Derek began meekly, "Well...I would like to know what it is like to be a girl...," trailing off at the end in a barely audible noise.
Douglas blankly stared at him for a couple moments before bursting out laughing. "From all the many years I have known you, Derek, I thought I understood the way you think, but you never cease to surprise me every time."
"What...what do you mean?" Derek replied bashfully. "Was it that absurd?"
"No...no...not at all," Douglas began, trying to stop his laughter. "It's just that you could literally be anyone you like, and your first response is to ask how the other gender lives. You should dream bigger, man!" Douglas gave Derek a hard slap on the back.
"But then again, your idea is nothing short of fascinating. I have never thought of using my invention like that before. You certainly appealed to the mad scientist in me."
Derek sighed. Douglas tended to adopt a haughty expression whenever he talks about his inventions. Not too much, but enough to annoy Derek just a bit.
Just then, the two boys heard the front door open and shut one floor above them. "Did someone return?" Derek asked.
"Hmm.. Dad is on a business trip. Mom is out with her friends and won't be back until late tonight. So it's probably my sister, returning from work. Let me check real quick." Douglas placed his instruments on the table and began heading upstairs. "If I'm correct, then I guess you're in luck. He momentarily turned back and pointed at Derek.
"Wait, do you mean what I think you mean?" Derek followed frantically behind Douglas.
Opening the basement door revealed that Douglas' sister, Erin, had indeed returned. Placing her purse and keys down on the nearby counter, she saw the two boys and greeted, "Hey Douglas. Oh hi, Derek. I didn't know you came over today. Did Douglas drag you here for one of his weird inventions again?"
Derek chuckled while Douglas gave Erin a hurtful glare. "Oh come on, sis. I'm working for a legit company now, so my inventions aren't weird."
Watching the two siblings quarrel, Derek was reminded of when he first met Douglas' family. They moved into his neighborhood around 10 years ago, and at first, Derek had a hard time talking to Douglas. He had always been the nerdy, aloof type, and he wouldn't stop rambling about his inventions and ambitions. However, his intelligence was unparalleled, as he could constantly use dense scientific vocabulary that even his family had trouble understanding. Aside from his physical appearance, no one would've known that he was just 6 years old at that time. The two finally connected when Douglas showed Derek a device that made vegetables, like broccoli and asparagus, tastier to eat without the need for other seasonings, which definitely helped Derek finish his vegetable quota that week, something Derek's parents were persistent about. When Derek asked how it worked, Douglas just prattled on something about nanoparticles and changing how the brain senses things, or something similar. In the end, Derek never knew exactly how it worked, but he did know that their friendship grew from there. As Derek made regular trips to Douglas' house, he would frequently encounter Erin, the sister approximately 4 years older than Douglas. She tended to be a demure girl, as she was generally courteous and studious. Of course, she was fairly outgoing as well, as Derek had witnessed her hang out with her friends on multiple occasions. However, the friends always seemed to come from wealthy families. Perhaps it was a reflection of the upscale upbringing that this family had instilled. Now that they're older, their parents were not as stringent as before, but the ramifications still remain. Erin, who is a business college student, currently worked at a bank as an intern. On the most part, she has been fairly polite when Derek visits their house, but they have gotten familiar with Derek's presence that a quarrel slips through once a while.
"Fine, fine," Erin began, admitting defeat. "By the way, have you seen my recent business magazine?"
"Your magazine?" Douglas answered. "I thought you would always leave it where it was always left at, the bin next to the closet over there."
Erin gave Douglas an almost snobbish look. "Think about it, genius. If it was there, I wouldn't have asked."
Douglas was about to complain when his expression lit up, as if he recalled something. "I remember now, mom was doing some tidying earlier today. I saw her moving some stuff over at the foyer. Maybe it's there?"
Erin immediately turned and scrambled to look for her item. Derek was about to head back down to the basement when Douglas pulled Derek by the sleeve to follow his sister. His other hand contained the metal ring, and Douglas whispered, "Now is our chance, follow me."
As the two made their way to the foyer, Douglas handed Derek the controller-like device and said, "Derek, I have already configured the settings on that remote. All you need to do is to press the red button right---here in the center." He pointed at the conspicuous red circle labeled 'Transfer'. "Wait until I give you the signal to do so; I have to put this ring on Erin's head first. Meanwhile, you find somewhere to settle down nearby so your body doesn't get injured when it goes limp."
Derek held Douglas back. "Wait, are we really going through this? She is your sister, for god's sake. Something just doesn't feel right."
Douglas brushed him off. "It's fine. She also has been on the receiving end of my experiments before, and you can see that she still alive and well."
"Yea... but this is different from your other stuff. Plus, I don't know how to feel about becoming your sis..."
"Come on man. Didn't you say that you wanted to try being a girl? Erin is probably the best option here without much explanation on our part. Plus, it won't be permanent, like you saw earlier."
As Douglas approached his sister, Derek sat down on a nearby sofa, fiddling with the controller device as he watched Douglas pointing at something on the ground to Erin, who immediately glanced in that direction. Douglas used that opportunity to gently place the ring on her head, then he motioned to Derek to activate the controller.