“I’m so nervous,” Sam said staring down the street and waiting for the bus. “What if they don’t like me?”
“You’ll do fine,” David responded. “It’s impossible not to like you.”
“What about you?” she asked. “Will you be alright here by yourself? I won’t be there to cook for you.”
“Don’t worry about that. Please.”
“Do I look alright?” Sam asked as she adjusted her clothes. She was wearing a collared shirt with the top two buttons undone, which showed a little bit of cleavage. Her business skirt went to her knees, and her red hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail.
“You look great, very professional,” David said.
A bus pulled up. Sam took a deep breath and gave her best smile. “Okay, here I go.” She stepped onto the bus.
“Have fun,” David said as the bus doors closed behind her. He waved as he saw Sam wave through the window as the bus drove away. This must be what a parent feels when he sends a child off to school for the first time.
David walked back to the apartment. It had been two days since they moved in together. The reason male Sam moved to the city was that he had a job as a programmer lined up. Now that Sam was a girl, it made the process a little trickier. Luckily, Sam had not met with anybody from the main company, only a recruiter; after a quick visit the previous day, they were able to convince the managers that the gender on her application was wrong. David didn’t know how it worked, but he could imagine they were a little distracted by her appearance.
David wanted Sam to live her life as closely as possible to her previous life as a guy. Over the last two days, David had Sam get in contact with his family over e-mail. Sam had lost her phone on the bus, so it was a good excuse not to call them. It wasn’t a huge deal since Sam had been going to college for years and had become largely independent, but his family might get worried if they didn’t get any message from Sam.
When David returned to the apartment, he saw Simon, the landlord, taking out the trash. Simon caught a glimpse of David and gave him a wave; David gave a small wave back before walking inside. David was a little puzzled about why Simon had not turned into a girl; the only difference he could tell was that he was wearing glasses, but he could have just not been wearing them before. It just proved that he did not know much about the strange transformations. Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with touch.
David loafed on his bed; the apartment felt very quiet without anybody else there. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet. He pulled two pictures out. One was a picture of himself with his older brother. The other was a picture of two brothers and a sister: the male Sam and his two younger siblings. Sam was wrapping his arms around the others’ shoulders in a playful manner. David couldn’t help but feel guilty; those two people were gone, replaced by another person. They had died, and David was the one who killed them.
David put the pictures away and turned on Sam’s computer. For the past two days, he had been researching anything related to boys changing into girls. However, he wasn’t able to learn anything useful about his particular case, only surgeries or fantastical stories.
David leaned back in his chair. He was already getting sick of being stuck in this apartment.
Simon lowered his hand as he saw the boy walk inside; David, that was his name. Simon usually didn’t remember his tenants’ names, but for some reason, he could remember his. Perhaps, he reminded Simon of his son about the same age.
He closed the trash can and made his way back inside. He had to adjust his glasses because they kept on falling off his face. For fifty years, his vision was perfect, but then the previous day, everything became blurry. He must be getting old.
However, even as the thought crossed his mind, he felt great. He woke up that morning with more energy than he had for years. He cleaned the house, ran some errands, and exercised. Since he had finished everything he needed to do, he became extremely bored. He started pacing the room, trying to think of what to do. An idea popped into his head, and he made his way to his son’s room.
Simon knocked on the door. “Riley, do you have a moment?”
The door opened. “What is it, dad?” Riley said. Opposite of Simon’s slim build, Riley was heavier set. Simon guessed his pale skin came from spending too much time inside. Looking over his shoulder, Simon saw Riley was playing a video game. His son kept glancing at the tv, impatient to return to the game.
“There’s a new movie that just came out last week. Do you want to go?” Simon asked.
Riley gave his dad a strange look. “With you?” Simon nodded. “Sure, I guess that might be fun.”
“Also, I was thinking of inviting the new kid that moved into one of our rooms; he looked to be about your age. Do you mind?”
Riley shrugged. “Sure, why not.”
“Great, we’ll leave in an hour.”
Riley returned to his game as Simon walked away. One down, one to go.
David heard the door knock; he was confused because he didn’t know anybody who would visit him. Afraid his family had found him, he peered through the spyhole and found his landlord.
“Hello. Is there a problem?” David asked after opening the door.
“No, not at all. My son and I are going to a movie. We were wondering if you’d like to come along.” Simon asked.
David almost said no immediately, but he caught himself. He had been shut in the apartment for the last two days Was he going to spend the rest of his life hiding from the power he had? Also, the last person he touched was standing right in front of him, and he appeared to be normal. Maybe he didn’t even have the power anymore, and he was afraid of nothing.
“Sure, sounds like fun,” David said. “When are you leaving?”
