Genderwave: The Uninformed free porn video

I am writing an open universe story for the Genderwave series. I hope I make a good contribution. This story is meant to show what having a lack of information during the event could cause, as well as try to show the cultural problems it would cause in the conservative United States South-East. The question was raised on how a person would handle the situation with the global network of information. I ask the question of how a person who normally would have this information would handle not having it when the time came. It also considers how it would feel to be that minority in the world that had been prepared. I also want a way to put myself in a story. SO yes this is the author's story if it happened to me. I know I am supposed to use a fictional character, but for me getting back in family history is easy when it comes to names due to some circumstances I will mention in the story. And besides writing with myself as a character could be fun for a change. Genderwave: The Uninformed I remember my name, but that no longer seems to be me. No it simply remains apart of me that I must remember and have written down. Some will think I am delirious if they failed to experience the events, but I did not have the media to drive my delirium; how does one explain what happened to me? Either way, who I was will be read by those who read my first book, though it might be a boring read to know who Alexander was. I shall thus begin by telling you when Alex became Alexandra. The rest of the world knew of the events that would overwhelm it. They'd been allowed by their technology to learn and prepare beforehand. I was one of the few mariners, though I suppose the astronauts when they returned met with a similar, yet different experience. We were changed with the rest of the world, and yet it came without warning to us. I had just graduated college at the time, having to deal with a new job, as well as having a girlfriend I'd just become engaged too. Finally out of my father's clutches, I continued to write stories as well as start the hobby I'd dreamed of since I was little; a Civil War re-enactor. My savings, along with some gifts for graduation, had allowed me to join a local regiment that would be doing a reenactment tour during the summer. We would drive near our location, and then march to our encampment. In order to capitalize on the historical setting we were forbidden from bringing any modern equipment with us. I was even forced to wear my old fashioned glasses in order to even see. June 21st: I'd fallen in a heap under the weight of my own equipment as the campfires started to light in front of me. We'd marched almost ten miles from our cars and trucks to get here. My Enfield rifle dug into my shoulder as I tried to loosen the strap that held it in place. My uniform was gray with parts of butternut to make it look more original. My forage cap soaked up some of the sweat coming from my forehead, but I still had to wipe my brow with my hand every few minutes to keep it out of my eyes. Night fell hours before we reached this location. I could feel the night creeping in on me with a sense of foreboding. Something stirred beyond our knowledge and yet we were stuck here in the middle of nowhere. It was around this time that the United States learned of the wall. Dark faces danced with the campfire, voices low as each sound mingled with the other. It felt kind of strange to be doing this. In the modern world people would have kept their voices high as they spoke on their phones to people across the world. No cell phones or anything that would take away from the experience brought the outside to speak to us that night. The events that the rest of the world was just learning of, were completely isolated from the 170 men encamped in rural Georgia that day. We were totally alone. Joseph grinned with his yellow teeth at my arrival. His wife and little daughter wore their own period clothing; thick cotton dresses, as they prepared a meal for him. He'd been reenacting for years before I began. We were a company from the 14th Georgia from Augusta, ready to reenact one of the many skirmishes that occurred during the Civil War. There were 70 of us spread out in one long camp. The Yankee troops stood across a river, their own 100 men preparing to fight us come daybreak. I kept reviewing what we'd do tomorrow. Thankfully the tourists that bothered encampments were not allowed to encroach upon our solitude come nightfall. Small events like ours may not get many visitors, but the few that could run around with no idea what they were talking about could get annoying no matter how small their number. I slowly lifted my rifle to my hands, getting out a piece of cloth to attach to my ramrod. Keeping my gun clean could be problematic. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep the long piece of steel when we went into combat. It could be accidentally left in the gun and could kill anyone on the other side. This must not turn into a real death match. I yawned as I stared into the fire, the dancing flames making me drowsy. "Tired?" Joseph asked as he sat with his little girl next to him. He'd married a much younger woman in order to have the child, and he felt this would be his only chance to have children. I nodded my head, that same creepy smile raising on his lips. "Well best to go to sleep then. We got a long day tomorrow. Almost makes you feel like they did back then. So near to home, and yet so far. History makes it interesting. Well not to worry. This tour ends until July, so we'll be back home in nice beds by tomorrow night." He smacked my back with a hearty tone. "Get to sleep boy." I grimaced at the treatment of being called "boy". Ignoring it seemed the best course of action. The ground nearest the flames proved to be the warmest. The heated night forced me to pull my jacket off. I used it as a pillow for my head as I snuggled up against a tree. The night engulfed my eyes. I awoke to a swift shake from Joseph. Joseph was over 50 by now and he treated me like a younger brother who must be constantly reminded of his duties. I'd been in the regiment for over three months now. I felt like I should be treat as an adult. After all I did have my degrees from school. Of course that didn't seem to matter. I remembered the conversation before. Being called a boy still burned in my stomach. Elsie, his little daughter, smiled at me as I stood up. At least the two women were nice. I yawned again, pulling my coat on. It was early morning when I checked my pocket watch. My face clouded as I saw the Lieutenant start to order us into column. We'd be in combat soon enough and I was sure that the sounds of battle would waken me. Joseph's wife came to meet us, his 11 year old daughter grinning at us as she waved a small kerchief to cheer us on. It almost felt as if I had a little fan in the girl. That thought would have to leave me if I didn't want Joseph killing me. I could feel the pride in being in this small spectacle. Our line dressed, the men in front sounding the signal for us to march forward. The first sign of something amiss came from the serious lack of observers watching us on the fringes. I knew this battle proved to be a small engagement; we only had three coordinators running it. However, we still should have seen a few people coming to watch us. The total lack of the coordinators also proved to be another bad omen. Most of them forgot us in the pure chaos that the wall caused, and a couple of re-enactors in the middle of nowhere seems unimportant in the face of such a worldwide crisis. At the time I didn't really care as we marched from the woods into the open ground. Waiting proved to be the worst part of the engagement. I couldn't stand as the minutes and then hours ticked by. I could hear the cavalry having a small skirmish on the other side of the hill in front of us. I knew the original engagement had been a battle by horsemen; infantry