Mother of Me

Chapter 21: Locked Identities

The tenth day of the swap brought with it a new kind of dread.

The new Sangeetha woke up early, as had become her painful routine. She performed her morning bath with mechanical silence, soaping her heavy breasts, feeling them sway under the shower, cleaning the sensitive folds of her vagina while the sanitary pad lay waiting on the counter. She chose a simple light blue cotton saree today, draping it with slightly better skill than before. The pallu was pinned tightly over her chest, the mangalsutra resting heavily between her breasts.

She came out into the hall to find the new Prakash already sitting on the sofa, looking deeply worried.

Both of them had seen the NEET news last night.

“Amma…” the new Prakash whispered urgently, “What are we going to do about the NEET? They’ve announced the re-exam in a month. The real Prakash I mean, I already gave two attempts. But this body… this Prakash knows almost nothing about the latest syllabus, the new pattern, or the high-level questions. My future… your future… everything might get ruined!”

The new Sangeetha sat down slowly, her breasts settling heavily on her lap. She adjusted her pallu with trembling fingers.

“I know, Prakash,” she said in her mother’s soft voice. “I’m scared too. I know nothing about NEET. If we don’t swap back soon, you… I mean this body… might not clear it. All your hard work for the last two years will be wasted.”

The new Prakash looked at her with guilty eyes. “We’ll change back in a few days. Meera said the reversal will be ready soon. We just have to hold on a little longer. Please don’t worry, Amma. I’ll help you study whatever I remember once we swap back.”

They sat in heavy silence, both of them terrified about the uncertain future.

Just then, Selvam walked out of the bathroom, freshly shaved and dressed in a clean shirt and trousers. He looked energetic and determined.

“Good morning, both of you,” he said with a warm smile. “Today we are going out as a family. I’ve already booked a cab. Get ready quickly.”

The new Sangeetha’s heart sank. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” Selvam replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Something important for our future.”

There was no choice. The new Sangeetha went back to the bedroom and changed into a more presentable **cream and maroon saree**. She re-did her hair, freshened her sindoor, and made sure her mangalsutra was visible. The new Prakash wore a simple shirt and jeans.

A cab arrived shortly, and all three of them got in. Selvam sat in the front, while “his wife” and son sat in the back. Throughout the journey, Selvam kept turning back, holding the new Sangeetha’s hand and talking about how he wanted to rebuild their family.

The cab stopped in front of a large government office complex in the city centre. The board outside read “District Registrar & Digital Identity Centre.”

Selvam led them inside with confidence. “Come. This is important.”

They were taken to a private section after Selvam showed some documents. For the next two and a half hours, they were made to go through an extensive process.

First, they had to sign multiple lengthy documents. The new Sangeetha’s hands shook badly as she signed “Sangeetha Satyamoorthy” again and again. Then came the biometric registration, fingerprints of all ten fingers for both mother and son, followed by iris scans, facial recognition mapping, and even voice samples.

The new Sangeetha felt violated as the machine scanned her eyes and recorded her voice. The new Prakash looked equally pale.

After everything was completed, Selvam sat them down in a quiet corner and explained with satisfaction.

“First thing, the NEET board now requires biometric verification for all candidates to prevent impersonation. So Prakash’s fingerprints and iris are now officially registered. Second, I have enrolled our family in the new Digital Family Record system. All our bank accounts, Aadhaar, passports, property documents, and government IDs are now locked and linked only to these biometrics. No one else can access or change anything without our fingerprints and iris.”

He smiled proudly. “Our future is now secure. Everything is in order.”

The new Sangeetha and new Prakash sat frozen in terror. Their biometrics, the swapped bodies’ fingerprints and iris patterns, were now permanently recorded in the government system. There was no going back easily.

On the way back, Selvam insisted on some shopping. He bought new clothes for Prakash, some groceries, and finally stopped at a flower shop. He bought a string of fresh jasmine flowers and gently placed them in the new Sangeetha’s hair, tucking them into her bun.

“You look beautiful with flowers,” he said softly, touching her cheek.

The new Sangeetha forced a smile, feeling completely trapped and humiliated. The sweet smell of jasmine now filled her senses with every movement of her head.

As soon as they reached home in the evening, the new Sangeetha and new Prakash found a moment to call Dr. Meera from the bedroom with the door locked.

“Ma’am… this is very bad,” the new Sangeetha whispered urgently. “Selvam has registered our fingerprints and iris scans in the government system. Even for NEET. Can we change the fingerprints during reversal?”

Meera’s voice was serious on the other end.

“Unfortunately, the current technology is not advanced enough to perfectly replicate or transfer fingerprints and iris patterns during reversal. The skin overlays and nano-prosthetics can change appearance, but the underlying fingerprint ridges and iris structures are extremely difficult to fake at a government database level. You are… stuck with the current biometrics for now.”

The new Sangeetha’s voice broke. “Then… how long? At least until the NEET re-exam?”

Meera sighed. “At least until then. Possibly longer. We’ll try to find a solution, but it will take time.”

The call ended.

Both the new Sangeetha and new Prakash sat on the bed, staring at each other in complete despair.

Their bodies were swapped.
Their biometrics were now locked.
Their abusive father was back and trying to “rebuild” the family.
And the NEET re-exam was hanging over their heads like a sword.

The new Sangeetha touched the jasmine flowers still in her hair and felt like crying.

The experiment that was supposed to last only 10 peaceful days had now become a terrifying, long-term nightmare.