Lab Rats in Space by Bruno Bouchet

friend looked a bit softer but realised it wasn’t a good idea, ‘…except you look knackered right now, like we all do.’
    â€˜Thanks… but it’s not in my face… it’s down here.’ KT pointed to his pants.
    â€˜What, another leg’s growing?’ Zed joked. KT smiled awkwardly.
    â€˜No… kind of the opposite… when I woke up this morning, I could tell there was something different.’
    â€˜That’s right, you stayed in bed after we went to training.’
    â€˜Right. Well I got up and went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror…’
    â€˜And?’
    â€˜Mmm, well, something was missing and there was something else there.’
    â€˜What do you mean?’ Zed was getting frustrated.
    â€˜My tiddler’s gone!’
    â€˜Huh?’ Zed still didn’t understand.
    â€˜I know what Xanax did to me. He fixed it so that after some time…’
    KT gulped and then just said the words, ‘I became a girl.’
    Zed’s jaw dropped open and his rear hand slapped the back of his head in disbelief.
    â€˜You’re a girl!’
    KT nodded.
    â€˜That explains the tears then!’
    KT rolled his eyes. ‘Boys cry as well you know. Jay cries and you probably will.’
    â€˜I’ve never cried.’
    â€˜Well, I’ll make you cry.’
    KT rolled his fist as if they were about to practise fighting again.
    â€˜Go on then!’ Zed smiled, he saw KT was still his friend even if he was a girl now.
    â€˜Plenty of time for that. I’m still me, I’m just a bit different… a lot different, but still me.’
    â€˜That evil… wait till I get…’
    â€˜Guess I really am a Lab Rat now.’
    After the girls left they found Jay and explained what had happened. He was speechless. His sore and swollen nose meant he couldn’t say anything understandable, so it was just as well.
    When they all got together again in the control deck, KT felt really relieved that his friends seemed to be OK with him being a girl. So relieved he started crying again.
    â€˜You really are a girl!’ Zed handed him a tissue and patted him on the shoulder. He wanted KT to know they were still friends.
    â€˜So where’s he going to sleep now?’ Zed asked.
    â€˜It’s up to her I think,’ said Dee.
    â€˜Do we say him or her?’ Zed asked KT.
    KT shrugged his shoulders. ‘Well I guess it’s her now, but I’m not wearing any dresses.’
    â€˜Good, ’cos I don’t have any to lend you,’ said Dee. ‘You’d have to go to Emm for that.’
    â€˜No thanks,’ said KT. She wasn’t ready to be that much of a girl yet.
    â€˜Dwe can dall you datee!’ Jay was trying to speak.
    They all frowned.
    â€˜Dot Day T, but DaayTeee.’
    â€˜Yes!’ Emm got it first. ‘He’s saying we should call you Katy not KT.’
    â€˜It sounds the same!’ said Zed.
    â€˜Perfect… you gave me the right name Zed, it doesn’t matter if I’m a boy or a girl, I’m still called the same. Katy it is… but no dresses!’
    It took them all a few days to adjust to Katy… particularly Katy. She kept trying to go to the toilet standing up and then remembering she had to sit down. To begin with she wanted to stay in the boys’ room. She was used to sleeping with them; Jay’s snoring and Zed’s hand waving in the air while he dreamed.
    As she adjusted to her new body, she found she thought a bit differently as well. She wasn’t quite so obsessed with combat training anymore. She also began to wonder if just striking out for any planet and seeing what ‘adventures’ they had was really the best plan. Just a few days ago it felt like exactly what she wanted to do, but now Dee’s idea of asking for help seemed a lot less boring than it had before.
    Katy raised the idea of going to the planet Libris to find out