It’s a good thing that today is Friday, because it’s been really Freaky

I would like to thank my dear friends,
Angel O’Hare, Karen Page, Joni W. and Holly Logan
for their kindness, help, support, and input.

Education in the Hills
Chapter 7

By Penny Reed Cardon

Morning arrived, sooner than I would have liked, considering how late it was before we went to bed. After morning prayers, we went our separate ways as we prepared for what I'm sure was to be a crazy day. After my shower, I entered my closet to select my attire. Out of habit, I slipped on two pairs of panties and I was proceeding to hide my small appendage. It was then that I remembered what Ellen said, 'most boys don’t wear panties and most boys don’t know what it means to be tucked'. Reluctantly I removed the panties and put them back in the drawer. Going to the other side of my closet, I found some underwear that was intended to be worn by the male of the species.

‘Oh well, I did wear them for nine and a half years, well, most of the time. I guess wearing them for one day a month won't kill me.’

After donning a white tee shirt and briefs, I went looking for a shirt to wear with the black tux I’d found. To my surprise, I found a light blue silk shirt, not too bad, that would work. Adding the black silk tie finished off the outfit and added an extra touch of class. As I stood brushing my hair Mary Beth knocked, " Entré S'il Vous Plaá®t."

"Well now, don't you look handsome," Mary Beth, oops, Hunter, insulted me. Actually, his intent was to pay me a compliment.

"Oh, I feel silly dressed in these clothes."

"I know what you mean. This underwear is so coarse and scratchy. How did you wear them for so many years?"

"At first I wore them because I didn't know any better. Later on, when I knew better, I only wore them when I didn't have a choice. I'll enjoy wearing the blue evening gown that's in my closet, so much more than this silly tux."

"But I was going to wear the blue gown," Hunter pouted.

'It's a little funny, seeing someone that is supposed to be male, pouting like that.'

"I guess I could wear the cranberry, or my graduation gown, although, it's more of a party dress than an evening gown. By the way, boys don't pout like that."

"Oh ... Yeah, this is going to be more work than I thought," Hunter shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, we'll just forget about that, it's time to get me mummified."

After I finished with the elastic bandages, Hunter disappeared to finish getting ready.

"Jeffrey," Hunter called out. "How do you manage these buttons, they’re on the wrong side?"

"That's funny, I thought the same thing about the buttons on girl’s blouses, the first time I wore one of them," I called back.

"You know, boy’s underwear is really uncomfortable," Hunter complained as he walked back into my room. "Your choice of the silk shirt almost makes up for it though. Jeff, how do you tie a tie?"

"Come here," I giggled, as I got up from my computer. I'd been going over all the profiles of year A, learning their other names. As for the rest of the school, I'd decided to leave those for another time. "I'll take care of it for you."

"Thanks, how do they expect me to know what to do with a tie? The only thing I know how to tie is my shoes."

"When we have more time I’ll teach you, just like my Mom taught me."

"Your Mother taught you how to tie a tie? I thought your Dad would have done that. I know that my Dad taught my brothers how to tie their ties."

"When I was little, Dad always said that it was Mom's job to get us kids ready for church. So, if Mom wanted me to wear a tie, she either had to tie it for me or teach me how to do it. Which meant by the age of six, I'd learned how and was doing it myself. Do you want some help with your jacket?"

"Wow, your family sure does things differently. Yes, some help with the jacket would be nice, thank you."

"Yeah, Dad sure had some strange ideas about how life was supposed to be. I think he was about a hundred years out of date with his thinking. There you are my friend, your tie is tied, your jacket is on, your ponytail is tied low in a typical male fashion. That makes you ready to go except for one thing."

"What did I forget?"

"Well, the next time you dress as a boy ... No perfume."

"Oops! Oh well, nothing we can do about that now," Hunter grinned as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll bet you did that on purpose," I stated with a fake scowl. "Let me grab my coat and we can be on our way."

Hunter smiled and winked at me before replying, "I'll go get mine, meet you in my room."

Looking in my closet, I found a long mans-style overcoat, in my size of course. Removing it from the hanger, I was a young man prepared to attend a concert. The problem was I felt terrible, especially where my privates rubbed against the coarse briefs.

'It's a good thing I only have to wear this stuff until dinner. I don't remember things moving this much when I walked. I’m not sure how much of this chafing I can ignore, but if this keeps up I'm probably going to be sore for a week.'

"Hunter, I think we can leave the blanket here," I explained with a giggle, as I found him already seated. “Your pants should be enough to keep your legs warm."

