Harold makes his choice

Harold still didn't really believe what he was doing, though the evidence of having watched his wife take her pill and the changes she went through was more than enough to convince him that the science was sound. The idea that he would become someone else, physically becoming someone different than what he was born as, that intrigued him. It also scared him, to an extent, but he figured that it would not be of any use to go back on his word now. Especially since Sandra, once she had transformed, had taken off and left behind the last vestiges of her original life and was now somewhere out there in the world. He doubted he would even know what to say if he encountered her...or rather him...again, anyway.

Still, as he looked at the packet on the table, he couldn't help but feel amazed at just how they managed to do things like this. The process was relatively simple, quick, and he had even told the agent who spoke with him how quickly it was handled once they were done. The woman just laughed and assured him that the money he had dropped for the product gave them the motivation to getting things squared away and settled. They were thorough, he gave them that much, and from the way that things were laid out for him, there was little question in his mind about what was going to happen.

"I can't believe you're going through with that."

He looked up from the packet at the person sitting across from him, his sister, Annabeth, smiled at him. He looked briefly down at the package in front of her as well and then cocked his head. "What's there to lose? Either I take this and live my life or stay like this and die in a year. Not that much of a difference, either way this life is fucked."

Annabeth patted his hand warmly. She had insisted on getting the package with him, figuring that she was not happy with her life either. She wasn't in as dire straits as he was, Stage 4 Testicular cancer, but she didn't come from a land of sunshine and daisies either. A battered woman her entire married life, she had run to him and he had expended a good deal of his reserves to fight her husband in court and then provided her with a small but comfortable means. He had always been a provider and carer for her, the only real father-figure in her life, which bugged the hell out of her when she ended up with that shit-face of an Ex. Hell, the kids were turned against her anyway and with no parents or family, there was little to stop her from doing it.

"Anyway, sorry for bringing it up, Beth..I know you meant something else."

"Nah, I'm going to enjoy the idea that my big-strong brother's going to be nothing but Tits and Ass soon." She playfully slapped him and he laughed a little before she looked down at the pill. "Still amazes me that this type of medicine exists. So what is this again...?"

"This is a PINK X-Tra Strength pill, supposed to last at least a month." He placed three extra tabs next to the one she had pulled out. "There's 4 total, figured I would give myself 4 months to live like this and see if it's something I wanted to do permanently or to try something else."

Annabeth nodded and handed it back to him. "I wonder which side of the family you'll take after? Didn't really know dad's side that well and mom...well, you could do worse than her, I guess." She looked at her pill. "As for me, shit, doesn't matter what I become, as long as I become someone else. I don't want any more of us out there, those two shitheads can take my half and die for all I care."

Harold laughed. "Well, I hope you'll be good to me."

"Same here." She took her pill and walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her, leaving Harold sitting at the table with the pill in front of him. With one last look around, he walked to his bedroom where there was a mirror and closed the door. It took only a few moments to be stripped of his clothing, the last time he would put on those clothes, he realized, and then made his way to stand in front of the mirror.

"Here goes," he breathed more to himself and popped the pill...