A dying man is given a second chance. This story is a fan fiction that takes place in the Whateley Universe.

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It was late morning and I was in the back yard, watching as Kaylie and Kimberly tried to play jump rope with ribbons I’d summoned for them. The ribbons were actually too light to work well for that purpose, but that didn’t stop the girls from trying, giggling loudly as they did so.

When I’d come out into the back yard, it hadn’t been to play with the girls, though it hadn’t been long before they’d followed me out here to see what I was doing. My original intention had been to practice with my powers, to see how far I could stretch my ability to summon ribbons. As I’d learned during my power testing, I could do more than just silk ribbons, so I wanted to find out exactly how much more.

Since the first things I’d summoned had been ribbons, I hadn’t really thought about it and assumed that my ability was to summon them. Now, I was starting to realize that my power was a little broader than that, though perhaps not by too much. Still, I suspected that my focus on ribbons was probably because I’d been clutching one in my hand when my mutation manifested and my body began changing, and I’d been thinking about that same ribbon when I first discovered that power. In a way, I’d probably imprinted on the image of a ribbon, which had directed the way I’d used that power until now.

While the girls were occupied, I summoned a large sheet of fabric, about the size of a bed sheet. Normally, anything I summoned seemed to automatically come out as silk, but as I’d learned during power testing, that with a little concentration, I could control the texture almost as easily as the color. This sheet wasn’t nearly as soft or smooth as what I was used to creating and felt more like cotton, which was what I’d been going for. I was pleased that it had worked, though annoyed that I still couldn’t seem to create anything other than fabrics. All my attempts to create anything else had failed.

Melanie came out and watched as I experimented with a few other fabrics, creating a soft sheet of velvet without trouble, though I couldn’t really manage wool. It seemed that the texture of that one was pushing my abilities just a little too far. I wasn’t actually creating real silk or velvet, though the stuff I created seemed to mimic it pretty well.

“Maybe you should take up sewing,” Melanie suggested with an amused look. “At least you’d save a lot of money on materials…”

“Except for the fact that everything disappears in one day,” I pointed out with a chuckle.

I stared at the various ribbons and pieces of fabric that were scattered about, suddenly wondering if maybe Melanie’s idea might not be a bad one after all. Of course, sewing my summoned material would be absolutely pointless, but maybe I could use it for more than just ribbons and scarves. I thought about it for a moment, realizing that with the experimenting I’d done so far, I hadn’t actually tried anything very complicated in shape.

“Might as well give it a go,” I mused, focusing my attention on what I wanted and then willing it into existence.

A moment later, I was holding a piece of red silk in my hand, though this was much more complicated than a simple ribbon or sheet. This time, I’d actually created an entire silk shirt. I held it up, marveling at my success, though it took me a few seconds to realize that it actually looked like crap. For one thing, while it was a shirt, it was extremely basic and plain in design. And then there was the fact that the neck hole was too small and the arms were too long and narrow. No one could possibly wear something like this, or even want to, but it was a shirt.

“When did you learn to do that?” Melanie asked, coming over to look at the shirt.

“Just now,” I admitted, giving her a wry smile. “You just gave me the idea.”

She gave the shirt a skeptical look, then admitted, “Your sense of fashion could use some work…”

I just shrugged at that since she was absolutely right. The truth was, I could rebuild an engine block with my eyes closed, but I’d never even thought about how clothes were put together. That just hadn’t been part of my life or experience. Hell, I barely even paid attention to what I wore most of the time, a fact that Meg used to tease me about all the time. I could still hear her exasperated voice saying, “You look like you just got dressed out of the rag bag…”

“There aren’t any seams,” Melanie pointed out, touching the shoulder where she sleeve connected. She was right, there weren’t any seams or stitches at all. The entire shirt was made of one solid piece of fabric. Then she grinned at me and said, “Now imagine what you could do if you actually learned to sew…”

I shuddered at that, saying, “No thanks.” I might be a LOT more open to trying new things, but I still didn’t have any desire to sit in one spot for hours on end, sewing two pieces of fabric together. However, I was pretty sure that Melanie was going to try giving me lessons anyway, probably dragging the girls into it as well.

Before Melanie could nag me into doing whatever she wanted the way her mother used to, a voice called out, “Hey Sis. Hey…Dad.”

“Uncle Rich,” Kimberly exclaimed as she ran to greet him. Kaylie stood back and nodded her acknowledgment.

