Playing her way - Chapter 3

© D.L. 2014

"Care to explain what is going on?" Mrs Rogers asked Anna once back in her office. The headmistress had shoved the door almost closed, deliberately leaving it ajar.

"My half-sister has seen some of the confidential files from the last board meeting. That is my fault. I usually lock the door to our father's study when I'm doing secretary work alone, mainly to keep Svetlana from bugging me. She came in and snatched away some of the filing work I was doing. Specifically, the contract between the school and G2K Limited outlining the profit sharing agreement if she becomes a student here. Luckily the only name on the paperwork was the company secretary, a John Larking. Dad came back from the bathroom before she could see anything too sensitive."

"So Svetlana thinks Emily is this person?"

"She's clutching at straws and doesn't like not being top of the ladder. Emily effectively has a room to herself for the moment, so that makes her different, and it’s unlikely the school would allow a transsexual male student to co-habit with a female student. What I shouted at her basically translates as 'stop and remember what father told you'. Having had to defend one lawsuit already due to Svetlana's carelessness, he isn't keen on getting sued by Generation2K for breaching confidentiality. Especially considering the negative headlines at the football club about one of the ex-players claiming he was forced out due to being gay. It might be best if I do swap room with Julia, at least for the time being. That way Svetlana won't have any excuse to cause even more trouble, and the rumours won't stick."

"I can speak to Emily and see if she minds you swapping rooms, or if she is actually bothered by the rumours," Mrs Rogers declared. "Do you believe Emily is actually male?"

Anna thought for a few minutes before replying. "Father works from home a lot, often unusual hours due to the time zones. There have been several high profile information leaks in his company and he needs somebody who he can trust to act as a secretary. While he does have a personal assistant, he sometimes requires assistance while she isn't available. His wife doesn't speak English well enough and Svetlana is useless. I therefore help when not at school. It’s one way he can justify sending money my direction without Svetlana or her mother complaining. I therefore know things that technically I shouldn't. Including the full details of what was discussed at the board meetings. I was with my father taking notes for him during the teleconference where Emily's attendance was discussed. I was a Generation2K fan when she was still presenting as a boy. I was one of the people who suggested she come here in the first place. I found out her identity ages ago, and wouldn't dream of sharing that information with anybody."

"I don't doubt that. You have kept your relationship to Svetlana secret for three years. The only reason I know is because Svetlana told me when I threatened to expel her over behaviour towards you. It took a lot of persuasion from you, your half-sister, and your father for me not to get the police involved over child slavery. Given what you know, you are basically saying you are perfectly happy to share a room with a male student?"

"I don't see why that would cause any problems," Anna shrugged.

"Unfortunately, I can," the headmistress replied.

"If you are worried that we might spend every night fucking like bunnies, then don't be."

"Do you have to be so crude, young lady?" Mrs Rogers sighed. "We shall discuss your choice of vocabulary another time. Are you saying that you would never be tempted to experiment? You are at the age when your hormones take control."

"I didn't say that. While I may not have enough self control to resist temptation, I can keep the noise down to make sure no one finds out. Also, my father isn't likely to press charges for underage sex. I have already spoken to him about it. As long as I don't fall pregnant, there isn't a problem. Both Svetlana and I were put on the pill ages ago, mainly because he doesn't trust my half-sister. It’s one reason why she's at an all girl school in the middle of nowhere."

"I still need to ask Emily her thoughts on this, and there is the issue of her parents," Mrs Rogers stated. Calling out loudly she added, "Emily, please come in."

Anna turned round in shock and embarrassment as Emily walked in the door, from where she had been waiting outside.

Closing the door behind her Emily stated, "I'm not entirely happy that yet another student knows my secret. It’s worrying enough that Wendy knows. I have serious doubts about how long I'm going to survive here."

"If it’s any consolation, I would never have suspected if I didn't already know," Anna replied, "You actually had me doubting myself after the stunt earlier. Your online identity is the talking point amongst the geekier girls, but there is no suggestion that you are boarding here. Actually some of them wish you were and are disappointed that you're not, if that makes sense."