like us waited for them to finish before moving forward. We didn't have too many cavalrymen with us, so the entire battle was done by officers on horseback. All we could do was wait till they were finished. Knowing this didn't lessen my anxiety as I waited. I checked my pocket watch again. It was almost noon. Couldn't we move any faster? My eyes wandered behind us. Since no live rounds were being fired, I could see the women of the encampment watching us from a few feet away. They'd follow us until we reached our actual combat zone, then they'd keep a good distance away. I felt the sweat on the back of my neck run down my back. Finally the order came for us to continue. The line of blue came into view as we continued to march forward. We'd loaded our guns in the night, preparing for our volley as our lines began to be dressed by the captain of the company. Going from the column formation to the line of battle showed the skill of some of the re-enactors as it flowed perfectly. Our lieutenant grinned as he looked at me. I knew that look. It held the question of whether I would do this right. My back stiffened as I knelt onto one knee. "READY!!!!" The captain yelled from his horse as he prepared his revolver. "AIM!!!" I could hear the sergeant of the color guard talking as the blue line came closer. "Hold it tight lads. Hold it tight." I leveled my rifle as I looked at the blue line. It seemed to be one small wave as it neared us. "FIRE!!" I heard the order as I pulled the trigger, feeling the lack of a kick as I prepared to load another round. The gunpowder tasted ashy in my mouth as I shoved the paper cartridge into its muzzle. Then I gave the barrel a quick smack with my hand to get it down into place. I pulled the hammer back, my eye wandering to Joseph as I reached into my cartridge box for a cap. Something shimmered into the horizon as I placed the cap onto the nipple. The entire line once again leveled their rifles as we saw the Union forces running towards us at the double quick. Normally we would have stopped for the wall heading towards us. But none of us wanted to go out of our pre-trained lines in order to investigate. The entire line of muskets shimmered in the sun as we waited for the final order. The wall hit against the Union line first, that being the longer one, trailing itself against it. I could see huge gaps of its flank disappearing. The gaps themselves appeared to be replaced by a multitude of camp followers and soldiers. I could see groups of women and soldiers stop where they'd been running and seem to mill around like a confused flock of sheep. I looked to the side as our line fired. I could see the wall going through our lines, heading for me. I pulled a paper cartridge from my case as I'd been trained, stopping in mid-motion as I stared at it coming towards me. I could see everyone else do the same as it ran forward. There was nowhere to run at the speed it came towards us. My eyes shut as I felt it overwhelm me. I felt strange, disoriented as I tried to think. My entire body went numb for a second, suddenly replaced by a tight feeling against my chest. I panicked at the thought of what happened. I fell onto my side, trying desperately to breathe. I felt a pair of small hands grab onto me. I opened my eyes, staring into the eyes of a startled group. My eyes fell on one drummer boy behind us. He seemed completely confused as the drum sat uncomfortably on his shoulders. I sat up, trying my best to force air into my lungs. I felt unusual, though it seemed my clothes were entirely the same. I ignored myself to look and see what had happened to my fellow re-enactors. The group seemed oddly mixed. Camp followers mixed within the ranks of the soldiers and all the soldiers in the line with me were over on their sides trying to breathe. I knew only daughters who'd arrived with the married men, why did we have so many drummer boys? And why were some soldiers behind the women? The older woman who held my body in concern wasn't anyone I knew. "Are you alright?" She asked me as I sat up. "Yeah I'm fine." I said as my hand went to my throat. Did I always sound that strange? I shook my head to get it out of my mind. "What happened? Where is Joseph?" I asked the woman. The little boy looked even more uncomfortable. The woman gave the appearance as if I'd just smacked her in the face. Her ashen features with its slight wrinkles that showed she'd been aging for a while, turned up. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She said as she helped me back to my feet. I felt odd at a woman helping me to stand up. Except for this strange constricting feeling I felt on my chest, I didn't feel any different. Well except for the strange inkling that I was somehow shorter. That thought quickly disappeared as I was still rather disoriented. My hands roamed towards my body as I tried to find what might be constricting my chest. My shirt and jacket buttons were fumbled as I took them off. I wondered why my arms were so long, as well as my fingers. I always thought I'd had stubby fingers. The culprit for the tightness proved to be a rather tight binding that wrapped around my body. I took out the bayonet I'd refused to use; tearing it off. I could see from the side a few other soldiers like myself repeating my motions. I found out why I'd owned binding when I tore it off. When it was removed, my breasts released themselves from my shirt. They remained two confusing orbs in front of me. The instinctual thing went to my mind, my hand roaming around into my pants. I found nothing except a small tuft of hair and an entrance into my body. I shivered as I noticed that everyone else seemed to be heading back towards camp. My benefactor and the little boy stayed next to me, their looks of concern still hanging over our heads. I reached towards my face; well my stumble definitely had disappeared. "What's going on?" I asked as I pulled my jacket closed. I still owned short hair, as I didn't feel it cascade down my back. I could see some of the other female soldiers removing their caps. Some owned short hair as I did, other's hair wrapped over their head so that it could fit easily into their forage caps. Now that they took them off, their hair cascaded down their backs. Everything seemed to be strange. I felt my feet start to walk with everyone else; I could then feel myself run towards the camp. The camp itself seemed to be teeming with life, every woman walked back, and now men who seemed to have remained in the camp were talking like a dozen hens. I could tell that each of them seemed shocked with what occurred. None of us knew what the rest of the world experienced or shared with us. We were totally alone. Some of the men began to cry, the women having the same look upon their faces. I didn't know what to say. Women took up both soldiers and camp follower's places. I learned later that all the married men had been turned into camp followers, their wives and daughters who came with them taking their places as soldiers. The single men stayed soldiers and instead became female impersonators. We took up about half the group, most of us trying to fit way too bulky uniforms to our delicate forms. That seemed to be far away as we wondered what happened. We were all way too far from our technology to get any information. We'd have to walk the next ten miles to get back to where we'd started. No one wished to do that deed immediately. Thankfully we were rescued by one of the coordinators. She was a wild-eyed woman dressed in a tight T-shirt and cap when she ran up to us. "Oh my god, you are still here?" She pulled out a portable TV from the back of the jeep she'd come in and turned it on. The news didn't seem good. "The entire world has almost been changed by the oncoming wall. All of us will have to deal with it in our own ways." I didn't really listen as they explained the study or the irreversibility of our transformations. Instead I thought of getting to my beat up old car and going