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that."

After folding the blanket, I laid it on his bed. It didn't take too much coaxing to get him to change his coat, from pink with fur trim to something a little more masculine. He giggled as he said he was trying to start a new fashion trend.

We were finally on our way, down the hall to the elevator and then to the year lounge.

'Oh this is annoying, the added exertion of pushing this wheelchair has amplified the amount of rubbing. I know the briefs are the right size, but why are they so loose.'

I slowed down as we approached the lounge. "What's the matter?" Hunter asked.

"Oh, I guess I’m just a little nervous. This is the first time that anyone here has seen me with short hair."

"Am I correct in guessing that I'm the only one that has ever seen your natural hair color?"

"I think you and Beca are the only ones to have seen it."

"Well my dear Jeffrey, it's time for introductions. Let's go meet the rest of year A."

"I suppose there's no way to get out of it," I replied, with all the confidence of a jellyfish.

Hunter smiled at me and squeezed my hand.

Smiling back, I shook my head, took a deep breath, and added, "All right dear friend, business as usual, you get the door and I'll push."

"That's my girl, sorry, I mean boy. Now, let's do this with dignity, heads held high, and a big confident smile."

"Will you settle for just my head held high?"

"Oh, come on, you nut."

Hunter reached for the doorknob, pulled the door open and I wheeled him around and into the lounge.

"Welcome, Hunter," Erin and James chorused.

"Hunter, who is that cute little boy pushing your wheelchair?" Tonya asked with a giggle.

"This darling little boy can't be Jeffrey," Charlene added, also giggling.

As I was moving towards them, obviously in an agitated state, Hunter managed to grab the sleeve of my coat.

"You two have a choice to make, and I suggest that you make it quickly," Hunter cautioned them. "Option one, is to apologize immediately. Option two, would be grow a rather nasty bruise after being kicked in the shins. Option three is to repeat all of this semester’s classes, because all record of them will mysteriously disappear."

"Ah ... We didn't mean anything," Tonya replied quickly, while putting some distance between herself and the angry tyke that I’d become.

"I'm sorry too! It was just some harmless heckling," Charlene added as she backed up.

"He wouldn't really kick us, would he?" Tonya asked.

"All I know is what I heard from his sister," Hunter explained. "According to his older sister, Karen, his family was asked to leave a restaurant somewhere in Oregon, because he kicked a waitress that had called him a 'cute little tyke'."

As Hunter was talking, and holding me back, James came over and put his arms around me. I still can't explain why his arms around me had, and still have, such a calming effect, but I'm sure he sensed it. "There now Jeffrey, that's better. We are all friends here and friends don't kick each other, do they?"

"No Jenn ... Um, no James they don't. I don't know why I reacted that way. I'm usually able to control my anger better than this. I haven't been this agitated for some time. I'm sorry," I apologized to everyone. "I must be under a lot more stress than I realize."

"Jeffrey, would you please come with me?" James asked. I replied by nodding. With one arm around me, James led me into the restroom.

"Let me help you take off your coat and jacket. A little cold water in the face works wonders when it comes to momentarily relieving a little stress."

"Thank you James. I really don't know what came over me. Yesterday we were all laughing and joking around. It wouldn't have fazed me if they had said it then. I'm not sure why it bothered me just now."

"When is your next meeting with Ellen?"

"Not until next Tuesday. Do you think I should discuss this morning’s events with her?"

"Yes, you should talk with her about how you feel; or one of the other psychiatrists. You do know that if Ellen is not available you are welcome to talk with any of the psychiatrist's."

"Nobody has told me that before. I thought that because of the number of students per psychiatrist that going to another one would ... Well, I don't know, just wasn't something to do."

"Oh no, they do prefer that you talk with your assigned psychiatrist, but you can talk to any of them, if you feel the need to talk with someone. So, are you feeling well enough to go to breakfast?"

"I think so. Thanks again."

"Any time, shall we rejoin the others?"

Smiling, I nodded and we went back into the lounge. As I crossed the lounge, I started to feel uneasy once again. As soon as I stopped, the feeling went away and I was fine.

'This is really starting to drive me nuts. I walk around and I'm uneasy and agitated, I stop and it slowly goes away. I wonder if it has anything to do with presenting myself as male.'

"Hunter was just telling us about your nocturnal activities," Erin informed us, as we sat down. "Is there anything you want to add?"

I looked around nervously, "That's not something I can answer, without knowing what has already been said."

