“Emily? What are you doing here?”

“Oh Zoey! Hey!”

 

Who is this?

 

The girl who approached our table was wearing a soft purple hoodie made of thin fabric over her school uniform, her light brown hair strewn about over the school backpack she was wearing. She glanced back and forth between Emily, me, and the shopping bags.

“Getting some shopping done, I see. But why on a school day?”

Oh yeah, I forgot. It’s Monday. I silently apologized to Emily in my head, for making her skip school just to take care of me. I’ll thank her properly later.

“There was a bit of a situation, so I had to skip today. Anyway, what’s your excuse? Isn’t school still going?”

Rummaging around in my backpack, I pulled out my phone to check the time. Only 1PM. Putting it back, I reached inside to find my drink bottle.

“I have free periods at the end of the day, so I snuck out during lunch. I have some stuff I need to grab from here, and I don’t wanna go with family.”

Their conversation was progressing fine without me, so I sat back and drunk a bit more of my water. I had been drinking from it throughout the day, so it was nearly empty.

“Ah, right. That’s understandable. Anything interesting happen that I missed?”

Bending over to return my drink bottle to my bag, an uncomfortable feeling started welling up inside me, just underneath my stomach. I gotta pee… wait, isn’t this bad? I squirmed a little in my chair.

“Don’t ask me, I’m not even in your year level. Anyway, more importantly, who is this?”

My wriggling slowed a little as I noticed Zoey looking directly at me.

“This girl, who is currently fidgeting in her chair… hey, is everything okay?” Emily’s introduction of me trailed off as she noticed my condition. I spoke up in a small voice tinged with embarrassment.

“Emily, um, I… I need to go to the toilet.”

She stood up quickly, scooping up her shopping bag and reaching around to take mine as well.

“Come on, let’s go then. You come too, Zoey. You actually might be the best person to talk to about this whole thing.”

I hurriedly swung my backpack on, which only exacerbated the unpleasant feeling as it hit my lower back. Following Emily, who had started walking, I looked back at Zoey who was trailing a little behind me. She flashed me a smile.

 

Upon reaching the girls’ restrooms, both Zoey and I froze just outside. Emily turned around, giving an exasperated sigh and grabbing both of our hands.

“But-” My protests were completely ignored as Emily pulled both of us inside. Zoey was dropped off near the sinks as she exclaimed “Why me too?”

“I need to talk to you.” Emily pulled me forwards, using both of her hands to shove me into one of the stalls from behind as she responded to Zoey. Holding the door open for a moment, she faced me directly.

“Don’t forget to lean forward a bit. You can handle the rest, right?”

Emily backed off at that point, leaving me to lock the door and work my way through relieving the uncomfortable feelings.

 

“Why am I here too?”

Other than us, the restrooms were empty, so I could hear the conversation between Emily and Zoey fairly clearly.

“Like I said, you might be the best person to talk to right now.”

“Yeah, but, do we have to do it in the girls’ toilets?”

Emily tapped on the door to my stall, startling me a little.

“Look, she won’t say it out loud, but this girl’s going through a lot of stress right now, so I don’t want to leave her alone.”

I smiled a little upon hearing that. Thanks Emily. Thank you so much.

“But did you have to drag me in here too?”

“Why, is there a problem? You’re a girl too, right?”

“Yes, but…” Zoey’s voice suddenly went very small, “not everybody agrees with me.”

“I agree. And if anyone has a problem with it, they can answer to me.”

What are they talking about? I don’t understand...

 

After somehow managing to successfully use the toilet for the first time since my sudden change, I unlocked the door of the stall and walked out to find Emily standing with a very determined look on her face, and Zoey holding her shoulders forward as if trying to curl up into a ball.

“How’d it go?” Emily turned to face me as I ran the tap, still wearing a determined expression.

“Fine… I guess…” That’s not something you ask someone who just went to the toilet!

“Alright, let’s go then. “ She spun around to walk outside, but stopped halfway when Zoey interjected.

“So when are you going to introduce me?”

“When we get home. You’re free now, right?”

“Do I get a say in the matter?” Zoey still looked a little uncomfortable as she glanced over to me, as if she still felt out of place. Emily spun around again to face me, walking backwards as we followed her out of the restrooms.

“Since no one’s there, let’s head over to your place. Sound good?”

Apparently I don’t get a say in this either!

 

As we walked our bikes home, Emily and Zoey were chatting up a storm in front of me. I plodded along behind them, trying to process everything that had happened throughout this long day. The contents of their conversation went in one ear and out the other as we went along.

A few minutes into our walk, on a sleepy suburban street, I suddenly stopped walking. The same prickling feeling was creeping up the back of my neck. After a moment, Emily and Zoey stopped walking, having noticed me looking rapidly around in every direction.

“What’s up?” Emily called out to me, snapping me out of my focus.

“Umm, it’s nothing.” I flashed a smile towards them, trying to make sure that they weren’t worrying about me. As they began walking again, I glanced backwards one last time… and saw something troubling.

Someone’s there. Are they watching me? That’s… the same robe that was in my dream!

