When the bullet hits the bone

Author’s note: This one was inspired by the old song “Twilight Zone” By Golden Earring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP05iSzpz94

Harry Quinn paced back and forth anxiously across the tiny hotel room.

“It's two A.M., and he’s late. He’s never late.”

While he waited he thought about the downward spiral that brought him to this place. It wasn't too long ago he’d been a normal high school student.

Then in college, he got exposed to drugs.

But very soon, he found nothing gave him the high he was looking for.

Until the drug called Gaia or Gee came out.

And bit by bit, he lost himself to it.

Nobody knew where Gee came from. The drug was impossible, in terms of what it did. There should be no way to turn a man into a woman, but that’s what happened.

And Harry found that experience a high like nothing else ...

Which led him to spending more and more time as the girl the drug turned him into, to the point where he started failing his classes, and eventually all but homeless and broke.

He had just enough for one last “hit”, and then ...

He had no idea what he was going to do after that.

If only his dealer would show up ...

But what if he didn’t?

Harry watched the clock tick as if it represented how much time he had left to live.

Finally, he could take it no longer, and left the room.

He had no idea where he was going, he just felt he had to keep moving or the need for Gee would overwhelm him. He drifted towards the nearby strip mall, which had a couple of all night businesses - a pub, a laundromat, and a pizza place.

But he didn’t stop at any of these, but turned up the street towards the university.

He found himself drawn toward what looked like an old mansion that had been converted to a sorority. Above the gate was a motto: “Omnes Stardust Fecit.”

He walked toward the door, which opened, revealing an old woman framed by the light within.

“We’ve been hoping you’d come.” The woman said.

Harry was confused, but he felt a sense of ... belonging that he had never felt before.

“Let me take you to your room, dear. You must be tired.” The woman said.

Harry found himself agreeing, and followed the woman to a bedroom, and soon was under the covers and asleep.

While he slept, he dreamed of his life, but there was a difference in the dream. In the dream, he was a girl, named Heather. And even though this version of his life was not perfect by any means, he soon realized that it had one advantage over his male life. He had always had a weight on his soul, a grief for which he had no name. It was what led him to try Gee and seeing this other version of his life, he finally understood what he had been looking for in taking the drug.

He had wanted to be a woman. Or more accurately, he had always felt like a female, and hid that feeling even from himself.

When he woke, he knew at once, he was now she - Heather, for real.

She quickly got dressed, and went down to the kitchen and found the old woman waiting for her.

Heather asked, “Who are you? How ... how did you change me? How did you know about me?”

The old woman sighed, and said, “My name is Agatha Carpathian. I have been a practitioner of what you would call magic for a very long time. And I have given you a girl’s life to make up for a serious mistake I made. Lila, a woman who I had taken on as an apprentice is responsible for the drug you were given, and you are only the latest victim who I have been able to find and help.”

“So ... what do I do now?”

“I would very much like you to stay here. Take your university classes, live a normal life. But as well, if you’re willing, I would like you to help me help the victims of this drug, and perhaps one day, we will be able to shut Lila down for good.”

Heather thought hard for a while, and then said, “I’ll help.”

“Good. I’ll introduce you to the other girls here, and then ...”

“And then?” Heather asked.

“And then we go forward. One day, one life at a time.” Agatha said.

“Sounds good to me. One thing, though. What does your motto mean?"

"It means 'We are all made of stardust.' One of the first girls here came up with it."

"I like it."

End.