"Always the cautious one," Hunter giggled. "I told them about my late appointment, to get my hair styled for today, and that we were with Amanda Reynolds until 10:20. I also included the laughing we heard as we passed the G and H dorm, and you dragging me along while you went to investigate."

"What? I didn't drag you anywhere. I asked you if we should find out who was laughing and you agreed. Of course, my question and your response were both non verbal, but you knew what ..." It was then that I heard giggling from several others. Looking around I instantly knew what was going on, "Boy ... I swallowed that one, didn't I."

"Hook, line, and sinker." Hank called out.

Almost everyone was laughing. "I didn't know I was so predictable, I'll have to work on that," I confessed with a smile, shaking my head.

"So are we in trouble for being out after curfew?" Hunter asked.

"Not this time, but try to get an earlier appointment next time. Now that everyone has had their morning dose of laughter, except Jeffrey of course, I think it's time we all headed over for breakfast," Erin said, as she headed for the door.

We all started for the cafeteria; Hunter and I were about in the middle of the group. With each step, I became more and more uneasy. I began searching for places to hide, while looking at the faces around me. We were about halfway when I came to a stop.

:-) :-) :-) :-) > > > > > > :-( :-( :-( :-(

'There are voices in my head, calling a name ... no they aren't in my head, the voices are around me. I slowly look around, I'm surrounded by ... other, um, children, but they don't look like children. Their faces seem familiar, but I don't recognize them. They keep calling for someone named Jeffrey. The only Jeffrey I know is Mary Beth's little brother, but I don't see him. I wonder who they're looking for? OH NO! someone is holding my hands! Why would they hold onto me like that? I can't hide if someone is holding onto my hands. I look into his eyes ... I should know him … there’s something about him that feels so familiar, like we've always been together. He's calling a different name now, it sounds like a girl's name. What is it? Maa ... Mat ... Matilda.

:-( :-( :-( :-( > > > > > > :-) :-) :-) :-)

"Mary Beth, why are you dressed up like a boy? ... Oh wait, now I remember, we're at the Manor and its Freaky Friday, isn't it?" I asked as I looked into her eyes. She seemed to be worried about something.

"Matilda, where did you go this time?" she asked.

I looked around and saw all of year A. They all looked like they were worried about something. Suddenly James was next to me, holding one of my hands. "Matilda, please tell me what you remember," James asked as he closed his eyes.

I briefly described the events of this morning before, during, and after meeting with the rest of the year, in the lounge. I told her about the strange feelings of uneasiness I felt as we were walking towards the cafeteria. Suddenly I stopped talking as everything came back to me. I remembered everything including causing all my friends to worry. I also knew why I'd acted so strangely. I pulled my hands back from James and Mary Beth.

"I can't do this! I'm sorry, I tried, but I just can't do it. Would one of you please see that Mary Beth is escorted to breakfast? I have to go back to my room," I asked, then suddenly, and without warning, I turned and ran back to our dorm.

I didn't stop running until I had closed my bedroom door. I quickly removed my coat and jacket, putting them neatly on my bed. I wasn't quite so neat with the tie, shirt and pants. Once I was down to my underwear, I rushed to the bathroom.

‘No, that's not right; it isn't my underwear, that's the problem. It’s boy's underwear; it belongs to someone who doesn't exist anymore. It's Matt's underwear, and he's dead.'

In my bathroom, I stripped off Matt's underwear and dumped it down the laundry chute. Taking a moment to commune with Mother Nature, I went to my closet to get dressed. Pulling on the panties I had started to put on earlier, I quickly repositioned things as Miss Adams had taught me. It was such a relief to feel … proper again. I slipped on a white silk camisole and some matching silk panties. Leaning against the doorframe, I sighed in relief, laughing as I thought 'Matt is dead, long live Matilda.'

I moved back to my bed and continued getting dressed. It was time to make a new start at being Jeffrey.

I'd finished getting dressed and was putting on my coat, in preparation of re-joining my friends for breakfast, when someone knocked on my door.

"Good morning Ellen." I greeted her with a smile, as I opened my door, seeing her concerned face.

"First, are you sure it's a good morning? Second, to whom am I speaking?"

My smile grew with the knowledge that my friends cared enough about me to send word to Ellen. Spreading my arms, I looked down at my clothes. Looking up again I offered my hand to Ellen, to shake, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Ellen. The name ... is Jeffrey."

"And are you Jeffrey by choice?" she asked warily.

