The Conversion

by DK Andrews

beautifully, and I can see my defined feminine shape. I close the zipper at the back and look at myself in the mirror. “Is that really you?” I whisper, touching my reflection in the mirror. I imagine myself walking around the University again and seeing him. Will I see him again?

  Nicole knocks on the door. “Are you dressed?”

  “Yes, come in.”

  “Look at you! You look radiant!”She comes close to me and shakes her head.“You look so lovely. Turn around.”

  I do a little spin for her.

  “But maybe take off that black bracelet, it doesn’t quite suit the dress.”

  “I will,” I say, touching the bracelet with my hand. I wish I could.

  She raises my arms to get a better look at how the dress fits.

  “What happened here?” Nicole asks sweetly, referring to my scars.

  “Oh nothing,” I say self-consciously, “just some old battle wounds.”

  “Well,” she says, tactfully changing the subject and reaching back into her closet, “I think this white cardigan will go perfectly with the dress.”

  I try it on, and sure enough, it fits perfectly and does go well with the dress.

  “Do you like it?” Christina asks as I look in the mirror.

  “I really do.”

  “You know what I was thinking, Alina? Maybe you and Micah can stay here tonight.”

  “Well…” I say hesitantly.

  “I won’t take no for an answer. My place is closer to the city anyway. I will drop Micah off at school.

  Without thinking, I wrap my arms around Christina and begin to cry. “Thank you,” I whisper.“Thank you so very much.”I feel the warmth of Christina’s body. I don’t want to let her go.

  “Of course,” she says calmly. “I’m happy to help. Now go and change. I’ll get you some pajamas, and when you’ve changed, we can watch a movie.”

  The evening is spent in the laughter and enjoyment of comfy pj's, movie and popcorn. Tomorrow’s preparation session doesn’t even cross my mind. That night I slept soundly with a smile on my face.

  PERFECT STRANGER

  “Don’t you look lovely today,” Dr. Kismen comments as we enter the glass room.

  “Thank you,” I say, blushing. I’m not used to getting compliments; it feels awkward.

  “Are you ready?”

  My heart is pounding with nerves and excitement. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  “You seem anxious.”

  “No, I’m fine, let’s get started.”

  “Alright,” Dr. Kismen says as she adjusts the helmet.

  I close my eyes and wait. It feels as if time has stood still. When I open my eyes, I find myself standing on the grounds of my old high school. This will surely be a disaster. Nothing good happened here. As I begin to run, I see a group of people approaching me. I need to avoid them. I can’t face this. Not bullying, not right now. I turn and walk in the opposite direction. I want to escape, but I’m too late: the next thing I know I’m surrounded by a wicked group of teenagers. They are laughing at me and shuffle my backpack amongst them, they kick it and step on it. I can’t protect myself against so many people. I need to get to Novus. Crying and begging for them to stop only seems to instigate more cruelty.“STOP!” I yell, but nobody hears me. Everyone is laughing. It’s just a cause of amusement for them to see the pain and suffering of another. I need to break through somehow. I gather my strength and punch the boy in front of me right in the face, as hard as I can. The hit is ignored, of course. It’s not part of the memory and just seems to dissolve into nothing.

  Suddenly, the voice of my physics teacher echoes across the field. “What are you guys doing?” The bullies all turn to look, and I seize the opportunity to slip out between a pair of boys holding my backpack. Grabbing my pack, I run like hell out away from that school and head toward the Novus Center.

  When I get there, I find no trace of Nicole or Sophie. I wonder if I will ever see them again.

  Distraught and alone, I walk around Novus. My intuition leads me to the Faculty of Science building. As I get closer to the building, I can feel that he is there. I feel a nervous kind of energy; it tingles through me like an electrical current starting at my head and gathering in my toes, gluing me to the ground. I can’t move. He sees me and observes me carefully as if watching an exotic animal at the zoo. He walks my way, and I’m dreading the moment of our encounter.

  “I was hoping I would see you again,” he says, his voice smooth and profound. His eyes are a deep, vivid baby blue, and this close, I’m able to also see the flecks of silver that sparkle in the sun. He has distinct cheekbones and an angular jaw, his pale skin makes him look devilishly handsome.

  “Oh, um…” I say, at a loss for words. I point randomly at the air, probably looking silly. I’m trying hard to utter a word. I touch the side of my head and concentrate. I feel extremely uncomfortable; I don’t want him to look at me.

