With a sly expression, she urged me to guess. I tried a few polite numbers before I settled on her actual age, more than fifty. She certainly didn't look it. She ran a hand across her sleek face, which looked paler than Allison's. It was a light pink but also a cream more colorful than alabaster. The closest color I knew was probably 'forget-me-not', which looked nothing like I expected when I started researching colors. In shadow, her flesh had a dusty-pink tone.

I complimented her about her appearance. She bent up a hand and gazed at its shape. "Some days, I don't even remember what I looked like before. And that is fine by me." She gave a quick chuckle and asked a bit about me.

I hesitated and tried to search for the words. I worked slowly. I said I was a high school junior at Eakins High. I had indeed changed a lot. I was tempted to just show her my driver's license or school ID so I wouldn't have to say aloud what I knew all too well. But both pictures were thoroughly terrible and even more embarrassing. 

It took a couple breaths before I admitted, "My name is Kenny. Kenneth." Saying the name in a voice that sounded like Allison sucked on some helium, I felt my face grow hot. My blush was probably painfully obvious with my new face.

Her thin mouth opened a slight, dark slit and then sealed it as she gently nodded. "My name is Cordelia. And I see…I actually have a nephew who is an animated girl now. But then he always would look sadly upon his sisters."

I told her quite clearly I wasn't like that, highlighting, "I mean…I don't know why I'm turning into a girl. I never wanted to be one. It doesn't make sense to me."

Cordelia gave a slight, soft chuckle and touched a hand to herself. "I certainly didn't pine for white hair and my favorite color is blue, not lavender. I always wanted to be stronger and wiser, if I had to change. But this is what happened to me. I actually slept through most of it."

She settled back and talked a bit. She chuckled as she recounted revealing herself to her relatives. Most thought she was playing a practical joke on them. A few even renounced her, spewing forth all sorts of claims. But it was her eldest grandmother she reflected on most fondly. 

"She worked tirelessly in the mills back east till they closed. She lifted massive loads all throughout her life but can't even lift herself out of bed anymore. It was last year, when she was still good enough for light work around the house. I visited her a few weeks after my change. She looked curiously at me through the door till I smiled. Then, she just about dragged me in and set about making food for me. I remember the energy in her eyes. I felt like being there recharged her. She clasped my hand and marveled at how my color spread to her. She asked so many questions. It was like years long past. And she told me something which really helped."

Cordelia cleared her throat, settled her tone, and seemed to take on the essence of her grandmother as she said, "You are the only person who knows who you truly are. What has happened to you is a gift to show you more of yourself. It might not make sense but that's how it is. We are all puzzles, especially to ourselves. Some, those who live in confusion, anger, and fear, have the gray side of the puzzle showing and nothing makes sense. But you have all your pieces turned right-side up. All you need to do is put it together, my dear. Then, you will understand and find all your joys." She smiled at me and spread out her hands. 

I clenched my hands and asked her, "Have you? Have you put it together?"

She giggled softly and remarked, "Some days better than others. But it's a long journey and I much prefer the journey to the solution."

I reflected on her words. I didn't feel any closer to some great personal truth with my hair bright pink and my body turning female but I gave Cordelia an appreciative smile and a quick thanks. 

She relaxed her gaze at me and said, "You're still young. Give it time. Life doesn't even get that interesting until after your thirties." She gave a sly snicker and reached for a mug of steaming tea she had hidden behind the counter.  

I shifted the questions back to her. She recounted a few stories of how often she got flirted with by awkward, preening teen boys and the devious games she played on them. She reflected on how she considered going back to school and dropped in a few censored curses about the state of education. 

She worked at the arcade because it was something she did way back when she was "young and stupid". It was where she met her first husband. He helped her get a job at a computer game company back in the days when bits and 'blast processing' mattered. Mostly, she did filing work and cleaned up around the office but she learned enough to debug when things got hectic. 

With a wave of her hand, she noted, "If only I owned this arcade, I would make sure it was truly loved and cared for but I do what I can with what the owner is willing to spend. Realistically, it probably won't be around more than a few months. I fully expected to be fired weeks ago yet somehow I'm still here." I figured that had something to do with her anime-styled appearance but I didn't say. 