Rich came into the yard, smiling at the girls, though his eyes were locked on me. Rich had seen me in the Clinic when I still looked like I was a teenager, but this was the first time he’d seen me since I’d finished my transformation. He stared, obviously already knowing what to expect since Melanie had told him on the phone, but he was still a bit stunned.

“Hey, Rich,” I greeted him, just a little awkwardly.

“Wow Dad,” he started uncomfortably. “You look…”

I gave him a wry smile, wondering what he would have said if I’d been wearing a dress again today. Then again, I had a few ribbons in my hair so that must have been girlie enough to create an impression, even with the skull decorations I was still wearing.

“I’m calling myself Alyss now,” I told him with a sigh. I gestured down at myself and gave him a wry smile. “It would probably be a bit too weird if you called me Dad when we were out in public.”

“Definitely,” he agreed. The he admitted, “It’s hard to even think of you as Dad…and I know who you are.”

“She certainly doesn’t act much like she used to,” Melanie told him, almost as though I wasn’t right there. “I mean, she spent a couple days wearing dresses…”

“Hey,” I protested.

But Melanie continued as though I hadn’t interrupted, “And I think that if she had a clean one, she probably would have worn that today.” Then she stuck her tongue out at me, which got Kaylie and Kimberly to giggle.

“They are kind of comfortable,” I mumbled, knowing that I was blushing. After all the talks I’d given to Rich over the years about how to be a man, he had to be laughing his ass off at this.

“Alyss is really pretty in a dress,” Kimberly added proudly. “And she makes really pretty ribbons…”

“I see that,” Rich responded with a chuckle as he looked at the various ribbons that were scattered around the yard. I shook my head and let out a sigh, knowing that I’d brought it on myself. Then he looked at me and asked, “You ready to go Dad…Alyss?”

I nodded at that, looking forward to having lunch with my son. Ever since I got out of the Clinic, I’d been spending a lot of time with Melanie and the girls, so Rich called and demanded his share of my time as well. Or at least, he’d called and asked if I’d have lunch with him.

“What time is it anyway?” Melanie asked.

“Ten forty-seven,” I answer absently, earning a look of surprise since I hadn’t looked at a watch.

Yesterday, I’d set Melanie’s old watch, and had then kept an eye on it for a couple minutes. Afterwards, I could still see the time clicking away in the back of my head, continuing just the way it had on the watch face, and still keeping accurate time. Even now, that little clock in the back of my head was still there whenever I thought about it, like a computer program that was running in the background.

A minute later, I climbed into the passenger side of Rich’s car, letting out a sigh as I did so. This was a reminder of the fact that with my new body, I wouldn’t be driving anywhere for a long time, at least not while behind the wheel. Sure, I could probably get Dr. Franklin to sign some papers confirming my identity so I could get an updated driver’s license, but the truth was, every cop who saw me behind the wheel would pull me over. Being known as a grown man in a little girl’s body would get me a lot of attention, and none of it was the kind I wanted to deal with. That was why was trying to keep a low profile and play up the whole little girl thing.

“What’s wrong?” Rich asked me as we pulled out of the driveway. Then he paused and let out a sigh. “Sorry, I guess that’s kind of obvious.”

“It could be a lot worse,” I said, reminding myself at the same time I told him. Every time I started to feel sorry for myself, I just had to remember that. And I had to remember that even with all the problems I was dealing with, I was pretty damn lucky to even have the opportunity to do so.

We drove in silence for several minutes, then Rich cautiously asked, “What’s it like? I mean, turning into a girl?”

“Pretty damn strange,” I admitted with a shrug. “I mean, it’s like the whole world suddenly grew larger around me. Every time I look in the mirror, I’m startled until I remember that’s me. And then I’ve got people being insulting, treating me like I’m stupid because I look like a kid.” I paused at that, then quietly added, “And at first, I was scared shitless that I’d end up with Diedricks.”

“That sounds…horrible,” Rich admitted, giving me a sympathetic look.

“Yeah, but it ain’t really all that bad either,” I said, earning a look of surprise. “I mean, I’m young again, I’m healthy, and I’ve got more energy than I know what to do with. Honestly, it freaks me out, but it excites me at the same time. I’ve been given a second chance, and I feel like I can do damn near anything with it.”