  “Can’t you talk?” he says, looking concerned.

  “Yes, yes, sorry.” My palms are sweaty, and I tilt my head down in embarrassment. “I wasn’t prepared to talk to anyone.”

  “I wasn’t either, but I’m glad you are here,” he says with a smile.

  What might he want from me?

  He extends his hand. “I’m Gabriel.”

  “Alina,” I reply, anxiously slipping my hand into his big wide palm, and then abruptly pulling it back. Something about touching him doesn’t feel right.

  “Nice to meet you,” he says, a bit taken aback at my reaction to his offer of a handshake.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “I guess the same thing as you,” he responds with a smirk, “trying to picture my sad life in brighter colors.”

  He must be a Dator. I nod to him.

  “I’m so happy I can talk to someone,” Gabriel says. “Everyone here just ignores me.”

  “Makes sense if they are not part of your memories.”

  Gabriel raises an eyebrow; he’s got no clue what I’m talking about. We seem to have had entirely different experiences with the preparation process. A heavy silence settles over us. Then I ask, “How old are you?”

  “I’m 18,” he says. “And you?”

  “Same.”

  “That’s it?” Gabriel asks, seemingly astonished.

  “I guess I look older.” I bite my lip.

  “No, no,” he says, floundering, “I just—”He inches forward.“Do you want to go for a walk with me?”

  I slowly drag my feet ahead and follow Gabriel. As we walk, I wonder why he would want to end his life so young? Trouble in the family? Bullying at school?

  He breaks the silence. “I always wanted to study here,”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah, why not?” he laughs. “Look around. This campus is amazing, so much natural beauty.”

  “It is lovely,” I say. “What did you want to study at the University?”

  “Medicine.”

  Gabriel looks down. “It will probably never happen now.”He looks up at me and says, “Cute dress, by the way.”

  I blush and lose my speech. I have to work hard not to succumb to my emotions.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  “Oh, well, I…” I randomly gesture with my fingers. I’m out of my comfort zone. I want to get back into my shell and hide.

  “Are you all right?” Gabriel asks.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I say. I have to be on guard, I need to find out who he is and what he wants from me.

  We are about halfway to the Novus Center. I see a bench, so I slow down. “Can we sit?” I ask.

  “Sure.”

  The sun is shining, and it’s pleasant outdoors. This part of the city looks charming. I should have come here more often before instead of wasting my time in my own neighborhood.

  I tilt my head up and breathe in the fresh air.

  “You like it out here?” Gabriel asks.

  “I do.” I smile nervously.�
�It’s nice.”

  The air helps clear my head. I don’t think I should just assume Gabriel is a Dator. I have no proof. I turn my eyes to his arms; he’s not wearing a bracelet. I shift my gaze to his shoulders. I can’t look him in the face.

  “Tell me about yourself,” Gabriel says, showing off his white teeth.

  I shrug my shoulders. “There’s nothing to know, really. My life is pretty boring: I have no friends, high school was torture, I hate my house and my mother.”

  Gabriel is incredulous. He shakes his head in disbelief. “Shouldn’t have asked,” I say with a grin.

  “Well,” he said, “I just wasn’t expecting that. There must be something good in your life. It can’t be all depressing.”

  “There is nothing good about my life,” I sigh.“Living is torture: you fight for survival while haunted by the past.”Gabriel inches closer to me. I keep my distance. “Actually to be fair, my little brother,” I say, thinking of Micah. “He’s my only happiness.”

  “See, your life isn’t all bad. In fact, it’s pretty damn good. You’ve got someone you love, and he loves you back.”

  His eyes penetrate my soul. His words hit my heart. “I guess.” I don’t sound convinced.

  “How old is your brother?”

  “Micah? He’s nine. He’s so smart and precious—just wonderful.”

  “I’m sure he is. I hope I get to meet him someday.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t think that will happen.”

  “So, if you hate your mother so much, who’s paying for your new life?”

  My heart leaps. “Inheritance,” I say quietly, looking down. From the corner of my eye, I notice two figures approaching us in the distance. I stand and squint. It must be Sophie and Nicole.

  “Do you know them?” Gabriel asks.

  “I do,” I say, running toward them. Sophie runs