Simon smiled cheerfully. “In about an hour. Does that work for you?” David nodded. “Great, see you then.” Simon turned and left.
David stared at Simon through the window. He stepped quickly like he had too much energy in him. Perhaps touching people affected other things, not just turning into a girl. Going to a movie might give him a chance to study Simon.
An hour later, David left a note for Sam telling her he might be home late. She’d probably worry if she didn’t know where he went. David put on his brother’s hat, a jacket, and gloves. He covered up any skin he could. The previous transformations happened with skin-to-skin contact, so this would be a good precaution. It’s not like he went around touching people randomly.
David saw Simon in the parking lot with a boy about David’s age, who David assumed to be his son. Simon waved energetically; his son gave his father a strange look.
“Glad you could make it, David. This is my son, Riley,” Simon said.
“Nice to meet you,” David said.
“Likewise,” Riley responded. David could tell Riley wasn’t social; his attention seemed to be drawn to something else as he had a distant look in his eyes. David could relate since he also liked to keep to himself.
“Alright, let’s go,” Simon said happily.
They got in the car and took a short trip to the theaters. Simon talked the entire time about unimportant things, while David and Riley sat in silence. After they got out of the car, Simon left the two boys to go buy tickets.
“So, has your dad always been so energetic?” David asked, probing for information. “He seemed different than when I first got here.”
Riley shook his head. “No, I just noticed it today. Maybe he’s having some sort of midlife crisis.” After a few moments of awkward silence, Riley asked, “Do you like to play games?”
When Simon came back with the movie tickets, David and Riley were talking excitedly about video games and other random things. David felt relieved that he could talk about the things he liked and not worry about the strange things that had been happening to him over the last few days.
“Alright, boys,” Simon said brightly. “Let’s get going before the movie starts.”
The three of them made their way into the theater. Their seats were in the middle of the row, so they had to pass in front of a few people. David accidentally bumped somebody. “Sorry,” he mumbled. He instantly forgot about it, since it wasn’t skin-to-skin contact.
David sat down and made himself comfortable. It would be nice to forget his worries for a little while.
William loved watching movies. He made sure to see as many as he could in the theater. Even if the movie was terrible, he loved the atmosphere; the smell of popcorn, the sounds of people’s reactions, and the sight of the large screen.
However, if there was one thing that came close to his love for movies, then it was his love of girls. He always tried to bring a date to the movies so he could combine his favorite two things.
William considered himself handsome, with bright blue eyes, a strong face, and short dark hair with a goatee. He was in his mid-twenties with a stable easy job. It wasn’t high paying, but he didn’t care, as long as he could keep on watching movies.
He was on a date with a cute girl named Carol. She had short red hair and was a little plump. William had talked with her a few times over a dating app, and she finally agreed to go out with him. His relationships never lasted long; since all of his dates involved going to the movies, most of the girls would quickly get tired of him or get jealous since he would ask other girls out in between dates. William knew this, but he didn’t want to change.
William and Carol made their way to the seats and sat down. The time before the movie was one of William’s favorite parts; the excitement, anticipation, and mystery together with being with a cute girl always made his heart beat faster.
The couple talked quietly, making jokes at the lame ads and predicting how good the movie will be. Carol was fun, smart, and witty. They got along well, as William was sarcastic and knowledgeable; they could play off each other.
As they were talking, a man with two teenage boys passed by in front of them. One of them accidentally bumped him on the knee as he passed by. It was a common occurrence, and usually, he wouldn’t pay it any mind. However, his leg started to feel a little numb.
“Is something wrong?” Carol asked as she saw William massage his leg.
“No, my leg just fell asleep,” he said as he patted his leg, “It’s not a big deal. It’s better now.” The lights dimmed. “I think the movie is about to start.”
Then, taking a little risk, he put his arm around her shoulders. She would either lean forward to avoid his arm or accept it. Carol seemed a little surprised as her shoulders tensed up briefly, but then she smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. ‘Oh yes,’ William thought, ‘This is the life.’
The movie started. It was a popular summer blockbuster; William had seen this movie before, but it was still exciting to watch it with someone new.
About thirty minutes into the movie, William felt his skin start to tingle. He tried to ignore it, but the odd feeling persisted. It felt like hundreds of small insects were crawling on him; it didn’t hurt, but it made him feel uncomfortable. With his free hand, he tried to soothe himself without disturbing Carol. Gratefully, the tingling only lasted a few minutes.
The relief didn’t last long. A sharp pain pierced his stomach like someone had punched his gut. He was forced to remove his arm around his date to clutch his stomach.
“Are you alright?” Carol whispered.
“Ah, I’ll be fine,” William replied.
He was not fine. William felt his stomach rumble and his whole body ached. He apologized to Carol and rushed out of the theater, holding his stomach. If he wasn’t in so much pain he would have felt bad leaving his date.