When we reached our destination, a decent restaurant that was a bit nicer than what I would have sprung for, we went inside. I looked over the menu and immediately went to the burger, but then I paused, remembering that eggs benedict that I’d had back at the Clinic’s cafeteria. That wasn’t something I would have tried normally, but it had been pretty damn good. With that in mind, I decided to order something I’d never had before instead.

“Quiche Loraine?” Rich asked, staring at me in surprise. “I never thought I’d see you order something like that…”

I just chuckled at that and pointed out, “I’ve been trying lots of new things lately. I figure, what’s the point of a second chance if I don’t take full advantage of it.”

Rich gave me an odd look. “Yeah,” he agreed, giving me a smile. “You shouldn’t waste a second chance.”

We continued talking as we ate, then when we’d finished, he asked to see my MID. I hesitated a moment, then I pulled the card out and slid it to him. He stared at it for several seconds, nodding faintly.

“Exemplar six,” he finally said, giving me a curious look. “That’s pretty impressive.”

“I’m trying not to make a big deal of it,” I admitted. “I know good and well how people treat those they’re afraid of, so I figure I’ll just keep looking harmless. The way I figure it, the less people think of me as being dangerous, the better.”

Rich nodded again, giving me another odd look and saying, “I know exactly what you mean.” He handed my card back to me, then a moment later, he slid something else across the table to me as well. I looked down at it and was surprised to see that it was another MID.

“What the…?” I started, though the answer was obvious. Rich was a mutant.

“My codename is Shortcut,” he told me quietly, staring at the table instead of me. “I’m a teleporter.”

I stared at the MID and then at my son, remembering his passionate arguments about how mutants were an oppressed minority and the MCO were fascist thugs. I’d always thought he felt that way because Rachael, never having guessed that it was something even more personal.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” I asked, feeling hurt that he’d keep something this big from me.

Rich gave me a guilty look, then explained, “I manifested right after Mom died. You were broken up over that…and over Rachael. I was afraid that my being a mutant would be too much…that after what happened with Rachael, you’d freak out at having to deal with another mutant kid.”

I frowned, feeling almost as though he’d hit me. Did he really think I could ever turn my back on one of my kids? Did he really think I wouldn’t have accepted him…that I wouldn’t have loved him anymore?

“At first,” Rich continued, giving me a weak smile, “I told myself that I’d tell you when the time was right. But it never really seemed to be the right time, and the longer I waited, the harder it was to bring it up.”

“Does…does Melanie know?” I asked him quietly.

Rich hesitated a moment, then admitted, “Yeah. I made her promise not to tell anyone…” He paused for several seconds, then admitted, “I bribed her with a trip to Paris.”

I stared at Rich for a moment, then I burst out laughing. “Yeah, that would do it.”

The mood lightened again after that and Rich gave me a faint smile, saying, “I’m glad I finally told you,” Then he paused and had a thoughtful look on his face before adding, “It means I can also tell you about a job offer I just got…”

“A job offer?” I asked curiously.

“From a company called Trin and Macintyre,” he told me, grinning rather proudly. “They want me to work for them as a courier…”

“A courier?” I asked in surprise. Then I carefully asked, “This wouldn’t involve wearing spandex or anything, would it?”

“God, I hope not,” he responded with a shudder. “That would be a deal breaker.”

When we left the restaurant a short time later, we were both in a good mood again. Though I was still a little hurt that Rich hadn’t told me he was a mutant until now, I was kind of excited about it as well. Or at least, I was pleased to discover that he had at least a little understanding of what I was dealing with, and it would give us a lot to talk about in the future.

“While we’re in the area,” I told Rich, “I want to stop off at the library and pick a few things up.”

Rich gave me a brief look of surprise, then commented, “Melanie said you’d been reading a lot to kill time…”

“Not to kill time,” I told him with a grin that probably resembled the manic one Kimberly had whenever she got excited. “Let’s just say, I’ve discovered a new love of learning…”

“You really have changed,” Rich said with a note of approval.

Since the library was just a few blocks away, we decided to just go ahead and walk there. I had a feeling that Rich was eager to show off his teleporting power, but he was also happy to spend a little extra time in my company, getting to know the new me. After that shocking revelation in the restaurant, I definitely found this to be a relief.