"To be honest, it didn't start out that way, but after a false start and a misconception or two. Yes, I'm Jeffrey by choice, and yes Ellen, it is a good morning. It started out a bit on the rocky side. However, after returning to the scene of the crime and starting over, I can say without a doubt that it is a good morning."

Ellen's expression was much more skeptical, causing me to break into giggles. "Jeffrey, could we sit down and talk about what happened this morning?"

"It would be my pleasure, please enter my humble abode," I said with a bow, stepping aside so Ellen could pass. I was extremely polite, asking, "May I take your coat. I'm guessing we'll be awhile." Ellen removed her coat and I gently laid it on my bed, followed by mine. We sat on the couch so we could be comfortable.

I removed my PDA from my pants pocket and started typing. "Just a short note to Hunter, letting him know that I'm okay, also that you and I are going to talk for a while," answering Ellen’s questioning look.

"So tell me Jeffrey, when was the first time you felt uncomfortable about today's change."

"I guess I first experienced some queasy feelings as I was putting on the boy’s briefs. I'd started to put on panties as I normally do, then I remembered what you said last night about most boys not wearing panties or being tucked. But everything just felt wrong after I exchanged the panties for some briefs. I told myself that it didn't matter, boys underwear and girls underwear are basically the same, they're both just fabric that's cut and sewed together. I didn't notice too much discomfort until I started walking around." Slowly, and with a lot of embarrassment on my part, I related to Ellen ALL the details of this morning’s episode. Naturally, I included my speculation, that the stimulation provided by the coarse material of the briefs is what caused me to act and feel as if I were Matt.

Ellen was surprised by my theory and conclusion, "That's a very interesting, yet hypothetical, conclusion. I'm not sure how we can, or if we want to, prove or disprove your theory. At any rate, I'll arrange for some better quality briefs and tee-shirts."

"Ellen, don't waste the school’s money," I offered and then explained. "You said two things last night that apply to this situation. First, you said that most boys don't wear panties. Second, you said that it was my decision how I dressed. Well … I am definitely NOT ‘most boys’, and this Jeffrey does wear panties. Furthermore, if I have anything to say about it, I'll never put on boy’s underwear again."

"Yes, I did say it was your choice, although I'm surprised by your analysis and conclusion. It seems that Jill Morgan was correct in her assessment of your ability to analyze and define a resolution to almost any problem. In the meantime, shall we get some breakfast and get you to class?"

Eager to have this embarrassing conversation concluded, I jumped up and retrieved Ellen’s coat, holding it open so she could slip her arms in.

Giggling, Ellen rose and accepted my offer, "Thank you young man, you're quite the gentlemen."

"You can blame my Mother for that. Dad wasn't much of a gentleman, so Mom taught Charles and me to treat girls and ladies with respect, as well as what it means to be a gentleman."

"Well, she did a fine job."

Giggling I added, "Perhaps she should have spent more time teaching me how a girl treats a gentleman."

Ellen had an evil smile. Without warning, she bent down and kissed me on the cheek, "Thank you kind sir, for assisting me with my coat."

While wiping my cheek I moaned, "I guess I asked for that, didn't I? Now I know how Mary Beth felt when I kissed her."

"You've been kissing Mary Beth?" Ellen asked, as I was putting on my coat.

"Only two times. She got mad at me the first time, I think she wanted to punch me."

"And the second time?"

"It wasn't in public, so she didn't get as upset."

“I think we'd better discuss this matter in more detail on Tuesday, when Mary Beth is with us.”

I shook my head thinking that Mary Beth might not be happy discussing the subject, and then I frowned.

“Is there a problem with discussing when and why you kissed Mary Beth, with her?”

“No, there’s no problem discussing it with her.”

“So why the frown?”

“I miss having long hair. I like the way it tickles my ears.”

“Come on Munchkin, let’s get some breakfast,” Ellen laughed.

We walked together to the cafeteria. Ellen led me around to a side door; it opened into another small dining room.

"Jeffrey, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Oh, um, I guess some hash browns, two eggs over medium on top of the hash browns, some country gravy over the top, and a large glass of orange juice. Why?"

"That sounds good; I think I'll have the same. I'll go get our breakfasts, please wait here for me."

"Ellen, I'm capable of carrying my own breakfast."

"Of course you are, think of this as a welcome to Immigration Manor, to Jeffrey from me. I'd like you to wait here. Will you do that for me?"

"Yes Ellen, I'll wait here," I replied, but I didn't promise that I wouldn’t think about what was going on. There was a mystery brewing and I knew it.

