“Wait, what?” I said completely incredulous.

“He said that he expected you to do this at one point, that’s all I heard. If you want to know more go to talk to him he is waiting outside.”

I stepped out of the bathroom and I saw Makenzie, Allison and Leon sitting in a bench.

Blushing, I said a very shy “Hi” to Leon and as I did so the other girls came out of the bathroom.

Leon waved his hand and I then sat down between Mackenzie and Allison.

The twins, Chanel and my friends then approached us and told us that they were going to get shop a little bit more.

Mackie and Allie nodded and then Allison gave a paper to Colette.

“We don’t know how long this is going to last so here’s a few things Brooke is going to need and a where you can find them. I have noted which sizes to get so look at them before buying them. ” She then looked at Chanel and said “Make sure that the twins get the right sizes sis.”

Chanel nodded and the Colette and Alexandrine rolled their eyes trying to clearly display how much they were annoyed by those words.

Allison sighed and then just said “Sorry my dearest elder sisters, but you suffer from acute laziness I don’t want you to take the easiest way out. Anyway, if we take too long please buy the red shoes I saw the other day.”

The twins nodded and the gang moved away.

“Brook, you seem to have quite a crew. I’m quite happy see you that you have made some friends, despite your runny makeup, you look happier than when I saw you this summer.”

I smiled at him and said “Half of them are my sisters,” I said laughing.

“Really?” He said quite surprised.

“Really,” Said Allison. “We officially are 7 siblings: 5 girls, 1 boy and our newest addition our little Brookie.”

“I kind of understand how Brook could end up in an all-girls school now. It has to be hard to keep track of that many children. Anyway, Brook I’m happy to see you happy.”

“I seem to have people who care about me now.”

Allie and Mackie coughed clearly trying to send me a message.

I corrected.

“I have people that care about me now,”

“That’s nice little cousin, very nice.” As he said that he reached for me with his hand and brushed my hair with it.

“Leon, you told the girls that you expected me to dress a girl, why?”

“Brooke, you might not remember this, but when you were around six or seven you often used to come spend weekends at my house. When you did you I would babysit you and for some reason you always seemed sad. At first I didn’t understand why, I mean I would try my best to make you have fun making play with my old toys and I letting you watch what I would have love to watch on TV when I was younger. Neither of those things worked and for about two months I searched desperately for a way for you to truly have fun. I failed miserably because nothing boyish would work on you. I was about to give up until at Halloween my girlfriend at the time brought her little sister and plenty of costumes and her played dress up all afternoon. I didn’t really understand why but dressing up as a princess and putting on makeup actually made you happy. At first I was a little bit angry at what you were doing, but Cheryl convinced me that you were doing couldn’t be bad to you because it was making you happy. For some, reason those words were the magic ones to make me accept you and other people who lived outside the norm. I started to understand all the hate that was shared around our family and I also started to realize that I had to give you a place where you could be you. I gave it to you and fun fact, I had to stop you countless times from touching my mother’s things. Due to all of that I simply couldn’t think of you has anything else, but a girl. You actually surprised me when you came home this summer and that you tried to play that whole paragon of virility thing, I mean it was the complete opposite of when you were little.”

I couldn’t remember, I really couldn’t remember any of the things he talked about. Was he really talking about me? I mean, I had the impression that I had always strived to be manly. Was I wrong?

“I can’t remember any of that.”

Leon expression changed to a quite serious one. “Yeah, I noticed and that really scares me Brook. I mean, once winter came that year you completely disappeared from my life and my mother started calling you devil’s child. I was afraid that she had discovered our little secret, but I wasn’t reprimanded for anything, so I thought it to be something else. Anyway, whatever it was it was big, I mean the scars on your back, your change in comportment, your faulty memory and my mother hating you. All of those things seems to point to you accidentally coming out and then some really screwed up stuff happening.”

As Leon finished his sentence I looked at Allison and Makenzie and I realized that they were getting furious.

“Brooke, you have scars on you back? “Asked Allie.

“Y…Yes… on my lower back.”

“How bad are they?”

I didn’t answer, I couldn’t answer. The scars on my lower back were simply my mom said they were nothing more and nothing else. I mean they had to be right, right?

“Really bad,” Said Leon. “Seriously bad, when I first noticed them this summer I was enraged because I couldn’t believe anyone would do that much damage Brook.”

“Brooke, why didn’t you tell us about this?”

“I…I… don’t know. I mean, they simply have just always been part of me and my mom used to tell me to never show them to anyone.”

My sisters and Leon gasped. “Brook, you do know what that is implying, right?” Said Mackenzie.

I had absolutely no clue what they were implying, my mother couldn’t have done that to me right? And if she did, she only meant to help me right? Right? I just started crying again.

Allison held me close.

“I think we should stop, now. I don’t think we should push more stuff unto Brooke right now. She has enough on her plate as it is.” Allison said.

“You are right and I think I should go. I seem to cause more distress that Brook can handle.”

I wanted to say no but, Leon was kind of right he was going to places and I really didn’t want to go. Not today and probably not the rest of this year at least. I wanted to know if I was a boy or girl, the rest would go after.

I stood up, Leon hugged me and then he passed me his phone number.

“I will answer anytime kiddo, if you need someone to talk to just called me.”

He put his hand on my head one last time and then he simply went away.

Allie looked at me and then smiling said at me. “There’s two hours until we have to go. Want to actually shop a little?”

I nodded but I added. “Can I stop looking a panda though?”

Mackie, Allie and I laughed as we entered the bathroom. Allison reapplied my makeup for the second time today and then we were on our merry way.

