Liam sighed and closed his laptop. The rest of the essay would wait until tomorrow. It was getting late and he had to meet Noah for their weekly dinner. He stood up and stretched, then started looking for his shoes. It was chilly outside already, and Liam regretted not grabbing a coat. Fortunately, it wasn’t a long walk to the dining hall. Noah was already waiting at a table with his tray of food.

Noah and Liam had been best friends since elementary school and had ended up applying to many of the same colleges. He didn’t want to admit it, but Liam was secretly glad not to be away from home entirely alone. Having his best friend nearby was a relief. And hopefully now that they were away from high school, they were they were also away from all the rumors about them being gay.

“Hey, Liam,” Noah said, flashing him a disarming smile that made Liam’s heart skip.

Liam sat down with his tray of pizza and replied with a small grin of his own. Noah was tall with rich brown eyes. It was something that Liam had always envied about Noah: he was pretty attractive for a guy. He was certainly more attractive than Liam, who had frizzy plain brown hair and perpetual stubble, not to mention a bit of extra chubby weight that would not come off no matter how much exercise he got. Liam always felt a little insignificant compared to Noah.

Noah asked, “How are classes going?”

“I’m fine,” Liam insisted. “I mean, I didn’t take a third-year elective as a freshman.”

Noah chuckled.

“Yeah,” he said. “History of magic is fascinating, but it’s really kicking my ass. An essay every two weeks is just too much. And I’m not a mage. I’m never going to use this.”

“Is it too late to drop the course?”

“Maybe. I really want to see this through, though. It’ll be nice if I can learn to recognize magic when it’s happening right in front of me.”

He shrugged.

Liam asked, “So, you talk with Sophie yet?”

Noah shifted uncomfortably and started poking his food with his fork.

“Not yet. I don’t know if I really like her, though.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll find a girl soon enough.”

Noah nodded, looking thoughtful.

“I’d just like to date someone that I’m already friends with. I don’t think I’m going to find a girlfriend anytime soon.” He pursed his lips. “Hey, aren’t you worried? If one of us gets a girlfriend, we won’t have as much time to spend together.”

“I’m not worried,” Liam insisted, shaking his head. “We made it work in high school, didn’t we? There’s no chance we’ll drift apart now just because we’re in college.

Noah grinned.

“I’m glad to hear that. So I know you weren’t at the game, but it’s homecoming today.”

“Yeah, I’m aware. Everyone’s been talking about it.”

“Well, there’s a party tonight in Walker dorm. You know the big conference room they have on the first floor? It’s going to be there.”

Liam felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

“Oh, I don’t know, Noah,” he said. “Parties aren’t really my thing.”

Noah’s expression fell, but he nodded.

“I wish you’d get out more, Liam,” he admitted. “Ever since high school, you’ve been kind of retreating into yourself.”

“I’m fine, Noah.”

“Alright, alright. I just wish—”

“It’s not that I don’t want to go,” Liam lied. “It’s just… my roommate is home visiting his parents for the weekend, so this is a good time for me to work on homework.”

Noah chewed slowly, and when he finished he said, “Just promise me we’ll hang out next weekend, alright?”

Liam shrugged and picked up his pizza.

“If I’m not too busy,” he promised. “How are your parents?”

The conversation shifted, and Liam started to feel a little less uncomfortable. It was really relaxing to be around Noah when he wasn’t prying. Liam knew that Noah meant well, but he wasn’t in the mood to explain himself.

When Noah was done eating, he piled his silverware and napkins onto his tray and stood up.

“Have a good night, Liam,” Noah said. “If you change your mind about the party, I’ll keep an eye open for you.”

“Thank you, but I’m really just going to go back to my room. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Noah left, and Liam hung around a little while longer to get another slice of pizza. He even nodded at a few people that he recognized from his various classes. But he wasn’t having a great time, and headed back to his room before long.

He’d spend the night doing homework, just like he told Noah. It was a good idea. He was falling behind in his classes anyway. It was just… getting hard to care. Liam had been having difficulty caring about his classes even in high school, but at least then Noah hadn’t been so busy that he couldn’t hold Liam’s hand through it all. Noah was such a good friend. Liam didn’t deserve him.

Liam sighed and sat down at his desk, opening his laptop. If he flunked out, his parents would never let him hear the end of it. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t imagine a future where he was happy, where he was settled down with a wife and kids and a job and a… why couldn’t he have just been born as someone else?

“Focus, Liam,” he muttered, navigating to his class folder.

Focusing was difficult. Every fifteen minutes or so, Liam found himself staring off into empty space and thinking about nothing. He kept having to shake his head and turn his attention back to his work. When he finally heard the first notification on his phone, it had nearly been two hours since he started and Liam had gotten almost nothing done.

Hey man, are you coming to the party tonight? Elijah had messaged him.