back home. I had work to do. This couldn't be handled. The best thing for me to do at that moment was to simply ignore my current situation and attempt to return to normality. I stood for at least half an hour before anyone noticed me enough to interrupt my silent musings. Joseph, or Caroline as she would later be called, came up to me. Her small hand touched my shoulder as she fixed the camisole she owned to keep the sun out of her eyes. "You alright kid?" She said with that telltale grin I'd learned to know. Strange how a pair of tobacco stained teeth can be comforting, but I felt better seeing something familiar. I hadn't known her when she helped me up, but now I could tell that the older man was now the older woman. The little drummer boy must be the little girl. I gave him a small smile. "I'm alright. How are you doing?" Her face twisted up as she frowned. "I go from butternut to a light yellow. My little daughter is now a son, and my younger wife is now a younger man. At least that's what it is now that I watched the news." She looked with an air of annoyance at the portable TV, almost as if it were the cause of all her problems. I sighed, glad that the bindings that had kept my breasts anchored to my chest were removed. Breathing would have been hell if I'd left it on. "Well we best go home now. No more show." I grinned, trying to lighten the mood. No one seemed to be paying attention. I shoved my hands in my pockets, starting my journey back to the car. The long line of people seemed to trail down the path giving me the inkling that other's had the same idea. I noticed from the clip in her walk, the lieutenant who'd questioned my bravado when we'd formed up. I wondered when she'd been married. I grinned at her as I saw the southern belle clothes she wore now. She appeared to be a daughter of a wealthy planter looking for a prospective husband. I gave a smart salute as I passed. "Evenin Ma'am." I said in the deepest voice I could muster, though it still sounded like a young girl trying to mimic the roughest man. She ignored me. I tried desperately to notice who might be who when I walked up the path. The shoes bore themselves into my small feet. I had to force myself to sit a few times every minute. Eventually I simply removed them, deciding that walking barefoot would be much more comfortable. It took me 4 hours to get back to the car. The little green Toyota sitting right where I'd left it. I smiled at my faithful companion. It didn't let me down. Elsie came up after me. He carried the keys to the truck, waiting for his mother to catch up with him. "Samuel." I heard coming from the woods. Caroline came with a face that showed she wasn't amused. "I may be a woman, but that doesn't mean I'm a younger woman." She fumed as she caught up to the car. I grinned. "How do you know his name?" I raised an eyebrow. The older woman glared at me. "It was on his school ID he brought with him. It's probably the same with all our documents. Some of the younger ones will forget they ever were their original gender. You better not." I shrugged my shoulders at the thought. I wouldn't forget who I was. After all it didn't matter what gender I was. Alex was Alex; wasn't he/she? My car door opened, my sweaty body sliding into the seat. I placed my equipment and rifle into the seat behind me. I let out a sigh as I closed the door, turning the car on so I could use the air conditioning. Thank god I'd fixed that when I inherited the car. "Well this is your life." I said to myself as I stared into the car mirror. My female face reminded me of my mother when she was younger. My hair remained short, cropped behind my ears so that it just went past the top of my neck. My eyes still forced themselves behind a pair of glasses. I slipped the old pair for the new 21st century ones. I sighed as I tapped my fingers. I was in much better shape as a girl than I'd been as a boy. The metabolism in females in my family had always been better than the males. Other changes I found were the clothes. The jeans I left for myself to change into after the battle was still in the back. The difference between the shirts and pants now were they were definitely made for a female's body along with the fact that my Army shirt had been replaced with one that said "Bad Girl." I scoffed at the T-shirt, pulling my jacket off and throwing it in back. The shoes followed as I let out a long sigh. A knock came on my door, making me jump. I saw the little boy, his hat cocked to the side. I opened the door. "Yes?" I said with a raised eyebrow. He seemed nervous as he handed me a slip of paper. "Dad.... Mom wants me to tell you that those of us who know each other should take care to keep in contact. People can be separated if they don't have the proper information." I nodded as I took the slip of paper with what I gathered was their phone number. I doubted the phone numbers changed much. The words the boy stated were interesting; my dad was now my mom and visa versa too. I closed the door as he left, turning towards my glove box. I kept my identification as well as the picture of my girlfriend and myself in there. I would eventually have to check it. The compartment opened with ease, a purse falling onto the seat. I picked it up. The purse itself seemed to be filled with receipts on one side. I closed that up immediately. So that's where all my tax information went. That would mean the drawer I kept it all in should be clean. I found a slight variety of make-up. The lipstick, blush, and eyeliner seemed to be all that was in there. A quick re-check of my face showed that I wasn't wearing any at the moment. Of course in order to play the part of a young man, I wouldn't have been able to put any on. It would have made no sense. I checked my ears. They were neatly pierced on both sides; low on the lobes. I rooted through my purse, finding two neat little gold earrings lying with their friends. Well that would wait till later. Good thing I wasn't in a situation where I'd be wearing them. A wallet stood empty with the earrings. I checked my license. "Alexandra Nilsa Hernandez. Hernandez?" I thought of the last name. Of course if my mother were my father then I'd have their name. Then I remembered that my grandfather was also alive. That meant that my grandmother was my grandfather and I would have owned her last name. I found out later that my great great grandmother had given my grandmother her name; therefore my grandmother had been where the name originated. This changed to my grandfather and therefore passed from him to my father and then to me. This could be confusing for people who didn't have such normal names. The name Nilsa didn't seem odd to me at all. It did pass from female to female in my family. If the first born was a daughter, then she'd earn the name. My mother, now my father, never had been overly interested in keeping family names to the letter, so having it as my middle name would have sufficed for the family tradition. I learned later that my mother always liked the names of her first two children and had luckily decided that she would name us our names whether we were male or female. I would be Alexander or Alexandra, and my sister would be Christine or Christopher. Only my little brother would be different. I wonder what kind of problems he must have dealt with. My head swam as I tried to gather everything that happened. I felt a bit of foreboding as I turned the dial of my radio on. The news seemed to be tuned towards the wall. They reiterated it's origin in the Pacific and the way it had been moving towards every habitable country in the world. They notified the remaining parts of the Earth that remained unchanged that it just passed the next to late time zone in the United States. I shut it off quickly. The rest of the world was informed what it would go through. The rest of the world knew beforehand. Whether that proved to be a curse or a blessing in disguise; I wasn't among them. I changed like everyone