Lili hopped up the bus steps and plopped down on an empty seat. Although she had a fake ID under the name Lilian Burns for emergencies, she hadn't wanted to get a driver's license under the name and risk getting in trouble if found out. Besides, the public transportation system was a great place to people-watch, a must-have talent for reporters.
As she was working at a mere temp job at a call center, Lili wasn't dressed too formally. Her suit jacket and pants complemented her blouse, and as she spent most of her day at a desk, she had selected laced shoes that were more geared to her walking needs before and after work instead of heels or something more fashionable.
Putting in earbuds, Lili pretended to listen to music while actually eavesdropping on the people around her. She wasn't trying to be nosy or rude, and didn't intend to take advantage of anyone, but you never knew what information someone might casually let drop when they thought no one was paying attention. Plus it was a great study in human psychology. Glancing over her fellow riders, she noted a few high school teenagers at the back, an old lady a few seats forward, a few scattered businesspersons, and even a young man in army fatigues. A few seats in front of her, she caught a glimpse of a young girl clutching her backpack, grinning up at a man who Lili supposed was the girl's father. The sight brought a slight smile to Lili's face, and her gaze lingered a moment as the bus slowly stopped and the father and child got off.
She was so engrossed that she didn't notice that the time was 7:15 AM, nor that the smartphone she received from TFCams suddenly vibrated in her bag. About 20 minutes later, the bus halted at Lili's stop. Lili frowned as she got off the bus. Her shoes felt a little loose, but that wasn't all. Even her clothes seemed a bit larger than usual. Wondering if she had lost some weight from working too hard, Lili stopped a moment at the bus stop bench and re-tied her shoes tighter. She also felt a bit sweaty, but chalked that up to the humidity.
Reaching her workplace, she made her way to her cubicle, nodding at fellow workers whose names she would never remember if they didn't wear nametags. As she walked by her supervisor's office, she saw him glance up, a middle-aged man no more than 10 years older than her. He nodded at her and she returned the gesture while heading to her desk, but heard him grumble as she passed by, "Must be nice to be young."
Wondering what that could be about, Lili sat down. Placing her purse on the desk, Lili noticed a light blinking from inside the open purse. Rummaging around, she pulled out the smartphone from TFCams to discover that she had a message. Opening it, she read:
<i> 7:15 AM
***CONGRATULATIONS***
Your first auction has been completed. As the selected change is classified
as "medium," your change will take place over the next 24 hours. At the end
of the period of change you will be informed as to the nature of the change. The winner
of the auction has selected "four days" as the length of the transformation time,
at which point another auction will be held. Should you experience any emergency
issues with your transformation, please contact TFCams immediately at the
number provided in your employee handbook. Your share of the proceeds from
your auction will be placed in an employee trust account to be disbursed at the end
of the month. The winner of your auction is: