By
Morpheus
It was early evening and I was sitting around the dinner table with my new housemates. Dinner consisted of chili and cornbread, something that I wouldn’t have expected a bunch of girls to make. Of course, it was Dani who’d done all the cooking though the other two didn’t seem to mind the meal.
“Damn,” I exclaimed, taking a gulp of water to wash the flames out of my mouth. “How can you all eat this?” This was definitely the spiciest chili I’d ever had in my life. My tongue still felt like it was burning but none of the girls seemed bothered at all.
“Sorry,” Dani apologized though she had a faint smirk. “I guess you don’t like spicy food.”
“We have a high tolerance,” Rebecca exclaimed with a smile. “I guess we forgot that most people can’t handle it as easily as we do.”
All three of them had identical amused looks which made me realize that they were messing with me. This was some kind of hazing thing for the new guy.
“That’s all right,” I said, trying to act as though I hadn’t realized this was some sort of game.
“Most of the time we eat at the base chow hall,” Rebecca told me, taking a large bite of her chili. “None of us are great cooks.” She glanced to Dani. “But we thought it would be safest to keep you here until you finished changing.”
“Safest?” I asked warily.
“While you’re changing, your virus is in hyperdrive,” Rebecca pointed out. “Until you stabilize, the shots to make you less contagious won’t really be very effective.”
“And staying here will probably be less embarrassing for you too,” Dani added with a wry smile. “Trust me, you don’t want a bunch of strangers watching you go through it all and staring.”
I nodded at that, knowing that both points were good ones. I didn’t want to be infected and I certainly didn’t want to accidentally put anyone else through this either. However, from what Rebecca had told me, even without the shots it should still be fairly easy to avoid infecting anyone else.
While I continued eating, mostly the cornbread since the chili was a little hot for me, I watched the others. With the way they acted with each other, it was hard to believe that they weren’t natural triplets and lifelong sisters.
My eyes went to Nicole and I blushed a bit as I thought about this morning. I still felt embarrassed over how it all ended, both too quickly and with me sobbing like a little girl. I’d decided to blame both of those things on the harkon virus and screwed up hormones.
Nicole hadn’t said a thing about this morning and almost seemed to be pretending it never happened. Maybe she wanted to spare me the embarrassment over it, or maybe she thought it would be weird to dwell on it when soon I’d be looking like her as well. Fortunately, neither Dani or Rebecca had said anything either.
The three of them had stayed in Heaven with me all day, with only one of them leaving at a time. Rebecca had said that it was because they had the day off but I suspected there was more to it than that. Maybe they wanted to keep an eye on me so I didn’t do anything stupid like trying to escape or contact the outside world, or maybe they were just trying to help me adjust to my changing circumstances.
When everyone was done eating, I helped clear the table and do dishes. My body felt a bit off as I did this, a bit…wrong. I hadn’t really noticed any more changes since this morning, at least not more than my hair growing another two inches, but I could still feel it.
Once Rebecca and I finished with the dishes, we went to the rec room where Dani was sitting by an open window, smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke outside. She was the only one of the three who smoked and it was obvious that Rebecca and Nicole didn’t really approve.
“Do you have to smoke those smelly things in here?” Rebecca asked Dani with a sigh. “You know how much the smell lingers.”
Dani didn’t respond to them, though she did look at me and asked, “Do you smoke?”
I shook my head at that before responding, “I tried it a few times but didn’t like it.”
“Damn,” Dani said as she put out her cigarette. “I was hoping I wouldn’t be outnumbered anymore.”
I went over to Dani, who was the only one of the three that I hadn’t spent any time with alone. And after what Nicole told me about her this morning, she was the one I wanted to talk to the most.
“Nicole said you used to be a guy,” I said, deciding not to wait until I had her alone.
Dani gave Nicole a look of annoyance before looking back at me. “Yeah, but that was a long time ago and a whole other life.”
“Does…does it hurt?” I asked nervously, not sure exactly what the process would entail. I just couldn’t imagine the human body going through that kind of transformation without it being complete and utter agony.
“Changing?” Dani asked. She hesitated a moment before answering. “Some of it does.” She gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry, but it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.”
I winced at that, almost wishing that I hadn’t asked that question. I’d already been worried enough about my body changing and now I was even more nervous about it.
“This takes a bit to get used to,” Dani admitted, gesturing down at herself. “But trust me, it isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it’s more like the beginning. You just need to realize that your old life is ending and a new one is starting up. You have an opportunity to start over and become a whole new person.”
“You should try to embrace it,” Nicole added, giving me a reassuring smile. “It won’t be easy, but Jarrod West is dying and someone new is being born.” Then she grinned and said, “It’s kind of exciting.”
“We’ve all been through it,” Rebecca told me gently. “Well, Nicole and I didn’t do the sex change thing, but we did change a lot.”