else, but the shock was greater with the suddenness of it. I felt overwhelmed. I felt completely distraught at everything. My hand went to my head, my eyes welling with tears as I thought of everything I didn't know. A picture poked from the pouch of the purse. I wiped the tears from my eyes as I grabbed the distraction. I looked with fear at the picture. The two in the picture were originally my girlfriend, her smile large with her teeth and long blonde hair. My arms were wrapped around her neck, my tongue sticking out. The picture now showed two different people upon it. My female form was at the bottom now, her face in a small grin. A blonde boy had his arms wrapped around her neck, a tooth filled smile coming from his face. Well that meant we were still together, that would prove comforting. I carried a small cell phone wherever I went; I'd left it in the pocket of my jeans when I'd left. It rang within its cloth prison. I pulled it out, putting it to my ear. "Hello." I stated as I waited for the person on the other line to talk. "Yeah, dad told me to call you." The young man's voice seemed bored at the prospect of being forced to call me. "Um who is this?" I asked, still feeling alone in the change and not quite believing that the rest of the world shared my experience. "It's Christopher. Or at least that's what all my documents say. My track and soft, my former softball now baseball trophies. Remember?" I blinked at the thought, trying to link the names together. "Remember your younger sister? About to go to college? Well you now have a younger brother and a baby sister instead of the other way around." He sounded annoyed at having to explain the situation to me. "Don't you watch the news? Oh right you weren't anywhere near civilization." Well it seemed to change our gender, but the attitudes of my family didn't seem to be changed at all. "So what did, Dad, want to talk to me about?" I asked as I scratched the side of my head. "He wants to know what you're going to do. You know how paranoid he is when the family is separated and there are major world events going on." I could gather from his tone he didn't want to talk long. "I think I'll go check and see how my job is doing in Augusta. Then I'll check on Meg." I heard a little cough come from that. I knew what my former sister was thinking. How would I react finding my girlfriend was now my boyfriend? But avoiding the issue wouldn't solve anything. And as long as I occupied my mind with things I must do, I wouldn't be able to pay attention to the emotions coursing through me. "You sure about that?" He said to add to his cough. "I mean I found out that being on one end gets really confusing. Aren't you about to get married? That'll make things interesting." He said as he stifled a yawn. "Anyways I'll tell dad that. Though this is very weird. How did you deal with having it just hanging there?" I almost laughed at him. I knew that when she wanted to, my sister asked me for advice, though she'd never admitted it. Now my brother wanted the same type of advice and didn't know how to ask it. "The same way you dealt with having something on top. This does certainly complicate things. Well I am gonna go now." We both agreed that I'd call later to check in on the family. I hung up as I heard a girl in the background yell at Christopher for messing with the cat. These little subtle normality's allowed me to shut down any shock I felt. I buried them deep for a later date. I had to face the problems with a calm demeanor or nothing would be done. I turned on the radio again. They talked about the LA riots that were at the height of their violence with the wave almost upon them. I thought how stupid that was to worry about manhood when it was impossible to keep it. My hand reached towards my wallet, shoving it back into the purse. I'd change at the office. Something glittered as my glove box, usually empty after my wallet and the picture, lay open. I picked it up. The ring had a small diamond on it, the gold press being of a white color that told me it was of white gold. Another ring lay beside it, this one larger with a regular gold finish and an amber stone. "High School rings and engagement." I looked at them both as if they surprised me. Of course I'd given Meg my high school ring when we just started dating. So whoever Meg was now must have given me his. Or the wave had made it switch in that way for us. The engagement ring was a little disappointing. Not due to it's size, but I'd worked up the courage to propose to Meg. Now I'd been the one proposed to. I shook my head as I slipped the little ring around my finger. A perfect fit, I thought as I leaned my head back against the car seat. "What a day." I said to myself as I moved the car out of gear. Some of the re-enactors still milled around, discussing amongst themselves. Most, however, were leaving to find their families and see if any normality remained. The drive into Augusta was surprisingly quiet. The people didn't seem to be flocking to the streets at all. Not that the place became deserted. There were people on the sidewalks, watching the news from around the world. Many of them were still there as they stared ahead in amazement. I could also hear a large amount of people trying to get into the churches. Some of them were kneeling on the steps of the church, continuing to pray despite the fact the wave had already passed. I turned into my parking spot at the municipal building around 5:30 PM. The outside was teeming with people; the reporters trying to get the state government to make an announcement. I'd heard about Blair, or Mrs. Smith as they were calling her now, on the radio, but no news of whether our president was going to be making a statement. I wondered what she'd say. I didn't want to hear it today. Somebody would probably twist it around as usual and we'd end up in another argument. I knew that wouldn't change even if the population switched. I locked my doors, grabbing my identity card as I pulled my forage cap over my head. The chaos that went on in front of the building seemed to be too much to actually try and drag clothes with me. I started for the crowd. The tag I placed on my shirt held my new name, it also seemed to be a magnet to the reporters. A female reporter shoved a microphone in my face when she saw I worked for the local government. "What do you believe the state government wishes to do about these current events? Do you feel responsible that something of this scale happened? What does the government wish to due with legalities of certain marriages? Does the government have any solutions? Where did the wave come from?" Each of them seemed to think that a poor civil servant could answer all of these questions. I stammered a little, knowing none of the answers and being less informed than the inquirers. One of them touched their ear. "President Hawkins is going to speak in 15 minutes. We need all channels set to." They rambled off a dozen different statements at once. I slipped past them into the lobby, wondering why they called President Bush something else. The metal detector stood where it always did. I showed my ID to one of the guards. She stood rather tall, her black face contorted into a serious frown. "So Dave, how are you?" I asked the guard I'd seen since I joined my department. There was no mistaking the scar on the left cheek. "It's Akanisha now, ma'am." She responded with a wide toothed grin. "And I hope you didn't bring the weapons with your uniform." I shook my head as I passed the metal detector. The metal in my shoes set it off. A quick swipe made sure that they knew it was my shoes, and I quickly went on my way. I'd landed the job in the department for legal records. We were responsible for the filing of all licenses that dealt with administrative law within the city and nearby county. I walked into the room with the alternating files. The entire place was a center of ringing telephones. Old men sat with their hands over