Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter Two: Montine And Alex

By Jo Dora Webster

Will Alex, with Great Aunt Montine's help, discover the things that had been denied to him all his life?

Chapter 2 ~ Montine and Alex

The flight starting with an Air Force Personnel flight from Lamur AFB to Dobins AFRB, the helicopter ride from there to Atlanta Airport and then from Atlanta Airport aboard Delta had been truly amazing. Sitting by his side the whole way was Celia's friend Ariel. Celia had duties which kept her on the base so she had enlisted Ariel to make sure that Alex reached Denver safely.

Time passed quickly on the flight even though it was a three hour and twenty minute flight, they would arrive at a mere one hour and twenty minutes later according to local time since they were passing through two time zones. The time passing quickly was due to Ariel being really fun to talk with her. Dr. Ariel taught Algebra at Lamur Institute but she seemed to know a little about everything. She attributed it to being well traveled due to her other occupation. Ariel was surprisingly closed mouth about it, so Alex pretended that she was a spy doing secret missions.

"How close are you to your Great Aunt Montine?"

"I'm pretty close to her considering this will be the first time that I have visited her in person. We've spent a lot of time together over the years."

"How did you do that? Via video call?"

"Not exactly. I'm not sure how to explain."

"Does it have anything to do with the 'Refuge at Agape Duro' the one with the entrance under the water fall that only you can open?"

"Yes, that's it! How did you know? I didn't even know the place's name until now."

"Let's just say that if I entered that room where you spent so much time that I wouldn't look the same way I do now, like Celia only different. I have my own special entrance that I have been given permission to use."

"Yes, that helps. I used the room to contact Great Aunt Montine when I was Gail. The room transformed to look like her house and a real life image of her, just like I see you, was with me while at her house she had a real life image of me in her house. Both acted just like their counterpart in the other place."

"Yes that room is very special and I can believe that it could do what you describe. How do you think Aunt Montine managed on her end?

"She had some unexplainable majick. She was over seventy but she looked a genuine 30 without any of the 'cheats' used to fake a lesser age these days. She freaked the rest of the family out since her not surrendering to age the way most do was a bit disjointing and uncomfortable for them to be around."

"You did not seem to have the same problem and were very comfortable with her?"

"I had learned to treat her as the matriarch of the family (which she was) in public as I referred to her. while in our times together, I treated her as she treated me which was as a contemporary."

"Was that the reason why, besides you were persecuted, that you spent so much time in the room?"

"At times, especially when I was a little girl, she was like a little girl to me and she was my playmate. Other times she shared stories of long ago which only someone who is mature and has lived a long time could do. She knew that I enjoyed the paradox and treasured every moment we had together."

We went from the plane through the air way to the Airport. Dr. Ariel led me right up to the place where Great Aunt Montine gave me a big hug just like the first time when I first contacted her with the room."

"Oh it is really you after so long, Great Aunt Montine. I love you."

A woman approached us, walking with a purpose and she was just getting close enough so that she would be recognized.

"I love you too, sweetie. Thanks for keeping Alex safe, Dr. Ariel. Oh No! Do you see Erida too. I must deal with her. Alex go with Dr Ariel, now"

Dr. Ariel took my hand and we went through a door into an empty sky lounge. Ariel erected some sort of shield around the room. The TV came alive but instead of showing programming, it revealed what was happening between Aunt Montine and the one she called Erida.

"You've lost old woman and I have finally won. Dite will no longer have a priestess once you've gone. I've taken care of making sure that you have no one to follow you in the way of Dite."

"I'm not dead yet, I may not have a lot of time but I can give my successor a crash course in her birthright. She'll see all of the wonderful things that she has to look forward to as a priestess of Aphrodite."

"It would take a life time of experiences to overwhelm the fear and hate that I have commanded my followers to concentrate on her."

If I can no longer afford to be patient and prudent, I'll find a creative way to see the way of love is far greater than your way of hate.

I was so glad that Dr Ariel was in the room with me. It was bright as day in this room and that cheered me up. Suddenly a lady appeared shining brighter than a supernova flash. I shielded my eyes but I could still hear.

"I banish you, Hate. Arisia Rrab, rise and shine. Everyone who hates and does evil hates the light and will not come into the light in fear that her deeds be exposed. Behold the light!"

I felt Dr Ariel hugging me tightly. Somehow the TV did not transmit the intensity of the light but it did white out the screen so there was no picture for a moment. When it returned to normal only Aunt Montine remained and Erida had vanished.

