"I know you don't exactly like your body," said her father. "I look like a freak," muttered Faye. "That's not true," said her mother sharply. "You look just as lovely as any of your friends." Faye didn't say anything. It simply wasn't true. Karen and Sarah and Louise all had to start wearing training bras this year, and here she was with a flat chest and an unsightly bulge in her knickers. It was hideous. Her skin crawled just thinking about it. "Those pills you're taking are just a temporary measure," her mother continued. "They're delaying your puberty, but you can't take them forever." Her mother's voice became unusually soft and quiet. "You're going to have to make a choice." "What kind of choice?" asked Faye, her eyes still fixed on the floor. She could feel them welling up already. Her father piped up. "We can give you some other pills that will give your body the oestrogen it ought to be producing. They'll make you look more like your friends, you know, put some weight on your hips and..." he glanced at her chest, unable to be so blunt to his own daughter. "...other places." He quickly changed the subject, adding, "But you'll have to meet us half way, you understand, and start eating properly." Faye looked up at him, hope in her eyes. He looked blurry behind her tears. "Plus, you know... we've been saving away since your birth. I know Christmas and your birthday have always been lean, but you'd be able to have an operation to fix..." he glanced down at her groin. "...you know." "Really? You mean it?" Faye sniffed. "There is another option," her mother pointed out. "I don't want to pressure you into anything, but it would mean your body wouldn't be so scarred. You could use the money to go to college, and you could even have children one day. It _would_ be nice to have grandchildren." Her father gave her mother a look that silenced her. "What do you mean?" asked Faye, her eyes darting from her mother to her father. "There's a new operation you can have." Her father shifted in his seat. "They came out with it a few years ago." "It's perfectly safe," assured her mother. "Lots of girls with your condition have had it." "What kind of operation?" Faye didn't like the sound of this at all. "It would mean you wouldn't mind your body so much." Her mother looked hopeful. "In fact, you'd welcome its growth." Faye tried to work out what her parents were getting at. "What kind of operation?" she repeated. "It has something to do with the way the brain's wired up," said her father. "Brain surgery?" spluttered Faye, shocked that her parents could suggest such a thing. "You'd still be you," assured her mother. "For the most part, anyway," corrected her father. "Oh, stop scaring her!" scathed her mother. Facing Faye again, she added, "You'd still be the same person. You'd just be... well... a boy."