receivers trying to type and talk at the same time. The entire switchboard was red. One of the elderly men walked up to the counter. "Yes dear what may I help you with?" He asked as I walked forward. I looked at the nametag he wore as a volunteer. It read Steven. The front lady always had been Delores. I took a stab at the name. "Delores?" I asked with a blink. He nodded. "Well it was before this whole wave business. Wait a second. That uniform. Well Mr. Ms...." He looked at my ID. "Ms. Hernandez." I started to walk behind the counter. As a college grad with two bachelors, I was in charge of the department that dealt with human relations. That meant that most of the volunteers fell into my domain. It still didn't pay well, but the director always made sure we had excellent benefits. "What's going on?" I asked as I saw another set of phones ringing. Steve rolled his eyes. "A dozen people calling at once to make sure that their marriage licenses are valid. I keep telling them that it's legal and only the names changed. No one seems to listen." I scratched my arm as I started to walk towards my desk and mini- office. "Any valid worries?" I stated as I dusted the seat of my pants. Steve nodded. "One good one actually. A couple got married and the wife proved to have a sexual reassignment surgery before the marriage. So when they both changed, they became female. You know lesbian marriages ain't legal in this state. So they were really worried and it was so sweet they were just sitting in the waiting room with their hands together. I know it's wrong, but I couldn't help feeling their worry." I rubbed the back of my neck. "They aren't there now. What happened?" Steve nodded his head with a smile. "The governor said that all marriages will be recognized if they were legal before the wave. That doesn't mean any new same-sex marriages will be recognized, but if it became that because of the wave then it's legitimized. Of course if it's a loophole marriage before the wave, they said to recognize that too. So they were fine. Most of them are just annoying. All our records changed when the wave hit. The state made its decision, the Federal government will probably eventually tell us what we need to do. When did you learn about it?" I sighed and rubbed my temples. "When it hit." I said with a sigh. Steve's eyes grew large. "You mean you weren't prepared like the rest of us? Oh my." He seemed concerned. The older man was about to say something else when a clean cut man, his graying hair perfect along with his suit walked out of his office. "Oh Jeez." I tried to stifle a laugh. "Aren't you on vacation?" He said as he walked up to me. I looked at him oddly. "Yes, but there has been this major event Mr...???" He held up his hand to interrupt. "It's Davis, just Davis. I never married so I've kept the same name no matter what. And my mother and grandmother never married either. It was a tradition. So don't bother me with changes. Now what about your vacation?" I nodded. "Yes sir. I did have it, but I decided to come into work." Mr. Davis sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Sorry about this Alex. It's just really chaotic. All these people thinking us pencil pushers have their answers." I knew that normally Davis wouldn't call me by my first name unless he meant his apology. She'd always been a big stickler for organization, but she was also fair, evenhanded, and understanding of her employees. Of course he didn't ask if I still owned my first name, but I didn't protest so he assumed he made the correct guess. My phone rang and I quickly started to answer it. The day proved long and tiring. None of us got much rest as the phones rang off the hook. We eventually had to shut the system down to give some of us a chance to go home. We all had families to return too. I sighed as I forced myself to stand up. The sun set hours before as I tiredly walked towards my car. Everyone stayed silent as we left, the situation being put down as another day's work. I thanked the chaos; it kept my mind off everything. I exhaled as I unlocked my door. The long day prevented me from changing my clothes. The wool clothing chafed as I slipped into my car. I leaned back, sliding into the backseat as I pulled the uniform off and slipped the jeans on. They were a little loose, so I buckled my belt closed. I scoffed at the "Bad Girl" shirt, but slipped it over my head anyways. The rearview mirror allowed me to check on my appearance. My face seemed too plain without my make-up. I sighed as I slipped the lipstick out, running it across my lips and puckering. A little bit more applications of make-up finished the job. Well that made me at least look presentable. Most would ask how I was able to prevent myself from looking like a clown with my first make-up attempt. I simply acted prudent and made sure that I didn't apply too much. I gathered that I looked at least decent, despite my lack of practice. I shook my head at that thought running through my mind. Did society really impose itself on us that much? I turned on the radio. A broadcaster came on as I started to drive out of the parking lot towards my apartment. "Well it's begun to change and we see a trend begin. It seems that the former male gangs of LA are severely weakened by their recent bout of violence. However, in a strange change of events, the gangs around southern cities like Atlanta have set a coalition with the former female gangs of the area. We have Dr. Johnson here to discuss the topic." "Well it seems that the manhood of the gangs in LA has been questioned by the wave. The gangs in the eastern cities did show a small amount of violence, but still the image seems to be more based upon anti-gang warfare with a small chance of female competition. Territory proves manhood more than actual violence. This means that psychologically they've never been challenged by the actual rise of female gangs due to the lack of territory. That means that the rare female gangs in the area have not had a large riot to weaken the former male gangs enough. I predict a major crushing of the former male gangs in the LA area. For the eastern gangs a more absorption of the larger new female gangs into the new male gangs. A current example would be the Smyrna groups. Two of the local gangs have been absorbed by the former female gang. This has ended the war between the other groups and many of the now female leaders have been allowed at least equal status. Of course the regular members are lowered to the status that many of the gang's whores were allowed. This probably will not improve our gang problems in the inner city, but at least riots such as we see in California will be kept to a minimum in our local area." I remembered some of the Smyrna gangs when I'd been in high school. They'd fought gang wars under one of my friend's apartment buildings when I'd come to visit. We never left the apartment at night. I thought it odd that they could do something civil. Though of course they knew what would happen if they slaughtered each other. The LA gangs were idiots to start killing on mass. I shook my head at people's stupidity. The next topic slipped towards the problems that would be found inside the country. I ignored the parts of the country that went out of my region. I really could care less the social problems that would be found in the west and up north. I found it interesting that they skipped the southeast and went to Europe and the rest of the world. I got annoyed and was about to shut it off when they finally got around to it. "Well we finally get around to our neck of the woods I suppose. We've learned the possible problems that could arise in the next couple weeks everywhere else. So what do you predict the very conservative south will end up with?" The broadcaster said as he made a noise with his chair. The doctor began talking again. "Well the problem I see developing, and you can see it now with the interviews filmed from that region. It's more subtle, but