We hadn’t gone very far down the street when we noticed that there was some kind of protest going on ahead of us. I scowled in annoyance, having a dislike of protestors in general. Most of the time, all they were doing was getting in the way, messing with traffic, and making pests of themselves so they could feel good about whatever it was they were protesting, without actually doing anything real. But then, I noticed what was written on the signs, recognizing the symbol that I’d once worn on a pin.

“Humanity First,” Rich spat out bitterly.

At this point, we were almost right on the anti-mutant protestors, who were shouting out about how mutants were abominations. I felt a knot in my stomach as I remembered being part of a couple similar protests in the past. I’d done it because some of my buddies were, but I’d felt like an idiot just standing out there with a sign in my hand and yelling. I’d been worried about dangerous mutants being in our schools and putting my kids at risk, but I hadn’t seen how standing out with a sign would fix that.

“What the hell?” one of the protesters demanded, staring straight at me with a look of disgust. “Is that kid a damn mutant?”

“Of course not,” Rich snapped, acting as though he was offended by the very idea. “She’s too young to be a mutant…”

I played along, giving my best innocent look and hoping that I didn’t come off as too creepy. “He called me a mutant,” I whined.

“The hair color is because she’s albino,” Rich lied, though that wouldn’t fool anyone who actually knew anything about albinos. “My buddy is with the MCO and already checked to make sure…”

Several of the protestors were staring at us suspiciously, but their leader nodded reluctantly and gave me a sympathetic look, “Poor kid… I mean, being that young and having freak hair…” I was careful not to look directly at him, hoping that he didn’t notice my eye color. “You’d better make sure you keep getting her checked too…just in case.”

“Of course,” Rich responded. “Once a year…”

We continued walking past the protestors, and I was growing more and more pissed off as we did so, though I tried not to show it. Rich was obviously trying hard not to show how upset he was either, knowing that the last thing we wanted was to spark this group into doing something stupid. I actually recognized a couple people in the group and knew first-hand that they tended to get carried away and go way too far.

Once we were past them, Rich muttered, “Fucking assholes.”

I just nodded grimly at that, clenching my fists tightly and adding, “Russ sure as hell hasn’t mellowed out any.”

“Russ?” Rich asked with a look of surprise. “You know that guy?”

I nodded again, feeling the anger building as I spoke. “So do you. He was my best friend for more years than I want to think about, and he used to come over every once in awhile for dinner…” I smiled bitterly as I added, “You and the girls used to call him Uncle Russ…but you were pretty young.”

“Uncle Russ,” Rich said with a grimace before shaking his head and saying, “I think I vaguely remember that…” Then he stared down at me, obviously not happy with the reminder that I used to be a member of Humanity First. “What happened?”

“Rachael,” I answered simply. “Russ suggested he could help make my mutant problem go away…”

“What did you do?” Rich asked me with a grim look.

I didn’t bother looking at him as I answered. “I broke his damn nose and told him not to come anywhere near our family again.” Rich laughed at that.

I clenched my fists tighter, feeling the anger bubbling up as I thought about those events. Russ had been my best friend. Hell, he’d even been best man at my wedding. However, in spite of that, he’d threatened my daughter. He’d threatened my family. Even now after years had passed, the very memory was enough to piss me off.

“Damn,” I snapped, slamming my fist down on the hood of a parked car that we were walking past.

The entire hood of the car caved in under my blow, much to my surprise. I glanced back in the direction we’d come from, but it seemed that we were far enough away that none of the Humanity First protesters had noticed this.

“Let’s get out of here,” Rich exclaimed, giving the car a nervous look and half pulling me away and towards the library.

I was actually shaking with fear, though not fear of the protesters. I was afraid of myself. I’d known I was pretty damn strong now, but this was the first time I’d really seen it in action. This was the first time I’d actually seen just how much damage I could cause, even by accident. I’d started to get used to the idea of being a mutant and had almost forgotten just how dangerous they…WE could be.

I’d always had a bit of a temper, and I’d lost track of how many times I’d gotten pissed off and punched someone. But before, the worst that could have happened was that I’d get the shit kicked out of me, or I’d end up in jail. But now, if I lost my temper and hit someone without thinking, I’d probably kill them. I shuddered as I realized that I could end up doing the same thing that Rachael had. I could end up hurting people…killing them without meaning to.

“Alyss,” Rich said once we stopped in front of the library. He stared down at me with a worried look and cautiously said, “Dad…”

“What if I hurt someone?” I asked as tears started to come. As a man, I sure as hell hadn’t been one to cry, so I blamed my little girl hormones for this. “What if I hurt the girls…?”

