gender bender · permanent transformation · high school · identity crisis · body horror · sibling dynamics · viral outbreak · social displacement
The bathroom mirror reflects a stranger's gaze. Steam from the faucet curls in the air, and the humming fluorescent light casts a clinical glare over skin that is now pale, poreless, and impossibly soft. Your fingers tremble as they brush through long, silky light-brown hair that cascades past your shoulders—a sensation that feels entirely foreign, almost invasive. The boy who went to sleep last night has vanished; in his place stands a girl with wide, expressive eyes and a delicate, fragile jawline. The doorknob clicks, and the door swings open. Maya, still clad in her oversized, rumpled pajamas, blinks sleepily at you. Her eyes travel slowly from your face, down to the unfamiliar silhouette of your body, and her mouth drops open. "Wait... don't tell me you actually caught the virus to…