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Kate is a blonde girl who despite being very intelligent also lacks common sense. She tends to act without thinking things through. I suspect this might be the case with the handcuffs. A number of dumb blonde jokes could certainly be applied to her. In fact, she seems to like to play to the stereotype.

“Miss Harris, what are you doing?” Mr Francis asks her.

“I saw David up on the roof with Dwain. I was worried for his emotional stability, so thought it a good idea to put him on suicide watch. Research shows that witnessing one suicide attempt can prompt other vulnerable people to try,” Kate replies.

“I was the one pulling Dwain away from the edge, I wasn’t about to jump off myself. I am definitely not suicidal,” I respond, placing my hands on my hips.

“Where did you get the handcuffs, and do you have the key?” Mr Francis asks.

“I keep the handcuffs handy to lock up my little brother if he misbehaves. Threatening to cuff him usually prevents him from being a pest. The keys are in my sister’s car, she will be picking me up at the end of the day,” Kate replies.

While Kate is talking to Mr Francis, she is not looking at the handcuffs. I quickly grab the handcuff and cover it with my right hand. I remove my left hand and wave it behind Kate’s head before putting it back in place. The only person in the room who fails to see this is Kate. The rest of the room is now stifling laughter. Mr Francis raises his eyebrows at me.

I decide to see just how far Kate has thought this through. This could be just the thing to lighten the mood from the dark cloud that has descended via Dwain. Laughter is supposed to be the best medicine, unless you have bruised ribs, in which case it’s not such a good idea.

“It’s all right Mr Francis,” I say, “I am quite willing to spend the next six and a half hours handcuffed to Kate. I only had a small cup of coffee this morning so I can probably wait until after school to use the bathroom. Although I honestly don’t mind if she has to watch if the need arises. I’m sure Kate either has already planned how to avoid using the facilities, or doesn’t mind being watched.” I wink at Mr Francis to let him know I’m winding her up.

I turn to Kate and continue, “Actually I’ve always wondered if you’re a natural blonde, I hope I get a chance to find out,” I smile and look down at her crotch. Kate is now looking very sheepish, and slightly worried. Water suddenly starts flowing down one of the sinks of the science lab we are in, for which someone quickly apologises after knocking the faucet with their elbow.

“OK, fine, you two can stay chained together for the rest of the day. I will write you a note explaining the situation to the other teaching staff,” Mr Francis says to us, trying not to laugh. “Kate, if you end up in an embarrassing position, then you only have yourself to blame. Perhaps next time you will learn to think before you act.”

I can see the note Mr Francis writes with my remote vision, although I have already guessed its contents. It explains why we are chained together and that I can free myself at any time. He hands me the note and then takes roll call.

Mr Francis omits Dwain’s name from the register. Freddy asks what has happened to Dwain, and Mr Francis states that he has been taken to hospital. He then reads out the notice that the Principal talked to us about. As we are running late, homeroom is slightly shorter than usual, and we are soon off to our various classes. Kate and I have the same schedule today, so at least there won’t be an issue with lessons.

Apart from being handcuffed to a dumb blonde, the day is turning out to be incident free. My attack on Dwain yesterday, the drama over Dwain’s escapade on the roof, and the warnings from the notice, mean that nobody is willing to confront me directly. I’m mainly given the silent treatment, something that doesn’t bother me. There are whispers behind my back, but these I simply ignore.

Freddy is having the same issue, however being one of the largest boys in the year means that he isn’t likely to be picked on anyway, at least by our year group. He could be at risk from older students, but even then, he is known to be a strong individual. My video portrays him as a masochist who enjoys pain, which doesn’t contradict his reputation for being tough.

I hand the note to the teachers at the start of the first two lessons, and in each case, they smile and return the note without comment. Lessons progress as normal, with slight adjustments to seating arrangements where necessary. Kate can write with her left hand, so isn’t having a problem having her right hand handcuffed to my left wrist.

I keep my eye on Kate, and by the end of the second hour, she is starting to show signs of discomfort.

At the start of break time, I offer Kate a trip to the bathroom, but she refuses, stating she’s fine. I’m not convinced. Our friends offer her a drink and she initially refuses. However, they are able to convince her to have half a cup to stop dehydration. Unfortunately, they keep topping it up when she isn’t looking. I think Kate must have drunk about three glasses by the end of break.

There is a sweepstake going on amongst several of the students as to how long she can last before she has to pee. There are also bets going on as to if I will actually watch, or will let her go from the handcuffs. I again ask if she needs the loo before the third lesson starts, and again she refuses the offer.