“You won’t,” Rich assured me, trying to be gentle and comforting but looking awkward at the same time. I absently thought that maybe he was a little more like me than I’d thought. “I mean, Mel told me how gentle you’ve been with the girls…as if they’re made of fragile glass. I know you Dad. You’d never hurt them…even by accident.”

“Neither would Rachael,” I pointed out bitterly.

“You’re not Rachael,” he reminded me, looking a little hurt at the memory. “She can’t control herself. You can.”

I nodded at that, knowing he was right. I could control myself and I’d have to do that. With as much power as I now had, I didn’t dare lose my temper anymore. Too many people could get hurt or killed if I did.

“Maybe I should sign up for some anger management classes,” I half joked, wiping the tears from my eyes and feeling embarrassed to have been crying in front of Rich. I shouldn’t have done that, whining about my problems to him. My job was to protect my family, not to burden then with more problems.

Rich surprised me by bending down and giving me a gentle hug, telling me, “Everything is going to be fine, Alyss.”

“I’m not some little girl,” I reminded him gruffly, only to have him give me an amused look and then ruffle my hair.

After this, we went into the library, though I wasn’t really in the mood to do any reading anymore. However, it didn’t take long for that to change. I looked over row after row of shelves, seeing countless books all spread out in front of me. My problems were forgotten for the moment as I began to think about just how much I could learn here, and I nearly drooled in anticipation. Even with all the reading I’d been doing lately, I was still surprised by this growing hunger for knowledge.

There were so many books to choose from that I had absolutely no idea where to begin. Then I remembered my experiments that morning and decided on the perfect place to start. I found the area with books on how to sew and make your own clothes, pulling one out and flipping through it.

“Are you going to check that one out?” Rich asked from behind me, probably surprised by the subject I was looking at.

“No,” I responded with a shake of my head, putting the book back and grabbing another. “I already read it.”

Rich stood back and watched me as I read through a second book and then grabbed a third. I was about halfway through the third when he said, “I guess I’ll look around while you do your thing…”

I nodded absently at that, then continued reading, first through a few more books on making clothes, and then I went and found a couple on women’s fashion and read through those as well. These were subjects that had never interested me in the least, but considering my ability to make fabric, they suddenly seemed very practical. And if nothing else, I’d always considered myself to be a practical person.

Rich and I were at the library for an hour and a half, and in that time, I read through more than a dozen books. When it was time to go, I would have grabbed more books to take with me, but I didn’t actually have a library card. However, I knew that I was going to fix that the next time I came in, because after today, the library had become one of my favorite places.

“I can’t believe you read all that,” Rich told me as we left. “How much of that can you even remember anyway?”

“Every single page,” I admitted with a wry smile. I hesitated a moment, not sure how to explain more without sounding like I was trying to brag. “It’s part of the whole exemplar thing. I didn’t just get a hell of a lot stronger…I also got smarter.” Then I chuckled at that and joked, “You’ll never believe it, but your old man is something of a genius now.”

Rich stared at me for a moment, then teased, “You’re right. I don’t believe it.”

Just then, I saw something from the corner of my eye and snapped around, just in time to see a baseball bat coming right at my face. It caught me right in the face and knocked me to the ground, but to my surprise, it didn’t really hurt. It felt more like someone had smacked me in the face with one of those styrofoam swimming pool noodles.

“What the hell…?” Rich demanded, only to have the large man who’d jumped me swing the bat at him. Rich jumped back, looking horrified.

I jumped back to my feet, feeling pissed off at this attack and the fact that he was going after my son. The large man turned to stare at me with a look of surprise, then worry.

“I knew you were genescum,” he spat out triumphantly, even as there was a flash of fear in his eyes.

I snarled furiously, remembering him as being one of the protestors. He swung the baseball bat at me again, but this time I caught it in my hand, much to his surprise. Without a word, I shoved him, actually being very careful as I did so. Still, he went flying back and hit the ground. I just tossed the baseball bat aside, realizing that I didn’t need to use something like that. Not anymore.

“Alyss,” Rich called out, staring at me in amazement.

“Genescum bitch,” my attacker snarled, looking as though he was about to jump me again. But instead, he turned and started to run.