Turning her tea around a few times, she told me, "You're gonna be alright. First days are always the worst with the change. But it does get better." She led the discussion a bit into "lady" issues but I tensed up and informed her that I had a sister and a mother who I knew would help me with all that (if necessary).

She relaxed and mentioned, "Also, there's a small washroom in the back if you haven't seen yourself in a while. Just push really hard on the door."

I thanked her but didn't get up from my chair quickly. I wasn't keen to see the full picture but I figured I'd have to eventually and it was better to do so somewhere private instead of the ladies' room or (less likely now) the men's room with Candace hovering over me. The latter had actually happened more than once and got Candace banned from two restaurants in the next town over. 

The washroom wasn't much, crammed with broken joysticks and miscellaneous old game boards. I pushed some aside with my shoe, flicked the light switch, and looked for the mirror. It was on the wall nearest me. 

There she was. Or rather, I was. 

So much pink hair. It appeared closer to a magenta with the dim halogen bulb above me. And my eyes. They were close to Candace's shade of blue, only much bigger in size. But not as big as mom's. They filled up almost all the white and they were clearly animated.

The halo looked like a swoop at the front of my pink hair with little flecks of white accenting where the light caught it. The mirror wasn't big enough to get the whole scope of my body. I felt my neck. It seemed smaller but it didn't look animated yet. I took off my shirt. 

While the animation hadn't finished my face, it had spread across my chest. My torso looked so small. My nipples were altered, which made them look a little bigger than normal but that was all I saw there. Everything was sleek and smooth. My waist was so tiny and, if you ignored the flatness, I presented an absolutely feminine shape. 

Bad but not terrible. Not yet. I slipped a hand to my pants and slid them down. I was…smaller. That much was clear and it was disturbing to see that part of my anatomy as living art. I was different there but even more so at my revealed hips. They were what my mom always used to mock grandma about as "child-bearing" hips. I grimaced and pulled my pants back up. 

Checking my legs and feet revealed they were sleek and not made for my clothes. However, they didn't seem to have shrunk any further. I also hadn't lost more height, which was at least one note of relief. Conversion-wise, I looked like an odd, anime being with a human girl's face planted at the top with pink hair and strange eyes. That state wouldn't last long. In fact, less time than even I anticipated. I was getting ready to leave the washroom when I noticed a color shift going on at my face.

I touched it carefully. A tiny bit of influence dabbed my cheeks, so I pulled them away. But the color change kept spreading. It was like someone was reducing the color map of my face, allowing me a narrower palette. The tone matched the rest of my flesh. But color wasn't all I lost. I felt my mouth drawing in, becoming small and barely-depicted. Changing my expression brought it out again but the details faded until it was a line I could shift and part to reveal a slight, pink bloom and a deep-red arc of tongue and dark mouth within. My teeth were a crescent moon at the edges. With a small movement, I could hide all that away. 

Next, my nose shrank away to a dusty, shaded mark. In profile, it gave the same kind of slant mom's did, though a little bigger. Crossing my eyes to stare at it, it was like someone had added a painted, makeup glow to my face. As for my nose, it felt like it was still there but it was so much smaller that it took a moment to realize I was looking at more to my left and to my right with each eye. My vision otherwise didn't seem different. It may have been a little clearer. I flicked off the light to try the darkness. As I expected, no cat-like vision. 

I made my way out and back over to Cordelia once I was dressed. I traced my hand along the counter. She stared at my face a moment and consoled, "For what it's worth, you're turning out much better than some. I remember this one friend of mine; he was a sketch. Pale, quivering lines and no color. He looked like something out of an artsy 80s music video. He was terrified. The good news was he eventually filled in on his own and now he's quite happy with the results."

I nodded back to her and asked, "Has there been anyone you've known who…hasn't been happy…even eventually?"

