Who Will I Become?

Chapter One

It's the year 2064, technology has advanced. Rules and laws have changed. Ethics of what is right and wrong have been altered. In the past, as we know, many people had claimed to be gender fluid, or transgender. People had gone through surgery to become whatever gender that they pleased. But now it's different. Scientists have genetically changed us. We humans, now have the choice of who we want to be. You see, when we graduate grade twelve, we must make a choice of whether we choose to be male or female and once you make your decision it is permanent. It cannot be changed. This enables us to choose as we may to become the person that we want to become, we even take a specific class specifically for this reason in high school to study the differences and traits of both individual genders. My name is Alex and I am seventeen. My graduation is in two weeks and within those two weeks I must make the choice of who I want to become.

I walk as quick as I can without seeming out of place to my class; I was running late as per usual. I'm headed for my Planning For The Future course and it's mandatory for all high school students. If you're like us, you don't have much time left to make your decision and your decision decides everything. In our world, being homosexual is not accepted, your decision alters your choices of who you can love. Depending on who your friends are and what gender and life they choose, it can also affect your friendship. Additionally some careers are dependent on gender and by selecting one you cancel out career options. For example, nurses can only be female, construction workers are only male, any type of laborious job is for men and stay at home parents are always women. Some jobs are gender neutral of course; veterinarians, doctors, lawyers, and business owners to name a few. To be specific, high paying jobs are the ones that are gender neutral because they need to be best of the best to do them, and they can't rely on any individual gender to cover the task.

Finally I reach the classroom door and head inside to my seat. I swiftly sit and pull out my notebook before looking to my left at my best friend in the world, Sam. I smile at Sam before starting to write the notes on the board. As you can see we all have gender neutral names. That way we don't have to change them when the big decision comes. We also all look fairly neutral in appearance. Yes, some people do have longer eyelashes, or bigger noses, or different colored hair, or smaller hips but nothing that leans to one gender more than the other. Once we choose our gender, that's when our appearances change to resemble what we chose. It's kind of like hitting puberty at a very quick speed but many years later and without all the crappy side effects such as acne, and hormones.

I personally think Sam will choose female. A female just seems to suit Sam's personality more. Sam is very bubbly, talkative, and gossipy; pretty much all the things you expect from the "average" female. The worst part is, I can't even ask about Sam's decision because you aren't allowed to talk about your choice. It comes with a severe punishment if you do. They don't want somebody else's change to affect the gender that we as individuals choose. When our graduation occurs, we are all taken to separate rooms to decide. Then we all come together at the end to see what all of us chose and to see our new appearances. Once we make our choice we are injected with a new strand of DNA and genetics that within the next half an hour changes what we look like to match our gender.

The rest of class is a blur of going over the anatomy of each gender's bodies and learning the differences, along with learning how the brains work and think differently from one another. Women tend to be more intimate and sensitive than men, where as men are commonly more dominant, unemotional and competitive. Finally the bell rings, and I shoot from my seat all the while scooping my belongings into my arms. I head for the door with Sam right on my heels. "Ugh, that's so painful and boring to go through. My head hurts." Sam complains as we head down the hallway.

"I don't know, I kind of think it's interesting and useful to know the differences before we are forced to make that decision." I reply quietly. All the while I think of which I might choose. It could be fun to be a male; strong, dominant, confident, and commonly reserved emotionally; you could get to do a laborious job and always be out working, and you wouldn't have to go through the pain of birth or menstrual cramps but you would get awkward erections. But at the same time, a women can also be strong, confident, and dominant but along with being able to be sensitive and more emotional. Plus you could stay at home and just care for your children as your job, you might go through menstrual cramps and pregnancy pains but you get to have the amazing feeling that you could have by creating a child and have it growing within you. I've always wanted children. Quite a few, in fact. I yearn for that motherly connection that women get by having children.

Sam cuts into my train of thoughts by leaning over and whispering quietly in my ear, "Which do you think you'll choose?"

"Sam!" I exclaim loudly before calming myself and whispering anxiously back to her, "You know we can't talk about that. We aren't permitted. Do you wanna go to jail? Because that's what is going to happen if we do. You know the punishment."

"But I want to know what my best friend is going to choose.." She quietly murmurs before taking a left and heading for her locker, leaving me standing alone at mine.

Let me know what you guys think

 <3 Luv Echosandwhispers <3