"Thanks," Emily replied. "Logically, from the point of view of maintaining my secret, then I can see the benefit of sharing a room like everybody else has too. My connection to Wendy is already known, so sharing with her may not help, and her mother wouldn't approve if she found out about me. So sharing with someone I've just met would make sense. I'm not comfortable seeing myself naked, let alone letting others see me, but given time I can overcome that. In the mean time I can simply change in the bathroom. I've done that before."

Turning to Mrs Rogers, Emily added, "As for parental permission, you should already have a letter on file stating that any decisions regarding my transition and integration as a girl are down to me. It is normal for girls to share rooms; therefore I see no reason for not sharing a room with Anna."

Mrs Rogers pulled her keyboard closer and moved her mouse to wake up her computer. After unlocking the device, she spent several minutes examining documents before making some changes to the security system.

"Anna, your father just emailed. Svetlana phoned him as soon as she stormed out the room. He is happy for you to swap with Julia and explicitly states he is happy for you to board with Miss Bridges. Your pass now unlocks Emily's door. I'll leave you with access to your sister’s room. Emily, the letter you mention is on file, although it is a bit vague. I know contacting your parents is difficult, so I will allow this swap to take place, but we won't make it official until I have confirmation. I'll inform the other teachers. They are used to Anna taking time out away from Svetlana. Anna, we all know you spent half of last term camping in other girl’s rooms. Given that they know your place here is dependent on acting as Svetlana's servant, they are not going to question the lack of official documentation. I will leave it up to you to make sure the other students are aware. I'm sure you are capable of arranging that."

"I think a nice public argument with Svetlana in the canteen should do the trick," Anna winked.

"Okay, you now have three quarters of an hour before supper is served; I suggest you get settled in. You are both dismissed."

The two girls left the room and headed for the dormitories.

~o~O~o~

After checking that both their security passes unlocked the door, Emily and Anna entered the room they would be sharing for the foreseeable future.

Immediately inside the door was a short corridor past the on suite toilet and shower to the right. On the other wall were a couple of built in wardrobes. Once past this into the room were two beds, one on each side wall. The far end wall between the two headboards, contained a window, below which was a desk just wide enough to seat the two girls. Storage was built in under the beds. Emily's bags stood in the middle of the room.

Anna immediately offered to take the bed on the left, as this one was in view of the door. The other was round the corner and offered more privacy from anybody glancing in should the door be opened.

"Okay," Emily agreed, "However, I'll change in the toilet anyway. That way if you come in with anybody unexpectedly, they won't see anything."

"That is actually normal behaviour," Anna replied as, Emily picked up her toiletries bag and took it into the bathroom, placing it on the toilet cistern next to the sink. "The other girls tend to take pity on me, and I have spent nights in most of the other rooms over the last few years. I would say three quarters of the girls dress in the toilet, although that may be because of my presence rather than the norm with their roommates."

"I can understand if you are not comfortable being seen," Anna stated followed Emily into the bathroom. "Does the thought of seeing me naked cause you any problems? Do you need me to do the same? I won't get offended if your body reacts in a typically male fashion, so don't be embarrassed."

"No, do as you like. Given you seem to expect us to be fucking our brains out before long, I kind of assumed you wouldn't have any issues with nakedness or sexual arousal, unless you were expecting us to only do that in the dark?"

"Good," Anna answered as she swiftly dropped her underwear to the floor, lifted her skirt and sat on the toilet, "because I really need to pee."

Emily, slightly shocked, immediately looked the other direction, the sound of splashing liquid causing her some discomfort. Anna, seeing her roommate's reaction, continued, "Sorry. If you're desperate, then I won't complain if you use the sink. You have the equipment to do it without making a mess."

"Just because I can doesn't mean I like being reminded of it," Emily stated. After a short pause she decided to go ahead anyway, adding, "Well this is one way to break the ice I suppose."

"Well, I guess that proves your physical gender," Anna declared, deliberately looking the other way. "I did wonder if some of the rumours online were true and that you were physically female to start with."

After both girls had finished and left the bathroom, Anna continued, "Look, about the fucking like bunnies comment. I didn't intend for you to hear that. I was mainly doing it to wind Rogers up and address the big elephant in the room.

"I'm not that large, and I've never done that impression," Emily replied.

"What Impression?"

"The one where a boy pulls his trouser pockets inside out and opens his fly to let his truck out. And no, I'm not going to demonstrate now, especially as I'm wearing a skirt anyway."

