r. Sure, he'd resemble her
like a brother might and he'd keep her memories as a strange sort of
memento, but he'd have different drives, different ambitions, a
different outlook on life. Wouldn't he?

Besides, she couldn't bear the thought of giving a complete stranger,
someone who didn't even exist yet, all of her emotional baggage. The
memories of trying to cope with her birth defect, of trying to make
sense of it, and of being constantly bullied at school because of her
differences... she didn't even want this knowledge herself, and the
thought of crippling someone else with it made her cringe.

On the other hand, someone else would have a much better chance of
actually being happy. He'd still inherit her psychological scars, but
not the dozens of physical ones that the necessary surgery would give
her. Maybe her childhood would seem as distant and unreal to him as a
Digitac episode did to her.

So it boiled down to a choice between growing up to be a woman with low
self esteem and a malformed body, and donating the rest of her life to
some boy who--strange memories aside--might actually qualify as
normal. His life would certainly be easier than hers, especially if he
also wanted to date girls.

She grabbed her pillow, hugged it and curled up into a ball. Why did
this have to happen to her? She was just a girl trying to lead an
ordinary life.

In the end, she finally made a decision. She was pretty sure it was
the _wrong_ decision, but she didn't know what else to do. At least
this way, she'd stop being such a burden and an embarrassment to
everyone.

"This is your last chance to change your mind," said the doctor in a
soft, sympathetic voice. He put his hand on hers. "Are you sure you
want to do this?"

Faye looked down at their hands. Her wrist was encased in a light blue
bracelet with her name and date of birth printed on it. They'd soon
have to change it, she realised.

Of course I'm not sure, she thought. Was anyone? She held back a
tear. "Yes, I'm sure," she said, nodding. She just wanted to get it
over with.

* * *

David opened his eyes. A blurry white light filled the room. Slowly,
everything came into focus. He was lying on a hospital bed, soaked
with sweat. A fan was perched on the table next to the bed, blowing a
gentle breeze of fresh air into his face. He looked around. There was
a bag with a liquid in it suspended above him, with a tube