As soon as Ellen left, I got out my PDA and accessed the system. ‘There must be some reason that I shouldn't be in the main dining room, when years D through H are there. Doing a global search with 'Matilda' as the search parameter, revealed more information than I knew existed. Going through all of this would take some time. On a hunch, I did another search using 'Edith' as the search parameter. Not as much information, but still a lot there. Scanning through the list, I found Mom's schedule. Out of simple curiosity, I opened her schedule wondering if she was as busy as I've been. Let's see, she's scheduled to eat with years D through H, no surprise there. She's schedule time each day to see Rachael while I'm in choir practice. The rest of her time is schedule to see students, that's not surprising either, that's what she was hired for. What I found interesting was there were some red X's through her schedule during the time that Mary Beth and I usually go see Rachael. That struck me as odd; an experiment seemed to be in order. I closed Mom's schedule, and brought up my own. Then I changed the time that I planned to spend with Rachael on Saturday. Closing my schedule, I opened Mom's, to discover that the red X's on her Saturday schedule had changed.’

Just then, Ellen and Joseph came in. I shut down my PDA and greeted them with a smile.

"My, my, I see zhat I may not refer to you as Mademoiselle Matilda," Joseph giggled. "Peraaps Jeune Homme Jeffrey, or Mioche Jeffrey, or possible Petit Homme Jeffrey."

I wasn't exactly sure what Joseph had said, but I did know that Petit meant little.

"Joseph," Ellen scolded. "Don't call him that unless you desire a large bruise on your leg."

Ellen took my hand and asked me to stand. As I stood Ellen continued, "Allow me to present Jeune Monsieur Jeffrey." Naturally I bowed.

"My apologies, good sir. It is an oonor do make your acquaintance." Joseph returned my bow. We all had a good laugh at how formal we were acting.

After a brief conversation, Joseph went back into the main dining room. Ellen and I talked while we ate, mostly about what I've been doing, how busy I've been, anything else that would cause me to get upset. I asked her how her investigation of Bart and his family was progressing. She informed me that she was pursuing several other matters this week, but would be returning to the question of Bart and his abuse next week. Of course, I didn't tell her about my attempts to take matters into my own hands, so to speak.

Ellen escorted me to my French class, which was already in progress. When I made my entrance, Hunter ran across the room to hug me.

"Oh, I was so worried about you," Hunter squealed as he hugged me. He even kissed my cheek several times. "You ran off so suddenly. You've got the entire year worrying about you. What on Earth could have made you act that way? Why did you run away from us like you did? Oh Matilda ..."

"Hold on a second Hunter ... slow down and take it easy. I'm all right and I'll tell you all about what happened, but not here and not now. Right now, we need to learn some French. And it's Jeffrey, if you don't mind."

Ellen was still standing in the doorway, chuckling. I saw her give Rusty a nod, just before she left.

"Welcome Jeffrey," Rusty greeted. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Being that your arrival has caused a bit of a disturbance anyway, why don't we take advantage of it and take a ten-minute break. Please be back in your seats, with your giggles expended, by 9:20."

We left the wheelchair in the classroom, being that the restrooms were just around the corner. Hunter was talking a mile-a-minute, wanting to know what had happened, was I okay, what did Ellen and I talk about, was I going to space out again, did I contact James or Erin ...

Hunter suddenly stopped talking when he noticed I was leading him into the boy's restroom, and refused to move, "Just where do you think you're going?"

"To commune with nature, like I always do during the break. Is there a problem?"

"But we can't go in there, it's the boy's bathroom."

"Yes it is Hunter, and your point is?"

"But, we’re not really boys."

"First, I'd like to thank you for that compliment. Second, I'd like to point out, that if you'd looked closely, when Bart left me naked in the schoolyard, you'd see that I do have boy things between my legs. Third, I've been dressed as a girl and using the girl's restroom for just over a week and you didn't seem to have a problem with that. Now we're both dressed as boys and using male names, it seems only natural for us to use the boy's restroom."

"But I've never been in a boy's bathroom before."

"So what's the problem? It's just a bathroom."

"Yes, but it's a BOY’S bathroom!"

"Hunter, answer a question for me. In the nine days we've been here have you used the restroom that's attached to the year lounge?"

"Has it only been nine days?"

"Yes, it's only been nine days. Now answer my question."

"Oh, yes, all right."

"Well, is it a boy's restroom or a girl's restroom?"

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Well it's sort of both, I guess."

I paused a moment, concentrating hard to prevent something embarrassing from happening. 'Oh, I've got to speed this up'.

