The library research

After a long search in the library, a file emerges containing a series of similar experiments in which the names of several people subjected to these tests appear. A small problem arises: the name of Thomas Jefferson comes up, but it is unclear what the female version of the name could be. This leads him to continue searching, but unfortunately without success, until a hand grab his shoulder, pulling him back.

As he turned, he saw Jake standing behind him, his expression sharp and questioning: “Why do you have Ethan’s backpack, his phone, and his t-shirt?” Jake demanded. “Where did you get them? And where the hell is Ethan? I haven’t been able to find him since this morning.”

Ethan hesitated, then slowly turned to face him, answering in his now femine voice: “Jake… it’s me. I was… transformed into a woman. That’s why—”

Jake burst out laughing, cutting him off. “What kind of joke is this? Seriously? That’s not funny at all. Honestly, it’s pathetic, it doesn’t even make me laugh.”

Not knowing what else to do, Ethan leaned forward, desperation in his eyes.

“Jake, listen to me. Do you remember that night in sophomore year, when the power went out and we sneaked into the gym to play basketball with a flashlight?”

Jake frowned, arms crossed. “Anyone could know that story.”

“Fine” Ethan shot back, “but no one else knows you broke your ankle because you tripped over your own shoelaces, before we even started playing. You made me swear never to tell anyone.”

Jake’s jaw tightened, but his eyes flickered.

“And what about the time we stole that stupid skeleton from the biology lab?” Ethan pressed on. “You hid it in your closet for a week until your roommate nearly passed out when he opened the door.”

Jake froze, his mouth half open. “Wait… how the hell do you know that?”

“Because it was me, Jake” Ethan said, his voice trembling, soft and high pitched. “It’s me. I’m Ethan.”

For a long moment, Jake just stared, his disbelief breaking apart piece by piece. Then he let out a shaky breath. “…Okay. Damn it, okay. I believe you. But… how? Why the hell are you like this?”

Ethan sighed. “I don’t know. The only clue is this call I got from some stranger, he said that from that moment on, I’d be a woman. I thought it was insane, until I looked in the bathroom mirror. And it was true, i have boobs and everything now!”

Jake dragged a hand down his face. “This is insane…”

“I went to the library” Ethan continued. “I found a file about someone else who’d been through the same thing. But there were no answers. Nothing that could fix this.” They exchanged a long, uneasy look, ethan could feel Jake perplexity but also his stare on his new body, that make ethan uneasy and excited at the same time, as his nipple got harder.

Finally, Jake nodded. “Alright. Let’s go back to the room. Maybe we can figure this out together.”

When they entered the dorm, one of their mates glanced up from his desk and smirked at Jake. “So, Jake… having some fun tonight?” he teased, nodding toward Ethan as if Jake had brought a girl into the room.

Ethan’s face turned red, but Jake shot the guy a glare. “Shut up, jerk” he muttered, before ushering Ethan inside and closing the door.

Inside the quiet of the room, Jake turned serious again. “Listen… if we don’t want people asking questions, we need to be careful. You can’t go around telling everyone you’re Ethan. They won’t believe you, and it’ll just make things worse.”

Ethan swallowed, unease twisting in his stomach. “So what am I supposed to do? Pretend to be someone else?”

Jake thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. From now on… we’ll call you Ella, and you'll be my cousin. It sounds close enough to Ethan, but it won’t raise suspicion. People will just think you’re here to visit me.”

“Ella…” Ethan whispered the name, testing how it felt on his tongue.

“It fits you, now” Jake said, trying to sound reassuring. “And until we figure out how to fix this, it’s safer. Deal?”

After a pause, Ethan—now Ella—gave a **** nod. “…Deal.”