I Began writing this story back in 2006 and posted it on Ficitonmania. Life got in the way of completing the story, so I decided to leave it as a single story. I'm really considering reviving this series (this is NOT the story I was alluding to in my last blog). If you think I should continue this series, please leave a comment saying as much.

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That’s How the System Works
By Danielle Rose (Danileigh79)

CHAPTER 1

As I laid in bed, I thought about everything that had happened two weeks earlier that changed my life forever. My name is Darrell, or at least it was until two weeks ago. At first, I thought that what happened to me was punishment for committing an unforgivable act of betrayal towards my family. I couldn't think of what to call myself, but the words "liar" and "traitor" kept popping up in the back of my mind.

Nearly two months ago, just two weeks before my seventeenth birthday, I had been caught shoplifting at Tower Records. My parents didn't want to put up with my deviant behavior any longer, so I was sent to live with my mom's stepfather. After my grandmother had passed away six years earlier, my grandfather had become a bit of a recluse, and my parents thought it would be beneficial for both my grandfather and me if I moved in with him into his mobile home in Anaheim. My grandfather was a bit of a disciplinarian, and proved to me immediately that I was not going to like living with him. I wasn't allowed to watch television, except for current events and educational programs, nor was I even allowed to listen to my Sony Walkman. I was there as a punishment and I wasn't going to get off easy.

My grandfather really liked trains, so we would often go to the train station in Fullerton after he picked me up from school. I got to know a couple of his friends, and even though they were much older than me, I really started liking them. Christine and Larry, the two of my grandfather's friends I saw the most, offered to take me to see more trains in Pomona one night. I had been getting excited about finally getting a break from my grandfather, but he put his foot down and told them I had to stay with him. When Christine and Larry asked him if he would bring me up, he got angry and began yelling at his friends. When Christine got too close, my grandfather turned around and pushed her to the ground. He then grabbed my t-shirt and pulled me off in the direction of his car in the parking lot.

That night, after my grandfather had calmed down, we were in his bedroom watching the news on the only working TV in the house. We had just finished eating dinner when we heard a knock at the kitchen door. My grandfather told me to stay put, and he went to answer the door. When I heard him yelling, I snuck into the hallway and found Christine and Larry standing on the porch. They were demanding my grandfather apologize to Christine. When he refused and slammed the door, I quietly hurried back into his room and acted like nothing happened. We finished the night by watching the some more News, and then went to bed around 10:00. I was awoken about an hour and a half later by a loud banging. When I looked out of the window, I saw two police cars in front of the mobile home. I then saw Christine standing by one of the police cars, accompanied by Larry. When an officer came into my room, he asked me if I was okay. When I told him yes, he asked me to get as many clothes that I could fit into one bag. When I asked him why, he told me that he was taking me someplace safe. I grabbed a few clothes and tossed them into my backpack, then followed the officer out of the house.

I overheard Christine talking to another officer outside, and found out that she feared my grandfather was physically abusing me.

"I finally found a way out of this hell hole," I thought to myself.

When the officers placed me in the car, they asked me if I had any family in the area. I told them that my mom and stepfather lived on the other side of Anaheim, and my dad and his wife lived in Buena Park. They took me back to the police station, and offered me a soda while they called my mom and stepfather first. When the officer returned to the waiting area I was sitting in, he told me that my mom was still upset about the shoplifting and didn't want me at home. He then called my dad and asked him if he would come and get me, but I knew my dad would say no. I had already lived with him and his wife once before and made them very angry in the past by skipping school and getting into trouble. I didn't think I was a bad kid, just very mischievous. I wasn't a bad student either; I just needed to apply myself to getting my work done.

After the officer returned for the second time, he said no luck with my Dad and I was going to have to be taken to Orangewood Children's Home. I nodded slowly as I realized that I was about to become a "system kid". I had known a few people who had been taken away from their parents and put into foster homes, but I thought that it could never happen to me. I stopped the officer and told him I didn't want to go to Orangewood. He looked me in the eye and asked me if I had been telling the truth about my grandfather. I felt bad lying about my grandfather and was about to tell him "no", but no matter how bad I felt I couldn't continue living with my grandfather, or be arrested for lying to the police. When I nodded my head and told him it was the truth, he looked me in the eye a few moments longer and then walked away. About 15 minutes later, the night watch commander came out of his office and told me I would be escorted to Orangewood at 2:00am. I looked at my watch and saw that it was only half past midnight, so I decided that I might as well take a quick nap.