As we got ready to leave, the room returned to normal. After we passed out the door, I heard an attendant announce that cleaning was completed and the room was ready to be occupied again. We walked to to meet back up with Aunt Montine. As they approached the two of them exchanged some knowing looks

"Thank you for watching Alex and for everything you've done. I had best get Alex home before his body realizes that it is two hours later than it appears to him."

"Thank you Dr. Ariel. It was fun. I guess you are right Aunt Montine, let's go home."

Since we had my belongings, Aunt Montine led me out of the Airport. I glanced back and saw Dr Ariel going down what I thought was a dead end and going out of sight. Since she did not come back, I guessed that she knew something that I did not.

The car ride was long since the airport is quite a distance from the rest of Denver. Finally after all the adventure, I was in her living room, sitting across from her on the couch with my bags by the door.

""Welcome Alex! I am so glad that you were able to accept my invitation to spend the summer with me."

"Thank you for inviting me, Aunt Montine. We can do lots of wonderful things together. I just love spending time with you."

"You can also spend time with girls your age while you are here this summer too."

"Just the girls, Aunt Montine, what about the boys?"

"I wouldn't mind you being with boys, but there isn't any in my neighborhood."

"The odds against that happening must be astronomical."

"What can I say, Alex? It must me something in the water. but they have made the best of it. They formed a teen sorority and they do everything with it together."

"How great is that! I'm the only guy on a block full of girls! I'm going to have fun this summer."

"I'm glad that you are excited, Alex. Let;s get you settled in the guest room for tonight. I'll give you a full tour later. We'll pick out where you would like to stay for the summer."

"That sounds great, Aunt Montine. I guess I am a bit tired from the flight out to Denver and the car ride out here."

Great Aunt Montine and I took my things to the guest room. while it was still early there, it was way past my bedtime by my original time zone. I fell asleep quickly.

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With my internal clock still a bit off, I got up very early and explored the kitchen and found everything to make breakfast. Having secured the ingredients, I prepared a breakfast of omelets, oatmeal and orange juice and was pretty proud of myself. I found a tray and piled everything on it and took it up to Great Aunt Montine's room. I knocked on her door.

"Come in, Alex!" She saw what I had brought and an even bigger smile filled her face.

"Alex, you are wonderful! We can eat at the window table."

A portion of her bedroom had a space where it would have been a hexagon had two of the sides not completed and open to the room on one corner where a breakfast table had an amazing view out the four windows in the wall facets. I set places for each of us and filled the plates and cups with the contents of the tray. While I was busy with the setup, Great Aunt Montine had gotten up and pulled on a robe and joined me. We both sat down and ate the breakfast that I had prepared.

"Where did these cooking skills come from, Alex?

"Mom taught me. She said that any teen should have some cooking skills. She told me that the polite thing to do was to wait on myself some to pull my weight."

"Your mother is a wise woman and please let her know how much I approve in how she has raised you. Thank you."

"I will Aunt Montine. I was wondering where the girls would be so I can meet some of them today."

"They will be at the Delta Iota Alpha chapter Nu Epsilon house. It's seven houses down on the left and has a sign in the front yard. It's a functions and recreation room instead of cohabitation like a college sorority house. It's become the center of social life in the community for the teens."

"How could teen aged girls manage something like that just for their activities?"

Delta Iota Alpha came first to the college, as Chapter Nu Alpha, but the sorority sisters heard about the natural sorority here and they made it an outreach project to turn them into a high school chapter (Nu Epsilon) of their sorority. Together the two groups of girls along with parents alumni and businesses raised enough money to buy a foreclosed house and renovate and furnish it to be a recreation center for the girls and were officially chartered. You can google them and get their internet site for more information."

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Even knowing a lot about them from Great Aunt Montine and their internet site, I was shy and uncertain of myself. I did not try to run into some of them at the mall or other places. I went instead straight to the Sorority House to meet them. I didn't expect the reception when I knocked on their door. Mrs Norman, the house mother, employed by the sorority greeted me and took me into a small entry room that had a couple of chairs and a table between them and invited me to sit down.

"I'm sorry Alex, but we have no Co-ed activities sanctioned by the Sorority. I can't let you visit here at the house. I wish that we could help you find friends while you are here but by the time we figured out a way to do that you would be gone. The community already being a sorority is why we have this degree of organisation. We are not prepared with plans on how to deal with this. We have to answer to the national and our sponsor chapter in what we do."

"Thank you for seeing me, Mrs Norman. I understand and I feel it is great that the girls have this and I would not want to do anything to give an excuse to someone to take it away. I came to be with my Aunt Montine. I'll leave it to fate if I am able to make any friends my age while I am here."

