A teenage girl walked inside the shop, wearing an oversized Carolina Panthers shirt, jeans, and to Chesterton's delight, a gold cross. She stood nervously, her bright, blue eyes darting across the room. She walked up to Mr. Chesterton, pushing her long, red hair behind her back
"Hello" she blurted out, revealing a thick Irish accent.
"What is your name"" Chesterton asked with feigned interest.
"Shannon" she meekly said. "Shannon Byrne"
Chesterton sat down and listened to the Irish girl's story. Oh, her mother and her emigrated from Ireland when she was three. Oh, her family is poor and down on their luck. Oh, she desperately wants a better future to help her family out. Blah, blah, blah. Chesterton's clients were never known for their brevity. The only interesting about Byrne was that she was a Roman Catholic. He could work with that.
"So Ms. Byrne, what is it you want? Be specific"
"I want a full scholarship to Harvard law school." Shannon pleaded. "I want to make my mother proud of me and make something of myself. Don't have much in the way of money but..."
"Money is irrelevant here. I will grant you an iron-clad, irrevocable fully paid scholarship to Harvard law school. The cost will be...you."
"I don't understand." The teenager started getting nervous again.
"It's quite simple. The price you pay will be your physical form. You allow me to change it to the form I please. I am not a monster, so I offer you three choices. The first, you become an adult woman with no hint of Irish heritage of any kind. The second, you become an Irish homosexual boy your age. The third...well, it's a surprise.
Shannon was horrified. Her personality, her life, was defined by her Irish background. Who was she without it? She also couldn't choose to become homosexual; her mother would disown her and she would be excommunicated. Yet, Shannon felt she had to do something. She was tired of living in poverty, and while she was a good student, she knew in her heart she'd never be good enough for the Ivy League.
"Mr. Chesterton, I accept your offer. I choose....