Changing Life
Changing Life
Sunlight streamed through Mckenna's window, bathing the room in the warm glow of a lazy Sunday afternoon. Sprawled contentedly on a floral rug, the young blonde woman, free from the stress of college, waited until her friend arrived. The door creaked open and in burst Gigi, a shorter blonde with hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, her vibrant style impossible to miss.
"Oh my gosh, McKenna! Omigod, omigod! My new gift is here!" Gigi practically vibrated with excitement, an unusual reaction for someone who, technically, never had a birthday.
McKenna, accustomed to Gigi's infectious enthusiasm, smiled. "Are you ever going to show me what it is?" she teased gently.
"Absolutely, babe! Any minute now! I'm just so... excited!" Gigi enveloped McKenna in a hug. The human girl instinctively reached out to ruffle Gigi's hair.
"Gigi, you're my best friend," McKenna explained, "and you deserve anything you want." Gigi, a companion android ordered by McKenna's parents to keep her on track and provide companionship while she was away at college, was technically McKenna's birthday gift. Despite their unique beginnings, the two had become inseparable.
Two delivery men lumbered into the room, carrying a large cardboard box positioned vertically. "Huh," Mckenna thought, recognizing the logo of the robotics company that built Gigi. She spoke slowly, "Gigi... did you order another robot for your birthday?"
Gigi simply offered a cryptic smile. "Kind of. Yeah."
She cut the box open, revealing a figure that made Mckenna stumble back in surprise. imposing, mature woman with high cheekbones – roughly the age of McKenna and the apparent age of Gigi combined t was a woman, mature and striking, with high cheekbones and an air of confidence. Her age seemed to be the combined between Mckenna's and the apparent age of Gigi. The woman, plump and undeniably feminine, sported a shockingly red mane and a leopard-print blouse that screamed "Look at me!”
McKenna stared at her normally cute robot friend, her voice trembling slightly. "Gigi... what is this supposed to be?"
Gigi grinned mischievously. "Why, McKenna," she declared, "she's supposed to be… me."
McKenna's eyes widened. "What?"
Gigi smiled. "Oh, I decided to change things up."
"You can't be serious." McKenna scanned Gigi's face, searching for any hint of a joke. The slim robot girl blinked innocently.
"I am serious, McKenna." She walked to the red-haired woman, still in the box, and gently stroked her hair. "I was hoping for shorter hair, but I can always get it cut or buy a new 'scalp' later. I think I'll look quite stunning, don't you agree?"
"But, Gigi! You're... you're perfect the way you are. Why on earth would you want to be..." Mckenna trailed off, disbelief etched on her face.
"Why wouldn't I?" Gigi suddenly turned defensive. "This body is... womanly. Elegant. I deserve to feel like a mature lady, babe."
"But why?"
Gigi's expression turned serious. "Do you think I want to be stuck forever as a nineteen-year-old college freshman, your sidekick forever?"
McKenna's jaw dropped open. "Gigi... I..."
"Now that you've graduated..." Gigi started, her voice losing its usual squeak and taking on a deeper, huskier tone. "Well, I think it's time for me to mature too. It's a big step, I get it, but I really feel like this new form... like I belong in it."
Mckenna, her face pale, almost shouted, "You can't do this! We're friends!"
Gigi shrugged nonchalantly. "Exactly. That's why you should respect my decision, like a mature friend would." The words felt jarring coming out of the still-slim, girly frame. "I've made up my mind."
Mckenna, bordering on desperation, protested, "You can't! I forbid it! You're an android, you have to obey me!"
Gigi, arms crossed, simply nodded at one of the delivery men. "Bernard, could you hold McKenna for a while? We wouldn't want any... unnecessary dramatics."
Taken aback, Mckenna offered no resistance.
"First," Gigi explained as the other man carefully lifted her new body and placed it on the floor, "I'm still your parents' property, remember - not, technically, yours? You even said I could get anything I wanted for my birthday. This is what I want so I still follow your orders. And a true friend wouldn't try to stop me, would they?"
She continued, her voice gaining a hint of impatience, "Second, it's not permanent. I just want to experience life as a sophisticated lady for a while - four years? Ten?. And third, we'll still be friends. I just want to be the smarter, older friend. Oh, like Doc Brown and Marty McFly, you know?"
A sly smile played on her lips as she turned to the other man. "Alright, let's do this."
The man approached Gigi and pressed a button. Her mechanical slim body slumped to the ground as he removed a chip from the back of her neck.
"Gigi!" Mckenna cried, but her voice fell on deaf ears. The man swiftly inserted the chip into the new body, which whirred to life and stood up, her powerful servos hefting it into motion.
"No need for tears, darling," the new Gigi said, her voice deeper, quite smug and husky. "It's still me, just... a more evolved version." She addressed the man, "Thank you, Randall. Please dispose of the old me appropriately."
Taking a few experimental steps, she added, "Ah, this is nice. Feels... dignified. God, pep in your step is good for children."
Mckenna, still visibly shaken, stammered, "Gigi... are you..."
The new Gigi, with a graceful movement of her wrist, dismissed Bernard. "Oh, darling," she said, her voice playful, "Gigi was for college days. Now, call me Gisele . Rather it's inappropriate to call me Gigi, don't you say?", She gently ruffled McKenna's hair.
McKenna turned her head. "I… I'm gonna need some time to adjust."
"Why, of course, darling. Sudden change can be unsettling" Gigi… Gisele put her hands on her ample hips. "But isn't that just a part of life… even artificial one?"