Part 8

I woke feeling about the same as I always did. Wrapping up in the covers had left me sweaty in a way which soon dried in the morning coolness of the room. I had to stretch a bit to get the aches out. Turning, I looked at the device and the controller. They were in the same place on the table.

I held both in my hands. What was the worse that could happen? The delay got longer? There were still fail-safes. It wasn’t as though I would suddenly turn into a real anime girl. And, despite the glitches, the faint watermark had still been there.

Debating it a while, I heard the far-off sounds of Allison cooking in the kitchen but I couldn’t hear clearly enough to tell if he still had a high but variable voice. I cracked my wrists and set the controller and the device back down where they’d been. Later.

First, I walked out into the hallway and made my way to the kitchen. A peek through the doorway told me that Allison was a boy. He waved to me and said in a starkly high-pitched voice, “Hello, sweetie. Did you sleep well?”

I grimaced a second and let myself have a smile as I told him, “I guess so. Yourself?”

The oven was preheating and he was sautéing something in a pan. Keeping his concentration on his cooking, he told me, “Gloriously. I put the device back on before I went to sleep and I slept like that in one of my silkiest outfits. And I had dreams. Special dreams.”

It had been a while. I sat at the table as I asked for more details and figured out that Allison was cooking a frittata in his usual way. I served myself some juice and listened as he explained his dream.

“It wasn’t in any of the worlds I’ve dreamed about before. So, that makes it five I’ve seen. Unless things have changed a lot in one of the four. This one had Kinrae in it.”

My eyes widened and I looked up from my juice.

Apparently, the Kinrae had recently arrived in this world. They were known by the same name, but Allison relayed a key difference to me about them, “Some of them are anime boys too!”

It wasn’t a majority but a good portion of them were male, although in a mold which sounded closer to an anime version of boy Allison than anything. Hair colors just as varied. Not that much taller than the girl Kinrae.

Allison didn’t run into me or any of our roommates because he was still living with his family. And he was male in this universe, although not far from his usual appearance.

There were more specific details than usual in Allison’s description. To everything I asked, he explained it with the same depth as anything that might be described in front of us. He noted, “It was the most vivid dream I’ve ever had. I’ve had really strong special dreams and ones where I just remember something of an events summary. This time, it was like I was right there even more vividly than usual. I just was that other Allison, which left me confused when I woke up in bed. Took me a minute to realize what happened.”

I pondered that and wondered aloud if the device was responsible. Allison giggled, “That would be neat, if so. First it gives me the best voice for acting and other sorts of fun and now it makes my dreams even more detailed. I may not give it back.” He winked and giggled as he went to the next step of cooking.

I went back to sipping my juice. If I had left the device on overnight then would I have had those sorts of dreams too? Perhaps there was something to the “swiss-cheese” universes theory. I let Allison continue with his little, vivid recollections of changes in street names and the way it was warmer there today than it was here.

After putting the meal in to cook, he sat next to me with his arms folded and asked, “So what’s bothering you?” After a look from me, he noted, “I can tell. What happened? Is it my voice?”

I could’ve just told him that was it. But I took a breath and told him instead, “I have a delay on my device.”

As I explained what I meant, his eyes widened as he jumped in, “You mean…for a few seconds, you just were an anime girl?” He leaned forward, his excitement obvious. I returned a slight smirk. “I still have the watermark. It’s a glitch or something. Like what happened to you.”

With a soft squeak and a shrug, Allison offered, “Not a bad glitch. Maybe it’s reading your mind and giving you what you want…to be a cute Kinrae? I know I love my new voice.” He held a high, sonorous note for emphasis.

There came the shiver. I liked anime girls. I loved Kinrae. But the device was not meant to make people into Kinrae, no matter what speculations flew around. And, besides, I didn’t want that. Being a girl, anime or not, was interesting. It was fun. It was delightful. But it was also something I wasn’t tied to for life. I wasn’t a Kinrae; I was just borrowing. I was just trying it out.

As I explained to Allison, “I don’t want to stay one though. Same as you don’t want to stay with one person to give love to, right?”

Softly, Allison’s mouth opened. He didn’t respond immediately. He brushed his hands together before saying, “Right…only…. Sometimes things change.” He blushed a bit and glanced away.

