THE PRICE OF inHERitance

Uncharted Territory

The following week was a blur of emotions and adjustments. Ellie, though still reeling from the shock of everything, tried to navigate the strange new reality he'd been thrust into. He had no choice but to learn quickly—every little change in his body, every foreign sensation, was a reminder that his life had taken a path he never wanted.

But beneath the surface, something was brewing. The curiosity, the frustration, the sheer confusion—Ellie couldn't shake the feeling that things were far from over. Vivian had orchestrated his transformation, but the motivation behind it remained a mystery, and Ellie could feel that the next step was coming soon. It was only a matter of time.

---

Ellie was sitting at the kitchen table, picking at his cereal. The days felt slower now, his routine disrupted by the intense shifts in his body and mind. Lizzie, as always, sat across from him, scrolling on her phone.

"I think we should talk," Ellie said quietly, breaking the silence.

Lizzie looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Talk about what?"

Ellie shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "About what happens next. I mean, how long is this going to last? How much further is Vivian going to take this?"

Lizzie set down her phone and leaned forward. "Honestly, I don't know. She's got her plans, and I doubt she's going to stop until everything is in place. But..." She trailed off, biting her lip.

"But what?" Ellie asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"There's something weird going on," Lizzie said slowly. "I overheard her on the phone last night. She was talking to someone about 'the final phase.' I don't know what that means, but it didn't sound good."

Ellie felt a shiver run down his spine. "The final phase? What does she want from me? It's not enough that she's turned me into this... this version of myself?"

Lizzie shrugged. "I don't know, but something big is coming. We need to be ready."

---

That night, Ellie tossed and turned in bed, his mind racing. *The final phase.* What could that mean? Hadn't they already done enough to him? Wasn't this transformation—the hormones, the surgery, the emotional rollercoaster—enough?

As the moonlight filtered through the curtains, Ellie's thoughts drifted to the surgery. He hadn't thought about it too much since Lizzie had broken the news. He'd been too shocked to process it at the time, but now, in the quiet of the night, he felt the weight of it pressing down on him.

*They gave me a uterus. Ovaries.* He still couldn't believe it. He'd been turned into something entirely different, and there was no going back. But why? Why would Vivian go this far?

The next morning brought more questions than answers.

---

At breakfast, Ellie couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He kept replaying Lizzie's words in his head—about the phone call, about the final phase. Vivian's plan wasn't finished, and that terrified him.