The package shimmered in the flash transfer tube, then solidified. Trevor yanked open the door and snatched out the box, his anticipation rising. Setting the package on the cool titanium countertop, he tore open the flaps, peering inside.

 

His excitement fizzled at once, and his brows shot up in dismay.

 

The headset appeared extremely low-tech, similar to the VR equipment popular in the 21st century.

 

Trevor’s disappointment turned swiftly to bitterness.

 

He’d been had.

 

An entire month’s entertainment credits for this? He was tempted to chuck it into the vaporizer. There was a note nestled under the cap. Scowling, he picked it up and read it.

 

Welcome to your Mind Holiday! Simply follow the instructions for the correct placement of the headset and press the green button. Please note: You have purchased the 72-hour package. You are required to return to your own body in three days’ time. Overages will be charged by the hour to your credit account on record.

 

Trevor’s lips twisted. What a crock. No doubt it was an old-school virtual reality game experience.

 

He turned away, disgusted, and pressed his palm to the biometric pad on his refreshment unit, waiting while the computer calculated his needs. Within seconds, a mood-enhancing drink was discharged into a funnel cup. A cheery, computerized female voice sounded.

 

“Feel better!” she chirped.

 

Trevor gritted his teeth, sulking as he accepted the drink. He paced, brooding.

 

His life was shit. A job he despised, a wife who’d apparently despised him — running off with a damn hybrid — and two good-for-nothing kids he never heard from.

 

All he’d wanted was a break. A chance to step into someone else’s life for a few days… a change of pace. Sipping his drink, he eyed the lame-looking device.

What the hell… he might as well try it. What did he have to lose?

 

Five minutes later, he had the headset securely fastened, electrodes attached to his temples. He took a deep breath, a little nervous despite his skepticism.

 

“Here goes…” He pressed the green button.

 

* * *

 

When Trevor became conscious of his surroundings again, something hard was pressed against his chest. He jerked away, disoriented and alarmed.

 

A sleepy murmur sounded in response.

 

“Dad?”

 

Startled, Trevor drew back and looked down.

 

A small boy dressed in pajamas blinked up at him, sprawled across his lap.

 

Trevor swiveled his head, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. A dark, cramped living room, so unlike his own posh penthouse. An antique television was playing at low volume. The air was redolent of a meal recently cooked, with hints of wet dog.

 

He heard a snuffle and glanced down to find said dog snoozing on his foot. The animal wiggled closer, its paws twitching.

 

Trevor reached up his hand and encountered the headset, pulling it off.

 

This was his Mind Holiday, he realized, his eyes widening. It had actually worked! His mind was functioning in someone else’s body, in someone else’s life.

 

“Is it time for bed?” The boy yawned hugely.

 

Wordlessly, Trevor nodded, feeling a bit numb. He’d somehow expected his mind to swap with someone whose lifestyle was similar.

 

The boy lifted his arms. “Will you carry me?”

 

Trevor hesitated, then obliged, feeling the child’s head loll on his shoulder. His gut tightened with a long dead emotion as the boy clung to him.

 

The dog followed as Trevor headed down the hallway in search of a bedroom.

 

A pretty woman stepped from a doorway, her hair braided for bed. She smiled.

 

“I’ll take him,” she whispered. “Be there in a minute.” She pecked his cheek and Trevor felt a shiver run through him.

 

Ten minutes later, Trevor was lying in a strange bed with the woman snuggled up to his side. His mind raced as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

 

He hadn’t realized he might enjoy the experience so much. At the same time, the secretive nature of the mind swap left him feeling guilty. This woman thought he was her husband. The boy thought he was his father. And they seemed… happy. Loving. A family.

 

A pang of regret pierced his heart. If things had worked out differently in his own life, this may have been his reality. He struggled against encroaching sadness.

 

Well, why couldn’t it be? An inner voice argued. Who says you have to go back? You can stay here. Just don’t put that headset back on.

 

But they’ll find me, Trevor argued. I’m sure they can trace the equipment.

 

So, destroy it, the voice insisted. Run. Relocate to the other side of the planet. Hang on to this happiness. You deserve to be this happy.

 

Trevor tightened his arms around the woman reflexively.

 

I do, he thought fiercely. I deserve this life.

 

His mind settled; he closed his eyes. He drifted off to sleep without a single thought for the man whose life he intended to steal.

 

* * *

 

On day seven, Trevor opened his eyes to bright morning sunlight.

 

So far, so good.

 

He’d destroyed the headset and taken “his” family on an impromptu vacation. They were now ten thousand miles away, and no one was the wiser.

 

I did it! Trevor gloated. Traded up. Grabbed my one chance for happiness!

 

Beside him, his wife Nell murmured sleepily. Trevor reached over, stroking her hair, tenderly tucking a strand behind her ear.

 

“Wake up, my love,” he whispered.

 

As he uttered the endearment, he realized it was true. In this past week, he’d fallen in love with Nell.

 

Nell opened her eyes slowly. Her features suddenly hardened and she scowled.

 

“What are you doing? Get away from me!” She violently elbowed him away. “Why aren’t you on the couch where you belong?”

 

Trevor’s mouth dropped open in shock. “What? What have I done? I don’t understand.”

 

Nell glared at him, her gaze cruel and unfamiliar.

 

“No, you never do,” she retorted, rolling away from him to face the wall. “What I wouldn’t give for another week’s Mind Holiday!”