A red glow began rising off the mysterious figure at the end of the street. As soon as I saw that, a primal fear seeped into me. They’re looking right at me. I’m scared...

 

I bolted.

 

“Woah, hey, Felix! Where are you…” Emily called out behind me as I sprinted past, leaping up onto my bike just a little ahead. She began running after me, shortly followed by Zoey, who had been unfortunately designated as the bag carrier and was laden with all of our goods. She yelled, before increasing her pace in an attempt to keep up.

“Wait, Felix?!”

 

*****

 

“Do you mind explaining what’s going on with you? Why did you suddenly rush off ahead?”

 

Emily was standing at the door to my room with her hands on her hips, looking down with a mix of annoyance and worry in her expression as I lay face down on my bed, completely out of breath.

Can I even explain what happened? If I say it was something from a dream… there’s been enough unbelievable stuff going on, so it’s entirely possible.

Levering myself up off the bed, I rotated such that I was sitting with my legs dangling off the side. Trying my best to look at Emily’s face, I took a deep breath, and began speaking.

 

“Last night, I had a dream. I was… in some kind of castle, in a fantasy world or something, and I watched a bunch of criminals being sentenced. They were wearing robes, and one of them was... casting magic or something.”

Tears started to form in the corners of my eyes as I went on. This day sucks! I just want it all to be over…

“And today, I kept feeling this like, weird sensation on my neck and it… creeped me out. I don’t know if it’s from me suddenly turning into a girl, or… but back there, when we were walking home, I felt the same feeling, and I… I saw one of the criminals from my dream! I don’t know why, but… I was so scared…”

I broke down as unfamiliar emotions swept over me. Feeling this emotional was a completely new experience, and I couldn’t handle it.

 

At that exact point, Zoey arrived completely out of breath, accompanied by the rustling of the plastic bags she was carrying. She took one look at me bawling my eyes out before turning to Emily and shouting.

 

“What did you do?!”

 

*****

 

“You really didn’t do anything?”

 

Once I had calmed down somewhat, Zoey and Emily both took a seat in my room. Emily had been frantically shouting “It wasn’t me!” after Zoey had charged in between us, standing in front of me protectively.

 

“Yes, really. I didn’t do anything.”

“You asked me to strip. And then you actually stripped me.” I interjected. Zoey’s eyes turned wide.

“That was earlier!”

Zoey immediately flew out of her seat at my desk, swooping in to sit next to me on the bed and hugging me protectively. She glared at Emily, who grew a little flustered under her intense gaze.

“It… it was necessary. It had to be done.”

Zoey narrowed her eyes slightly, seeming very unconvinced.

“Rrrright. Anyway, who is this? You said Felix earlier, but…”

Emily immediately brightened up, leaping out of her chair to give an energetic introduction. Wait, is she just going to say it outright?

“Yes! Felix, meet Zoey. And Zoey, allow me to introduce you to… Felix, who woke up this morning as a girl!”

“Wha- Hey! Emily…”

There’s no way she’s gonna believe that. I turned towards Zoey to see her reaction, blushing slightly as I realised that our faces were extremely close. Her eyes were… sparkling?

“Wait, really? You’re not messing with me?”

“Nope.”

“That’s so cool! She’s shorter than you now!” Turning to me, Zoey continued. Why is she so excited?

“Your shoulders aren’t broad, you have a nice figure, and ample, um, yeah. You’re so lucky!”

Lucky?

“What do you mean, I’m lucky?”

“Your voice is cute too! Um, wait…” Her face fell, the sparkles lost from her eyes.

“If you’re Felix, then are you still… What pronouns should I use? And I-I don’t wanna deadname you, so what should I call you?”

Wait, what do you mean? Deadname? I turned to Emily, seeking help at the phrases I didn’t recognize. She had a very happy smile, evidently enjoying her friend’s excitement. Leaning forward in her chair, she looked directly at my face.

“That’s something she still needs to work out for herself.”

“What do I need to work out?”

“You need a name.”

Ah.

Yeah, I can’t exactly use Felix as a girl, now can I…

Zoey stared at me for a moment before speaking up.

“...Ferris?”

“Who’s that?”

“N-nevermind…”

 

This is difficult. I’ve never actually thought about what my name would be if I was a girl. I have no idea… After a full 30 seconds of deliberating, I decided to offload it to the other two girls.

 

“Any suggestions?”

“Are you sure you want us to pick?”

“I’ve got nothing, so go ahead.”

“Umm…” They both leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a while. After a few moments, Zoey started muttering.

“Evelyn, Natalie, Luna… no, these are all from… wait,” She went back upright before continuing.

“How about Flora?”

Emily snapped forward in her chair, a grin instantly appearing on her face. The two started chatting animatedly.

“Yes, that’s perfect.”

“She’s cute, like a small animal, right?”

“You think so too?”

“And flowers are small and cute as well, so it fits.”

“And she can keep her initials too, so… uh oh.”

The two finally turned to look at me, who had been slowly curling up into a ball on the bed while covering my face with my hands, blushing profusely as they talked.

