that trapped everyone inside their homes. Food and supplies became the biggest problem.

I used my system to enlarge what little food we had, stretching it enough for us to survive. Jessica and I were careful with every bite, every drop, and somehow, we made it through that nightmare together.

But I never saw what came next. The rain finally stopped, and just when I thought we'd won, Jessica shoved me off a tall building.

Her voice echoed in my ears as I fell. "If you hadn't taken the enlarge system from me, I could've made food big enough to save Lawrence and his family. Diana, you mean well, but you're just too selfish."

Then, time snapped back. This time, Jessica was quicker. She grabbed the enlarge system before I could. That was when I realized the truth—she had come back, too.

I smiled. Quietly, I used my shrink system to stash away five years' worth of food, small enough to hide in my pocket. Then I shrank myself.

And just like that, I slipped out of everyone's sight.

*****

"Please choose your systems."

Why did that voice—and this room—feel so familiar?

My head was still spinning. Didn't Jessica just push me off a building?

After a moment, the falling sensation finally faded, and my mind started to clear.

Jessica looked startled for a split second, then quickly made her choice. "I want the enlarge system."

"Okay, the system is now yours."

Jessica turned to me with a proud grin, her excitement practically glowing in her eyes.

That was when I realized what had happened—time had gone back to the day Jessica and I first chose our systems.

I let out a cold laugh. Since she loved Lawrence so much and hated me—the person who had saved her life—this time, I wouldn't help her.

Jessica was still beaming, completely unaware. I stared at her and said, "Then I'll take the shrink system."

"Okay, the system is now yours."

Jessica couldn't wait to test hers. She grabbed a cup from the table and made it a hundred times bigger.

The tiny cup instantly turned into a massive one.

"Wow, it really works! The enlarge system is actually mine!" she shouted.

I watched her, my eyes cold. This was the same sister I had fought so hard to protect.

Before time turned back, the world had ended in endless rain. People were trapped indoors, and food was running out fast.

Jessica and I survived because I had a few boxes of instant food and some bread at home. Using the enlarge system, I made them bigger, enough to last five long years of rain.

Jessica's childhood sweetheart, Lawrence, lived right across the hall. She begged me to help Lawrence's family, to make their food bigger. But I refused. I told her that in a world like this, trust was a luxury.

Without my help, Lawrence's family didn't survive very long. They starved long before the rain stopped.

In the end, I survived the apocalypse, only to be killed by Jessica—the very person I protected. It was so tragic that it was almost laughable.

"Diana, now that I've got the enlarge system, are you jealous?" Jessica asked, her tone playful but probing. "I mean, I can make anything I want bigger. Your shrink system doesn't sound that useful."

It felt like she was testing me, trying to see if I remembered the past. There was a flicker of suspicion in her eyes.

I took a slow breath and forced a calm smile. "What's the difference? It's just a system. You wanted it, so you got it. I'm fine with either one."

Seeing I wasn't bothered at all, Jessica finally relaxed, smiling again.

But I knew her too well. This time, she'd definitely try to save Lawrence and his family. And once other people learned about her system, Jessica wouldn't be safe for long.

Everyone wanted that system for themselves.

Jessica burst out of our house, full of excitement, and ran straight to Lawrence's door.

Lawrence looked puzzled when he opened it. "Jessica? What are you doing here?"

She slipped her arm through his, ignoring the irritation on his face, and beamed. "Lawrence, let's talk inside—"

As soon as their door closed, I pulled out my phone to check the date.

It was the 14th—only three days left before the rain started.

I still had time. I got in my car and drove to the nearest supermarket, buying everything I could think of—food, drinks, and supplies.

I stocked up on things that would last—instant food, bread, and canned food. I grabbed toilet paper, combs, mirrors, blankets, and pillows.

I filled my cart with potatoes, flour, and seeds for every kind of vegetable I could find. To make sure I'd always have meat, I even bought a box of baby chicks.

Then I stopped by a furniture store and picked out a whole new set of furniture.

I was getting ready to build myself a new, small home.