When the officer woke me up, I felt very groggy. As I tried to sit up, I was hit by a wave of dizziness. After I succeeded in standing up, I knew right away something was very wrong. My balance was off, and I couldn't seem to see straight. I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes. Putting my glasses back on, I looked myself over and saw that I was still wearing pajamas, but they were different. They were feminine in design. I also noticed a strange weight on my chest and my attention was drawn to the two mounds protruding under my shirt. I had breasts! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I quickly ran into the nearby restroom marked "Men". I proceeded to pull down my pajama bottoms and saw white cotton panties. I didn't see the usual bulge of my penis; instead I saw a flat crotch between my legs. I then pulled at the waistband of the panties and confirmed that I was no longer male.

While I was standing there in awe over my new body, a male officer came into the restroom and froze at the sight of a teenage girl staring down her underwear with her pajama pants around her ankles. He quickly apologized and made his way out of the restroom, shielding his eyes. Immediately after he left, I pulled up my bottoms, and left the restroom to find the night watch commander asking me if I was okay. What confused me even more is how he kept referring to me as "Miss Rose".

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but what is my name?" I asked.

"Amber Lynn Rose," he replied, looking at me as if I really was crazy. He walked to the water cooler and filled up a paper cup with water. I gladly accepted the cup of water and tried to sort through what had happened to me.

I felt another wave of dizziness and fell to the ground, shaking. A few moments later, I felt a strong arm help me stand up. It was the same officer who had woken me up. As I looked into his eyes, he asked me if I was ready to head over to Orangewood. I just nodded and followed him and another officer to the police garage. After I got into the backseat of the police car, I began to feel dizzy again. The police car pulled out of the garage and turned onto the street. We then made our way through Downtown Fullerton towards the freeway. I heard the officers talking normally as if there wasn't anyone in the backseat of their squad car as we pulled onto the 57 freeway. Less than ten minutes later, the police car got off of the freeway and we drove down the street for a few minutes before pulling into a driveway that had a sign marked "Orange County Justice Center".

I thought I was being taken to Juvenile Hall. I breathed a sigh of relief when they turned to the right instead of going towards the jail. We pulled into a parking space in front of a large building that I assumed must be Orangewood Children's Home. The officer in the driver seat got out of the car and proceeded to open the back door for me. When I got out of the car, I recognized the area. We were right across the street from the condemned City Mall. I had never seen the mall at night before, and it looked scary. I looked around for a few moments more, then the officer told me we needed to go inside.

Walking into the main office of Orangewood, I noticed that it was completely empty of life. Then I remembered that it was still the middle of the night. The officer directed me towards the reception window, and asked me to sit in a chair directly beside the window. He then walked through a door on the side of the window.

A few moments later, the officer came out of the door and was followed by an older portly woman. She was holding a clipboard with paper-clipped papers in one hand, and a pen in the other. She sat down in a chair next to me and removed a rectangular plastic card from under the paperclip and laid it on her clipboard. I positioned myself until I could see that it was a California issued driver's license. The picture on it was of a pretty red-headed girl named Amber Rose. Apparently, this was my driver's license.

"Hi, Amber. My name is Sandy." she said. Pointing at the driver's license, she said, "We're going to have to hang on to this. I just need to verify your information here. I have your full name as Amber Lynn Rose. Is that correct?"

I nodded lightly, aware that telling her my name was actually Darrell might have gotten me thrown into a psychiatric hospital.

"Okay, good," she said. "The address on your driver's license says 5781 Los Pacos Street, Buena Park. Is that correct?"

That was my dad's address! My dad had gotten fed up with me ditching school, so he sent me to live with my mom when I was sixteen. That must mean that my dad had never kicked me out of his house. I was ecstatic to know that I must not have completely ruined our relationship. But if he and I were still on good terms, why had he allowed me to be taken to Orangewood?

"That's my Dad's address," I said.

The woman looked up at the officer and asked him if he was sure I didn't have any living relatives. He looked down and shook his head. This frightened me. I had lots of relatives living in Southern California. Aunts, uncles, even step-family who had come to accept me as part of their family. And I had even more living elsewhere.

I looked up at the woman, then over to the officer. "Why am I here?" I asked.

The woman looked over at me and answered, "I'm sorry dear, but from what I’ve been told, your family was killed a few hours ago. This nice officer here said you were sleeping at a friend's house. If you had been home, you too would have been killed. I was watching the whole thing on the news. You poor thing, you're here because you have nowhere else to go."

I felt like I was going to throw up. "Where's my Mom? Where's my sister? My whole family can't be gone!" I yelled out.