"Why are you afraid of the boy's restroom? Are you afraid that when you walk in a mondo huge boy cutie is going to jump on your head and suck out your brains?"

"NOOO."

"Well then, you must be afraid if the eight legged, boy stall bugs that crawl around on the floor and under the stalls to bite your leg when you sit down."

"Oh there aren't any stall bugs. You made that up."

"Yes I did, but only to get you laughing and moving. Now come on," I concluded. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him forward.

"But ..."

"For everything there is a first time," I replied, pulling him inside.

"Oh, stop quoting Star Trek and let's get this over with."

We entered a world forbidden to every elementary school girl, the boy's restroom. "There, just like the restroom that is attached to the lounge. Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to relieve myself."

I let go of Hunter's hand and started for the nearest stall. I had to stop and giggle, "Hunter, why are you covering your eyes?"

"I don't want to see you using the urinal."

"First off, how would you know what a urinal is, or what it's for? Second, I haven't used a urinal since I started my girl training, ten weeks ago." Shaking my head, I went into the stall, closed the door, and took care of my immediate needs.

"Well I do have brothers you know. I've heard them talking."

"I don't think we'll hear any of that kind of talk around here. Speaking of talking, are you going to just stand there talking, or are you going to use one of the other stalls?"

"Couldn't I go next door to the girl's bathroom?"

"Aagh," I groaned, "Hunter, right now you look like a boy, well sort of. Anyway, boys don't use girl’s restrooms. Now hurry up, it's almost time to go back to class."

"But what if someone else comes in?"

"And sees what? A boy coming out of a stall in the boy’s restroom. Gee, that would be shocking. Besides you, Rusty, and I are the only people on this floor right now."

"Well, what if Rusty comes in?"

"That won't happen; the staff have their own facilities. Now hurry up," I urged, as I emerged from the stall and went to wash my hands.

"Okay, but you go out in the hall and don't let anyone in here."

"All right silly, I'll guard the door, just hurry up. We don't want you having an embarrassing moment."

'While waiting I'll work on the puzzle, why can't I be in the main dining room with years D through H? After all, there was no problem with me being there during girl training, why would now be different? Obviously it's has nothing to do with the room or building, I'm in there three times a day. It can only mean that there's someone in there that I'm not supposed to see. It's also something that Beca and company know, from the way they were stepping on their tongues on Monday. Let's see, the student profiles don't give me an arrival date, no matter, there is a date on the creation of the file. So sorting by date ... Mary Beth and I are the newest students, and there weren't any added between now and when I was here before. There's something odd though; Year A's files were created in June of this year. Every year in June, all the student profiles were created, except year C. Their profiles were created in September of 2002. I'll have to look into that some other time. As for today's puzzle, that only leaves some new staff member that's being hidden from me. Hmm, where did RJ hide the staff's records. Ah, there they are, now arrange them by date and ... Mom is the only new staff member. That's ridiculous, it can't be her, what am I missing?'

"What are you doing now?" Hunter asked, as he put his hand between my eyes and my PDA, startling me.

"Ahhh ... Don't sneak up on me like that. You want to give me a heart attack?"

"Who was sneaking? You were so involved with what you're working on I could have driven a bulldozer past you and you wouldn't have noticed."

"Hunter, don't exaggerate."

"Who's exaggerating?"

"Oh come on, let's get back to class."

After French, Hunter decided to go back to the lounge while I was in my computer class.

'My next opportunity to work on the 'who I shouldn't see and why' puzzle, was my next restroom break. The information I'm coming up with is sketchy, and scattered from one place to another. It almost seems that there's an ultra high security server somewhere that I haven't found yet. I've run across several references to Marshallville and an exodus, but very little real information on that subject. I wonder if Lizy will tell me about what happened there. So far, everything is pointing to everyone keeping me from seeing Mom, but that doesn't make any sense. Why would they not want me to see my mother? Maybe I'll find more information next time.'

I arranged to have Hunter meet me in the cafeteria for lunch. He said that half the year had volunteered to push his wheelchair for him. This was weird, considering our past, but having good friends is sure nice.

'I'm early, gives me another chance to crack this puzzle. I wonder if looking for a school policy regarding parents would reveal much, it just led me to that high security server again. I guess the only way to find what I'm looking for is to crack that box. Well, maybe after lunch.'

"Hi Jeff," Marlow called out, as he and Willy pushed Hunter into the cafeteria. "Been waiting long?"

"No, not too long. Just working on a little homework," I replied with a smile.

