After she'd finished dinner, taken care of the dishes, June considered kicking Damion out of bed and having it out with him. Changing her mind, not in the mood to deal with his bullshit about waking him, she headed for the living room. Clicking through channels, she sound settled on a movie. And when it was over, she switched to something else, continuing this until she fell asleep on the couch.
And was promptly woken by a young, female voice stating, "I'm hungry."
With a yawn, her sleep-addled mind not cottoning on at first to who'd woke her, June muttered, "Okay baby girl. Give me a minute and I'll get you something."
Reality still shifting as the changes which had started in Damion's bedroom ballooned outward to the rest of the apartment, then beyond, June missed this as she thought the headache she was getting was because of her falling asleep on the couch. Yawning still, her memories altering, she pushed away the blanket covering her and stood. Guiding the eight-year-old with a gentle hand on her, June headed for the other room. Watching as Tanya, which her mind insisted was her daughter, sit down, June experienced a moment of confusion as she recalled giving birth to and raising Tanya as well as being saddled with Damion. Taking from one of the cupboards a child's plastic bowl, she filled it with cereal, added a splash of milk, collected a spoon and a banana, and setting it down before the little girl, June muttered, "You eat your breakfast."
So lost and overwhelmed by everything, June missed how troubled her daughter appeared. Heading instead to her bedroom, she shut and locked the door, and feeling as if the world was skewing sideways, she rushed to her closet. Taking out the laptop and emitter, she plugged the remote in and opened the lid. Accessing the programme, she stared at the profile on full display. Unable to come to grips with what she was seeing was the person now sitting out in the dining room, eating breakfast, she breathed out after minute or so, "Oh, shit. This somehow turned my nephew into my daughter. I made Damion become Tanya," even as memories surfaced on how Nelson had run out on her shortly after learning she was pregnant. Feeling conflicted about what she'd done, yet, at the same time, enjoying the idea she now had a little girl to raise instead of having to deal with an asshole for a nephew, June scrolled through the information.
Not sure what she was looking for, she debated on whether it was right for her to have done what she did. Reaching the end of the profile, she went back up, and stopped when she saw an option to delete the current profile and all its pre-sets. Wondering what this would do, she mulled over whether it'd mean her nephew would be gone for good. Torn between liking this and horrified she was essentially murdering someone else, June pushed the laptop away. Watching as it slid off her lap and onto the bed, she stared at it for a bit before suddenly leaping up and pacing back and forth.
A mental tug-of-war soon formed, and as she walked back and forth, June tried to decide what was the best thing for her to do. On one hand, she had the daughter she always wanted. And her memories supported this, as she recalled raising Tanya for the past eight years in all the high and low points. "This is something I have always wanted," she muttered before thinking how she, granted, unintentionally, she'd changed her nephew and made him a girl. Thinking of the first time he'd come to live with her, the rollercoaster it'd been raising him, the person he'd turned out to be, she soon sat down. Reaching for the laptop, she asked herself, "Can I do this. Can I actually bring myself to delete the profile, thus forcing him to be the daughter I have always wanted. Does doing so make me a horrible person," and wondering what Damion was thinking, how he was taking it, knowing he no longer was a boy, but was now a girl, and whether or not he was experiencing the same confusion she was, "Though on slightly different level," she amended as she decided.
Her mind made up, June clicked on the option to delete the profile and all its pre-set saves. A message popped up, and after she read it, June clicked "Okay". The screen blinked and June was returned the Chronivac's main menu. Shuddering at the realisation of all the power she had in her hand, she again questioned why it was Damion had created the thing. Mentally shrugging after some time, she figured, "It doesn't matter. If what I saw it right, Damion is gone."
Still conflicted about this, June ejected the emitter and started to close the laptop. Changing her mind before the lid was shut, she pointed the remote at herself. Fumbling for a moment, she at last got it to scan herself. About to look at the screen, she never got a chance as someone began to knock on the bedroom door. Sighing, June hastily put everything back in her closet, called out, "Just a moment," and grabbing her bathrobe, she stripped down to nothing but her panties, tossed all the stuff she'd taken off in the closet hamper, pulled on a closed her robe, grabbed her hairbrush, and acting as if she was in the process of brushing her hair, she stepped across the room.
Opening the door, she saw Tanya standing in the hall. Awake enough now to see something was bothering the girl, she was about to ask what was wrong. But, before she was able to, the girl announced, “Done.”
With a smile, June tried to act like the mother she now was as she replied, “Did you rinse your bowl and spoon and put them in the sink?” to which the girl nodded.
It easier than she’d thought to act like a mom to the girl standing before her, June instructed her daughter, “Go brush your teeth then. Afterward, finish getting ready for school and I’ll drop you off on my way to work.”
The troubled looking never leaving her face, though it did ease a little, June watched as Tanya turned away and skipped down the hall toward the bathroom. Still thinking about what she’d done, the emitter and new profile saved to it, June watched the girl she was discovering was easier and easier to see as her daughter disappear into the bathroom. Reality still altering, as she suddenly recalled it was a school day, June headed back into her room. Figuring the Chronivac could wait, she went through her clothes, put together an outfit for the day, and shucking off her robe and underwear, she began to get ready.