Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty

"Oh boy! Muttered Anita, in shock. "You can see aura's?"

"Yup, yours is a lavender colour with streaks of pink and white running through it, and mommies is a rose colour with crimson streaks." Maggie explained still whispering.

Anita pondered this revelation, as they gathered by the dinning room table. Anita hoisted Maggie into her seat, before going and helping Sara bring in the food from the kitchen.

"Maggie knows," was all Anita had time to tell Sara, as she passed her on the way out.

Sara looked surprised, but then shrugged, as she carried out the bowl of hot baked potatoes to the table. She knew that Maggie was more than she looked and it didn't pay to take her at face value, and treat her just like any normal child, while still continuing the charade for Julie, she did notice Maggie was giggling a lot for no apparent reason. Sara did wonder what had given Maggie the clue, but the answer would have to wait for now.

Soon, everyone was enjoying their meal. Julie noticed the looks that Sara and Anita were giving each other, and Maggie had that look of a child with a secret. The occasional giggle from her, also hinted that something was going on.

"What's up with you lot? Have I split something on myself, or is this some secret code you've developed?" she asked suspiciously, looking at all three in turn.

"Remember the first day at the Ellery's?" Mi Ling hinted,

Julie thought back to that day, when they all ended up in Jennifer's body after being tricked into admitting they wanted her body. Although their desire for getting into Jennifer's pants, was meant for the purposes of having sex and not ending up actually wearing her pants, Julie remembered thinking of her secret longing to be female and how envious she was of Jennifer's great looking body. That first moment, after realising she had indeed become the object of her desires, was like a revelation. Oh, she had protested just as much as the others, not wanting to admit that this was a dream come true. She had to act all upset, while feeling something quite different inside. The greatest moment in her life was when Sara stated that she was going to stay female. That moment had given her the nerve to admit her own desire to stay female.

As Julie's thoughts flashed quickly over the events and the fun they had had the next morning, when Sara couldn't tell just who was who, she realised at last, what was going on.

"You... you didn't." Julie laughed, seeing by the expressions on their faces that she had guessed. "How could you steal Anita's body like that?" she growled, looking at Anita, knowing Sara must have initiated the scam.

Sara in Anita's guise, looked guilty as charged, and hung her head. She realised that she had stolen Anita's thunder and felt bad about it.

"It's okay Julie," the real Anita broke in. "This way, she owes me something later, besides I got to wear her dress first," Anita chuckled, saving Sara from more chastisement.

Sara took Anita's hand in hers, thanking the gods that the person, be it Anita or Kevin, loved her enough not to be upset over her actions.

Julie reached over the table, taking their free hands in hers.

"You two are incredible at being each other, I love you both whoever you are."

Mi Ling broke the circle of hands, adding hers to the link; Maggie added hers, taking Kim's hand as well.

"I knowed all along," giggled Maggie, breaking the silence of the heartfelt moment.

"That reminds me," stated Sara, looking at Maggie intently. "How come you knew we were each other?"

"She sees aura's," prompted Anita, as Maggie nodded.

"An interesting development, but not unexpected," Kim interrupted, making everyone look at her, in surprise.

"Let's finish dinner, I hear there is strawberry cheesecake for dessert," Kim added, as questions started to fly. "I'll explain after, when we can relax in the lounge," she offered, letting the others wonder what they were in for.

Dessert disappeared quickly, most not doing it justice, as their thoughts were on what Kim would reveal later. William and Julie only knew that Cindy had rung Kim, but Kim hadn't revealed the news to them, preferring to tell all, when everyone was together. All they knew was, that it was important, and that it could change their lives again.

Sara, helping clean up the dishes, could sense that the next few hours, were going to be very interesting. She could feel the emotions of the others, peaking with curiosity and a little fear. She shrugged off these feelings, as she wiped down the kitchen, thinking that she was reading too much into her premonitions.

As they gathered in the lounge and found a seat to relax in, Maggie decided to climb onto Sara's lap and settled there getting comfortable. Sara moved Maggie slightly, so that her weight wasn't pressing on her recently filled stomach. Maggie, knowing that what was to be revealed, concerned her as well, didn't even think of asking for her treat yet.

"Let's start from when Cindy called me," Kim opened, when everyone was ready. "She has developed telekinetic powers, as well as the beginnings of other psychic powers, one dealing with future events or premonitions, and one of healing."

"We saw some of that at Erin's," confirmed Julie.

"Yes, but it developed past simple parlour tricks of levitation," Kim explained. Bob was thrown off a high tower, by a lightening strike."

Kim paused at the gasps that her words had produced from the others. "Cindy reached him just as it happened. She caught him, using her power of telekinesis, and slowed him sufficiently to stop him being killed. Bob was burned, by the strike, but Cindy found that when she touched him, her hands glowed. She swears that Bob's heart was stopped until she felt some force flowing from her to him. Bob recovered and is okay, but what I wanted to explain to you, is that each and everyone of you could develop similar powers."

"You mean Maggie has them too?" Sara asked.

"How can Maggie have them and we don't?" asked Julie, feeling left out. "You told us at Erin's, that only women who were in touch with their feelings would be the first to manifest any sign of these powers. You said that Sara and I would take longer to get them, due to having been male. So how come Maggie has got a power?"

Maggie, when did you first start seeing aura's?" Kim asked gently.

"I saw the pretty colours soon after I gotted my new body," Maggie admitted.

"Ah, as I suspected, Maggie, were you a girl or a boy, even before your change?" Kim asked, knowing the answer already.

"I was neber a boy, even when I was liddle," Maggie stated emphatically. "Dat's why I started my transtission," she added, stumbling over the word, with her less articulate mouth.

"Maggie was female in her mind a long time before she managed to change her body. She has always been in touch with her feelings, so when the Krin gave her a genetic female body, her gift manifested immediately." Explained Kim, with a satisfied expression on her face.

"Maggie, why didn't you say anything to us?" Asked Anita, curiously.

"I thought it was part of the magic of the Krin. You neber asked, so I figures you knowed all bout it," Maggie hung her head, not sure if she was in trouble.

Sara hugged Maggie, showing her that things were fine, without the need for words. Maggie looked up, seeing nothing, but love in Sara's eyes.

Julie wasn't quite satisfied. She struggled with the idea of revealing the secret, which she had held so close to her heart for so long.

Sara could feel Julie's emotions churning and saw the way she was chewing on her lower lip. Sara realised that these feelings were coming from outside herself, coming in fact from Julie, as she wrestled with her demons.

"What's up Julie? I can sense that you need to tell us something, I think I'm developing an empathic ability," Sara admitted to the others.

That was the last straw for Julie; she burst into tears and ran to the door leading outside, her sobs echoing though the house, then fading, as she continued to run towards the beach.

'Why didn't she have any powers, it was so unfair? She had been cross dressing for years, that should have counted, yet Sara, who hadn't embraced her femininity, till she found the car and the Krin, already had powers.' She ran down to the beach, her scalding tears flowing freely, as she tried to distance herself from the others.

Sara and the others were stunned at Julie's outburst and subsequent tearful departure. William was the first to react, standing up to go and chase after Julie. Sara grabbed him first, as he passed her, stopping him in his tracks.

"Let me, I caused it, I'll follow and get her back, I promise," she reassured him.

"What set her off, she was fine just a minute ago?" William agonised, still resisting against Sara's hand.

"Well. Judging by the way her emotions peaked when I mentioned having an empathic power, I'd say she was feeling left out. I felt hurt, anger, and jealousy all at once; it was like a flare going off. I felt something else, behind the others..." Sara trailed off, as she tried to sort out what it was.

"What?" urged William, looking anxiously towards the empty doorway.

"Shame... she has something in her past that's she's ashamed of," answered Sara finally, having pinned down that elusive and partly hidden emotion.

Sara pushed William back, as she walked to the door.

"Stay here, while I try and sort this out," she insisted, as the others started talking, trying to figure out what Julie was ashamed of.

Sara could see Julie off in the distance, as she made her way to the beach. Those left behind went upstairs, and watched the two figures from the balcony. Sara managed to catch Julie before too long, grasping her arm and turning Julie, so they were face to face.

"Julie, please tell us what's the matter, relaying her words to Kevin though her mind link. While Sara managed to get Julie to stop and start to talk, Kevin feed the others, what he was getting from Sara.

"It's not fair," wailed Julie, having sat down on the nearest dune with Sara. "If Maggie has powers and you have them, why don't I?"

Sara, unsure of the reason, tried to console her friend's anguish.

"Maybe Kim has an explanation," she offered hopefully, "Julie, I felt shame before you fled, what have you to be ashamed of?"

Julie flinched, and then blushed, pulling away from Sara in fear.

"Hey. I'm your friend. I won’t hurt you. I'm just feeling your emotions, I'm not reading your mind," Sara re-assured Julie.

Julie debated what to say. The years of hiding behind the male facade, never revealing who she truly was, was starting to crumble. Ever since she had obtained the correct sexed body, cracks had started to appear, allowing small parts of her true soul to venture out into public view. Deciding with a resolve born of desperation and a need to fully reveal her secret, she began to talk.

To the others anxiously watching from afar, her relayed words finally started to fill in the picture. Tears glistened in eyes, as they felt the agony of her unburdening soul.

"I used to dress up at home, when mom was out," started Julie, pausing as she looked at Sara's face for signs of disgust. Seeing nothing, but concern in Sara's eyes, she continued. Julie told of numerous close calls from being revealed by both her mom and her friends when they unexpectedly called by. Julie explained how she hid her feelings, bottling them up, in her attempt to maintain the fiction of being a normal boy. As she talked, the walls to her emotions crumbled and were washed away in the tears that seemed to flood from years of being dammed up.

William was reduced to tears, as he heard his love's painful revelation. Kim had to restrain him from running down and hugging Julie to show her, his undying love.

"Wait, till it's over, William, Julie will be fine now."

As Julie finished, Sara grew thoughtful.

"I think your problem has been solved,"

"Huh?"

"You've been suppressing your true emotions for years, now that you have told us, they won't block your powers. There's no need for shame, you have just become whole." Explained Sara cheerfully.

"Us? Who's this us?" Julie asked worriedly.

"Well I knew this would be hard repeating, so I relayed our conversation to Kevin so he could tell the others."

"You did! Shiit how am I going to face them," she wailed,

With a cry, tears running freely again, Julie stormed off, leaving Sara sitting stunned on the dune. She watched as Julie walked away waving her hands around as she shouted at the uncaring ocean. Sara felt Julie's emotions increasing to high levels anger being the strongest. As she watched, Sara saw something flickering at the fingertips of Julie's hands. Suddenly great gouts of flame poured forth, leaping from her arms and enveloping Julie's body completely. A faint cry was heard, moments before a huge fireball consumed Julie entirely. A loud concussion was heard as the fireball expanded. Voices on the balcony, cried out in fear, including Sara's as the fireball died away, leaving only a small depression of blasted sand where Julie had been standing. Of Julie, there was no sign.

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.