By halfway through the next lesson it is becoming obvious to everyone watching that Kate is getting desperate. I am getting concerned that she may not make it to lunchtime. Even the teacher comments, however Kate insists that she is fine. I decide it is time to end this silliness before we end up with a puddle on the floor. I slip my wrist out of the handcuff and attach it so that both ends are round Kate’s right wrist.

“You don’t have to pee yourself on my behalf. It’s obvious you urgently need to go,” I tell her.

She glances at me, then at the teacher, and then makes a dash for the door. I keep an eye on her remotely to ensure she makes it OK. I don’t invade her privacy, but watch from outside the stall.

Kate returns just before the end of lesson. She is slightly red in the face, but looks a lot more relaxed than before. The lesson ends without further incident. Kate thanks me after the bell rings for letting her go. I tell her everybody knew I could get out of the cuffs, and that was the only reason the teachers allowed it to go on. I couldn’t have gone into the toilet with her without getting into serious trouble.

I use the excuse of going home for lunch to disappear without questions from the others. They agree that I can’t be got at while not physically present. I assure my friends, with Susan’s help, that the journey will not leave me as a target on the street. In fact, Susan and I both now have passes to leave, and we plan to eat together at the shop.

It’s slightly frustrating for both of us that I can’t stay and eat with my friends. I try to argue with Susan that she should stay, rather than burden herself being alone with me, but she insists this is OK. It means that she can catch a quick nap at lunchtime as well, something not usually possible.

Not being able to have lunch with my friends is starting to become tiresome. I am seriously considering letting Tracy and Mary in on my secret. I really want to start to have more experiences as a girl, and to do that I need to be around girls my own age. I have had limited opportunity to talk with Mary and Tracy in private, but both of them seem supportive of me and don’t appear to be bothered about my wanting to be a girl. They understand the reason behind keeping such a secret hidden, although I can tell they are disappointed not to have been told earlier.

During the last lesson of the day, one of the office staff comes and gives me a message from my father. He is going to pick me up after school, and I should wait for him out front.

Father picks me up after school and takes me to a private clinic out of town. My family have called in some favours to get me a medical and start the paperwork to turn me into a girl. With him is Robert Turner, an old school friend of Uncle Richard’s. Mr Turner is now a senior figure in the District Attorney’s office.

I first undergo a thorough gynaecological examination by a female doctor. Mr Turner then asks them to sign an affidavit stating my physical characteristics as being female instead of male. They query the need, but he tells them that my birth certificate states I am male, something he is trying to fix.

They sign the document to state that under medical examination I have the outward appearance of being female. This is backed up with X-rays, MRI and ultrasound evidence, signed and dated by the medical staff.

DNA samples are then taken of both my father and me. I am slightly concerned at this, as they are trying to prove my identity by relating me to my father as an only child. I’m not sure how deep my change has been, could my DNA have rewritten itself? Apparently, we will find out, as DNA taken from hair left in my old comb is also sent for analysis.

Before leaving, Mr Turner takes several passport-style photos of my new appearance.

Later that evening I make a decision to do something about the video I posted on the internet. I have gone too far and pushed Dwain past breaking point. I therefore decide to prove it’s a fake, not something that is going to be easy, considering how well I have made it in the first place.

I enlist my father’s help after we get home from the clinic. My digital camera is capable of taking short movies as well as photos.

The video clip starts with Dwain, as he appeared in the previous video, sitting down in front of the camera. The hair on his head is lifted off, revealing it’s a wig. Cold cream is then applied to his face. Once cleaned off with a sponge, a darker skin tone is revealed. Two pieces of rubber are removed from the nose, to uncover a smaller one beneath. Finally, a skullcap is removed, revealing the persons hair. Instead of Dwain sitting in front of the camera, there is now a young Asian girl.

For comic effect this whole process is repeated several times, first Dwain is revealed to be an Asian girl, then an Inuit boy, then a young African-Caribbean girl, then a Chinese girl, then finally, Bugs Bunny saying, “You didn’t expect that one coming, did-ya?” while chewing on a carrot.

This is set to music, specifically Guaglione by Perez Prado*. My father suggests the music. It was by the same person who wrote Mambo No. 5, and was used in a British beer commercial he had seen while travelling as a student.

I add a large annotation over the original video saying ‘This is a fake — see the video response’. I then upload the new video as a reply to the original. I had opened a new YouTube account for uploading the first video without being traced. I notice several of my fellow students have subscribed to this new identity, so I know this will soon be making the rounds at school.