William found an empty stall and sat on the toilet. The cool air from the bathroom floor helped calm him down; it was a relief that if he needed to throw up, he didn’t need to hold it in.
William waited. Nothing happened, and the pain subsided. He breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. However, he felt his pants didn’t quite fit properly. Had he lost weight? Shrugging, he tightened his belt and stepped out of the stall.
He went to the sink and washed his hands; even if he didn’t throw up, he still felt like he needed to wash. He took a glance in the mirror. Surprised, he did a double-take at his reflection. His hair, which was usually dark black, had changed to a light brown. His skin also appeared to be paler. He rubbed the mirror to make sure it wasn’t distorted in any way.
His goatee fell off, leaving a smooth face. William gaped as he rubbed his chin. It was completely smooth like he had just shaved. No, even smoother than that. His sideburns also peeled off. William thought his face looked strange.
The skin under his shirt began to itch. He lifted his shirt, and a bunch of chest hair fell out. He rubbed his soft stomach and chest. Panicking, William started to search everywhere. His arms, legs, and even his private parts were all absent of any hair.
Fear gripped him; he thought maybe he had somehow gone through some sort of radiation or disease where all of his hair fell out. He looked at the hair on top of his head, half expecting it to be falling out as well. Unexpectedly, it was even thicker and longer than before. It had also changed color again. His hair was now a pale reddish color, almost pink. William didn’t know how his hair could be that strange color and still look completely natural. Looking closer, his hair was visibly growing. He grabbed a fistful of hair, trying to force it to stop.
Closing his eyes, William tried to calm down. He took deep breaths; in and out, in and out. Like he did whenever he became overstressed, he began to think of his favorite movie scenes. He even managed a smile as he thought he might gain superpowers as a result; he knew it wouldn’t happen, but it still cheered him up. He couldn’t deny something was changing him. He carefully opened his to see further changes.
William’s hair stopped growing as it hit his shoulders. He couldn’t deny that his new hair looked beautiful, like an actress’s haircut. William looked completely different with his hair like this. Something tugged at his shirt, causing him to look down.
William was wearing a collared plaid shirt with the top button undone; he had the sleeves rolled up and a plain white shirt underneath. The sleeves of his shirt and his undershirt began dissolving. He stared in fascination. He thought his shirt would completely disappear, but it only changed to a light pink button-down vest. The top few buttons were undone, revealing his now smooth chest.
He felt a breeze brush against his legs. He looked further down and saw his jeans had become shorts. No, a skirt. They revealed very silky smooth legs.
Before William could fully comprehend why his clothes were changing, he felt a tingle on his face and his eyes were drawn back to the mirror. His facial structure completely changed. His harder features softened and cheekbones rose a little. His eyes became rounder and changed to purple.
A pretty face stared back at William through the mirror. Her eyes were wide with shock, and her mouth was open with disbelief. A switch seemed to flip in William’s mind; it was like he was watching himself through a movie. He was only an observer. The girl in the mirror seemed to calm down; he did think she looked a little odd with a flat chest and broad shoulders. William waited expectantly for the next scene to happen.
‘I left the theater about forty-five minutes ago,’ William thought idly, ‘I bet Carol’s wondering where I am.’ The girl in the mirror seemed to smile a little bit, as he pondered what Carol’s reaction would be if she saw him like this. The change continued once again.
William’s shoulders began to ache as if he had been weightlifting for hours. Looking in the mirror, the girl’s shoulders were shrinking, becoming more petite. William lifted his arms and saw most of the muscle was gone. The ache in his shoulders faded away and pressure built up in his chest. Despite himself, William’s heart began to race. He knew what was going to happen next; he was both excited and afraid.
The pressure continued to build; William was forced to bend over the sink and clutch his chest. The girl in the mirror did the same. He felt something begin to press against his hands clutching his chest. It started as two small mounds, but they continued to develop. The pressure continued to increase, so much that he felt his chest would burst. He looked down at his chest and he could see them rising. The mounds became more tight and shapely. Finally, the pressure subsided. William managed to lift himself enough to look in the mirror.
The girl gazed back at William; she was complete, as far as he could tell. Everything about her seemed perfect. She didn’t have any makeup on, but she was still pretty. Her hair was bright and smooth. She was shorter than William, but not by much. She was younger too, maybe 20 years old. He unbuttoned the vest to reveal her bare breasts; they matched perfectly with her size, not too big or too small. He touched them gently; the soft skin sent little thrills through his body.
William looked down and saw that he had a slimmer waist and wider hips. His jeans had been replaced by a short purple miniskirt. He checked between his legs; his manhood was no longer there. He knew it would be gone, but it still felt a little strange to be without it. His boxers had transformed into white panties. Something wrapped around his chest and supported his breasts. A bra.
