"Mmm…" Groaning at the unfamiliar pain pulsing on the side of my head, I slowly began to open my eyes. As I began to slowly feel my limbs one by one, something like a haze of emotions and thoughts I knew were foreign to my own; calling out to me, before just as quickly disappearing. Soon after my fingers began to twitch as I regained the ability to touch and move, which I had not yet noticed until only after my mind cleared.

My eyesight was still shaky, but peering out in front of me I saw dozens of unfamiliar faces looking over to my general direction, whispering. Thinking something was behind me, I attempted to turn my body around only to then notice I was being held. Glancing down, I realized a woman tightly embrassing me with her face was buried in my shoulder.

"Oh, thank the Lords; you're alive!", she said, nuzzling further into me.

"W-Who!?"

"Who!?" She quickly pushed me away by the shoulders, "Hezek…?"

With the sunspots and light wrinkles around her eyes, she appeared to be middle age; most likely mid-thirties. Her bright, green eyes popped against her tan complexation. Her brown hair was held back with what seemed like a yellow, cloth bandana that was lightly dusted with some ash.

"Hezek?" Parroting the name, I then look down onto myself. The first thing I noticed were the scrapes and cuts on my knees, but past that was how weirdly small they appeared. Then it were the clothes; I was not wearing a dress, but trousers with a loose, white shirt. It was then I realized what had just happened.

She wiped the side of my head with her apron. "Hezek, honey, do you remember who I am?"

I quickly began to panic. Ignoring the woman's question, squirmed myself free and turned around to scan the ground. She continued to call out to me while grapping my shoulder, but after I shook it off a few times she stopped. The whispers behind me got louder.

Then, only a couple feet in front of me, was an object that glisten from the evening's glow. I quickly crawled towards it, ignoring the pain from my wounded knees.

Picking up the golden pendent, I gave a solemn laugh, "She never said anything about becoming a man…"

A series of events soon followed after that tragic moment. Still gripping onto the pendent in denial, this boy's mother grabbed my hand and dragged me to the town's doctor; of course, without first giving me a stern scolding. During such, I learned that apparently I was somewhat of a daredevil, and the injuries this body had sustained from one of many stunts. But when the mother and later father further questioned my motives, I quickly became overwhelmed and shouted 'I don't know why!'. The outburst did not help me much either, though. Instead, it worried them even more to the point that instead moved onto bombarding me with questions of my childhood, which I still couldn't answer.

It was only when they left to discuss with the doctor that I had a moment to myself. I stared at the pendent the Goddess gave me, tracing each and every curve while the pulsing nerves on my knees become more and more apparent to me. It was then that I was fully able to comprehend this new reality of mine, despite how it very well appeared to be a nightmare to me.

"Why has it come to this…" By now the sun has already set and I was laying in this boy's bed, head hidden underneath the sheets. "Is this part of what she meant 'grow' as a person?"

My childhood was anything had very little happy memories. Though the one person that probably contributed to most of my difficulties in life now is my brother, which gave me the fear of men that curses me to this day. Even with Marcus, the only man I found myself the closest to, there were some difficulties in our interactions.

And yet here I am, in the body of a male. I have yet to even take a look at myself, and I don't intend to anytime soon. But…my anxiety is not helping me with that.

I rarely left Marcus and I's home, and even when I did for things like food, he would always come with to bring me out of an protentional anxiety attack. So you can imagine my current state in a place completely foreign to me. Yet, combined with this child's bladder and the distress I'm feeling, the chances of me making it through this night without wetting the bed is extremely unlikely, which is an absolutely horrifying realization for an adult like me.

But even so, seeing that will probably make my fragile willpower crack - I never even saw my husband's because I always insisted for us to be in the dark. For me to see it on me…no, no, bad thoughts go away!

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"…Should I just cover my eyes?"

Squirming in bed while pondering whether or not I valued my pride more than fear, I heard a sudden knock. My body quickly began to tremble from already being on edge, though my cursed curiosity somehow propelled me to follow to the sound to a window. Then, a hand shot up and grabbed ahold of the sill.

"E-Eek!" I could only muster a squeak; the darkness hindered the details I could see, but it was quite clear from the wiggling of the lock that they were desperate to come in. Is this a kidnapping? Why now, I just came here! Goddess!!!

Cursing inside my head as my panic only grew exponentially, I crawled my way under the bed, covering my mouth to try and mask my pants. Moments later, I heard the window hinges move as the cold, evening breeze invaded the room. But, there was no other noise like footsteps or a voice. And granted I was pressed for time, but underneath the bed is the most obvious place there is to hide! If the kidnapper was here, would he not check there first? Unless…

"Dream…yes, it has to be a nightmare!" I whispered under my breath. It has to be, right? It only makes sense that the wear from earlier caused me to unknowingly pass out. I am amazed I noticed this quickly, is this perhaps the work of the Goddess? Has she given me the ability to resist the cruelity of my mind?

Convinced this was all but a nightmare, I closed my eyes tight, focusing on every inch of my body to get myself up.