Both girls giggled for a short while before Anna said, "I don't intend having any form of sexual relationship for quite a while, and I don't have any bisexual or lesbian tendencies that I'm aware of. I know you are male, but frankly, even with you peeing into the sink, I still regard you as a girl and that doesn't do anything for me. Sorry to disappoint if that is what you were hoping when you agreed to be my roommate. I can still swap back if things are too awkward. Svetlana will most likely demand it after a few days cleaning her own room, and nobody would be surprised if I bowed in to her pressure."

"I sort of assumed you were joking," Emily replied, "although I honestly don't mind either way. I'm not particularly fond of my male equipment, but I'm also confused about my sexuality, so I'm not sure how I feel about the possibility of that type of relationship anyway. I would rather put such issues on a back burner. I've spent too long living as a boy, and would like to spend at least a little time as a young innocent girl before getting to the boy, or girl, crazy stage."

"Little girl?" Anna pretended to stroke her chin in an evil fashion, "That could be arranged. Pig tails and frilly panties or possibly some pull ups, pretty dresses with lots of bows and as many ribbons as can fit in your hair. I'm not sure if anybody will have any Barbie’s here, or a tea set for a tea party, but it might be possible to arrange."

"Stop right there," Emily stated firmly, "While I may have missed out on most of those things, I don't think this is a suitable place to be exploring that kind of activity."

"Most of those things?" Anna enquired, "What exactly have you been up to?"

"I happen to be very close to my cousin, Susan, and I've had opportunity through the years to play with her."

Seeing Anna start to snigger at the double entendre, Emily picked up her pillow and threw it at the other girl. This resulted in a short pillow fight and a fit of giggles from both girls.

~o~O~o~

Further discussion was interrupted by the sound of the Tetris theme tune emanating from the mobile phone in Emily's luggage.

The sound indicated that the call was coming through on Emily's number, rather than Jason’s, the phone supporting two sim cards, although one of the sim cards was removed earlier in the day, so that her whereabouts could not be tracked.

Looking at the display, Emily answered, "Hi Susan."

"Hi Emily, are you free to talk?"

The short reply from Susan, although sounding innocent to anybody who might overhear, had a deeper meaning. By using saying "Emily", Susan was indicating that she was alone her end and could say whatever she wanted without issue. Emily had three responses she could use. The first of which was that she was busy and can she call back. This would be used if it wasn't safe to talk. The other extreme would to be explicitly state that she was alone. Instead she opted for the third option, indicating that there were people within earshot, so answers may have to be kept to simple yes no responses," Yes, I have a few moments."

"Have you tried to phone home yet?" Susan asked.

"No, I've only just arrived, and I've been busy sorting out room arrangements and unpacking."

"Well, don't bother. You are a very lucky girl. Your mother called mine, asking if you could stay with us for a couple of nights until your father gets home. She has had to go look after Great Aunt Ethel. She fell again and sprained her ankle. Anyway, I was the one who answered the call, and I pretended that Mum was in the shower. I put her on hold for a minute while I walked to the empty bathroom and back, then told her that there was no problem. Not that there would have been anyway. The net result is that your mother thinks you will be here, while my mother has no idea that you are expected to turn up."

"So what happens when they next meet?" Emily enquired.

"I'll cross that bridge when we come to it. While I'll be trouble, it won't be quite as big a mess as you'll be in. I'm sure I can ride the storm. You have enough to worry about without the added pressure of worrying what your parents are doing. I'll take responsibility for telling them where you are. Don't worry; I will make sure that they won't suddenly turn up there out of the blue. If I do have to disclose your whereabouts, you will be the first to know. Anyway, as arranged, your old number has redirected the voicemails and texts to me. You have three missed calls and two texts from your mother asking you to contact her."

"Okay, I'll do that," Emily replied.

"So, what's been happening your end?" Susan asked.

Emily then started to relay the events of the day to her cousin, including the situation with her new roommate, who had temporarily left the room after the phone call started to retrieve her own belongings from her half-sisters room.

After talking for nearly a quarter of an hour, Emily had to cut the conversation short, due to it being time to head down to the canteen for the evening meal. Before she departed, she went online and sent a text message via the website of her old phone provider. That way she didn't have to switch the old sim card on, and have it located via the mobile phone network. "Got message. Spoke to Susan. Give Great Aunt Ethel my regards. Luv.J."