as you said it's a very conservative part of the country. They have very defined culture with a very small amount of bend. Usually if it does go beyond their belief system they either get rid of it or ignore it. Of course they have very defined gender roles. Now rebelling against it in a fiery explosion like we see in the west isn't likely to happen." The broadcaster interjected. "So what do you predict?" "Well I don't see any major reform anytime soon. I see a long and uncomfortable transition as the society tries to redirect itself. I believe one of two scenarios will play out. The new females will take their old places in society and a flip-flop will occur. The more likely position will be that they will interchange, the new woman fulfilling their beliefs in what a proper woman should be and making sure to fit into that mold. Their new male counterparts will take over for them in society. Of course there will be mingling and probably both examples will be seen. It won't be violent, just very slow and uncomfortable." Well that was a dark picture. Though the earlier predictions hadn't been too bright either. The radio started to play music, the interview, having been on a loop all day. I shut the machine off, my car pulling in front of my apartment. I got out of my car, opening my back door so I could grab my equipment. I heard one long whistle. "Well I'll be. Who is that sweet thing? Hey baby wanna come upstairs to my room?" I heard a male voice say with a short laugh. I looked up onto the balcony where my apartment resided. A tall man stood with his arms over the balcony. His black hair and white skin matched the total black ensemble he carried on his body. He was pierced everywhere I could see. I rubbed my eyes. "Hey Jane." "Never call me by my real name. Remember it's Nightshade." He clicked his teeth with his tongue. "That's cause it's a lame name." I said as I grabbed all my equipment out of the car, yanking my purse out of the front as an afterthought. I started to walk up the stairs. He scoffed at the insult. "Well someone's in a bad mood." He looked at my shirt with another grin. "Bad girl huh?" I covered the shirt with my arms. "It was what was in the car." He laughed at that. "Well at least you look good. I'm just some big Goth guy now. Not the sexy girl I was before. Oh well." He shrugged. "That's what the fates have given us." "Yeah I gathered that." I said as I turned the key in my lock. "Well take care. HEY!!! You're here." He said as he waved to a girl who was coming up the parking lot. Her eyes and body moved with a lithe form. Well that showed the trade off between those two. I hoped they didn't make too much noise; the walls were thin. I pushed the door open with my shoulder, closing it behind me. The apartment appeared exactly the same. My old war posters were in the living room with the old TV and couch I owned. I looked into my room. The anime pictures I kept there hadn't changed at all. The characters were all the right genders. I doubted they would change after all. There seemed to be a normal ration when dealing with those. When I re- watched all my DVDs, however, all the voices had changed. I learned quickly though that what were miserable dubs to begin with; stayed that way. Those dubs that were excellent beforehand stayed that way as well. The quality seemed to not have changed, only the specific voice actors. The only change I could see were the two posters I kept of girl's kissing. Now they were two idealistic men; kissing together. I guess I should enjoy that as a woman, so I didn't tear it down. My first glance didn't give me the full view of my life. I'd always kept myself right in the middle of my gender. I'd owned the extremes in male things as well as some things uniquely female. The drapes were neater, my entire apartment being immaculate. The entire apartment was draped in things extremely female, as well as many things uniquely male. The posters were the example of my tomboyish nature. The drapes as well as the colors used all over the apartment were in pinks and ruffles. I'd never been that active in extracurricular activities, and the ones I had been apart of were good with either gender. My pictures on the other hand didn't show anyone I knew. A picture I always kept on my end table was of the one time me and my friends played paintball. The picture had shown the three of us, covered in mud and wearing army fatigues. The picture now showed a group of girls, their clothes equally dirty, though they seemed to be hiking rather than playing any violent game. Redneck tomboys certainly, but not a group of roughneck boys out to hurt each other. I sighed as I flopped onto the couch. I didn't want to turn on the TV. I'd probably just run into a dozen more news networks trying to report events around the world. At that moment I really didn't care for anything that might disturb the tranquility of my apartment. The air coming from the vent above my couch felt cool against my skin. I slowly became drowsy. I never knew how long I lay on the sofa, my eyes shut tightly in unconsciousness. I only know that the sun still remained away from the horizon when the phone rang. I had positioned my regular cordless phone near the lamp. I picked it up; glad the battery lasted for a long amount of time. "Hello." I said drowsily. My hand stifled a yawn as I blinked back the sleep. "Hello." The voice on the other side sounded nervous. I was tired and wished to go back to sleep. "Do you have business with me? If this is about marriage records it's a little late to be calling me." I'd allowed for business calls from directors from other departments to ask me questions if they couldn't get a hold of my superior. "Well it's sort of about that." The person said. I was slowly getting annoyed at being awakened. "Like I said I can't deal with that right now, it's too late. Call the office in the morning." The person on the other line gulped. "Um do you have a ring?" I blinked at the question. "Yes I do." I responded as the caller let out a long breath. "Is that you Meg?" I asked as I sat up completely. "Yeah." He said as I wiped the sleep from my eyes. "I called to check on you. I remember you were going out and wondered if you were alright. I've been watching the news. It's rather crazy isn't it." I agreed. "I looked at your pictures. You're cute." I could tell he was really paranoid about what I might say or what might happen now that we were reversed. It passed my mind quickly the reason everyone around us might have problems. I'd always been the dominant one. We'd have happily fit into the mold of husband and wife, my role being that of the breadwinner. Now we were reversed, and our plans were disturbed. Could we reverse the roles so that I'd be the calm little wife at home, or would we have to have a reversed, more liberal minded relationship of the female breadwinner? The worst case scenario would be the incapability of continuing the relationship. That's what I could feel worried him the most. "Well a girl likes to hear that her fiancee thinks she's cute. So I still have to visit when I get off work. I don't know if I'll be able to get the rest of my vacation with all the chaos. If not then I'll just have to grab you next week. I'm due and I should be able to get it. You'll be ready right?" I raised an eyebrow. I knew how familiarity would make him feel a little better. Though of course I felt weird actually giving directions. Normally she'd be just as willing to give me a retort. We may have been an average couple with average plans beforehand, but that didn't mean I was a total patriarch before. I wondered how our equality would pan out. "I'm always ready." He responded with that same stubbornness to stay my companion. "You just make sure to drive up here. My car can't survive long trips, remember?" I laughed at that. My car was old, his car was ancient. "What time is it by the way?" I asked as I looked around the room. I really needed to put a clock