The next two days are fairly quiet. I’m not being openly attacked, but there is a lot of hostility in the air. As I suspect, the new video clip is being circulated and I overhear a number of people discussing how it could have been done, and whom the people in the video are. I have deliberately modelled the faces from photos on the internet, so that they’re not based on any fellow students.

There is a small incident when the drama club announce that Romeo and Juliet will be their production this year. One smart Alec, Alec Wilson to be precise, suggests I should take the part of Juliet.

“I would be happy to take the part, however the person cast as Romeo might object, or are you going for the part so that you can snog me on stage?” I reply, puckering my lips and fluttering my eyelashes at him. His original comment has gained a few giggles, but my reply sends many people into hysterics. I can take a joke or two, as long as things don’t turn physical.

Things come to a head again on the Friday. It is during the first half of the afternoon when the rest of my class are in the gym. I’m reading in the library when three large lads from the year above come in. The librarian isn’t in today as she is off sick. This means I’m alone in the library until they turn up. I briefly had trouble with them in the past, and they often call me a sissy. However, they usually don’t bother me too much.

“What have we here lads?” the shortest, but widest, of the three, Terry, asks, “Looks like we have a perverted faggot on the loose in the library.”

“With Mrs Baker not about, there is no one for you to run to either, Daisy isn’t it?” Mike adds.

I try to ignore them, but they all decide to surround me and stare.

“It certainly looks girly enough. Almost had me thinking it was a girl,” the third, Ben, snidely remarks.

“Leave me alone,” I state calmly.

“What you going to do about it?” Mike asks.

“I have several options, all of which will land you in detention if I complain loudly enough,” I serenely tell them.

“Figures, a snitch as well as a perv’,” Terry snarkily replies.

I stand up and face them. Terry and Mike are in front of me, and I can see Ben edging round behind me. I can guess what is going to happen next, but they can’t.

Ben has bent down behind me and Mike goes to push me over backwards, the intention being that I will fall over Ben and end upside down on the floor. I have already made myself into a ghost with no solid form, and quickly sidestep to the right as Mike lunges at me. The net result is that Mike falls on top of Ben on the floor. None of them notices that he partially falls through my body. If I had been solid, he would have clipped me and I would have gone down as well.

Terry then decides to try a left hook at me. I lean back slightly in reaction, as his fist passes through my face by several inches, however from his point of view he doesn’t realise. This throws him off balance and I shove him as he wobbles and he falls backwards over the chair I had been sitting on.

I quickly run round the table so that they are all the other side from me, as they all get back to their feet. There is still no sign of any teachers so they continue to have another go at me.

“Come here you queer,” Ben barks at me as he comes round the table. I back away towards the door.

“Stop now and I’ll forget this, continue and I’ll make sure you’re expelled,” I warn.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Terry taunts me, edging closer.

I have had enough of toying with them. I sigh as I take a small round object out of my pocket and throw it to the floor. Before they can grab me, there is a flash of light and a loud bang. When the smoke clears, I have vanished. Three very confused looking boys are left standing in an empty library.

I have been practicing that exit for a few days at home. I couldn’t go out as I have been grounded, so I’ve been amusing myself with perfecting magic tricks using my projection. I discovered that I could project a smoke bomb.

I still haven’t been able to master projecting in more than one location at a time, so the bomb has to stay attached to my body, or it vanishes. To stop it disappearing as soon as it leaves my hand, I keep it attached to my body by a thread of cotton tied to my finger. I can summon the bomb from my pocket, and throw it at the floor. The flash of light it emits, and the bang, hide my disappearance. I found I could simulate smoke for a few seconds as long as it is in a solid cloud that fades from view in one piece. As soon as the bomb hits the ground I turn my body into smoke, let it billow upwards in a mushroom cloud, and fade out after a few seconds.

The loud noise causes one of the teachers from a nearby classroom to investigate. The boys have passes to be in the library, so are let off being out of class, but they have to do some quick talking to cover themselves. They are ultimately let off with a warning about disturbing other lessons. I am watching remotely and only return after they have left.

I decide to get my own back later in the evening by making another video. Considering the trouble the last one caused, I tone down the embarrassment factor slightly and keep it humorous. I don’t email this one round, I just rely on the people who have subscribed to the channel to pick it up. Apparently, they like to sing karaoke as they do an excellent rendition of It’s raining men while dressed as young attractive weather girls.

*http://youtu.be/Y_ShCX_JAbg - Guaglione by Perez Prado