As far back as she could remember, Debra had never felt comfortable with her female body. She had been a tomboy for as long as her family had found it acceptable (truth be told, a little longer). Her first period had been a nightmare--she had cried steadily for three days over the treachery of her body, as the female organs she had always tried to ignore made their presence felt undeniably. But it also been a turning point--after that, Debra had grimly dedicated herself to being the best woman she could be. She dressed fashionably, took care to maintain pretty hair and nails, and tried to act in a way that people expected a teenage girl to act. Her conservative parents were relieved, and told themselves that her tomboyishness had been just a phase. Boys found her attractive, although her behavior on the few dates she had been on had won her the reputation of an "ice princess." She seemed to be a happy, popular, beautiful girl who made her family proud.
And for the last six months she had seriously been considering suicide. Every moment of her life felt horribly fake, like she was stuck in a costume that wouldn't come off. Sometimes she felt like a drag queen, although drag queens at least enjoyed what they did. She knew her family, church and community would never accept her as a transgendered person. Her only solace, and it was something she kept very secret, was an internet chatroom for transgendered teens in her area. Fortunately her parents were not very sophisticated about computers. Her real best friend was not any of the high school girls she hung out with, but "Janie," who she knew was a male-to-female transsexual who lived on the other side of town. She herself logged in as "Rob." They had never met in the flesh, as it was easier to present in their genders of choice in the chatroom than it would ever be in physical bodies.
For the last few weeks, rumors had been circulating in the chatroom about some new body-changing technology from TransDem that might offer a solution to the problems of Rob, Janie, and the other transgendered people in the chatroom. So when Debra saw the address on the package, she got excited right away. "It's just a computer thing I ordered." she told her mother. She restrained herself from running to her room where her computer was.