The woman looked at me and I could see the sympathy in her eyes. "I don't have an answer for you, I just found out a few minutes ago what happened. I'm sorry, but I don't have any more information than what I've already told you. Look, I know it's been a long night, and you look really tired. Let's finish getting you processed so we can get you to your cottage and in bed. Do you have or have you ever had the following?" She then rattled off a bunch of diseases and health conditions. I shook my head and answered "no" to all the afflictions she mentioned. She then asked if there was any known history of mental illness in my family. I again answered that question with "no". She then asked me to follow her into the back area on the other side of the reception window.

As we walked by a couple of doors, I saw a room that was occupied by incubators and cribs. 'This must be where they keep the newborns,' I thought to myself. As we passed the last door, we came to an examination room. The same kind you find in a doctor's office. I was asked to sit on the exam table, and remove all my clothing. I was handed an exam gown and told that the nurse would be in after a minute or two.

I kicked off my tennis shoes and looked around the room for a moment. I saw a mirror on the back of the door, and couldn't help thinking that I should get a better look at myself. I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I began undressing my self. First, the t-shirt came off. As I pulled it off, I noticed that I was wearing a sports bra underneath. I then pulled down the pajama bottoms so that I was standing in the sports bra and panties. I continued to stare in the mirror, admiring the fact that at least I had a decent figure. I was about 5'4", maybe 110 pounds. I had a fairly average build for a teenage girl. I noticed that I still had "baby fat" around my tummy and hips.

My chest wasn't impressive, but I wasn't flat either. My face still looked the same, except that it was softer and more rounded. I noticed that instead of my usually sandy blond hair, I now had hair that was a light red. I pulled down my panties and saw that it was indeed my natural hair color. As I pulled my panties completely off, I could see my pubic area unobstructed in the mirror for the first time. It looked like every other female's that I had seen while looking through my Dad’s hidden stash of Playboy magazines. Remembering that I was not going to be alone for much longer, I took off my sports bra and pulled on the exam gown. I heard a knock at the door, and a young woman opened the door.

"Hi Amber, my name is Jessie. I'm going to do a quick exam on you so you can get to bed. First off, I need to know approximately when you start your period every month."

I was in shock. I hadn't even thought about having a period after being turned into a girl. I looked at the calendar to find that it was still November 2nd, so I told her that it usually stopped around the end of the month. She then asked me if I was sexually active, and feeling somewhat my cheeks blush, I told her no.

"Even though you answered 'no' on the health questionnaire, we're still required by the health department to check and make sure that you don't have any STD's. I assure you that it's routine for all who become residents here," she stated. Preparing to draw my blood, she continued, "I'm also going to need a urine sample to test for drugs. There's a bathroom across the hall."

After she finished my exam, she told me I could get dressed. Instead of putting the sports bra back on, I pulled my t-shirt on over my bare breasts. I then pulled on my panties, followed by my pants and tennis shoes. I left the exam room and walked across the hall to the bathroom. Turning on the light, I saw a clear plastic sample cup sitting on the back of the toilet. I pulled down my pajama bottoms and panties before sitting down to pee. Somehow knowing exactly what to do, I filled the cup and pulled up my underwear and pajama pants. I washed my hands and left the bathroom.

I was then escorted by Jessie back out through the waiting area, and then out a set of glass double doors. Walking out into the cool night air, I could make out the silhouettes of ten or eleven buildings surrounded by a large brick wall. Jessie led me to the next to last building on the right side of the pathway and opened the door, allowing me to enter. The first room we entered was a large living room with a big screen TV and two or three sofas. The lights were turned off, but I could still see my way towards the next room. We stopped at a small desk located in the hallway. There was nobody sitting at it, so Jessie told me to stay where I was while she went to look for the person working the night shift that night. She came back after a couple minutes, followed by a tall blond woman who appeared to be in her early twenties.

"Hi, my name is Stephanie," she stated. I introduced myself using the name the officer had given the woman back at the main office. She seemed friendly, and didn't stop smiling at me once. "Per the state health department, you do need to shower before joining the rest of the girls here. I'll get you some shampoo and soap, and meet you in the bathroom."

When I walked into the bathroom, it looked just like a locker room you would find in almost any school gym or athletic club. Alongside the door were three wooden benches. Along one wall was a set of sinks, each with its own mirror above. Following the sinks were lockers, each with a different colored combination lock. On the back wall were the showers. Each shower was located in a small stall with shower curtains. And finally, on the opposite wall from the sinks and lockers, were six toilet stalls. The absence of standing urinals only made me think of my situation more. Stephanie came into the bathroom a short time later carrying a small bar of Caress and a travel sized bottle of Pert Plus shampoo. She was also carrying a small bundle of clothing, a towel and washcloth, and some slippers.

