The grand staircase stood before them, a monument to their shared predicament, a symbol of their twisted reality. It was the site of their fateful fall, the moment their souls had become entangled, their bodies switched. Now, it was the only place they believed they could reverse the situation.
 "Are you ready?" Caelan asked, while holding Elise's hand. He is determined to do this, as he can feel a spark of hope amidst the uncertainty of their plan.
 "As ready as I'll ever be," Elise murmured, as she is trying her best to muster up all her courage to go ahead with their plan.
 Caelan and Elise stood at the top of the stairs, staring down at the plush carpet below
 Their minds replaying the events of the night before. They both remembered the struggle, the fall, the darkness.
 "This is going to sound crazy," Caelan whispered, "but maybe if we fall down the stairs again, it'll reset things... Maybe we can switch back."
 "You think so?" Elise asked, with a mixture of skepticism and a sliver of hope.
 "It's worth a try," Caelan enunciated, "What do we have to lose?"
 “You’re right. Let’s do it." Elise said in return.
 Caelan and Elise both took a step back, their eyes fixed on the grand staircase.
 "Here goes nothing," Caelan whispered.
 Both of them intentionally took a wrong step on the stairs, and they intended to fall down. Their bodies were pulled down by gravity. The air grew thick with anticipation, a mixture of fear and a desperate hope. The silence in the room was almost deafening, a stark contrast to the vibrant energy of the night before.
 Caelan and Elise closed their eyes, their hearts pounding. They both took a deep breath, hoping for the best...
 Both of them felt a zap of pain as their bodies landed unto the ground, but they really don't care about it.
 Their eyes snapped open, searching for any sign of change, any indication of a successful switch.
 But there was nothing. They were still in the same bodies, the same souls, the same twisted reality.
 Their hope instantly vanished in a flash.
 “It didn’t work,” Caelan said, while feeling utterly disappointed.
 Elise lets out a frustrated sigh.
 "I know... So, what do we do now?"
  "We can't give up," Caelan said, while looking determined. "We'll find a way."
 "Yes, we will." Elise echoed in return.
 =================================
 Elise, who is trapped inside Caelan's body, to go back to her apartment to get some changes of clothes. She and Caelan agreed that they need to stay together in one house, to avoid creating any problems and suspicion to the people surrounding them, and also brainstorm together on how they can go back to their original bodies.
 Elise, still inhabiting Caelan's body, was diligently stuffing her clothes into a suitcase, carefully selecting what she considered "essentials" for her as a woman like pads for her monthly period, her shampoo, her soap, and many other else a normal woman would need for her daily hygiene...
 Just as she was about to zip up the suitcase, a familiar sound stopped her in her tracks. The click of the door lock, followed by the familiar creak of the door opening. Her heart pounded against her ribs, a rapid rhythm of panic.
 She knew who it was. Her best friend, Rachel, who had a spare key to her apartment. Rachel, who was always a beacon of warmth and support, who is a reliable anchor in the storm of her life. Rachel, who would be utterly shocked, maybe even terrified to see her, looking like an alpha male. 
 "Oh, no! What am I going to do?!" she whispered, the words laced with desperation, a frantic echo of the turmoil swirling inside.
 She quickly glanced around, her eyes scanning the apartment. She is looking for a place to hide to avoid an encounter with Rachel. But there was nowhere to go. She was trapped.
 The footsteps, light and familiar, were approaching.
 “Elise! I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d drop by and check on you. You’re not answering your calls. Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”
 Elise doesn't have any choice. She had to face Rachel, but she is not going to tell her everything that happened.
 Not yet.
 Elise took a deep breath, as she is getting ready to face Rachel.
 "Elise----Oh! It's a surprise to see you here at Elise's apartment, Mr. Cambridge!" Rachel was obviously surprised with her strange encounter with Elise's Boss.
 Elise, in Caelan’s body, let out a nervous smile towards Rachel, “Oh, Elise asked me to pack some things for her because she’s still busy doing overtime at the office,” she answered, her words a desperate attempt to create a believable excuse.
 The lie felt flimsy, weak, barely clinging to reality. But it was the only thing she could think of at that moment, a desperate attempt to buy time, to avoid raising suspicion and to keep her secret safe.
 Rachel’s eyebrow arched, a mixture of confusion and skepticism etching across her face. “I don’t understand… Why did she let her boss do this? Why didn’t she just call me so that I could do it for her?”
 Elise knew she had to think fast to find a way to deflect Rachel’s suspicions. She needs to weave a convincing narrative, to create a story that would hold together.
 Elise could come up with another excuse, her mobile phone suddenly rang. She secretly heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Caelan’s name flashing across the caller screen.
 She answered the call right away, overwhelmed with relief and desperation.
 “Elise, I am at your apartment right now, and I already got your things. I’m so sorry if you had to do overtime work. By the way, your friend Rachel is here… Do you want to talk to her?” Elise/Caelan said it all in one breath, hoping that the person on the other line could get the message, could understand the urgency, could grasp the precarious situation they were in.
 "Give the phone to her!" Caelan, who has Elise's voice commanded.