He stared wide-eyed at his new body. He made the girl do various poses to show off her whole body. As the girl was in the middle of a pose, William saw movement out of the corner of his eye; a guy with his mouth and eyes wide open was standing in the doorway. William remembered he was still in the bathroom; the men’s bathroom. The girl also had her vest completely unbuttoned. Quickly, William buttoned up the vest and left with a bright red face.
Once he was far enough away, William found a window where he could see his reflection again. He found the pretty pink-haired beauty once again. He wondered how this had happened; even more odd was how calm he felt. Everything still felt surreal, like it wasn’t happening to him; it was like he was just giving commands to the girl, but she had a mind of her own. Most people didn’t even look at her, though some did give a curious glance at her pink hair. She was just a regular girl. William wanted to test something out.
A few minutes later, the movie he was watching ended. He saw Carol walk out of the theater, not looking especially happy. William couldn’t blame her since her date had just left her alone. He took a deep breath and waved at Carol.
“Carol, hey Carol,” William yelled in an excited feminine voice. He almost faltered at how different the girl’s voice was.
Carol looked up questioningly. “Yes?”
William had the girl rush over and grab Carol’s hands, causing Carol to become a little uncomfortable. The girl said, “Oh my gosh, I’m so glad that I found you. I just ran into my cousin, William, and he looked terrible. He was moaning and holding his stomach, and he just didn’t look very good. I took him back; he should be alright now.”
Carol could only nod at the odd girl in front of her.
The girl continued, “Anyway, I know my cousin was taking you out for a date, and it’s lame that it ended as it did. That’s why I’m here. I’ll take good care of you, so you don’t have to worry about anything. Luckily for you, I’ve got some free time. Who knows, we might even become friends in the process. Oh my gosh, look at that store…” William had the girl pull Carol’s arm to pull her along.
“Thanks,” Carol managed to say and the girl led her into a store. After a few moments of Carol getting used to her personality, they began chatting like best friends. They joked with each other and tried on different outfits.
A few hours later, they waved their goodbyes. William smiled; he had so much fun. It was so easy to act like someone else in this body; it gave him a thrill and pleasure. As he drove back to his apartment, he had an excellent idea of what he could do with his new body.
Once he got back, William sent a message to his workplace that there was an emergency in his family, and he needed to quit to go back home. Next, he wrote to his family about how he was going to travel the world, and he wouldn’t be able to contact them at all; he wasn’t particularly close to his family, but it was a precaution that he didn’t want a surprise visit.
After he cut off all ties with friends, family, and co-workers, William got to work. He researched different acting auditions for the next movies. Once he was able to secure a few different auditions, he began practicing his acting ability.
Everything came so easily; he could completely get into any role. On the last day before the auditions, William created the personality of the girl who would be trying out. She would be a little timid and humble off stage but have confidence in her acting ability. She would be nice to the fans, but strong enough to not let anybody take advantage of her. Her name would be Wendy. William was excited to see what she could do.
Finally, it was time for auditions. Wendy waited anxiously in line for her turn. She wasn’t nervous enough that she would make a mistake, but it was enough to give her a thrill. There was no doubt in her mind that she would get a part. It was time to show the world what she could do.
William waited with excitement; his whole life was now like he was watching a movie. He couldn’t be happier.
The credits began to roll and the dim lights grew brighter.
“That was a good movie,” David said as he stretched. He was glad he got out of the apartment to relax for a bit. The stress ever since the cave had been draining him. He looked at Simon and David; it was good to have company outside of Sam.
Simon looked over. “Yep. Shall we go?” Both David and Riley nodded. As they walked out, Simon said, “Why don’t you come over to our apartment, David? We’d love to have you over. Right, Riley?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind,” Riley said.
David thought for a short time; it should be fine if he was careful. “Sure, sounds fun.” David looked at Riley, “Do you have any games that I could try out?”
“Yep,” Riley said, and then gave a small smile; that was the first smile David had seen him give. “But I doubt you’ll be able to beat me in any of them.”
“We’ll see about that,” David replied, giving a smile back. They walked a little bit more. David spoke up again. “Um, my cousin might want to come over when she gets off work. She’s a pretty big gamer. Is that alright?”
Simon nodded, “The more the merrier.” Riley also seemed to brighten at the prospect of a girl over at his home.
As David walked out of the theater, he saw a pretty girl with pink hair and a vest outside talking energetically; David thought idly about how she made that pink hair feel so natural. The thoughts of the pink-haired girl quickly fled as the anticipation of playing games with a friend filled his mind.
It had been a good day. David felt content, almost forgetting all the problems he had.
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