Liam sighed, grinning a little. At least his friends were thinking about him. He didn’t deserve good friends like them. He was just a burden on them, anyway. Liam sent back a brief explanation and returned to his work.

He tried to ignore the incoming messages for a while, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him and Liam picked up his phone.

From Charlotte: Heard you weren’t going to be at the party. Sorry to hear that. Hope you have a good night.

Another one, from Oliver, said, Wish you were coming to the party. We were looking forward to seeing you.

And the last, from Harper, read, Liam! Sarah has been talking about you and only you for, like, two weeks! Get your ass to the party and talk to her already!

Liam sighed. He knew Sarah liked him, he just… couldn’t imagine himself being with a girl. Not with his gross body. What did she see in him? Maybe Liam was just asexual, if he didn’t like girls.

“I need to do homework,” he told himself.

It was homework time. Liam set aside his phone and focused on his computer again. This essay wasn’t going to write itself. He’d get through this tonight and be proud of himself for finishing it early instead of waiting for the last…

Fuck.

Liam closed his laptop.

This wasn’t working.

Liam put on his shoes and grabbed his keycard. A quick walk around campus would help reset Liam’s anxiety. A walk was sometimes the only thing that would help. That or eating, but it was getting a little late for a second dinner. It was getting dark, but he knew the campus well and he’d be fine.

As soon as he got outside, Liam regretted his decision. It was still really chilly out, maybe even a little colder than before, and he’d forgotten to bring his jacket again. Still, he didn’t want to go all the way back to his room just for one thing. Liam would be fine for a few minutes anyway.

Despite the cold, Liam wasn’t the only person walking around. People milled about, talking to each other in the glow of lamplight as dusk started to turn into night. But Liam wanted to be alone. He found a pathway that took him behind the athletics building, keeping his head down as he walked.

There was nobody he could see on this path. Liam released a slow breath and shoved his hands into his pockets. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t Liam just be happy with his life? He had everything going for him. All the privilege of a middle class white boy and no motivation to show for it.

He wasn’t kidding earlier. He kind of wished he’d been born as someone else. Even if that meant he didn’t get to be friends with Noah, a hard reset might be what it took to shake him out of the funk he was in. If only such a thing were possible. No, he just needed to keep on the path he was on. One day, there’d be less stress and he wouldn’t be so depressed all the time.

As he turned a corner, Liam saw a bench up ahead under a street light. There was a girl lying out on the bench, reading what looked like a romance novel. Liam groaned. She was probably going to be uncomfortable as he walked by. What girl wouldn’t be? A strange boy walking up to her on a deserted path in the dark? He lowered his head and tried to pick up the pace.

But as he passed by her, the girl spoke up, “Hey, kid!”

Liam stopped, turning around to look at her in confusion.

“Can I have your name?” she asked him, not looking up from her book.

“My name?”

The question felt familiar, like he should recognize it from somewhere, but not in a good way…

“Holy shit!” Liam took a few steps back and nearly tripped over his feet. “You’re… you’re…”

“It was worth a try,” the faery said, sitting up and dropping the book into her lap. “What are you doing here, kid?”

“I’m just walking,” Liam replied. “I’m not bothering anybody. Just let me go, please.”

“No, I’m not going to do that.”

The faery scooted over on her seat and patted the bench next to her.

“Sit down,” she said.

“I’ll pass,” Liam mumbled, taking another few steps back.

“I really must insist,” the faery continued, fixing Liam with a stern glare. “The very last thing you want to do is run away from me.”

Liam gulped. He was fucked, wasn’t he? Now he had the attention of a faery. She could do anything to him, anything at all. He had no way to protect himself.

What was she doing here? How had a faery gotten onto a public campus? Weren’t mages supposed to watch out for these creatures and keep them at bay? What were the odds that someone would walk by and be able to do anything to help? Oh, gods above, he was fucked.

“Sit.”

Liam gulped and took a shaky step toward the bench. He didn’t look at the faery as he sat down. He was shivering, and not just from the cold. Once he was sitting, the faery scooted a little bit closer so their bare arms were touching. Her skin was warm.

“Tell me what’s making you so unhappy,” the faery said, not turning to face Liam.

“I’m not unhappy,” Liam insisted, but his shoulders drooped.

“I can see your aura,” the faery said. “You’re very unhappy. And it’s not something recent. Your aura is stained with negative emotion. Now talk.”

“Why do you care?”

“Talk, human.”

Liam flinched and bowed his head.

“It’s just… I feel numb a lot of the time. I have for years and I don’t know why. I’ve just been disconnected from everything since middle school. Like I’m… like it’s all happening to my body, and I’m controlling my body, but it’s not happening to me.”

The feary responded with a brief “hmm” but said no more.

“The truth is,” Liam continued, “I want to go to the party. But I honestly don’t think that I’d have fun at all.”

The faery shifted a little bit so that she could look right at Liam and asked, “What do you think is causing this dissociation, then?”