When I returned, Great Aunt Montine could see my discomfort and directed me to sit with her in the living room. I noticed that she was wearing around her neck on a cord, a small Grecian looking vial, that I'd never seen her wear before.

"Alex how did things go with meeting the neighborhood girls?"

"Not so good, Aunt Montine. They never thought they would have to deal with Co-ed activities so they have no rules to permit it. I met with the house mother and she told me that even beginning immediately to take care of the over sight, the process would take long enough that I would be gone before they managed it."

"They all go to an all girls charter school. In the school year, they arrange co-ed activities with other schools but not over the summer. The girls make do with sorority activities. Of course they individually date and go on family vacations and parties, too."

"I'm not disappointed that I'll be spending all my time with you this summer, Aunt Montine. That was the big reason for coming after all."

Aunt Montine was silent and pensive for a moment. Finally it appeared that she had decided something and she had a big mischievous smile on her face. I loved the things that followed when she got that way so I was prepared for something interesting."

"Alex do you remember when you told me that you had decided that you had no idea what motivated that unknowable species, the teen aged girl.? How would you like to participate in an experiment?"

"Aunt Montine. would that experiment involve me posing as a girl?"

"Yes, you would become a girl. You could join the sorority and then your problem meeting and spending time with them would be solved."

"I'd agree if I could be sure I would look like a real girl and that there would be no way for my disguise to be uncovered."

"Alex, if you trust me, close your eyes and open your mouth and try to touch your nose with your tongue."

I felt silly doing it but I trusted Great Aunt Montine. I felt a few drops of something land under my tongue. I thought by telling her that last thing, what I was really doing was saying no to the experiment since I didn't want to be caught dressing up as a girl. I didn't see what harm it would do so I let my Great Aunt Montine do what she wanted to me.

"Do you feel anything, Alex?"

"I feel a little tingly through my body as though my whole body had fallen asleep instead of just an arm or a foot. I feel tired all of a sudden.

"You might like to go get ready for bed, Alex."

"This really feels weird. I feel a bit dizzy. Could you help me, please? I'll do exactly as you say.

"Of course, I'll help you, Alex. Lets get you up and into your bedroom."

Aunt Montine held my hand and steadied me and led me to my room. Once there she helped me undress. Instead of my pajamas, she helped me put on a pair of panties with a maxi-pad stuck inside it and a nightgown. I did just what I said and did what she led me to do without question or comment. I caught a glimpse of myself in the nightgown and thought that no one would mistake me for a girl. Great Aunt Montine helped me into bed and then covered me up under the covers and tucked me in. I felt wonderful with the feel of the fabric and the kiss on the forehead that Great Aunt Montine gave to me.

"Good Night Aunt Montine. Thank you so much. "

"Good night, Sweetie In the morning, you will be ..."

I must have gone to sleep before she finished speaking since that was all that I heard. As i woke, i realized two things immediately. I was a girl but that did not feel odd or unusual, it just felt normal. I also was not Alex mentally anymore, I was a whole new female person. Alexis maybe? I felt all aches and discomfort, not with my genitals but that something wet and sticky was covering them. Thank goodness for the pad that had not let any of that get on the sheets or the rest of me. I let out a little Ewwweh and my voice sounded normal to me but also very girly. I was proud of myself when I decided what to call out to Aunt Montine.

"Aunt Montine, Could you please help me? I've had an accident."

"I'm proud of you sweetie for not panicking."

" What has happened to me?"

"You are a normal teen aged girl now and you've had your first period. Get up and go have a nice long soak in the tub. I'll get you some midol and some comfortable clothes to put on after you finish your bath."

"Is this permanent?"

"No this is only temporary and should last for a month. With the change there is also something that has changed reality so that you will be recognized as a girl named Gail Adella Landers and no one will realize that Alex ever existed. In this life you are an 18 year old young woman who suddenly lost her parents and has no other family, that I chose to take in my niece to live with me."

"I have a lot more questions but I feel icky so I'll go ahead and take that bath which you suggested."

I got out of bed and walked slowly to the bathroom. I noticed my reflection in the mirror and observed that I was now a young woman and that fact would not be questioned anywhere. That didn't matter now as much as cleaning up and taking that bath. I entered the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I started the bath water and put some scented bubble bath in it that I had found by the tub.

I prepared myself for the bath water then sunk down into the waters and finally relaxed. Too soon for me, just before I had begun to be 'pruney' I got out and patted myself dry. I put on the clothes that Great Aunt Montine had laid out for me including another maxi-pad for my panties.

I went to the living room, wondering what I had gotten myself into, to join Great Aunt Montine to get some more of my questions answered.

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