"I'm sorry Amber, but you're going to have to wear our clothing too. You can wear your own underwear if you want, but you'll probably want to change out of them after your shower. I picked out a pair of bottoms and a t-shirt for you. I hope you enjoy your shower, and I'll see you in a bit."

Stephanie walked out of the bathroom and left me to take my shower. I turned on the water and quickly got undressed. Stepping into the shower stall, I felt the hot water spraying over my body. As the water passed over my nipples, I couldn't believe how sensitive they had become. I stood there and allowed the water to stimulate my nipples for only a few more moments, then decided that I had better begin washing myself. I grabbed the bar of soap and the washcloth and began lathering myself up. After rinsing off, I knew I was going to have to wash between my legs too. I nervously brought the washcloth down to my pubic area and started to gently wash there too. The sensations I got from touching myself down there were mind-blowing. I had no idea that a girl's vagina was so sensitive. After washing my hair, I shut off the water and began drying myself off with the towel that was provided.

After getting dressed in the clothes Stephanie supplied me with, I put on the slippers and made my way out of the bathroom, walking back to the small staff desk. I found Stephanie sitting there, reading an issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine. After making my presence known, she stood up and asked me how I felt.

"Tired," I responded. "I'm ready to go to bed."

"Good. Now since it's late, I'm going to put you in an empty room tonight, so we don't wake anybody up. If you'd like, we can get you assigned to a room with a roommate tomorrow." I followed Stephanie back down the hallway and into an unoccupied room. It seemed that she had already come in and made the bed with clean sheets for me. The room had two twin size beds, two nightstands, and one long dresser. I plopped down onto the bed and took off my slippers and laid down.

Stephanie looked at me and said, "Good night, Amber. I hope tomorrow will go better for you."

Because I was so tired, all I could manage was a small groan of thanks before taking off my glasses and drifting off to sleep.

CHAPTER 2

A male counselor woke me up around 10:00 the next morning. He introduced himself as Carlos, and told me that I was allowed to sleep in today because of what time I had arrived last night. He asked me to get dressed and then join the rest of the kids in the living room for a short meeting. I found that Stephanie had left a couple different outfits for me to sort through on the other bed in my room. I picked out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I then grabbed the sports bra I had been wearing last night walked out of my room and into the bathroom to change. After donning the new clothes, I threw my nightclothes into the nearby hamper as instructed and walked into the living room. There were about twenty girls sitting around the living room, talking among themselves. I took a seat on the nearest sofa and looked around. The living room was large, and connected to a large dining room and kitchen.

"Listen up girls," stated Carlos. "We have a new girl." He pointed at me and asked me to introduce myself.

"Hi. My name's Amber," I nervously stated.

"What did you do to get tossed in a place like this?" asked one girl.

"There was some kind of accident at my house last night," I replied. "I was at a sleepover with my friends when it happened. I was told my entire family died."

A few of the girls suddenly looked very sympathetic. When I started crying over the loss of my Dad and whoever else had died, a female counselor came over to me and gave me a big hug and then patted me on the shoulder, telling me it was okay to let out all my tears. She told me her name was Jen, and if I ever needed a shoulder to cry on, she would be there for me. I thanked her, and the wiped my cheeks dry. Carlos then began to speak again.

"I want all of you to treat Amber like any of you'd want to be treated. If I hear any of you doing otherwise, it'll be a week of 'basic' for you. That goes double for you and your friends, Miss Camacho. I've got a couple of announcements. Anyone on blue or green levels who wants to go to the gym and have co-ed activities, line up and sign your names on the sheet. Also, we're going to have a community barbecue tonight. If anyone is opposed to having hot dogs or hamburgers, there's also going to be chicken and sausages. Any questions?" When nobody answered, Carlos stood up and said, "Alright, you're dismissed. Have a good day today."

Most of the girls got up and wandered to different parts of the cottage. I leaned over and asked the brown-haired girl still sitting next to me what 'basic' was.

"It's part of the level system here. If you're good and do all of your chores and keep out of trouble, you're on what they call the 'blue' level. You're given the easiest chores and are allowed the most privileges. Then there's green, which means you've been good, but messed up on something small, like not making your bed or you took too long on your chores. Standard means you're in trouble, but not enough to put you on basic. And finally there's basic. If you're on basic, then you've practically committed murder. They make you wear these ugly pink pants and you have the least amount of TV and computer time than the girls who are on the upper levels. It also means you're given the crappiest chores and you have to go to bed at 8:30. Everyone starts on green and either makes their way up to blue, or they immediately screw up and wind up on standard or basic."