 

“Come on, come out of your shell and talk to us. What do you think of Flora? Do you like it?”

Emily leaned over to rub my back, attempting to comfort me somewhat. I made no movements to reveal my still red face, speaking from within my balled up position.

“I… I think it’s fine…”

 

Flora… Flora… I repeated it a few times in my mind, trying to get used to it.

 

“Right, Flora, come on. We have things we need to talk about.” Emily took the lead again, speaking in a decisive voice. I slowly uncurled myself, sitting back on the side of the bed.

“...okay.”

 

*****

 

“We have a problem. We need to get Flora into school, but she’s still enrolled as Felix.”

That’s true… Emily said that she had a few ideas, but what did she mean?

“Does she have a uniform?”

“No, I was planning to let her borrow one of my spares.”

Great, more borrowing someone else’s clothes.

“Actually, I have an idea.” Zoey leaned forward in her chair, causing both Emily and me to sit upright and alert.

“I have a check-in with the guidance counsellor during recess tomorrow. If I bring both of you along, we can explain the situation to her, and maybe she can do something.”

“That’s a good plan. Okay, Flora, I’ll come over here tomorrow morning and bring you a spare girls' uniform.”

“Should I talk to my doctor as well? I can get him to set up an emergency appointment, just to make sure everything’s fine.”

“Doctor?” I spoke up. “Why would I need to go to the doctor?”

“It might be good to have a blood test, to check things like hormone levels.  Your body suddenly changed, after all. My doctor specialises in trans health. I’m trans, by the way.”

Oh! I stared at Zoey for a moment, wide eyed at the sudden new information. I had no idea… wait, is that rude to say out loud? Emily turned to face me.

“That’s why I wanted to talk to her. She’s probably the best resource you have, when it comes to learning how to be a girl.”

I lowered my head slightly towards Zoey.

 

“Please take good care of me, Zoey.”

“I will, Flora.” She placed a hand on my head, patting me for a few seconds.

 

*****

 

“Right, is everyone clear on the plan for tomorrow?”

“Yes Ma’am!” Zoey threw a salute towards Emily.

“I’ll head over to your house tomorrow morning, and bring you a spare uniform. Once you’re ready, try to get to school at around recess.”

“I’ll wait at the entrance to pick you up when you get here. Emily, don’t forget to come with me to the appointment. I’ll need you to explain the situation, and to vouch for her.”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll be there. Flora, you got everything?”

“I think so? I just need to arrive in time for recess, right? I can do that.” While thinking about the next few days, an unpleasant thought occured to me.

 

“Um, Emily? Just on the side, can I stay at your place on Wednesday?”

In just two days, my sister would arrive home. Maybe I was just putting it off, but I didn’t feel ready to face her just yet.

“Grace gets back then, and… I want a few extra days before I go and explain the whole girl thing to her.”

“Ah, yep. Gotcha. That should be fine. I’ll tell my mum that you’re a school friend or something, and that we’re studying.”

I let out a smile at that, causing Zoey to go “Aww…” as she looked at me with a slightly silly grin. Emily called to her as she was staring at me with sparkles in her eyes.

“Did you want to come too?”

“Can I really? Is that okay?”

“Yep, it’s fine. The more the merrier.”

“Yay!”

 

“Anyway, is everyone ready for tomorrow?”

Emily clapped her hands to get our attention, startling Zoey who was in the middle of jumping for joy.

“Yep!”

“...I think so.”

Tomorrow was a big day, after all. If our plan didn’t work, there were no backups we could try to get me back into school. I was quite nervous.

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow morning then.”

 

*****

 

The next day, I was woken up by my phone’s incessant buzzing. While still groggy, I reached over, fumbling around in an effort to pick it up.

Mmrgh, three missed calls from Emily.

It buzzed again in my hand, startling me awake. Quickly pressing a few buttons, I read the text that Emily had sent me.

 

‘HELP! GET TO MY PLACE ASAP!’

 

What’s going on? Did something happen to her? Don’t tell me she switched genders or something…

I sent back a message saying ‘Be there as quick as I can’ before leaping out of bed. Quickly rummaging through the shopping bags from yesterday, I grabbed out the simplest set of clothes I could find, and hurriedly put them on.

Shirt and shorts, that’ll do. Wait, can’t forget the new underwear.

Leaping onto my bike, my mind was filled with worry as I pedalled towards her house. After the change I had gone through yesterday, I couldn’t imagine what might have happened to her today.

Reaching her house, I opened the still unlocked front door, and called out to her.

“Emily?”

“In here…” A distant voice responded to me. I sprinted towards her room, opening the door with a creak that was perfectly accompanied by a scream.

“AAAAHHHhhhh…”

Emily was lying sideways down on the floor with clenched teeth, holding her hands against the side of her head with tears pouring out of her eyes. She was still in her pyjamas, a soft pink top and shorts. Just above her hands, a set of red furred ears with black tips sprouted out of her blonde hair, and protruding from her lower back was a red, gently twitching, furry tail.

 

“... too… loud…”