I keep it as “Natural Woman Package”

I don’t want to even think about what kind of side-effects there are with this implant. Ms. Stephens does lower her voice when talking closely with one of the other guys, but I’m able to hear some of it. He is considering changing it to a customized package. The liaison confidently tells him if he wants to go that route, then he will have loads of side-effects, some of which could be intensified. So, I don’t change anything and go with what was preselected: “Natural Woman Package.”

The liaison speaks up, seeing that half of us are done with our paperwork, “If you are happy with the selections provided, then you can proceed directly to an implantation station in one of the rooms in this hall. Then come back here and get to know each other while you wait for the others."

Having signed every document and made sure everything was correct, I get up and exit the room into one of the open doors in the same hall of the clinic. As I walk in, the specialist inside looks up and greets me. She comes and takes my clipboard. “Mr. Gibson. My name is Angela and I’ll be your implantation specialist,” she says and shakes my hand. “Go ahead and sit on the examination table.” I push myself up on the table with my legs hanging off the side of it. “So, the Natural Woman Package. It’s the best one we have that doesn’t have all the nasty side-effects attached to it. You could say it’s our best, reserved for the best students. You can thank your high school grades for that.” She brings over a metal tray with some unusual stuff on it. Thankfully, she continues to speak to me, distracting me from the needles and other stuff on the tray. “And while you’re enrolled in school and with the implant active, your name will be Eliza, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right,” I tell her, clearly nervous. “Do I have to remove my shirt or something?”

“No, you don’t have to. The implant is incredibly small and I’ll be sticking it in your neck. You’ll feel a bit woozy after I activate the implant, so I recommend lying down once I tell you to.” Angela walks behind the table and pulls down the collar of my shirt. Without warning, I feel a sharp pinch to the side of my neck. Before I know it, the pinch is gone, with only a small pain from where the needle entered my skin. The specialist holds a cold device to my neck, momentarily relieving me of the pain I feel, then I hear an audible beep from the same device. “Alright Elijah, you can go ahead and lie down.”

As I’m lying there, the specialist walks over to the door and I hear her close it. I guess this is the short moment where Elijah becomes Eliza. My body feels hot, but it’s more intense on my head, on my chest and between my legs. It is so unfamiliar to me that I close my eyes for what seems like an eternity. I’m unaware of how long it last, as the heat that I felt at the beginning seems to linger. It’s only when I feel a hand on my shoulder do I open my eyes.

“Alright, Eliza. It’s all done. Congratulations,” Angela says above me. “Take your time and rest. The transformation is different for each student. Some feel incredibly hot, like they have a fever. Others feel like their whole body becomes numb when it happens.” I take her word for it, agreeing that I’m in the first boat. As I start to cool down and the nauseating feeling in my head starts to lift, I slowly push myself up. There is a mirror towards the direction I’m facing. In the mirror, wearing some oversized clothes is… me. But it’s not Elijah I see. This young woman wearing some men’s clothes is the new me, Eliza. I can’t see much with the clothes that are on my new body. All I can see is that I have an attractive face, pretty smile, and long brown hair that flows from the top of my head.

The door opens and entering the room is the liaison, Ms. Stephens. She walks up to the examination table and smiles. “How’s it feel, Eliza?”

“Different,” I simply say, in my new, feminine voice no less.

“Most of the students who sign up for the Program say that. Hopefully, by the end of today, you’ll feel more comfortable in your new body,” she says. “But now that you are a young woman, there’s something I need to discuss with you: pregnancy. I believe many students, males and females alike, underestimate the power it has not only on your physical body, but on your studies, your career and your future, wherever that may be four years from now. Maybe you weren’t interested in men before, so you think this discussion doesn’t apply to you. Trust me, you might feel differently now. Many participants find their sexuality much more fluid than it used to be after their change.”

I took sex education in high school. My parents all drilled in me common sense in my body and natural things it tends to do. They taught me that my brain was the best offense against what the world tells young people what could be beneficial once you have sex. But I don’t think they prepared me for living as a woman and how sexuality, fluid or not, could potentially get me in trouble. However, I did not transform into Eliza and I would not be getting dropped into college life without important information to consider. This is the purpose of Ms. Stephens and all the specialists here in the clinic. To be me and my colleagues support system against the patterns of this world.

Ms. Stephens continues, “But if you’re going to be having sex with men, at all, and want the chance to change back to your old body after graduation, then you’ll need to avoid getting pregnant in your new body. Becoming pregnant will make your change irreversible. Now, If you actually do want to get pregnant, then you can skip the rest of this talk.” She actually stops talking right then and there, to wait for any reaction from me. I shake my head, conveying to her that I do intend on changing back to a man after my time in university. With a smile, she resumes. “Even if you know already that you want this body forever, I’d recommend waiting on motherhood until after graduation. College can be stressful enough without starting a family at the same time. But it's your body, so the decision is yours. Most forms of control aren't compatible with the trial you are participating in, the only standard options available are condoms and birth control pills. Let us know what you choose. Make sure you are diligent about whichever you use though. One time without a condom, or a single missed pill could be all it takes. If you get pregnant, of course you'll have options, but changing back to your old body won’t be one of them.”

Angela, my implant specialist, who had stepped aside earlier candidly adds, “You could also ask the guy to pull out before he ejaculates.”

Ms. Stephens looks at Angela, probably to silently reprimand her for her comment and then turns back to me. “Of course, it's your body now, so if you don't want to use any form of birth control then that's your choice. But even if you aren't planning on having sex, or not having it with guys, the pill can still help reduce or eliminate your period. But it's up to you.” I hadn’t thought about the pain girls feel when their monthly period comes along. Cassie had experience in that regard and only my mother had the knowledge to help her where my father, my older brother, Dylan, and I had no clue. “There is one additional option. There’s an experimental feature on your implant we can activate for you. It might prevent pregnancy and eliminate your periods. Let us know if you would like to hear more about it. There’s a good chance it will help. Though, there’s a small chance that it will make things worse. Again, it’s up to you, Miss Eliza.