I saw Carlos listening to us, and then he said, "She nailed it on the money. That's Kim, and she's a good person here. She's been on blue the entire two months she's been here and knows the rules. She can help you out here. If you have any questions and the staff is too busy, you can ask her. She's a trustee. Someone who helps us staff with small errands."

Kim stood up and asked me if I wanted to follow her into her room. I shrugged my shoulders, got up from the couch, and followed her into the back hallway. Her room was at the opposite end of the hallway from my room. When we entered her room, I noticed that there weren't any sheets on the second bed.

"You don't have a roommate?" I asked

Kim shook her head and replied, "Most of the girls think I'm a goodie-goodie. A lot of the girls are in here because they grew up in crappy homes or because their family didn't want them. I'm in here because my grandma got sick, then sent to an old folks home. I didn't have any other family, so I got sent here. When my grandma died last month, it was decided that I would stay here until I'm either 18, until I get adopted, or until I get placed in a group home. Teens don't usually get adopted. People only want to adopt the newborns and younger children. I've been here for two months and haven't had any placement interviews either. It doesn't really bother me though. After my parents died, I practically raised myself. My grandma was a good person, but she didn't really know how to cook. I know how to take care of myself."

For the next hour or so, Kim and I talked about everything under the sun. I found out that she liked punk rock music, sci-fi movies, video games, and reading. Those were all the same things I had liked to do when I was a guy, and it didn't seem that my tastes were any different now that I was a girl.

"Do you like Bad Religion?" I asked her.

"Like them? I have all of their albums on tape," she responded. "But if you ask me, I think the Ramones are the best," she added.

"My Dad loved the Ramones. They were one of his favorite bands," I commented. When I started thinking of my Dad, I felt the tears welling up inside again. I had never felt like crying so much. Kim gently pulled me over into a hug and let me cry on her shoulder. After a few minutes, I tried my best to regain my composure. Among all the sniffles, I manage to thank Kim for letting me get my feelings out. In an attempt to change the subject, Kim asked me if I liked Steven King books.

"I've only read a few of them," I answered. "The Langoliers is probably my favorite, but I really liked It and Dolores Claiborne too."

We talked for what felt like hours. The topics ranged from things like our favorite subject in school to the different shows we liked. Then Kim brought up the subject of boys. She asked me if I thought Leonardo DiCaprio was cute. I was about to say "no", but surprised myself by saying loudly, "Yes!"

At first, I couldn't believe that I was possibly attracted to guys. Then it dawned on me. 'It's got to be all that estrogen in my system,' I thought to myself. I was beginning to realize that it was only natural for me to start behaving like a girl. After all, I was now a part of the female gender.

Around 12:30, we were called out into the living room, where we lined up to walk over to the main cafeteria. Kim told me as we stood in line that the kitchens in the cottages were mainly for snacks or light meals when the cafeteria was closed. Otherwise, we'd be eating most of our meals with the rest of the occupants of Orangewood. When we got to the cafeteria, I was delighted to see we were having pizza for lunch. After eating two servings each of the pepperoni pizza, Kim and I walked back to our cottage and Kim asked permission to show me around the grounds. Since we were both on higher levels, Jen told us that we could walk around for a little bit, as long as we were back by 2:00.

Kim showed me the on site school that we would be going to Monday through Friday. She then showed me the gym building and the adjacent athletic field and playground. After walking around the field for about thirty minutes, we headed back to the cottage. On our way, Kim asked me if I wanted to be her roommate.

"I'd really like that," I answered. I started to cry again.

"What's wrong?" asked Kim.

"I've just been through so much in the last 12 hours or so," I stated. "It feels nice to have a friend in here."

"Well, just stick with me and everything will be fine. You know, it's nice to finally know someone in this place who isn't a juvenile delinquent."

We shared a laugh at that comment, and then entered the cottage through the front door. We walked up to Carlos sitting at the staff desk, and asked him if it would be okay if I moved rooms so I could be Kim's roommate. After he said yes, Kim helped me move the few clothes I had and my bedding into our room.

"Don't you have any underwear or bras?" she asked.

I told her that all my clothes were in my house when the accident occurred. I didn't like lying to her, but I knew it would be easier than trying to explain that I had been a guy until late last night. She offered to take me to the office and help me search through the donated clothes for underwear and bras. I felt embarrassed when I asked her what size bra she thought I wore. Since I had obviously never worn a regular bra, I had no idea of my size.

"Are you telling me you don't wear bras?" she asked.

