Chapter 3: Everything Changes

I only touched the thing for a moment, a second at the most, and yet, the sun had moved high into the air, emergency vehicles cast red, blue, and yellow lights over the desert. People in heavy canvas jackets, black suits, and green fatigues covered the area.

I stumbled backward, and two people scooped me up in crinkly silver blankets and rushed me to a grey tent with a portable hospital bed. Thankfully, I remembered to switch my skin back before they stuck the IV into my arm.

To my right, a monitor beeped with my heartbeat, while to my left, a male nurse in a white coat over green fatigues held a tablet that he tapped with all five fingers, almost like he played a video game.

“How are you alive?” A short, plump woman in a disheveled navy blue skirt suit asked at the end of my bed.

“I just am,” I said as I moved higher in the bed. I felt fine, better than fine, really good. I had no idea what they pumped into my arm, but it felt cool and awesome, and made me want to smile. Which I did.

The nurse on my left said, “Everything’s normal. Everything’s within parameters. She’s fine.” Then he paused, looked at me over his tablet, and asked, “Is that pronoun ok? I just assumed. Sorry, do you use different pronouns? It doesn’t say anything on your file.”