in the living room. "About 1 o clock I think." He responded as I yawned again. "I guess since we both have work tomorrow, both of us better go to bed." His boss didn't consider such things as a world event to stifle the opening of a family store. I gave a small nod, even though we were on the phone. "Yeah. I'll call you after I get off work." "Do you still love me?" I grinned at the question. "I thought I was supposed to be the insecure one. Of course I do. So goodnight alright. And don't let anything bite you. Animals get irritable." I scratched the side of my nose as I stood up. "I'll be fine." He sounded a little amused now. That was an improvement over the earlier tone we'd started on. We'd teased each other about our respective jobs in the past. "I love you. Goodnight." I waited for the few seconds to hear the click. I put the cordless back down. "That girl. Err that boy." I shook my head at the new expressions I'd have to use for people. I slapped the side of my face as I realized what I'd forgotten to ask. I didn't know what his name was. We hadn't exchanged our new names. That would have to wait till I called back. I walked into my bathroom, pulling my clothing off. I stared into the mirror. I'd gotten a few good looks at my face, but I hadn't seen my body in profile before. I was about 4 inches shorter than before, not short for a woman: 5'6. My form was straight, my figure that of a limited hourglass. My curves were defined, but not overtly. I'd never be a super model. I tried to judge myself on my old scale. If I wasn't looking at myself and just some woman, what would my rating be? It took a few seconds to come up with pretty. Not beautiful, but pretty. For most this was the moment it stuck home. I detached myself from such a revelation by turning it into a simple analysis. The next item on the agenda of my body proved to be the parts that men noticed. My eyes still held their dark color; my chocolate eyes still having their distinction of being dark enough to confuse everyone of where the actual brown started and the black ended. I cupped my breasts in my hands; trying to decide what size I'd reached. I proved to be a poor judge as I learned later when I had to wear bras that I was a 34 B, not the slightly larger size I decided on. My skin was the same dark color I'd inherited from my Hispanic family; my nipples a dark brown to enunciate my tan skin. My hair curled around my head and I could show I was naturally curly from the little tuft near the emptiness of my crotch. A long sigh passed my lips as I turned around. Still didn't inherit the butt. "Life just isn't fair." I shook my head as I turned on the water in the shower, waiting for the steam to fill the bathroom. I loved just sitting down and letting the steam relax me. I leaned back against the floor, closing my eyes, but making sure I didn't lull myself into sleep. The floor felt cool against my body. I opened my eyes after waiting for a short amount of time. I really would fall asleep if I didn't get up. I checked the water with my hand, making sure it'd cooled enough for an actual shower. Showering proved to be another reminder of the current events. I hated how everything I did reminded me of my situation. Keeping my emotions in check proved to be more difficult as time passed. Psychologists probably would have called my attempts at stifling my emotions denial. But what else could I have done? Everyone else talked as if it were a sudden change in the wind. I didn't feel the tragic nature that some felt, but I didn't have the preparations to deal with it either. We all had to deny it at first to get over our own shock. It's one thing to know something like this is coming our way, and yes it causes great anxiety. Eventually though the shock dissipates from knowing and by the time it happens you are prepared. Without that I dealt with two shocks at once. Eventually the dam would break. I knew it would, but I must contain it for as long as possible. Or at least that's what I thought at the time. The only way to contain the mental damage would be to pretend everything remained normal. "Completely normal." I reminded myself of that as I pulled the comforter from my small bed. I'd gotten dressed in one of my huge shirts, oddly enough it stayed the same size and I could see a stain from a hot dog I'd eaten while wearing it. It was clean now, so I pulled it over my head before I pulled the covers over my head. My alarm clock was already set, nothing to do now except sleep. The nagging alarm woke me up a few hours later. I drowsily pulled the tab that would turn it off. A long dazed yawn passed my lips as I tried to think beyond the hazy darkness that engulfed my room. "Damn clock." I said, my voice reminding me of the earlier events. I threw my feet over the bed, stumbling as I tried to root through any clothing that might prove clean. It seemed all of my underwear had been replaced with panties, the more exotic boxers being replaced with more amorous panties. I owned a lot more plain clothing, so I pulled on a pair of plain whites. My bra's followed the same rules as my panties, their shapes and form matching each pair. I rooted through the mess of my drawers, trying to find anything else to wear. I could come into the office in a semi-formal wear, but I did have to wear a white shirt. I had no idea what I should wear now. I settled on a simple white blouse with a black skirt. I looked in the mirror, reminding myself of a schoolgirl uniform without the thrills. I didn't even attempt to get into anything beyond simple clothing, pulling a dress jacket over my shirt. Thank god I didn't have to shave anything. I'd washed the make-up off my face earlier, thankful I'd made sure not to screw it up too badly when I'd made the attempt. I decided lipstick would be safe now. I then poked the earrings into my ears, the little gold loops tastefully hanging from their place. Today would be another day at work. I looked at the creases in my shirt, glad I'd actually decided to iron before I'd left. I felt way too drowsy to make any attempt at ironing that morning. The ride into work proved to be another ordeal as the radio continued their broadcasts of current events. I really didn't wish to hear anything more about the wall. I couldn't do anything about it, so why bother even thinking about it. I pulled into my parking space with a little squeal of the wheels. I'd been annoyed at not being able to find any music to listen to. Getting used to the current predicament was what everyone wanted to force upon us. "Well leave me out." I said as I got out and through the security to the office. I didn't fit in that mold they wanted me to do. I'd enjoy just being me. The office remained eerily quiet. The phones stayed silent. I was surprised to see only two volunteers sitting by the phones or filing. At the look of things I would have felt like it were simply a weekday where little went on. "What are you doing here?" I heard a voice from behind me. Davis stood with his hands rooting through papers. "Well I thought since the government employees will have a lot to do, I should be here." Davis shook his head. "No. The government hasn't told us we have to do the check of our current files. They will in due time. Right now we're unnecessary. Also the calls have been down with the president's assurances. So you should continue your vacation." His eyes lowered in sympathy. "Get your affairs in order. I don't have anything to worry about at home." He nonchalantly pointed to my finger. I'd left the ring on. I narrowed my eyes. I didn't like having such things pointed out to me. I'd hoped to just slide by with the same sense of calm I was treating everything else. "Alright I'll take the vacation then." I pushed my way out of the building. This would prove an excellent turn of events. I couldn't run to the paperwork piles of my job. I couldn't do anything to distract myself. I felt like I could bite nails. The phone called me when I reached