"…What are you doing, Hezak?" A voice broke my concentration, and when I opened my eyes instinctively, I saw an upside down face only a few inches away from me. Before everything went to black, I felt a warmth pooling around my lower body.

----------------------------------------

It's been a couple days since that night, and I have since refused to come out of my bedroom until everyone is asleep.

Apparently, Hezak had many friends that would visit him at night to go out and play. The boy on that particular day was Liam, which according to him, was my best friend that lives just next door. Though just by listening to his infuriating voice and mannerism these past few days, I have a hard time believing that.

"Come on…" he plead through the door, "It's not my fault that I thought you were faking memory loss; you do this all the time to get out of stuff!"

…I take that back. If that's true, him and Hezak seemed to feed into each other's tomfoolery.

"Liam, it'll be dinner soon." Hezak's mother chimed in, "Your mother said it's your favorite, so you best hurry over before it's all gone."

"Grilled fish!?" Liam gasped in excitement, "Thank you, Mrs. Quill!"

I heard quickened footsteps fade in the distance. Finally, he is gone.

"Hezek, you too." The woman's voice softened, "I know you probably do not remember, but I made your favorite. Please come out."

Like usual I did not reply. Yeah, I already know this so pitiful of me; back to square one even after being given a second chance of life. It isn't like I want to spend my time like this either, you know? But…I guess it's true when they say old habits die hard, and with my current anxiety, I know no other way of dealing with it.

"He is not out yet?" a man's voice reached my ears. I only heard him briefly the day they brought me into the doctor, but it seems to be the voice of this body's father. First time I am hearing him since then.

"Yeah…" Her voice drew out, making me imagine she is slumping a little. "The doctor said to give him time, but I'm worried about him being cooped up for too long."

"Ah, screw the doc." The man said, "The only way this boy is going to get better is if he goes out and rediscovers what he's missing!"

I heard the doorknob jiggle violently, causing me to throw off the blanket laying on my head,"W-Wait!"

"Life waits for no one, son!" The moment he said that, the door broke open with the father rushing inside, picking me up from underneath my arms. "Alina, pack up some of that sweet bread. This boy is going to go over to Liam's house to thank him for coming out here and make amends."

I wanted to refute for obvious reasons, but something about being grabbed by a big, burly man with a deep, intimidating voice made me clam up.

After shooing me out of the door with only a jacket and a pair of shoes, the woman showed up with a small basket, "You remember where he is? Oh, of course not…He is just up front - right over there!"

Moving my gaze, I saw a similar house straight ahead from me. The only main difference seems to be the greenery, though. I wonder if his mother likes to garden? Oh, wait, are those-

After being briefly distracted by the greenery, I heard the door slam behind me. "Ah…"

I am beginning to see where Hezak got his impulsiveness from. Compared to the mother which seem passive and cautious in how she approaches me, the father is more brash. I mean, why should I apologize for somebody else's actions? He was the one that had the impotent idea to break into my room in the middle of the night; it's only fair I get at least a little mad, right?

I grip onto the basket as I feel the wind cause a chill to go up my spine. I look up to see my room's window, which is a floor up from the front door. There are very few ways to climb up, all of which needed upper body strength to even accomplish. Is he perhaps stronger than he looks…? Ah, now I am even more nervous to meet him; I don't know what I'll do if the two were known to rough-house.

But still, I knew there was no way I could get back inside until after I give Liam the bread. The door is locked, and the father's face clearly conveyed that I had no way to convince him to undo it. The wife is bound to back him up, too.

Complementing whether I should just hide out in a shed until night, I heard a few voices from behind me. Turning around, I realized a few of the neighbors were talking among each other while pointing or staring at me. This is the second time, but now I was actually understand the weight of it.

Do I look weird? Is it because I've been standing here for a while with no real purpose? Or, perhaps…Do they know who I am? Can they see right through me?

I felt my heart darken as the worry of being exposed as an imposter. What would they do if they found out? Nobody would believe it's a Goddess' blessing - I'm more likely to be labeled as a witch and lynched for heresy.

I tucked my head down further into my chest before running to the house. I tried to avoid eye contact, but I could feel their gazes crawling up my back.

It's unnerving. I feel disgusting. I don't want to be noticed like this.

I knocked franticly,"E-Excuse me!"

The door opened before I gave another knock. "Hm? Well, isn't this a welcome surprise! Hezek, how do you do?"

"U-Um, um…" Caught a bit off guard to the question but eager to just get myself out of the public view, I gave up trying to give an elegant response and just shoving the basket up to her, hiding my head underneath. "I-I brought sweet bread!"

"Oh my, isn't that just kind." Her voice fluttered, "Liam, Hezek came with desert!"

Once again, before I could get another word the woman called her son over, and just like when he rushed back home for dinner, I could see his feet just before she finished the word 'desert'.

"Hezek, you came! You really, really came!" Inching the basket down, I saw Liam jumping up and down in joy as his eyes seemed to beam happiness. I felt my body suddenly grow weak in the realization that I probably was better off hiding out in a bush than with him.