I stared at Rebecca for a moment and then asked, “But wasn’t it your own DNA?”
“True,” Rebecca agreed with a grin. “But my disease was filtered out and I was made into more of an idealized version of myself. I was four inches shorter, underdeveloped, and stuck with a wheelchair and oxygen tank. When I first changed, I thought the harkon virus was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“And the worst thing to happen to the rest of the world,” I muttered bitterly.
“I know,” Rebecca responded with a sigh. “I know that better than anyone. It gave me a chance to finally start a real life, but also resulted in my mom’s death. You have no idea how many times I’ve cursed Doctor Yavich.”
“I’m sorry,” I told her, feeling guilty for bringing up painful memories.
Then Dani abruptly asked, “Hey, you want to play some more ping-pong?”
“No, I think I’ve had enough ping-pong,” I responded with a wince as I remembered my earlier game with Dani.
When Dani and I had played ping-pong a couple hours ago, she’d kicked my ass without even trying. I’d always thought I was decent at the game, but Dani had proven otherwise.
“Then how about a video game?” Dani asked me, smirking faintly.
“Sure,” I responded with a sigh.
I wasn’t really in the mood for games but I could definitely use another distraction. In fact, my new housemates had been doing quite a bit to keep my distracted today and I appreciated it.
The game Dani plugged in was one that I’d played a thousand times before and which I’d long since gotten bored with. However, it was just the thing I needed to take my mind off my problems. Or at least I thought it was until Dani began kicking my ass again.
Finally, Rebecca leaned over and whispered into my ear. “Enhanced reflexes and hand eye coordination. You’ll need another week if you want a chance at winning.”
I glared at Dani who was looking rather smug. Rebecca and Nicole both sat back laughing, making me realize that this whole gaming thing was yet another hazing thing. It was either that or Dani just showing off, probably a bit of both.
“Don’t worry about it,” Dani said, lighting a cigarette and going to the window. “We can have a rematch after you finish changing.”
“Gee, I am so looking forward to that,” I responded sarcastically, earning a snicker from Nicole.
About an hour later, the pressure in my bladder was demanding attention so I started for the bathroom. My whole body still felt subtly wrong though I still couldn’t point out any specific thing that had really changed. I staggered a little as I walked down the hallway, almost tripping over my own feet.
While I was doing my business, I grabbed my penis and tried to determine if it had shrunk any. I thought it might have become just a little smaller, though that might just have been my fears and imagination.
“Oh God,” I whispered, nearly shaking. “This can’t be happening.”
Then I staggered back towards the rec room, feeling as though my body was gaining weight with every step. My limbs felt so heavy and it was only getting worse. I didn’t even make it to the rec room before I tripped and fell face first into the floor.
“Jarrod,” Rebecca called out, rushing to me and helping me to my feet. “She gave me a worried look and said, “I think you need to get to bed.”
“But I’m not tired,” I protested, punctuating that with a loud yawn. It wasn’t anywhere near my normal bed time yet I was completely and total exhausted.
“Sure you aren’t,” I Rebecca responded, easily holding me up and helping me to my room. She got me to my bed where I immediately collapsed, unable to really keep my eyes open.
“Is he all right?” either Dani or Nicole asked from the doorway.
“I think so,” Rebecca responded from beside me. “This is just putting a lot of stress on his body. You remember how it is.”
I was quickly falling asleep and the last thing I was really aware of was someone kissing my forehead and saying, “Sleep well sister.”
Comments
Hazing
When you are trying to join an elite group I guess a little hazing is understandable. When you have had your life ripped to shreds and are being forced by circumstances beyond your control to take on an unwanted existence hazing is unacceptable and reprehensible.
Its no wonder Nicole hasn't mentioned the events of the night before. That wasn't making love, that was a charity fuck. Just another item to be checked off a list. "Wham bam, what's next."
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
The main character termed it
The main character termed it "hazing" from his point of view. That might not have been the actual intention of the group.
It felt as if they were
It felt as if they were trying to distract Jarrod. The problem is that they're basically superhumans, dealing with a norm. If he really wanted a chance he'd needed to do something that either involves luck or brains. They seem to be very smart, but probably not to the level that they'd humiliate him in strategy games - maybe. Seriously, what else were they supposed to do? Cuddle together on a couch, watching some meaningless movie, while Jarrod peeks at the clock watching the remaining minutes of maleness run away?
At least they didn't humiliate him by not taking him serious. Sure, they did defeat him, but that's still better than playing against someone who doesn't even care to win.
Great story so far Morpheus, you really make me feel with Jarrod. Thank you for writing,
Beyogi
I think Dani
May possibly be the wrong person to comfort Jerrod. If I may guess with not nearly enough information, I'd say she has handled her own transformation by concentrating on all the ways in which it is a huge upgrade. She's stronger, faster, and tougher than ever before. The competition with Jerrod may well be her way of trying to point him toward the same conclusion - that regardless of how unwanted the transformation is, it's an upgrade. Soon, Jerrod will have the same abilities that Dani used to so effortlessly trounce him at Ping Pong and such. None of the others really have been showing him any aspect of the transformation he can actually look forward to - telling him, sure, but only Dani *SHOWED* him.
