Lips of Deceit

September 1994

All he’d done was fall off a skateboard and now he was laying in a hospital bed, bored out of his mind. He actually wished that he was at school right now. He flicked through the channels but there was nothing on. There was never anything on. He sighed and wished he had his walkman with him. Or that his friends would come visit him. He had only been in hospital for 3 days, but he missed Matt so much. Matt had been his best friend for 2 years and the two boys were inseparable.

But no, all because he fell off a stupid skateboard and fractured a bone in his leg, he was bored to death. He couldn’t be bothered to watch anymore TV, it was all chat shows anyway, and they sucked. He got a comic off the side, one that he had read a million times already but hey, it was better than nothing.

He didn’t even notice when a doctor came in and looked at his charts. He was too engrossed in his comic. The Doctor pulled a syringe out and started to inject something into his drip. He still didn’t notice anything.

Until it got to his body of course. He could feel it, like liquid ice racing through his body, but it was painful too. He cried out in pain, comic falling to the floor. He looked up at the doctor, who just nodded at him and left.

Then he passed out.

When he woke up again, he saw his regular doctor, 2 nurses and his parents sitting around him.

“You’re awake!” His mother bawled, clinging onto him.

“I’m fine.” He told her but froze. That wasn’t his voice. It sounded higher… more girly. “What… why is my voice like, like, like a girl’s?” Everyone looked at each other. “What?”

“Earlier today, you were accidentally injected with a new chemical that is being developed here called Tro-Oester.” His doctor told him. “It’s purpose is for the receiver to be able to change between genders.”

He looked up blankly at the doctor. “Meaning what?”

“Meaning, now you have been injected with the serum, you have the ability to be male or female.” The doctor paused. “And right now, you’re female.”

“What?” He screeched. One of the nurses got a mirror and held it in front of him. True enough, he looked like a girl. His hair was longer, his face looked more feminine and the voice… This was all messed up. He looked at his reflection again. He was a pretty girl, and it wasn‘t just because it was himself. But he was still confused though. “I’m a girl? I’m a fuc-”

“Watch your language!” His mother scolded him and he blushed.

“Sorry mom.” He (or should that be she now?) apologised.

“Doctor, what is this going to mean now?” His father asked.

“Your son will have the ability to change between being male or female.” The doctor turned to him. “All you should have to do is think of becoming either male or female, and it will happen.” He nodded and thought of his old self. He looked at his reflection again and saw he was back to normal. He sighed with relief. “From as far as we know with the tests, there are side effects.” The doctor continued explaining.

The doctor told them that he would have to become female at least 4 times a week for at least an hour or else he would be stuck as female for an entire week, without being able to change back. He listened the whole time, but thought about how weird this was for him. Well of course it was weird for anyone, but for a 12 year old boy being told that he was, in a way, now half female, it came as a bit of a shock.

Especially when he was told that when he was female, he would have fully functioning female organs. Did that mean that he could get pregnant? Eww.

“Is there anyway to reverse this doctor?” His father asked, no, pleaded to the doctor.

The doctor shook his head. “Unfortunately, this is an irreversible process. Zackary will have to live like this for the rest of his life.”