"No plans to take over the world?" Hunter asked, jokingly.

"Not this time, my friendly sidekick," I replied with a giggle. "What have all of you been up to, while I've been stuck in class?"

"Erin and Christopher have been laying out circuit boards," Willy announced.

"And Hank has been going over safety procedures for the power tools," Nola added, as she and Misaki joined the little group.

'It's a good thing I recruited the rest of the year to help with the keyboard project, there's no way I'd have found the time to do it on my own.'

The conversation during lunch was centered mostly on me, ‘how could I be so lucky’. Everyone wanted to know what had been wrong this morning, if there was anything they could do to help me, and had Ellen been able to help. Basically, lots of questions I didn't want to answer. I did my best to explain everything without revealing too many embarrassing details.

After lunch, Hunter and I went to see Rachael. She was expecting Mary Beth and me as her sister. Being visited by Hunter and me as her new brother, took her by surprise.

"Matilda, why are you dressed as Matt?" Rachael asked, as we entered her room.

"I'm sorry miss; you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Jeffrey," I responded politely, just as a proper young man should.

"All right Matt, what's going on?" Rachael asked sternly.

Ignoring Rachael's question, I continued with the introductions, "Rachael, allow me to present my very good friend Hunter. Hunter, this is Miss Rachael, she's Matilda's sister."

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, miss," Hunter replied, extending his right hand in friendship.

"Okay you two, enough with the rich kid routine, what's going on?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, miss," Hunter professed.

As for myself, I couldn't contain my amusement any longer and started giggling.

"Ah ha, I knew this was all part of some big act. Okay Matt, out with it."

I picked up Rachael's brush and started my daily ritual of brushing her hair. "I'm afraid you are mistaken on that point, my dear sister. You see, your father killed Matt fifteen days ago, in a fit of rage. As with declining to use the name Covington, I cannot and will not use the name Matt. From this day on, any time I appear male I would appreciate it if you would address me as Jeffrey."

"So, why are you two dressed as boys?" Rachael asked calmly, but sadly as she remembered the events I had reminded her of.

"According to Ellen, this is part of our education," Hunter replied.

"Girls dressing up like boys is educational?" Rachael thought aloud.

"It’s not just girls learning what its like to be male," I added. “The boys are required to dress as females, so they can learn about life from a feminine point of view. It's what they call Freaky Friday. We're told they do this about once a month."

"You're kidding! The boys have to dress as girls? That must be funny. I can imagine what that looks like, all of them stumbling around in high heels," Rachael giggled.

"Oh, I'm sure there first time in heels they started out with short ones. We haven't seen anyone stumbling nor anyone having problems, have we Jeffrey?"

"No problems at all. In fact, everyone presenting themselves as female looks and acts quite feminine.

"So tell me, how does Mary Beth like being a boy?" Rachael asked Hunter.

"Well, it's not something I wanted to do or would have done on my own, but it isn't as horrible as I thought it would be," Hunter replied.

"Does that include the trip to the restroom?" I asked with a giggle.

"Don't even talk to me about that, Jeffrey. I don't even want to remember what the boy's bathroom looked like."

"You went in the boy's restroom?" Rachael gasped. "How many boys did it take to drag you in there?"

"None," I replied, "He walked in on his own two feet."

"Not exactly walked in, it was more like I was half talked into it and half dragged, and by my best friend, of all people."

"Hunter, answer a question for me," I asked plainly, "Which would be worse; using the boy's restroom, because you're dressed as a boy. Or being forced to change your clothes because something embarrassing happened."

I waited for a reply; but when it didn't come in what I calculated to be a reasonable amount of time, I prodded a little, "Well?"

"I'm thinking it over!"

"Oh come on Hunter! This isn't a tough question. Rachael, what would you choose, being in an uncomfortable situation for a short time, or a very embarrassing situation?"

Rachael almost whispered her answer, "I don't think I'm the right person to ask about embarrassing situations." She rotated her hips slightly and I could make out a tell tale crinkle; to me, it spoke volumes.

I put down the brush and hugged my little sister. "Oh Rachael, I'm so sorry about all of this. None of this was supposed to happen, to you or to Mary Beth. I guess I didn't do a very good job of protecting my little sister."

"What are you talking about?" Rachael asked me. "You didn't do anything to cause this. It's my fault I'm sitting here like a china doll. I knew better than to make that overgrown infant throw a tantrum. It's just like Dad; you weren't responsible for how he acted, and you weren't responsible for Bart blowing a gasket. I was the one that goaded him. I do think they should keep him on tranquilizers though; he did overreact just a bit. Wouldn't you agree?"