home. I must call him. I had to call him. I'd given my word and no matter what my current condition, I didn't want to go against my word. The tone came on as I pushed the numbers into the phone. It rang twice before someone picked it up. A woman's voice came on. I gulped back the lump in my throat. "I'm calling to talk to Meg." I stated. I wondered who the woman could be. I remembered that her mother did have a boyfriend who lived with them. Well that must be who I was talking too. "He's not here at the moment." I heard the voice state. "And who is calling?" "This is his fiancee." I stated as I hoped they remembered when we'd told them. "So it's Alex." The voice stayed silent for awhile. When it returned it came in a short blurb. "You're still called that?" I told her that I still had my old name, simply changed to the female version. "Well then I'll tell him you called. By the way, we're trying to adapt to the changes here now, so the next time you call, please ask for Justin. That's his name now." "What's his last name now?" I asked as I wondered what my new name would be. "Rigin." I heard her comment as she waited for me to give her the message. I could tell she wished to return to what she'd been doing. Did everyone wish to keep their conversations with me as short as possible? "Just tell him I got my vacation and I'll be on my way there in about several hours." I could hear her writing the information down, our conversation ending in the same businesslike manner it'd begun with. "Justin." I repeated the name to myself as I started to walk towards my room. I'd remain in the clothing I wore to work. I grabbed one of my suitcases, preparing to start my trip. A few days ago I was going to prepare for my trip beforehand. It seemed too odd that such a major change occurred between that time. I shoved a couple days' clothes into the suitcase along with a couple added amenities for any hotel stays. The trip down the highway proved thankfully free of traffic. It did make me feel like the only idiot willing to drive away from any familiarity towards something unknown. I turned the longer 14 hour trip into a 7 hour trip. Going 90 and above in the old car taxed the engine, but the police seemed in too much shock to stop the lone car. The bridge over the Chesapeake Bay went forward, my car dipping under the tunnels and then up again until I could see the rural villages that dotted the beachfront. Exmore, Virginia lay north of Virginia Beach. The entire trip took me a couple of hours, my car making an angry growl as it was forced to travel more miles than it usually went. I pulled in front of the small house, looking at the boat Meg, Justin, drove. The old car looked to be twice the size of mine. That meant that he was home. I fixed my shirt, the ride having wrinkled it slightly in back. The door was opened by an elderly man with his clothes set neatly. He eyed me with suspicion as I nervously looked inside. "Who may I ask are you?" He asked as he crossed his arms. I felt a clamp come over my mouth as I tried to think of how to answer. I knew who I was there to visit, but I forgot to tell my name. "Well?" He raised an eyebrow. "Grandmother is someone at the door?" I heard a voice say from inside. "I mean grandfather." I heard the person correct themselves. I knew Meg wouldn't be very good at remembering to change her tags for someone else. Justin would probably call his grandfather, grandmother, till the day we died. I saw him walk up behind the old man. "Oh my." He said with a start. I looked at him as he stared at me. He looked like a boy compared to how I thought of him. Justin looked as if he were still 18 instead of the 21 years he really owned. His blonde hair was combed to the side, his blue eyes searching me up and down. His T-shirt and jeans stood against his body, his arms showing a slight bulge of muscles. I wouldn't have described him as buff; semi-muscular would have done. "This is her then?" The grandfather said as he let his arms drop. "Well I suppose you should come inside. We already discussed your arrangements before." I followed after them into the house. I stood where I was, waiting to be invited to sit. No one else seemed to be in the house except for the two who'd answered the door. As I stood next to Justin I saw we were almost the same in height. Before the wave I'd been much taller than Meg was at 5'10. She'd been almost a foot shorter than me. Now he stood an inch over me. It felt strange to be the shorter of the pair. "Well you might as well sit down." He stated as he waved his hand towards the couch across from his position. I sat down, waiting for Justin to sit next to me. He preferred to stand on the other side. The change in behavior disturbed me. "Now I remember what you both planned beforehand. But with what god has brought upon us, I wonder what your new plans will be." "New plans? Why can't we?" I stopped talking as I looked down at my feet. How could we go under the same plans from before? Our characters differed too much to allow us to change to the new way, and we couldn't keep our old ones. He raised an eyebrow at my silence. I knew he didn't want to hurt me. I'd gotten along rather well with the matriarch of the family before. And I could gather that I would be able to get along with the patriarch if we wished. "So you have no new plans? Do you still wish to continue?" Little holes were being drilled into the wall I'd built inside my mind to protect myself. I could feel myself seize upon the horror that might mean. I couldn't speak, only knowing that I didn't have an answer. Why did I face this kind of hardship so soon? I could have avoided it until later. "Of course." I heard Justin say next to me. I raised my head to look at him. "This doesn't change a thing." I could hear the back of his accent, thicker than my own, come out as he gripped the arm of the couch. "We'll manage no matter what." The actual confidence in being successful in the relationship surprised me. How could he feel so confident in it? I knew Meg always worried about relationships. She'd seen so many fail around her that she often doubted that we'd be able to get beyond it. The challenge had been long for me to break through. Now he seemed to be an iron wall, while I was a brick one full of holes. "How do you expect to live a life without a plan?" I know the reader may think harshly of him, but after all he only wanted the best for his grandchild no matter what it may consider. Justin screwed up his face as he frowned. "We both have jobs right now and I'm sure we'll manage somehow. And I can find a job when I move down there." I could see the old man look disconcerted that his grandson wasn't listening. But after a few moments he smiled. I wished I felt good enough to do so. I swallowed the fear down into my body. Justin put his hand on my shoulder. "Well I'm almost finished packing." "Are you sure you want to travel right now?" I heard the retort come. I'd questioned myself in the same manner. The answer came in a short nod of the head. Justin wished to keep things going ahead. Nobody seemed to be able to argue with him; even me. I felt the hand on my shoulder. "Well I need to finish packing a little bit. I know I said I'd be ready, but I got distracted." He led me into his room, the door closing behind us. I turned to comment, seeing him slide against the door onto the ground. "What's wrong?" I asked, a little confused. A smirk came past his face. "You don't honestly think I became that confident just because I'm a boy?" He looked concerned. "I had to do it because you looked so miserable. I tried to call you when you were out, but I couldn't reach you before you got home." He stood up, trying to grab my hand. His eyes sparkled as he looked at me. I blinked. "Why are you looking at me like that? It's kinda creepy." "Why should it creep you out?" He crossed his arms. I knew I'd made a mistake there. Besides, someone who could be strong for me would benefit in the long run.