"I usually stick with sports bras," I responded. I was afraid Kim was going to ask me why, but she just shrugged her shoulders and let the subject go.

"Well, you look about my size, and I'm a 34-B. You can try one on and see how it fits."

Wile we rummaged through the donated clothing in the main office, Kim held up a brand new matching black cotton bra and panty set. "This looks cute, Amber. Why don't you try these on in the bathroom?"

I took the under garments into the bathroom and locked the door. I pulled off my t-shirt and removed the sports bra. I pulled off the tags on the bra and held it in front of me while I looked in the mirror. It did look cute. I struggled with the clasps in the back for a few moments before successfully putting on the bra. I adjusted the shoulder straps, and found to my delight that Kim had indeed guessed my size correctly. I then reached down for the panties and set them down on the counter before pulling off my shorts and panties. I pulled the tag off the panties and then pulled them up my smooth legs. I turned and looked in the mirror and saw a sight that would have made me horny when I was a guy. I was beautiful. I quickly redressed in my shorts and t-shirt and exited the bathroom.

"Well?" asked Kim. "How do they fit?"

"Perfect," I stated.

"Great. I picked out about a half dozen more bras for you and found this unopened pack of underwear. I hope you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind," I responded. "Thanks Kim, for everything."

"What are friends for?"

Walking back to the cottage, I amazed myself by thinking of Kim as my new best friend. We had only met a few hours before, but I knew we would be friends for a very long time. When we got back to the cottage, we were asked by Carlos and Jen to help take items for the barbeque out to the conjoined patio we shared with the teenage boys. When we stepped outside, I got my first look at many of the boys living in the cottage next to us. They looked to be between thirteen and seventeen years in age. Carlos told us that we were actually going to only eat with the other kids our own age.

About half an hour later, we were all called to dish up our plates with the available hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, and potato salad. Kim and I loaded our plates, and then found a quiet corner to sit in. While we were eating, two twin guys came up to us and asked if we minded them sitting with us. We looked up at the guys and told them we didn't mind. They asked our names and, after telling them, they introduced themselves as Aaron and Shawn. I found out that, much like Kim and I, the boys were in Orangewood because their aunt died in a car accident a few weeks before. They had been living with their aunt after their parents had been shot to death in a robbery gone bad at a grocery store. We talked for a little while before Aaron and Shawn left to play basketball with a few of their friends.

After dinner, we were called back to our own cottages so we could do our evening chores. I was assigned to dusting the common areas while Kim vacuumed. These chores were so easy that Kim and I were done within the span of ten minutes. After we put away our cleaning supplies, we went to the clothes closet and picked out a set of pajamas each. We decided to take our showers early because there was a good movie on TV that night and didn't want to miss any of it. Saturday and Sunday nights were usually movie night, and we were allowed to stay up an extra hour on weekends. Tonight's movie was The Lion King on ABC. I'd seen that movie over a dozen times, but loved it anyway. After our showers, we quickly donned our pajamas and walked into the living room to find Carlos had heated up several bags of popcorn.

During the movie, I found myself crying uncontrollably at the part where Simba's father, Mufasa, is killed by the stampeding wildebeests. I had seen this scene many times, and was never affected the way I was now. I got up from the couch and walked into the bathroom. I walked over to the sink, and after turning on the faucet, splashed my face with cold water. A few moments later, Kim walked into the bathroom and asked me if I was okay.

"I'm just being a big baby," I replied. "This movie always makes me want to cry, but this is the first time I've actually cried while watching it."

"Are you kidding me? I‘ve cried every single time I've seen it." Kim walked over to one of the toilets and pulled down her pajama bottoms and underwear before sitting down to use the restroom. I was amazed at how comfortable she must've felt around me if she was urinating with the stall door open. "Don't worry; it's a girl's prerogative to cry if she feels like it, right?"

I cracked a smile and nodded enthusiastically. After Kim finished her business and washed her hands, we walked back out to the living room and finished watching The Lion King with the other girls. After the movie was over, everyone went to bed. As Kim and I headed off towards our room, I noticed Stephanie walk through the main door of the cottage, ready to start her shift.

"Lights out," announced Carlos. I switched off our bedroom light, but a few minutes later, Stephanie knocked on the door and asked if she could come in. I told her she was welcome in our room at anytime, and she turned the light on as she entered the room.

"How was your first day here?" asked Stephanie.

"It was pretty good," I answered. "I met a great friend. My best friend." I looked over at Kim and gave her a warm smile.

"That's good. I was worried about you today. I didn't know how you were going to adjust living here," proclaimed Stephanie.