I was pissed at this man and wasn’t about to let him just get away. And though I knew I could have chased him down with ease, I reacted on instinct and tried something else instead. A long strand of silk ribbon formed in my hands, and without consciously thinking about it, I flung one end at him almost as though it was a lasso. The ribbon was far too light to be flung like that, but it ignored the laws of physics and obeyed my will instead, stretching out almost like a tentacle and then wrapping around his ankle. With his leg caught, he fell face first onto the ground, then I used the ribbon to pull him right back to me, kicking and screaming the entire way.

In seconds, I had the man hogtied with ribbon, gagging his mouth with it at the same time. And since I was feeling at least a little playful, I even made a nice big bow. Only then did I crouch down next to his head, giving him an evil smile as he stared up at me with a look of terror.

“You really shouldn’t have done that,” I said, grabbing his face in my hand and holding it firmly. However, in spite of my anger, I was actually being extremely careful with him. I took several deep breaths, trying to calm down so I didn’t hurt this man by accident. I’d practiced handling eggs in order to learn how to gauge my strength, and as with everything else, I was able to learn quite fast.

“Alyss,” Rich said, clearly worried. However, I wasn’t completely sure if he was worried about me or my attacker.

“I’m fine,” I told him, letting out a long sigh. I REALLY wanted to kick this piece of shit, but I didn’t dare do that. I couldn’t afford to lose my temper again, even for a second. Even now, I had to control it. Especially now. After several seconds, I looked the main in the eyes again and I was suddenly struck by recognition. It only took me a moment to remember where I knew him from. “You’re David Barrow’s kid.” His eyes went wide at that.

David Barrow was one of my buddies back in the days I was in Humanity First. He’d been a big guy with a big mouth, but he’d always been quick with a joke and an invitation to dinner. His son had been a kid at that time, and the last time I’d seen him, he’d been a gangly teenager with a perpetual baseball cap on his head. I stared at the man on the ground, remembering that at one time, he’d had an obvious crush on Rachael. But of course, that all changed once Rachael manifested.

“Bobby Barrow,” I said, seeing his eyes widen even further. There was a look of shock in that expression as well as fear. I felt my anger fade away as I remembered the goofy kid he used to be, and how he used to watch my daughter with those puppy dog eyes. Still, even though I knew him and his family, I couldn’t let him think that jumping little girls with a baseball bat was all right. What if it had been a real little girl? A normal one with no powers? “Yes,” I told him quietly. “I know where you live. I know where your family lives. I know everything about you.” Of course, that wasn’t true, not after all these years, but he didn’t need to know that. I’d already given him enough real information to prove that I knew things I probably shouldn’t.

Rich stepped closer and started to speak, but I held my hand up to indicate he should stay back, then I gave him a faint smile to show that I hadn’t lost it. I was still pissed, but I wasn’t about to hurt Bobby, at least not other than in his pride. I didn’t feel the least bit guilty for doing that.

“So, you think that it’s okay to go around and attacking people because they MIGHT be mutants,” I said carefully looking him right in the eyes. “That’s a VERY bad idea. Just like it’s a very bad idea for you if I ever happen to see you again.” Then I gave him my best evil smile and added, “And especially if I ever hear about you jumping someone again. Do you understand?”

He nodded emphatically, and I suddenly realized that I could smell piss. I glanced over and saw a small wet puddle, which both amused and disgusted me at the same time. I wondered if I could get him to shit himself too.

“Now then,” I announced, giving him my best cheerful little girl smile, knowing that it probably came off as creepy too. “If I was you, I’d be pretty damn humiliated if anyone found out that I got beat up by a little girl. If it was me, I’d just tell everyone it was a big guy who did it…” I paused at that and corrected, “Or three big guys.”

With that, I stood up and Rich let out a sigh of relief. He stared at me with a strange expression that seemed both surprised and impressed at the same time. After a few seconds, Rich held out his hand to me, and after I took it in my own, the air in front of us shimmered and blurred. We walked through the blur, and a moment later, we were standing right next to Rich’s car.

“So,” Rich asked a little awkwardly. “Do you still like pizza?”

“Of course,” I responded, though I hadn’t actually had pizza since my body had been changed. There were some things that I figured would never change.

Rich nodded at that, then as we climbed into the car, he gave me a grin and said, “Well, I know this great little pizza place in Chicago. Maybe next time, we can go there for lunch.”