~o~O~o~

Susan sat with bated breath to find out who had just rung the door bell. She had a good idea who it might be, having seen the messages sent to Jason's phone. She was monitoring the old number on her cousin’s behalf.

It had been three days since Susan had decided to help her cousin by incepting the message between their mothers. She knew that her Uncle Arnold was back from his meeting, having arrived late the night before. He had texted his son's mobile to say he was back and Jason could return home after school the following day. Her Aunt Marilyn had also texted, saying she would be back earlier in the day. It was now early Thursday evening, and well past the time when Jason should have made an appearance. Three missed calls and several text messages had arrived in the past hour.

"Susan Elizabeth Bishop, come down here at once," Susan's mother, Molly Bishop, called up the stairs. The full name whammy known by children everywhere as a definite sign that they are in trouble, confirmed her suspicion.

Susan casually walked into the sitting room where her mother, aunt and uncle where waiting. Before anybody could ask her anything, Susan stated, "Yes, I know. No, I'm not. Yes He is, and No, I don't care, are probably the answers you are looking for, although they may not be to your liking."

"I don't believe 'Where's Jason?' is a yes/no type question," Molly stated.

"Okay, it was a fifty-fifty as to if that would the first question, or if you were going to ask if I knew where Jason was. The yes is for knowing where Jason is. If you had followed that up with 'Are you going to tell us where he is?' then my answer is no."

"The other yes and No?" Marilyn asked.

"Yes, he's perfectly safe, and No, I don't care how much trouble I'm putting myself in. I presume you are now going to try to make me elaborate on those answers."

"Stop messing around, Susan. Jason was supposed to come here for the past few nights and didn't. You obviously arranged cover for him by only pretending to pass on my request. He hasn't been home as far as we can tell, so where has he been staying?" Her aunt asked. "Has he even been going to school?"

"In answer to both questions, yes he's gone to school."

"At least that is something," Arnold stated, "So, where is he now."

"At school."

"School finished three hours ago," Susan’s Aunt shouted.

"Wait, are you saying he's still there?" Arnold realised what Susan was inferring. "Has he been camping on the school grounds?"

"Yes and no. He is at school, but no tents are involved. I didn't ask about sleeping bags, although I assume not. If you meant camp as in behaviour, then I don't know."

"So he's been hiding somewhere in the school?"

"No."

"So he's sleeping outside? That doesn't make sense. What would be the point?"

"No, he is sleeping inside like everybody else."

"But presumably not on the school grounds then?"

"No, he is sleeping on school grounds."

"You are contradicting yourself, he is either there or he isn't"

"He has not left the school grounds since he arrived."

"But he's not hiding inside, and he's not camping outside. So where is he?"

"I specifically said he is inside."

"So he is hiding somewhere in the school?"

"No," Susan said with a giggle, actually enjoying winding her family in knots.

"Enough fooling around and explain yourself," her mother demanded.

"Okay, Jason is at school, and has been since arriving. He is sleeping on school grounds inside one of the buildings, the east wing to be precise. However, there is no hiding involved as everybody is fully aware of which bedroom he is in."

"Bedroom?"

"Yes, you know, a room with a bed in that people sleep in. Although in an academic setting they are often referred to as dormitories or halls of residence instead."

"Since when do schools have bedrooms," Marilyn foolishly asked.

"Since around 1400 years ago," her sister laughed. "If I remember my history correctly isn't there a boarding school in Canterbury that was founded sometime in the sixth century."

"Boarding school? We sent him to school in Taunton," Marilyn declared.

"To the Taunton School? My brother-in-law and his wife act as guardians for a couple of the international students boarding there," Molly replied. "That's quite an expensive school; I didn't think you approved of private schooling Arnold."

Susan kept quiet as she listened to the adults discuss the schools. Nobody had yet asked which school he was at, and she would not be volunteering any information if she could avoid it.

"I don't," Arnold replied, "and we aren't paying for his board. I'm not made of money. If he’s somehow managed to sneak into a boarding school, then he's done so without paying. I hope this isn't going to cost us a lot of money. I better check our bank accounts online to make sure he hasn't managed to charge anything through."