“I have no idea,” Liam admitted, biting his lip to keep from crying. “I think the problem is me. I’m just so terrible, and worthless, and… If I could be someone else, I think I’d be happy.”

“By someone else, do you mean a different person in a different life or a different person in the life you have now?”

“I… I don’t want to lose the things I have,” Liam said. “I just wish I was the kind of person who could enjoy them more.”

“And you want to go to the party in Walker dorm, right?”

Liam nodded.

“What if I make you someone else for the night?”

Liam gulped. This was it. This is where she cursed him forever and—

“Wait… just for the night?” Liam asked.

“Yeah.” The faery grinned. “Just to give you a taste of being a different person. Maybe you could figure out what it is that’s missing and work toward fixing it.”

“Why… why would you do that for me?”

“You’ve always been taught that the fae are all untrustworthy, right?”

Liam felt his face burn a little bit and he looked away.

“Well, it’s good to stay on your guard. We’re not all nice. But some of us are. Let me make you a girl for the night.”

Liam blinked in surprise.

“A girl?” he asked. “Is that the catch? Why would I let you do that?”

“So nobody recognizes you, duh.” The faery rolled her eyes. “Honestly, it’s like you humans don’t even think sometimes. Besides, girls have more fun. If you really want to enjoy the experience, you should get to go as a girl. Trust me. You do trust me, right?”

Liam gulped and nodded. He didn’t, of course, but he wasn’t going to say something that might upset one of the fae. This was insane. She was going to turn him into a girl. The thought gave him an uncomfortable tingle in his gut. Sure, Liam had always fantasized about being a girl. Every guy did. Girls just had it better. That was probably what the faery was counting on to convince him.

“Look,” the feary continued, “I can see that you’re conflicted. But it would only be for the night. How about midnight? That’s plenty of time to enjoy yourself, right?”

“I… guess so,” Liam muttered. “Just for tonight?”

“Just for tonight.”

Liam took a deep breath and folded his arms. He couldn’t believe he was actually considering this. But maybe he was lucky. If all she wanted was to give him a taste of girlhood, that was tame compared to some of the stories he’d heard about faeries messing with people’s lives.

“You have to live up to your word,” he said. “I know that much about fae. If you say it’s only temporary, it has to be temporary, right?”

“Correct.”

“Just… tell me why.”

The girl shrugged and replied, “People are more interesting than books, usually. I want to see what happens.”

Liam nodded, then took a deep breath.

“Let’s do this,” he said.

The girl flashed him a smile and stood up. She started waving a hand in small circular patterns and muttering under her breath. Liam started to feel lightheaded. The world began spinning and he reached out to grab something. He felt somebody grab onto his arm and hold him up, and he leaned forward onto them.

“Alright, we’re done,” the faery girl said.

“We’re done?” Liam asked, head still fuzzy. “Wait, is that my voice?”

He stood up. There was still a numb tingling throughout his body that he tried to shake off. When Liam felt back to normal, he shook his head and faced the faery again.

"You’re taller,” he mumbled.

The girl giggled and took Liam by the arm, leading him up to the brick wall of the athletics building. She waved her hand and mumbled a few more words, and the surface of the wall began to sparkle. In a moment it had become a clear, reflective surface.

Liam’s breath caught in his throat. There was a girl in his reflection. He was a girl. No, she was a girl. Liam was shorter, with long silky hair full of blues and purples. She was a little chubbier, too, but wearing a dress that flared out from her waist to hide most of it. And she had breasts! Not small ones, either! Liam was wearing sandals with wedge heels too, meaning she was even shorter than she looked.

She looked so much better than when she was a young boy trying on her mother’s dresses in secret.

“Why…?” Liam ran her hands through her hair. “Why do I have blue hair?”

The faery giggled and admitted, “For the most part, you just look like you would if you were to magically transition. But I did take some creative liberties.”

“Is that why I’m fatter?” Liam asked, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

“Transformation spells are easier if you pay attention to conservation of mass,” the faery explained. “Since it’s a temporary spell, this makes the transformation both ways easier.”

Liam grunted, then turned her attention back to the reflection in the brick wall. She couldn’t really believe that this was her. Now that it was over, Liam could actually relax and breathe easy. She was still trembling a little, both from the cold and being so close to a faery.

“What do you think?” the stranger asked.

“You were right,” Liam admitted. “I feel… free. Like I can do anything.”

“You ready to go to the party?”

“Hell yeah!”

She turned and started walking, but the faery girl grabbed her by the arm.

“One last thing before you go,” she said. “What should I call you?”

Liam paused and started rubbing her chin. If someone asked her what her name was, what should she say? It should be simple. Her name started with an L. Elle? Ella? Ela with one L?

“Ellie,” she decided, grinning. “Call me Ellie.”

“Well, Ellie, go have fun.”

Ellie nodded, then turned and started walking toward Walker dorm as fast as her heels could take her.