There is a young woman who had just arrived hours before

“Just the one,” my uncle says and right when he says this, a young woman dressed in a white swimsuit appears on the balcony overlooking the courtyard. With her blonde hair, over-sized sunglasses and a drink in her hand, she looks like she was cut straight out of a reality TV show.

“I can't find the pool, Uncle Nathan,” she says, alerting me that she may be part of my family. “Oh, is that Charles. What are the odds?” She leaves, not even sticking around to greet me.

My uncle turns around and states, “I have an answer for you if you have answers for me.” I nod slightly and follow him inside. “Hungry?”

“Starving. The food on the train was not to my liking,” I state. I follow him to where the kitchen is, the one place I fondly remember. There was a huge feast at the last party I attended and most of the family were gathered here. My uncle gestures to the larger dining table, where he has some serving dishes situated in the center.

He uncovers the dishes, revealing their contents. “Chili and hot dogs. Just something simple,” he says.

I take a seat in a chair perpendicular to the seat at the end, where I've trained myself to be the spot where the man of the house sits. He brings me a plate and utensils, then sits in the chair at the end, to which I'm not surprised. I plate my food, glad to have something savory versus the geriatric soup that I did not finish on my journey here. I scarf down my food as my uncle just sits there. I found his ability to watch people, observe their activity, though not be outwardly judging towards them awkward and creepy at first. But after learning from my mom that it's something he does, avoiding the attractive and addicting screens of social media. I've grown to expect that from him. It's only when I'm done with my small, yet filling, meal does he begin to speak up.

“You're not the first visitor to my home this year. That young lady that you saw, but did not recognize, is one of your cousins from your Aunt Lena's side. Edward was his name, but now he's asked me to address him as Roxanne,” my uncle explains. My heart drops in my chest. I guess my idea to provide him a female companion is no longer an original idea. “About a month ago, a distant cousin of yours, did the same thing, showed up as a young man, but dwelt in my house as a young woman. Unlike Roxanne, I came to enjoy the short time I had with him, well, her.”

I don't excuse myself just yet, but I do take my plate over to the sink and before I proceed to wash it, my uncle comes up and places as hand on my wrist.

“Allow me, Charles. As my visitor, I forbid you to do any work, especially since you just arrived,” he explains and I nod, turning off the faucet. “Come on. I'll let you pick a room to stay in.” We return to the foyer. He assists by hauling one of my suitcases and adds a comment about it. “Oh, I guess I got the lighter one.” We ascend up to the third floor and he asks, “Now, would you like a view of the fields or a view of the pool?”

“Isn't Roxanne at the pool?” I ask.

“You have a point,” he says with a chuckle. “Then a room with a view of the fields, it is.”

My uncle leads me down the hall to a door at the end. Through it is a large room with a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside. This high up, my view is not obstructed by the walls around the property nor do the trees within the walls block the sights that I see. As far as I can see, there are fields of varying colors surrounded by hills of green. In the distance, obscured by fog and haze are some mountains. “It's majestic,” I comment on the scenery.

“This was your Aunt Lena's study. This was her favorite vantage point in the house,” he says, with a voice that seemed riddled with remembrance. “If you can see outside the walls, a bit behind the pool house is a vineyard. You can also see the town over to this side.”

“Are you still... you know?” I ask, though I cannot seem to utter the word.

“Grieving?” my uncle asks. He bows his head, as if to stop himself from crying. When he regains his composure, he lifts his gaze and with a bit of struggle, answers. “Yes, I guess I still am.”

He goes for the door, but stops. He turns around and speaks up. “I know you did not announce your visit beforehand and while it's a surprise to see the son of my sister here, I can't help but wonder why you're really here. So, did you have any motive of you coming here out of the blue?” he asks, arms crossed across his chest.

His stance is the same intimidating pose I had seen when I was a teenager, so much so, that I was scared that he'd have a heavy hand when dealing with me. Maybe it's why I avoided going to his parties. But I challenge myself in this very moment. I stand before him, confident, sure of myself, though in the back of my mind, I probably look like a fool in his presence. I fish from the inside pocket of my coat the packet of pills, the bright package of X-Change clear in view. I state to him my ultimate plan in coming here. To provide him some female companionship by taking X-Change to turn me into a girl for the summer.

He bows his head and rubs his temples. There is a little shake that occurs and I read it as disappointment. Hell, I may be the third visitor of his that had the very same idea. He lifts his head and with a stern face, says, “If that is your plan, then you may go ahead with it. I bet you only have female clothes in those suitcases of yours. I won't stop you and whatever idea you may have. But thank you at least for being honest. Now if you excuse me, I need some time to myself. You may get yourself settled for the time being.”

I close the door and lock it and proceed to open my suitcases and unload all of my clothes into the dressers and closet provided. Once I'm done, I stow the suitcases into the closet and take out a single X-tra Strength pill. I take it, chasing it down with a water bottle from my backpack. The change is fast-acting, but unlike my first time at the clinic, the change is more drawn out. About two to three minutes pass until I'm fully my female self. My body is thankfully not like the blonde I saw earlier. Her breasts were bigger as was her butt. My physique is leaning more towards athletic, while Roxanne leans more towards bimbo. I wonder if my cousin had the gall take pill with hat very Flavor.

I step out of my pants, which conveniently fall to my ankles. I remove the shirt and coat I'm wearing, which became like a heavy-duty dress on my shorter frame. I immediately dress myself in a matching set of cotton underwear and put on a simple outfit. A pair of jeans with a V-neck T-shirt and a zip-up hoodie. I finish by putting on socks and a pair of sneakers.