"It's different," I responded. "But I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Well, good night, girls. Maybe I'll see you in the morning." Stephanie turned off the bedroom light and left to start her nightly duties.

"Hey, Amber? Did you mean what you said about me being your best friend?" asked Kim.

"Of course I did, Kim. I have never had a friend like you before. I want us to be best friends always."

"I've never been anyone's best friend before... it feels nice."

"What are best friends for?" I asked.

"Thanks for everything," she said.

I tried to tell her 'no problem', but I was yawning so much, it made it near impossible to say anything intelligible. We both drifted off to sleep and, for the first time ever, I dreamed about being held by a man.

CHAPTER 3

I had experienced wet dreams as a guy before, but when I awoke to Kim's voice telling me to get up, I felt like I had peed myself. My pajamas and sheets were damp, and I felt sticky between my legs and on my thighs. I couldn't remember much about what I was dreaming, but it must've been one heck of a good dream.

"Hey, Sleepyhead, wake up," said Kim. "I think you're going to want to take a shower."

"What time is it?" I asked, still feeling very groggy.

"It's a quarter till seven," she replied. "I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, I noticed you were sleeping in a puddle of some sort. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened. I thought you'd want to clean up so you didn't continue to sleep in your own love juices."

"Thanks, Kim. Wow… That was the first time that's ever happened," I commented.

"Well, I guess your body's telling you something, huh?" she said.

"To be honest, Kim, I've never been sexually active," I replied. In reality, I had no idea if this body had ever experienced intercourse, but I personally had never been sexually active in this body. I was growing more and more curious everyday about my sexuality. The thoughts I used to have about girls were now being replaced with very similar thoughts of guys.

I bumped into Stephanie on my way to the bathroom, and she asked me if I was okay. I nodded and told her I wanted to get an early rise. Upon reaching the showers, I quickly disrobed and stepped into the hot water. I washed myself from neck to toe, and then washed my hair. After finishing my refreshing shower, I opened the shower curtain to find Kim sitting on a bench by the door.

"Just thought you'd want to know, I already changed your sheets for you," she said.

"Aw... you didn't have to Kim. You should've let me clean up my own mess," I said.

"It was nothing," she stated. "Besides, what are best friends for? I also got you some clean clothes." She handed me a small pile of clothes. I dried myself off and began getting dressed. After putting on my bra and panties, I noticed that she had brought me a gypsy skirt and loose fitting top. After dressing, I walked over to the locker to which I had been assigned and pulled out my hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant. I set these items down on one of the sinks and went to check out a hairdryer from Stephanie. In the bathroom, I dried my hair, and put my pulled it back into a ponytail with a scrunchie. After using them, I put all of my toiletries back into my locker and walked out into the living room. Kim was sitting on the couch, drinking a large glass of chocolate milk. I walked into the kitchen and made myself my own glass of chocolate milk. I walked back to the living room and sat on the couch next to Kim. Since it wasn't even 8:00 yet, all the other girls were still sleeping in their rooms.

At 8:00, a tall middle-aged man came in through the front door. As he walked through the living room, he turned and asked Kim who her new friend was.

"This is Amber," she replied. "She came in late Friday night."

"Oh, well nice to meat you, Amber," the man said. "My name is Dave, but most of the girls here refer to me as 'Papa Dave'. You're more than welcome to call me that too, if you'd like."

"Thanks," I said.

"I'm going to go relieve Stephanie, girls. I'll be back in ten minutes or so," he said. "If you girls want to go ahead and do your morning chores now, I've got a surprise for you when I come back.

While Kim and I did our morning chores, which consisted of gathering the laundry from the hampers and placing it in a large bag for the staff to take to the laundry room, Kim asked me if I was a religious person. When I asked her what made her ask, she told me that there was a chaplain who came and did Christian services on Sunday mornings. I told her that I hadn't been to church since I was younger, and wasn't sure if I still had faith in God. She told me that she had been baptized catholic when she was a baby, but had rarely gone to mass after she entered high school. A few minutes later, Papa Dave walked back into the living room and told us that the staff had a surprise for all the blue and green level girls.

"Don't say anything yet, girls, but all the kids on blue and green are going to Disneyland today!"

Kim and I looked at each other and started getting excited. I hadn't been to Disneyland in a few years, and Kim had said that she had never been there before. I told her that she was going to have so much fun. As 8:00 came around, all the other girls in the cottage began to wake up and join us in the living room. Since Kim and I had already done our chores, we watched some TV while the other girls got ready for the day and did their chores.