She leaned back in her chair and tightened her mouth line. I was about to tell her not to bother but she said, "I've heard cases in the news, as you probably have too. People who want to go back but I'm inclined to think they're just pushing aside their true feelings. There was one I talked to on an online group who I think is sincere in not enjoying it but I found she's something of a changeling and she wouldn't be happy in any final form. She craves change. And she actually has changed from her original form a little bit. Not enough for her but it's helped. She has her down days though. And that's about it."

I'd heard of changelings. They liked everything and every style. They tended to be the ones who were happy when their change began but were unhappy when it concluded. The process of changing itself was their fulfillment. Most of them were the rare, studied cases of animated people who would remain in flux with gender, design, and colors. They tended to have mood-ring hair and eyes. I'd only heard of them but some shows enjoyed talking about them because a select few could do little changing tricks for the public which looked entertaining on TV. Most were performers.

I thanked Cordelia for everything and she hopped over the counter to give me a hug. It was unexpected but I didn't reject it. She offered to give me her cell number and info on the help network she belonged to online as well as the physical location where members of its chapter met. 

I considered her offer a bit and she threw in, "And we could have a gaming sleepover or something. Or not." She gave a chuckle. Despite the fact I knew she was over three times my age, I went ahead and took down the information to add to what Parker had given me. I glared at the piece of paper as it soaked up my influence like invisible water until I was done writing.

I lingered by the front to watch an old fighting game demo before leaving. I was wary of others' eyes. Truly, I was stepping out as someone else not quite finished.

I was glad this section of the mall was quiet. Just some normal people milling around an art store. I moved in the direction of the clothing store but with a small step. I didn't feel any eyes on me. I made it several steps before a group of girls, who looked a little younger than Candace, swooped out of places unknown and swarmed around me. One of them was animated and easily the most exuberant. 

Her hair was literally the color of dandelions with a soft, watercolor look. At the top, it crested from the overhead light as nearly white. She had on a gray top and an A-line skirt that swirled around her. It didn't take long for her to notice me. 

She gave a blur/wave of her hand which flapped the excess of her sleeve and squeaked, "Hiya! My gosh, you're so pretty!" Her smoke-gray eyes were in Candace's size and style with her pale face spackled with freckles. Her cresting U of a smile line let me forgive the fact she'd instantly seen me as a girl like her.

My answer was a soft, "Hi. Thanks." spoken in what sounded like another voice, a small, squeaky one which came across as younger than even her. Her friends regarded me one by one from the curly-haired blond to the one with black-framed glasses and a close cut of red hair.

The dandelion girl gave a small laugh and marveled at me, asking, "Are you here with anyone? This is totally my first time out since I changed and it is so awesome to see someone else so quickly." She rattled off a quick litany of places they were planning on going. One of the girls took out her cell phone and another yawned. 

She was just about ready to claim me for the group when I found the words to say, "I'm with my sister and her friend. It's okay but thanks."

After a quick nod, she told me her name (Claire) and went about info-dumping me about her friends and asking if we all wanted to hang out. She seemed nice enough but it just felt peculiar to be treated that way by a girl her age.

I had a few options. First of all, turning her down as politely as possible sounded fine but she was so infectiously exuberant. Then I could just explain my situation to her, that I was slowly turning into a cute anime-styled girl after waking up late noon-ish as a normal, male high school junior. I could just imagine whatever male ego I had left slowly dying inside as each one of them looked at me, probably comparing me to some pretty boy they'd seen somewhere. And then I could be creative and lie. I didn't say they were good options. 

Ultimately, it was out of my hands because the next moment I heard Candace say from behind me, "I'm the sister and that would be a lot of fun but my friend is still kinda shy about crowds after changing too."

Claire gave a sympathetic smile but launched at Candace and reiterated they had to hang out sometime. The rest was a crush of hyper-talk blur till they were heading off and I was left with Candace by my side. Her expression didn't disguise her amusement at all.

Before I could say anything, she noted with an accenting smirk, "Of course, you know you owe me. I may not collect today. It may not even be next week but I want you to remember that you owe me for getting you some privacy. So, big question…do I have a big sister now?"