I arched my eyebrows. That seemed more serious than I expected from Allison. Last night had been a ball of so many feelings and experiences all wrapped up together. I loved Allison, I knew that without a doubt even with full sleep. What that meant as we sat there waiting for breakfast to cook was a different matter altogether.

For me, it meant a confirmation of things as they had been and it also meant a welcoming of closeness. It was also hard to say whether I was physically attracted to Allison or not. In my head, I had the censors of a thousand pin-pricks from the echoes of family about Allison, as he was right then (aside from his voice). When he was in girl mode, the censors went away. And a new censor rose up as I remembered she was my friend before she was a girl.

I sighed and reached across the table but not far enough to touch Allison’s slight hand. He reached the rest of the way to meet mine as he said, “Before, if I had to choose between loving everyone evenly and just picking one person out of all of them to focus the biggest part of my love for, spreading it around would’ve been obvious. But there’s you, Sean...Corlie. And that makes it a much bigger choice.”

Caressing Allison’s fingertips slightly, I had to ask, “Why me?”

He smirked and looked down at his hands. “For that gorgeous butt. But more so your pensive, quiet expressions. For the words you share. For caring. For letting me be me with a calm embrace. For trips to buy herbs. For games and movies in the evening. For indulging me. For a whole lot of shallow physical hotness which Lissa put very well into words. But, more than anything, for you. For just making any day the best.” His voice started with a sly, mostly boyish tone before sliding into a slow, soft feminine version by the end. He traced my fingers back.

I could only shake my head and offer, “I’m an ass…”

He countered, “That was only one thing I brought up. Sexy ass.”

I flicked my eyes down. “I mean…I looked at you as a curiosity for so long. I felt really uncomfortable around you when you got affectionate. I figured you were joking so much when you were being sincere. I don’t feel like I’ve done much and I’ve ignored you and just blathered on about Lissa all this time.”

He shrugged. “If I wanted a perfect boyfriend then there are ways for that. And pulsate settings. Lissa is a hottie with so much to love and I don’t ever mind listening to you talk, no matter the topic.”

I looked at Allison’s eyes. They were so peaceful and kind. I didn’t know what I could say. I held my mouth open but nothing came out. As I sat frozen, Allison gave me a quick little poke on the hand and said, “I told you it’s okay to talk about anything. Come on, let’s hear some more. How was you-time in the shower with you and the pulsate settings, girl?”

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My face felt hot for a flashing instant but it cooled. Allison was calm. He wasn’t smirking at me, giggling, or teasing. He was sitting and listening. I let my shoulders relax and told him, “Like nothing else. And yet slightly familiar. I need a long bath next time.”

Allison agreed vigorously and began to recite the necessary acquisitions from her store for evening “fun” as she drew up a list. I tried to jump in with memories of perfumes and lotions I’d remembered seeing and smelling.

He raised a thin eyebrow and asked me, “Oh? Interested in some? I could get you a few things with my employee discount anytime you like, sexy.”

I bowed my head and scratched at my neck a little. Allison chuckled and noted, “There’s more too. You’re part girly Kinrae now. You need to study up. I can quiz you.”

Sitting up, I was prepared for any test Allison could throw at me. I soon got crushed by his body of knowledge. He gave me a little pat on the hand as he noted, “Do you realize that you’re a perpetually-fresh and nice-smelling anime lady, right? It also saves me having to rebraid your hair.”

I nodded but added, “It wouldn’t be bad to know a little something though.” We were interrupted by the stove buzzing as breakfast was ready to be served.

With a quiet whisper, Allison added, “I think you’re fine just the way you are right now.” He included a little wink.

I gave him a smile. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to know all this girlish stuff. I didn’t get much from my mother growing up, and that went several ways. And my uncle just taught me good hygiene. Allison knew so much and he considered himself more a boy than a girl. Although last night was still full of questions.

I slowly ate Allison’s excellent frittata and put forth one of those questions, “Were you at all serious last night when you…proposed marriage?” My eyes lingered on Allison just a second. He made a soft giggle and said, “At that moment, I would’ve driven to Vegas in a heartbeat. Also, added bonus…you could marry me as a girl and then we could switch outside and do it again. And again. And again. ”

I looked up from my breakfast with a smirk and asked, “And what about now?”

Allison served himself some juice and gave me a lingering look. “Are you asking or just curious?”