At 10:00, all the girls who were on blue or green levels lined up at the door, and then made our way onto to the school buses that would take us to Disneyland. After the staff had done a head count of the 80 or so kids who had been allowed to go, we got onto the buses and began the drive to 'The Happiest Place On Earth'. I explained to Kim that at one point I had lived only a few blocks from Disneyland and could see the fireworks show Disney put on every summer evening from our front porch. What I didn't mention was that I was a guy at the time, and had sat almost every night watching the fireworks with a girl I had a crush on. After we arrived at Disneyland and had gotten off the buses, we were assigned a chaperone along with 3 other girls. Kim and I introduced ourselves to the volunteer chaperone, and she told us her name was Maggie. The other three girls who were assigned to Maggie were sisters named Jan, Marcia, and Cindy. After nearly falling over in a fit of laughter, I apologized and begged their forgiveness. Marcia looked slightly irritated, while Jan told me not to worry about it. She told us their mother was a huge Brady Bunch fanatic, and had sworn that she would name her daughters after Brady Bunch characters.

After we got to know a little bit about each other, we collectively decided to start walking around the Emporium Shops on Main Street. Each girl that had been allowed to make the trip to Disneyland was given a $20 bill for food and souvenirs. We were also given special passes that gave us discounts at all the stores and restaurants. While walking through a watch shop, I decided to buy a Minnie Mouse wristwatch. I had grown up being a big fan of Disney, but I never imagined myself wearing anything with Minnie Mouse on it. After paying the clerk $10 for a $30 watch, we left the Main Street area and headed for Tomorrow Land. As we walked through the entrance to Tomorrow Land, I thought about how my life had been when I was a guy. I was lonely. I didn't have many friends. I stayed in my room and played video games or watched TV when I wasn't with the few friends I had. As Amber, I was almost always happy.

We lined up for my favorite ride, Star Tours, and I told Kim that if she even remotely liked Star Wars, she was going to love this ride. After we experienced the thrilling ride, we proceeded to continue through the park, only staying off the rides just long enough to eat lunch at the Hungry Bear Restaurant. As the day continued on, I thought less and less about my unhappy life as Darrell, and more about the fresh start I had been given. I never knew I could be so happy. As nightfall approached, we made our way back to Main Street. Before each group had gone their separate ways, we were told that we needed to meet near the main gate by 8:00. After all groups had arrived, we made our way back to the busses, and from there, back to Orangewood.

The next day was Monday, and therefore, my first day of school in Orangewood. The teacher was very nice, and the lessons weren't hard at all. Before the change, I did very well on tests, but usually got bad grades because I didn't turn in the assigned homework. At one point, Kim even had to ask me for help on some of the math sheets we had been assigned. I noticed that I was able to concentrate more on my work than when I was a guy. I wondered if that had anything to do with being a girl.

As the next week and a half went by, I hadn't thought much about my old life. I was beginning to become content with living the rest of my life as Amber. One day, after we were dismissed from class at 2:30, Kim and I made our way back to the cottage to watch TV after quickly doing our afternoon chores. While we were watching some ridiculous talk show, Papa Dave came up to me and told me I had received a letter. My heart began to beat fast. If I didn't have any family left, who would be sending me a letter? I got up from the couch and followed Dave to the staff desk, where he handed me the letter. I looked at the return address and was surprised to find that I recognized the address. I opened the envelope to find a letter written by an old girlfriend of mine, or rather, an old girlfriend of Darrell.

Dear Amber,
We heard about what happened to your family. We're truly very sorry. When I saw your house on the news, I had feared the worst. After the fire department finished cleaning up the mess, I went and laid flowers on your front yard. While I was standing there, a neighbor of yours came up and told me you weren't home when the accident happened. After finding out you were still alive, we asked our mom to find out where you were. That's how you're reading this letter right now. I hope that wherever you are, you're doing well. I hope to be able to see you sometime soon. If you'd like, you can give me a call anytime after school. I'll be there if you need me. Your friend,
Serena

After reading that letter, I was in tears. Serena and I had broken up a year earlier, and against the wishes of her mother, had remained great friends. I was glad that, in this reality, Serena and I had been good friends as well. Since I couldn't use a telephone, I walked back to my room and wrote a reply to send to Serena. After finishing my letter, I rejoined Kim in the living room before heading off to the cafeteria for dinner. When we returned, we completed our evening chores, and took our showers before watching Jeopardy! and Wheel Of Fortune. After the shows were over, we went to bed.

As I laid in bed, I thought about everything that had happened in the last two weeks that changed my life forever. I knew that, whatever the reason for this mysterious switch, I was a happy teenage girl. I didn't want to go back to being a lonely and miserable guy. I was ready to face whatever came my way.