Or maybe she's just a jerk having fun by rubbing Jerrod's face in how inferior he is, secure in the knowledge that, unlike other norms she deals with, he can't really do anything to her because he's going to be stuck in her cage quite soon. That's probably how it feels to Jerrod, at least a little bit, but I'm not convinced that it's what Dani is really doing.
Light hazing
If anything it was a light ritual in becoming a girl/woman. From each of their perspectives they all knew that Jarrod would not be able to compete with them in certain areas as he didn't know what to expect. In effect it was light teasing.
As for Nicole not saying anything I believe that as was stated earlier they did not wish to humiliate him and it was her wanting to have sex with him that one last time.
“Sleep well sister.â€
at least he's not having to go through this alone.
Dani was being a total shit
Dani was being a total shit toward Jerrod - deliberately humiliating him in two different games. If that's her way to show sympathy, she's got problems. To a normal person, that type of "sympathy" would lead to a "f^#k you" reaction. It's as likely to cause Jerrod to hate her and be uncooperative. Add the "mercy f#^k", and they're really working at making him feel like crap.
We'll have to see how else the so-called Angels humiate him - perhaps Dani will add some lesbian rape after Jerrod finishes changing?
Imagination is more important than knowledge
A. Einstein
It can certainly seem that way
I think that we're possibly reacting in haste. No doubt any good intentions Dani may have had were lost on Jerrod. That doesn't mean they weren't there. It's certainly possible that Dani is just a jerk, possibly acting on aggression left over from her own unwanted transformation. It's also possible that she's just socially awkward to a degree and hasn't had a chance to deal with a normal person in a social context in years. Or she's just trying to give Jerrod some motivation to want the transformation over so he can get super-powers of his own.
I've judged characters in haste based on flawed understanding in the past, I'm not willing to repeat that mistake here. We'll have time to figure out what's up with Dani acting so unpleasant as the story continues.
At the moment, though, I'll agree, at least from Jerrod's point of view, Dani was in fact being a total shit. Only question is why, which does make a good bit of difference.
I'm also wondering why Nicole and Rebecca just let it happen.
Dani is a Dick!
It could be that Dani's a jerk at heart. Or residual aggression from her own incomplete acceptance of being female now and having it forced on her.
Or it might have even been Dani trying to welcome Jarrod into a house of girls in the way only a former man would really understand (ie the other girls wouldn't, having always been girls). Some guys act like douches to each other, and they really are friends who are fond of each other. Some guys greet each other like "Hey dickhead," and "Yo, asswipe." Some guys get all competitive with each other and it's seen as all part of their friendship. Some guys do pranks to each other (the extra spicy food may have been along that line). Maybe as a guy, Dani was one of those guys and she thinks this is a good way to make him feel more welcome. Hopefully Dani will tone it down now that the ice is broken and Jarrod is transforming.
Although on the other hand, Dani is a woman now, along with the others. So with her guy insight, she should have known that maybe this welcoming tactic wouldn't work now that they are women welcoming a (for now) man. Men will react a certain way to their male friends greeting them with douchy behavior, and a different way with a hot woman doing so (embarassment, humiliation, etc).
Either she didn't consider that... or maybe Dani really is a jerk at heart. (But I don't think to a dangerous degree, and I still think she'll cool it when the two of them bond as friends more, especially after Jarrod's transformation is done.)
Lisa Dani
Dani
Dani is a former security guard and while they don't exactly have the same mentality as the police or military they do tend to emulate them. The things that Dani did in this latest episode truely reflect this mentality. In the military we are fond of saying "If you can't take a joke you shouldn't of joined." Also, it is sometimes stated as the following: "If you can't take a fuck you shouldn't of joined." Both refer to the prevalence of Gallows humor in the military. Typically, what us military-types concider to be humorous tends to gross Civilians right out.
Basically, if I had found myself the butt of those actions I would have taken it on the chin and then started working on my own form of "got ya" and that to me is the way I believe Dani is working from.
A two-pronged thought.
First, a general comment. This is the kind of story I like; a normal, heterosexual guy is transformed into a woman via an accident or in an attempt to save his life (See Tiggetr's "A Change of Orders"). He has he support of others, but still must come to terms with his/her new life.
As for Dani's decisive wins at ping pong and the video game, has anyone bothered to consider that she may still be having issues with her own change? Remember, Dan also used to be a normal, heterosexual guy(remember, he was flirting with Nicole at the time of the initial accident). Maybe Dani is saying inside, "I may have breasts and a vagina, but I'm still me."
Styx