"Jason is many things, but certainly not a thief," Susan defended her cousin. "The fees have been paid legitimately from his own savings."

"Does Jason have that sort of money?" Molly asked. "Aren't you looking at thirty thousand a year? That's more than I earn."

Arnold became visibly whiter and Marilyn looked shocked at the figure.

"Unless he's robbed a bank, there is no way that Jason has access to that sort of money. He has about five thousand at most. Any withdrawal from his savings account we have to authorise anyway," Marilyn stated.

"He told me about that account," Susan said, "that's his emergency reserve fund, and it hasn't been touched. Also, you are thinking in terms of the fees for a whole year. So far only the first term has been paid for, so the cost was less than ten grand. It may be that he won't be able to afford to stay longer than a term, but he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it."

"That's still a lot of money that he doesn't have," Arnold replied. "Where did he get it?"

"Were you not aware of the effort he has been putting in to his summer jobs? I know you didn't talk much, but I assumed you knew he was working. He specifically told me you found him the first job delivering newspapers and magazines."

"Yes, but that was minimum wage, and didn't last more than a few weeks," Marilyn stated, "He didn't even bother to stick it out for a month before quitting."

"That's because he got a better offer," Susan answered.

"Operating a photocopier all day doesn't pay that much better," Arnold stated referring to the job Jason had told him about. Knowing his parents wouldn't believe he could earn money through online videos, and worried that they would ban him from uploading if they actually knew what they contained; Jason had lied about being employed at a local copy shop to operate the photocopiers for customers. Technically he did work there, one hour a day to help cover the lunch period. In fact his parents had seen him there on several occasions. They thought that he was spending fifteen hours a week, rather than five.

Jason was already making far more from his YouTube videos, but since coming out, his advertising revenue had doubled and was growing exponentially after a couple of his videos went viral.

"There is also Great Grannies trust fund," Susan added with a sigh.

The octogenarian on her mother’s side of the family had died a year and a half before. Half of her assets had been set aside for her great grandchildren’s education.

"That money is reserved for university expenses," Molly stated, knowing how much had been set aside for Susan’s use once she reached that age.

"It’s paying for Cousin Eddie to have extra tuition to get him through his exams," Susan replied.

"That's because he's so thick, he would never get into university anyway, so he might as well have the benefit now," Arnold said.

"And you've made it clear that university is a waste of time and won't support Jason if he wants to go, so he might as well have the benefit now as well," Susan shot back, "Hence why you authorised its use to pay for his school supplies."

Molly felt the need to chastise her daughter for her rudeness to her uncle. However, she let the comment slide. Susan was right. Molly knew Arnolds thoughts on the matter, and while she agreed there were far too many useless degree subjects being offered, she believed that there were plenty of worth-while subjects available for a sensible student. Being a trustee of the fund, Molly was the one to countersign the expense claims that Arnold had submitted.

Thinking back over what had been claimed, there hadn't been much. She was initially expecting uniform costs, but the only items of clothing were two school blazers. The other expenses were basically a whole load of stationary, a quality rucksack, and a sports bag.

Emily and Susan had been trying to work out how to slip expenses past their parents. Luckily, Generation2K's fund raising live stream was a bigger success than they hoped, so they didn't need to dip into the trust fund very much. Even getting the right blazer was a challenge. The original order was for a dark blue boy's blazer. Once Molly had placed the order online, Susan had to phone up pretending to be her mother and get it changed to a light blue girl’s blazer.

"I hadn't even realised it was a boarding school," Arnold stated, going back to the original subject, "I know I didn't look very closely at the literature, as I relied on Geoff's description. I didn't realise he was public schooled."

"He wasn't," Marilyn replied, "There is more than one school in Taunton. St. Mary's isn't the boarding school."

Susan looked at her mother to see if the name triggered any form of recognition. Emily, Susan and Wendy had spent a lot of time together over the holidays. Wendy had been their next door neighbour for several months. Wendy had never mentioned the name of her school to Molly, and as far as Susan knew, her mother believed that Wendy went to live with her father during term time. Molly didn't get on very well with Audrey Spencer, so they hardly talked, but Susan wasn't sure if Wendy's mother might have mentioned her daughter’s school at some point.

Much to Susan's relief her mother didn't react.

"I think it’s time to pay this school a visit. We do have the right one?" Arnold stated, looking at Susan.

