The Pact - Part 5

We both stood in Hailey's bedroom. Hailey scanned me up and down, looking deep into my eyes for answers neither of us could quite understand, "So, Josh... This voice in your head -You said it's like a version of me, right? I wanna talk to it. Do you think that's possible?"

"Oh, um. I guess so. You can ask me some questions, and I'll tell you what it's saying to me."

Hailey nodded, "Okay, let's try that. What's it saying right now?"

"It's telling me that I should just give in and stay in your body forever. It says that I love being a girl and that I don't want to go back to being a boy," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Hailey's face fell, "Josh, that's not true. You're my brother, not me. You can't stay in this body forever."

"I know that," I said, "I'm just telling you what the voice is saying to me."

"Okay, I'm gonna ask it some questions now," Hailey put her hand on my arm, "Are you really Hailey, like my brother says?" she asked, her eyes fixated on my face.

The voice in my head started to speak, "Yes, I am Hailey. I'm the real Hailey."

"No you're not. I am Hailey," my sister scoffed, "You're just a voice in his head."

"No, it's true," The voice persisted, "I know everything about you. I remember everything you've ever done and felt."

Hailey looked at me, "Josh, is that true? Can you remember everything about my life now?"

I nodded solemnly, "Yes, well, whatever the voice wants to tell me."

"Sure. Not sure I buy it," Hailey paced, "Okay, I'm gonna test you on some ...intimate details. Like that time I kissed that boy in 7th grade, or when I stole mom's lipstick and got grounded for it. If you really are me, you'll know those things too."

I didn't know anything about those events, but the voice in my head spoke up, "Of course I remember. I kissed Tyler Johnson during recess on the first day of 7th grade. And I stole Mom's lipstick to impress my friends. I got grounded for a week because of it."

Hailey's eyes widened in shock, "How... how did you know that?" she asked, her voice trembling.

The voice spoke again, "I told you, I'm the real Hailey."

Hailey looked at me, her eyes full of fear and confusion. "What's your plan anyway? Force Josh to live out the rest of his life in my body? As a girl?"

"Yes, that's the plan. We want to live out the rest of our lives as Hailey, a girl. It's what we've always wanted. And now that we're in this body, we finally have a chance to do it."

Hailey's face fell, "But... what about me? What happens to me then?"

The voice in my head was getting more insistent, "It doesn't matter. You'll just have to be my brother Josh, I guess. But don't worry, I'll take good care of this body."

"Yeah, you really think so, huh?" Hailey asked, crossing her arms and staring at me skeptically.

"I'll take care of it... in every way," the voice in my head said, with a tone that made my skin crawl, "I'll make sure it's always beautiful and desirable. And Josh and I will love every moment of it. Don't even get me started on all the things I can't wait to try with ...my boyfriend. I'm going to make love to him. I can't wait to show Josh everything a girl can do that a boy never could. Then he'll understand he's better off being Hailey."