Before going to meet the other girls, my sisters and I went to a tech shop to buy me a cellphone and a laptop. Seeing how my absent and forgetful father was paying for everything I just bought whatever seemed the be the best without actually looking at the price, the exception to that was my cellphone plan for which I took one that would make sense with the number of friends and how close they were to me all the time. As we were already there I decided to pick a few video games that had interested me for a long time, but I really hadn’t had the chance to buy because of my step-father completely obliterating my last computer. Now, now I know what you might say about that but you know this this was about me becoming me not me going from a caricature of a male to the caricature of a female. If I was a girl I would at least try to be a cool and nerdy girl I mean back when I was completely and utterly male (about a week ago if you forgot) I thought that those kinds of girl were maybe a little bit less icky.

After my mini-geeky adventure we went to meet the other girls who were shopping for shoes. The moment I walked in I was swarmed by my friends and my sisters who all wanted to educate me on the way of shoes. High heels, ballets flats, you know, the whole kit. Honestly, I actually didn’t care that much, but hey if I was perhaps (and it’s a big perhaps) possibly a girl I needed to know you girl stuff.

We went from alley to alley looking at different pair of shoes until I saw them … I didn’t really understand my reaction at first but the moment I saw them I just wanted them to be mine. They had seduced me the same way sirens seduced sailors. I needed those platform boots, I just needed them. They were classy, cool, they didn’t scream female, the heels were quite chunky which made them 100% more attractive to in my book and they would transform the dwarf I was in a beautiful grunge/rocker girl (types of girl that were now in my book completely acceptable). Now, I think I may have squealed a little bit when I saw those shoes because the girl were looking at each other like aliens had just landed.

Allison looked particularly shocked and then annoyed.

“Geez, Really? I mean seriously have you seen that? Brooke our Brooke is acting girly without instructions! We should have come here right away this morning, I might have averted one of her crying fits if I had known that all I needed was a pair of boots!”

Blah-blah-blah, the shoes were nice and if I had not cried this morning I would have never thought that. I will admit thought that maybe the squeal was a little too much.

Anyway, I tried my pair of boots while the girls separated in search of god knows what. While they searched I tried all different kinds of shoes but decided to just buy 3 pairs my boots included because my closet at the dorm wasn’t that big. As the others to come back, I started wishing that I hadn’t waited for because they came back with stilettos.

“Try them.”

As Mackenzie said those words I turned back and went towards the cashier. I didn’t make it too far because the twins suddenly appeared were in front of me.

“Try them.”

I was going to escape from the sides but standing at my right and left were Adele and Beatricia who simply repeated my sisters’ words.

Realizing that I couldn’t escape my lovable (yet somehow annoying) captors, I sighed, sat down and put the torture devices on my feet.

I stood up and for a very short instant I thought that perhaps being a girl wouldn’t be worth it. I mean seriously, how anyone could walk with those?! I tried to make a few steps but I was as coordinated as a newborn calf walking on a surface full of butter. After a few falls I took those things out of my feet and held them in my hands.

“Wear them!”

“Ugh, like no? Why would we do that?” Said Colette.

“I mean, seriously Brooke we would never wear those things,” Said Alexandrine.

All the other girls Chanel, Allison and Maud excluded nodded.

I looked at them with puppy eyes and I started getting (voluntarily) teary eyed.

“I want to have fun too!”

The twins sighed and so did the others.

One after they started wearing the stilettos and failed miserably at doing so. I had quite a few laughs at everybody but Maud, Chanel, Mackenzie and Allison who could totally rock those heels.
.
After shopping for shoes, we went shopping for clothes. I bought myself some pajamas, a few jeans, some blouses, a few dresses and some t-shirts. I needed a new wardrobe and price didn’t matter, so with some counsel of my sisters and my friends I bought whatever would look good on me.

As we were about to leave, Allison pulled me aside and gave me a small bag.

“I bought this, while you were distracted buying stuff. It’s a heart locket, wear it to remember that even if things aren’t going well there are people who care about you and that will do anything to protect you.”

“Thanks.” I said hugging her.

“Try it.”

I took out the jewellery box out of the bag and as I opened it I was surprised at the sight of the silver heart locket which had a falcon engraved in the middle of it.

“Custom made? When did you have the time to order it?”

She nodded “I ordered it the day we learned we were sisters. All the members of the family have one similar to this one, dad is the one that usually buys them but seeing how it’s going to be a while before we see him I simply decided to order it myself.”

“Thanks sis! I will treasure it.”

She smiled “You better! Seeing how much it costed!”

She laughed and then we joined the others.

All my sisters looked at me with a small on their faces.

“I guess its official now.” Said Chanel.

“Yep.”

“Well, welcome officially to the family Brooke Falconer!” Said Mackie while hugging me.

One after the other all of my sisters did the same thing and when they were done we went on our way.

As we went back to the school and in the car I talked a little bit with the twins and Chanel about what had happened while I talked with Leon.
“Our idea of keeping the day fun didn’t work after all!”

“No, but its OK Alex it wasn’t really your fault and you know I still had fun.”

“Maybe, but now you have more things to worry about!”

“Colette it’s, I would have had to deal with those things eventually anyway.”

“Are you really going to be Ok, Brooke” Said Chanel looking at me momentarily through the rear view mirror.

“Yes, I will Chanel and if I am not I will you.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

Being a girl and having a support network was maybe a little bit annoying and a little bit tiring, but it was worth it, well worth it. I wouldn’t exchange it for anything ever! As I thought that we arrived at school and I said goodbye to my sisters and then I went back to my dorm room.

There I chatted again with my roommates until dinner time and then spent a wonderful with everyone.

At midnight, I sneaked out of my room like usual to go take my shower and I made it to the bathroom without problems. I thought I heard a few noises, but I didn’t think that much about it. As I arrived to the door of the shower room I realized that it was once again unlocked. I opened it and I came face to face with a student I was sure I hadn't met before.