I could’ve prompted him to answer first but I pondered Allison’s question. I pondered it quite a long while till Allison leaned forward and told me, “You don’t have to give the perfect answer.”

My answer was truly…just curiosity. I didn’t want to ask Allison out to Vegas to get married more than one way. I wasn’t prepared to step into a relationship with Allison which led off from whims, giddy ideas, and carefree feelings.

Allison ate softly and smiled at me. “It’s okay. Picnics in the park and book browsing before the deep end.” I relaxed and things settled into the usual patterns. Clayton staggered in to pick up his breakfast, filled his thermos with juice, and marveled at the fridge as though some component inside had just given him a brilliant idea. I remembered when he told me that, as a child, he used to mix everything he found in his family’s fridge together into a single concoction to consume for the sake of curiosity. And he’d only had to have his stomach pumped once.

Malcolm followed a little later with a faint look of disappointment projected on us. Allison reassured him, “My breasts will soon be back and with greater cleavage.” He seemed happy about that.

I soon finished and got ready for classes. First, I checked my phone. It just had a message from my uncle.

“Ah! Sean. This is absolutely far too late but I just got in and I wanted to say…living those kinds of days is what changes our entire world. So far as where it goes from here, I’m afraid I can’t help you there. It’s your choice and none of us feel wise, especially at the brink of epiphany. It’s only once we’ve tumbled over the edge that things rather…hit us on the head. Can’t wait to hear more and email and all that. Feel free to call me this evening.”

I reminded myself to put together that email of pictures for him later. For the moment, I looked at the device and controller with the same wariness as before. I took care of a normal shower and dressed. I was about to leave the device and controller behind but I paused at my door. I looked back.

It was stupid. I had no idea what this device was doing to me and why and what might happen next. Despite all that, I slipped it on and reactivated it, returning to Corlie form and her freshly-arranged braids. My school bag was a little harder to haul but it was tolerable.

I waved to Allison and told him I would have lunch out. It was just a vague notion but I wondered if people might watch me like I watched the Kinrae from when the school session started. All my other worries heaped on top of the idle notions but I let them go for a time with the self-assurance that the device wouldn’t do anything permanent to me and I probably wasn’t lucky enough to wind up with something which would actually turn me into a Kinrae anyway.

The morning would’ve been nice if not for a wind which was a little too rough and biting. It lashed at my braids but they held. I took a breath. Going as a group with Allison and Lissa was one thing but I was all on my own. Sure, the controller in my pocket would (or usually would) turn me back quickly. But I really had no idea what would greet me.

I kept my eyes shut for part of the way and felt the slanted sun softly brush my sensitive skin. I let the light warm me with a hot glow of red behind my closed eyes. I walked in the world as someone else and yet I felt like nothing was amiss, same as before.

I only opened my eyes when I came to the busier area where we first met drivers yesterday. I didn’t see any till I made it to the main street and none of them stopped to gawk. I crossed. The first few people noticed me but their gazes didn’t linger. A group of tall men who had the build of defensive linemen gave me Malcolm’s variety of once-over but walked past me without a word. As the people thickened, it was harder to tell who was watching. I still didn’t see any of my anthropology classmates as I made my way to my first class.

I couldn’t say that my classmates gave me extra space or were aloof. But then I didn’t talk that much to anyone in this class; it was too big and anonymous for that kind of thing. I went up to the professor before it started and gave him my name. Since I’d told all my professors beforehand about the situation, he gave a little nod and made a note on his roll.

And that was really all the excitement I had. I got some looks and a few quick questions about whether I was a guest or in Professor Brandt’s class. Mostly, I was left alone, except for one girl with bleached streaks in her hair who wanted to take pictures of me with her phone. I obliged and gave her a nice smile.

If I was to add anything from my jumbled reflections for class from last evening, it seemed that Kinrae were still sometimes a surprise to most random people but one which passed quickly. People got used to them as I suppose most people get used to just about anything.

Class ended and the next followed with a few differences. I got asked why I decided “to be a girl”. I lied that off on the class requirement and not wanting to do extra work. A couple of the guys shook their heads but didn’t miss a chance to eyeball me. I got my hair touched more than once but not enough to mess up Allison’s work.

I felt like someone’s pet which had wandered into the classroom after a while. I didn’t like the feeling but I didn’t hold it against them and I decided to keep the device on through class. Eventually, the lecture took over and I was forgotten again, at least for a little while.