"To which part?" Hunter asked, giggling. "That he over reacted or that he's an overgrown infant that has frequent temper tantrums?"

That one had all of us giggling; sadness and self-pity were once again a thing of the past. However, Mother Nature was once again calling my name. I left Hunter to visit while I took advantage of the opportunity to use the facilities adjacent to Rachael's room, also time to work on the puzzle some more.

I'd found the mystery server and had almost cracked the access authorization when Hunter started knocking.

"Hey Jeff, are you alive in there?"

"Yes, I'm still alive," I muttered, slightly annoyed at being interrupted when I was so close.

"Well, are you going to stay in there all day? I'd like to use this bathroom instead of having to use a boy's bathroom again."

"I'll be out in a sec," I said as I shut down my PDA and pulled up my pants.

"It's about time," Hunter groaned, as I opened the door.

"I love you to," I replied with a teasing smile.

Rachael and I chatted while Hunter was occupied. We then bid Rachael so long as we went to afternoon choir practice, after which everyone rushed back to their rooms to change; not only their clothes, but their perceived gender as well.

It didn't take long to change my clothes and put on my wig and makeup, as I'd already decided on the long cranberry gown with matching shoes. My transformation complete, I had a few minutes and made another attempt at the mystery server. I was ecstatic when I succeeded in gaining access. Ecstatic that is, until I found what I was looking for, 'School Policies'. It took everything I had to keep from screaming my lungs out. Instead, I took advantage of something else I found on the mystery server, finding the location of the person I needed to see. After leaving a note for Mary Beth, telling her where I was going, I ran to the administration building and approached an office I hadn't been in for about ten weeks.

After double-checking the locator program to verify that the room had only one occupant, I knocked.

"Come in," the voice called out.

I opened the door and entered a room that I knew I would never see the inside of again. Closing the door, I stood motionless, clutching the doorknob for support.

"Oh my, Matilda, it's so good to see you. You're absolutely beautiful in that gown, but what are you doing here?"

It was several seconds before I could reply. Standing by the door, I stared across the desk at my Mother. Summoning all the strength-of-will I could muster, I calmly asked, "Mother, you knew about it, didn't you?"

"Knew about what Dear?"

"Mom ... You knew about it when Beca and Lizy picked me up at the hospital and took me to the house to get my books. You knew then! I saw it on your face and in your eyes, but I didn't understand, at least not fully, not until now," I choked out, my eyes starting to form tears. Still clutching the doorknob, I squeezed hard to help me control my emotions.

"Dear, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mom, don't do this to me! You have no idea how hard this is for me, to not run over there and jump onto your lap, to hug and kiss you, to beg you to take me away from all of this, so we can be together again. Just tell me that you knew and you're doing this out of love for me," I cried, no longer able to control my tears.

"Of course I love you, but what does that have to ..."

"Mom," I screamed, almost in anger, "you're a counselor here. Are you going to sit there and tell me that you don't know about the school rules? The one about never seeing our families again?"

Mom hung and shook her head. With her head still down she softly answered, “Yes Dear, I know about it." Lifting her head, our eyes locked onto each other. "The question is, how you found out about it. They don't tell any of the students until well into their fifth year."

"It's on one of the network servers," I meekly answered.

"I see. I guess they were right about your abilities. What took you so long, in finding out, I mean?"

"I wasn't looking for it; I stumbled onto it by accident. I've been working on some other problems, trying to help other people."

"That's my little angel, always trying to help someone else." Several seconds passed as we looked at each other. Eventually Mom asked, "The question now is, what are you going to do?"

"Do?"

"What are you going to do with the information you have?"

It took a great deal of effort, forcing myself to stay in control as I walked to her desk. I removed a tissue from the box on the corner and blew my nose, then used another one to wipe my eyes. Finally answering her question, "I don't know."

'Sometimes I really hate being different. I have the opportunity to do something that no other student here will ever be allowed to do, but can I do it without crying?'

I turned and returned to the door. I couldn't turn back to face her. I knew that if I looked into her eyes again I wouldn't be able to stop myself from running back to her. Without looking back, I turned the doorknob. Before opening the door, I cried as I squeaked out two words, "Goodbye, Mother."

The door opened and closed, and I found myself in the hall, slumped against the wall, sobbing.

* * * To Be Continued * * *

Comments will be gratefully accepted, either left below or sent to me at
[email protected]