Susan remained quiet leaving an awkward silence in the room. She had already decided to avoid outright lying if possible, so chose not to respond.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Arnold stated, walking out the room, leaving no choice for Marilyn other than to say a quick farewell to her sister before dashing out the door after her husband.

"You, young lady, can spend the rest of this evening sat on the stairs," Molly stated after her sister and brother-in-law had left.

"You're sending me to the naughty step?" Susan asked in surprise at a punishment she hadn't received for many years.

"Until I can work out what to do with you, yes."

"Could I sit quietly and do my homework at the kitchen table instead. I do have an essay to finish."

Molly considered her daughters request. It seemed reasonable, so she allowed it, on the proviso that no electronic gadgets are brought to the table and she had to do her homework in silence.

~o~O~o~

Susan knew this wasn't over. They would soon realise that he wasn't a pupil at any of the schools in Taunton. In fact, given the name change, even if they phone round every school in the country, chances are they wouldn't be able to find him.

Susan could only hope they didn't phone St Mary's in Norfolk. If they did, then it would depend on who answered the phone. Only some of the staff knew, so it may be hit and miss as to if they get dismissed out of hand.

When they had originally planned this, Emily and Susan knew that they would have exactly one day head start. The plan was to phone home at the end of the day, and tell his mother that he wouldn't be home that night, or any night in the near future. They figured it would take several days at least for him to be found, and in the end it would probably need the involvement of the police and a national hunt to track him down. That is why so many precautions had been set up regarding communication. All calls to his mobile phone had been rerouted through to Susan and the sim card removed. The phone itself was a cheap Chinese clone of a Samsung S3. Costing about the third of the cost of the original device, it had one advantage over the original in that it had two sim card slots. The second slot now had a new sim card in, registered to Generation2K Limited, a private limited company that John Larking, the founder of the Moonlight server community, had set up on Emily's behalf.

John was an accountant by trade, now specialising in filing tax returns for self employed YouTube artists. He had set up the company, and set up a back account for Emily, into which all her earnings were being placed. He had also arranged payment of the school fees and the profit sharing offer that had been made to incentivise the placement. Some people might consider it a bribe. For John, it was a simple business deal. As long as he got a cut of the profits, he wasn't going to bother two much. He had made a deal with Emily that he would receive a small percentage cut of any video output involving his server. The more she was able to record, the more potential profit.

He had also helped arrange the new venture that he and Emily had partaken in, along with a couple of the other members of the server. One of the other members was a professional programmer, and Emily was a gifted amateur herself. With a little coaching, and the use of some free open source gaming libraries, the two of them had managed to produce the back end code for their own game. With the help of the other server members and their online community of fans and followers, they had managed to collect enough artwork, sounds, story ideas and supporting material to come up with a playable game.

Rampaging Squirrels was a simple puzzle platformer with just enough uniqueness in design to appeal to general audiences. If would never reach the popularity of Angry Birds of Flappy Birds, but like many also-rans, it had the potential to match their revenue. Released on all the major phone platforms as well as for the PC, it already had a huge following of potential gamers simply based on who was writing it. The publicity stunt in London was one of several John was arranging.

While John was aware that Emily's relationship with her parents was strained, he didn't know just how far she was talking her independence. Whenever John needed an official document signed, he posted it through and it always came back signed. He didn't ever question the signatures on the documents as not being genuine. John had met Arnold several times through work. John's previous employer had the contract for auditing Arnold's employer’s books. For many years he had spent several days at the factory going over the books. As Arnold Bridges had some budget responsibility, he had to sign off on many items, so his distinctive scrawl was well known to the accountant. Invariably when a mistake was found, the root cause had been an error made by Arnold. Luckily they were never serious enough for disciplinary action, but they always caused amusement to John in what was otherwise potentially boring repetitive work.

If the police became involved, or if the national media became involved - which was not unheard of in the case of missing children - then it was expected John would come forward and give the location to the police. Emily had planned to phone daily, giving just enough contact to hopefully persuade her parents to leave her alone.

The fact that it had now been four days with no communication, with Susan taking over as the sole point of contact was unplanned. Emily was not entirely happy with Susan taking so much responsibility, but being isolated at school, she had to rely on her cousin to make suitable decisions on her behalf.