"Come back tomorrow," he beamed.

Blushing, Christina said, "I think you'd work faster without any distractions."

Richard answered seriously, "I need you around to answer any questions that may arise." In a much more playful tone, he added, "Besides, you are far and away my favorite distraction."

        Christina pulled the pillow off her head and squinted as the morning sunlight flared in her eyes. She sat up and checked the clock- 6 AM. Perfect, she thought. Andrei wasn't getting away today.

        She threw off her covers and leaped to her feet. Not even bothering with a robe, she strode through the hallway in her nightshirt. Andrei's door was closed. She stood impatiently in front of his door and tapped on it gently. When that elicited no response, she knocked harder. After a few minutes, she conceded that Andrei was either asleep or already gone. She opened the door and poked her head into the dark room. The shades were drawn tightly, blocking out any trace of daylight.

        "Andrei?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

        Pulling the pillow off of her head, Christina forced her eyes to focus on the alarm clock. "Crap," she yawned. It was already past eight; she'd slept late yet again. She had spent most of last night Googling taxation problems to no avail. Dropping her bare feet onto the cold floor, she went into the bathroom. Her eyes winced in the pale light as she took stock of what she saw. As usual, after her Oak Grove vacations, Christina was still a girl. Even without her false breasts in place and with her disheveled morning hair, there was no doubt about it. Her powder blue cotton pj's, which were covered from head to toe with yellow chicks, certainly didn't help her cause. She was in a difficult spot- she would be returning home for Christmas, so she did not have the luxury of getting a haircut. She'd just have to find some way of making herself a convincing boy in the meantime.

        Christina was barely aware of her surroundings when the truck pulled into the parking lot. She stepped out of the door and closed it after Steph had exited. Immediately crossing over to Andrei, Steph inserted her arm through his.

        Pulling the still-hot load of towels out of the dryer, Nina piled it into the laundry basket. Taking a towel off the top, she started folding.

        Christina took the next one, folded it, and placed it on the stack they were building on top of the dryer.

        "Thanks for helping out with my chores," said Nina.

        Christina responded, "Your chores are my chores."

        "In that case, do you want to write my history report?" Nina joked.

        Christina sat on the bus to Dover, leafing through the current issue of Vogue magazine, where she'd dog-eared a few pages containing some looks she wanted to try out with Steph.

        This time, her visit to the Transformations Boutique had not been as traumatizing as the first time. Though the place made still her feel extremely uncomfortable, she tried to look at it as though it was an ordinary salon visit. The Brazilian wax wasn't quite as painful as the last time as her pubic hairs had never quite grown back to their old thickness. She supposed there was no real need to wax her bikini area, but she had to admit that the feeling of her panties caressing her baby soft skin made her feel more secure in her new role.

        Christina got up early, long before the rest of the family and was already dressed and downstairs before the sun had come up. Deciding that she was going to be the first girl in the house to make wearing pants a habit, she had thrown on a pair of capri pants and a simple off the shoulder top. She went into the kitchen and put on an apron; the plan was to surprise her uncle with breakfast before he went to work. Christina had seen very little of Alek this visit, and she longed to spend some time with her uncle.

        Nina was the first one awake, and she shook Christina by the shoulder.

        "Come on, we have to get ready," Nina scurried towards the door.

        Christina sat up in bed, "Get ready for what?"

        "It's Sunday," Nina shouted as she rounded the corner. "We have to get ready for church."

        "Church?" Christina repeated to herself. She couldn't think of a time she'd been in a church that wasn't for a wedding or a funeral. She jumped out of bed and chased after Nina. "What do you mean church?"

        Chris' transition back to his old life hadn't been easy. After only a week in Oak Grove, he'd become accustomed to a slower, more relaxed way of life. Though he didn't know many people in the small town, it hadn't taken him long to recognize the familiar cast of characters on Main Street. His days had been filled with the company of his family or the friendly human interaction of working in the grocery store.

        When Christina woke up early on Friday morning, none of her fear remained from the day before. Her last day with the Levchenkos hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped, but everything had worked out in the end. She was showered and dressed by the time the sun had come up. It didn't feel right to wear her jeans after last night, so she decided to wear the last skirt that Nina had picked out for her, and her plain white blouse.

        Anastasia was livid. She stormed into her room and slammed the door. The bed was covered with stacks of clothes and two open suitcases. One case was stuffed over the edge, and the other was only half filled. She didn't care what her father said; it wasn't his decision. She went to the chest of drawers and slammed each drawer as she searched for her makeup bag. The antique lamp that she'd bought at the County Fair teetered dangerously with each drawer slammed underneath it. She angrily pushed the items on her shelf aside, breaking her sophomore year soccer trophy.

        Christina woke just as the first rays of sun hit the mountain. Rolling over, she pulled the blankets over her eyes to block the light. She savored the warm, comfortable feeling of being cocooned in her luxurious bed, remembering that her bed at home wasn't remotely this comfortable. Eventually she pulled the blanket off of her head and looked around, realizing that everything that happened yesterday was real. She didn't want to get up, not only because the bed was so inviting, but also she knew that if she looked in the mirror, she would see a girl looking back.

        As Chris rolled over and opened his eyes he could tell by the light on the ceiling that it was morning, but something was different. He felt as though he was floating on a cloud. This wasn't his bed. His bed was only marginally better than sleeping on the floor, and that was only because he rarely swept. Even the soft feather pillows molded perfectly to the curvature of his head. He couldn't remember feeling so relaxed in his life. Most mornings, his first action was to untwist his underwear, but today, his pajamas flowed marvelously from his body. He sighed, reveling in the sensation of being absolutely pampered.

        Chris began the long day's drive already spent from a week of sleepless nights. He had stopped for some soda and fast-food hours after leaving home, but caffeine and empty calories could only do so much. Realizing that his head was starting to drift downward every so often as he rested his eyes, he left the interstate for a rural route. Seeing a filling station, he decided to top off his gas tank before he ventured further into the official middle of nowhere.