Evie forced herself to stop. She was spiralling, the weight of the unknown and the unbelievable bearing down on her. Dropping to the floor, she forced her body into child’s pose, and with her nose grazing the carpet, took several deep, calming breaths until her head stopped pounding and she could see reason again. You have a chance to relive the past. Start making the most of this crazy, magical opportunity and live your best life, she told herself. And get your arse to work before you get fired.

Evie typed out a message to Josie, apologising profusely for oversleeping and saying she’d be there as soon as possible. She knew Josie hated nothing more than tardiness.

Showering quickly and pulling on her work clothes—which she eventually found stuffed in the back of her closet—Evie played with her annoying fringe in front of the mirror. Wearing the requisite navy slacks and tight-fitting polo shirt, she remembered why she’d hated the uniform so much. She felt dowdy and invisible, the exact opposite energy she hoped to channel. If Evie was going to be stuck here, she needed to try to be a little bolder.

Tapping back into her post-Hugo glow, Evie willed positivity into her world. This time, things would be different—they had to be. She pulled her favourite early-twenties outfit from her wardrobe: a teal sequinned top, skinny jeans and a biker jacket. Carefully, she folded them into a tote bag to take to work on the off chance that Hugo texted and wanted to meet this evening. And if he didn’t, Evie would find somewhere else suitably fabulous and befitting of the new, old Evie to spend her first night as a woman intent on making the most of every opportunity that came her way.

‘Josie, I’m so sorry I’m late!’ Evie called as she billowed through the flap at the end of the counter. The familiar smell of buttered popcorn greeted her and she felt the stickiness of spilled Coke sucking at the soles of her shoes. Bending down, she quickly checked her phone for a message from Hugo (nothing), before slipping on her apron. Her colleague, Steven, gave her a ‘Josie’s really shitty’ look before continuing to wipe down the bench area.

‘Well, well, well, nice of you to grace us with your presence,’ Josie said, tapping her foot along with each disappointed syllable. ‘Steven and I have been absolutely run off our feet.’

Evie looked around the near-empty cinema lobby, but decided not to comment. ‘I know, I know, I’m the worst.’ She put her hands up in resignation. ‘I owe you one, okay?’

‘Mm hmm,’ Josie muttered in reply.

Muscle memory taking over, Evie fell back into the regular pattern of her old job, wiping down surfaces, restacking sweets and greeting customers before their movie began.