A charming tale of magical self-discovery.

Part 2 of 8

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Admin Note: Originally published on BigCloset Classic on Wednesday, 01-22-2003 - 12:02:33 am and migrated to BigCloset TopShelf, this retro classic was pulled out of the closet, and re-presented for our newer readers. ~Sephrena
 
Image Credit: Divider licensed for use in publishing from Photoshopgraphics.com ~Sephrena.

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Part 2 - Mall Rats

By the time the spinning stopped, I was back in the bedroom that had been Jennifer's. This time though, the room had a definite teenager look. More precisely, a girl teenager. One that was interested in boy bands, fashion, girl singers, and hunky actors. I thought I wasn't going to have any fun with this one.

I stood up from the bed and walked over to the mirror on the closet door. It showed the same face that I had seen a short time ago but several years older. This time, I was about fifteen-years-old and had a fairly well developed bosom but only a medium sized b-cup. I'm sure that as she/I grew older, it would be larger. I had a decent figure and my face had developed into what I would have called a looker.

I noticed a clock on the nightstand next to the bed and turned to face it. It said that the time was 10:10 AM. Still early yet. But not early enough for Jennifer to still be lounging round in her pajamas. She'd gotten dressed for what looked like a day with the girls. I wondered if Tiffany and Heather were going to come over today. I realized a far away sound was the ringing of a phone.

"Jennifer, Heather's on the phone," my mom called out. Speak of the devil.

I went into the kitchen to pick up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey girlfriend!" the perky voice of Heather squealed at me. "Want to go to the mall and do some window shopping? Tiffany and the rest of the gang are bouncing off the wall to go do something and told me to call you. How about it?"

I looked over at mom, "Mom, Heather and the gang are wondering if I can go to the mall with them in a bit. Would that be ok?"

"How long do they plan on being over there?" Mom asked. "You know you have to baby-sit for Mr. and Mrs. Johnson tonight while they go to dinner and a movie. They want you there by 5:30. That would mean that you would have to be home by 4:30. Can you be done by that time?"

"Um, Heather? I have to baby-sit for the Johnsons tonight and I have to be home by 4:30 so that I can get ready to go. Will we be able to get done by then?"

"No problem. That still gives us almost six hours to scout to clothes and the boys. I hear that Rick's going to be there today. You know how badly you have the hots for him. I think he wants to ask you out to the Summer Fest dance in two weeks. Do you want to come over to my house or do you want us to come and pick you up?"

"Why don't you come over here. I'm ready to go now. All I have to do is slip some sandals on and I'll be all the way ready."

"Ok, we'll see you in ten minutes," she said and hung up.

Mom looked at me funny. "I really hope that you can make it home on time. You and those five are a royal terror to the mall people when you go there. I've heard some complaints about how wild you all are when you're cruising the mall. If it gets any worse, I'm going to have to ground you for a while. You know how much I hate disciplining you. Ever since your father died, you have become a hand full and I don't know what to do with you anymore. Please, for my sake, can you at least use some discretion today?"

"Mom, I know you try hard and I do know I am a hand full. I'll be good today and be home on time. You won't hear any bad comments about me today. I promise you that from the bottom of my heart."

I still had no idea why I was taking all this so calmly. I should be a blithering fool by now because of all the insanity that this should actually be. But I was acting like everything was normal and things like this happened every day. That was going to be the hardest to figure out. I still had the question to answer before I can try to make it back to what I called normal.

Just then, the doorbell rang. I knew who it was. I ran over to mom and gave her a hug and quick peck on the cheek. "Bye mom. I'll see you later. I love you." I turned around and made my way to the door.

I heard a sniffle behind me. I turned to see mom crying. Noting the look of concern on my face, she said, "It's nothing. What you just said was the nicest thing you have ever said to me. You go and enjoy your day and I'll see you this afternoon." Her comment had me wondering what sort of little bitch Jennifer was to her. She was a nice woman, from what I have been able to see of her.

When I got to the door, I grabbed what could only be Jennifer's purse. It felt strange holding something like this but anything that had a little tag on it that said 'Daddy's Princess' could only be for a young girl/woman. I slung it over my shoulder and opened the door. The screams of "Jennifer!" assailed me as I came face to face with the terror pack of the mall. No wonder the mall people ran and hid when they were around. I felt like doing the same thing at that moment. Oh, well. 'Grin and bear it girlie,' I told myself. I put on a huge smile and went to join them in the assault on the mall. I had to check myself over since all of the girls were wearing what could only be called skimpy outfits. I really hadn't been prepared for the trip but I must have passed muster with them all but then Heather and Tiffany both spotted something about me that didn't pass.

Heather wrinkled her nose, "You still have that tacky old necklace? Why on earth are you even wearing it? It's even more hideous than before with that wheel thingie on it. Girl, we need to get you some decent jewelry."

I tucked the necklace under my shirt and things went back to normal. All six of us went giggling to the bus stop so that we could wait for the bus. The other five were chattering up a storm that I was hard pressed to keep up with. Never in my wildest dreams had I ever thought I would be in the middle of a group of teenage girls when they were in fullblown shopping mode. When the bus finally picked us up, we climbed aboard and took it over. The ride to the mall was relatively short but I finally was able to get into the conversation somewhat but still had a problem following the inane chatter.

At one point, the girls asked me if I was ok since I wasn't acting like my normal self. I just made an excuse that I was thinking about my babysitting job tonight. But my thoughts were about what I was supposed to be exploring for. The purpose of this whole thing was too far above my head and I wasn't really up for this game. I would love to find out whom it was that was doing this to me. But this outing had the makings of an interesting day. I had to think about what I had found out on my previous visit to the life of Jennifer. The time I spent as her had been fun but that was the carefree time of a child. Now, I'm a teenager in her body and what sort of explorations am I supposed to be doing?

It seemed to me that I was starting to alienate Jennifer from her friends and that's just by being the antisocial person that I had been as a man. What was different about men and women that I was having such a difficult time dealing with? I do know men are so stodgy in their ways and they all act so bland in comparison to women. Everything's so emotionless in men and that was one thing that I was going to have to overcome being around these girls.

Before I knew it, we were at the mall. This was the moment that I had been dreading ever since I was asked to go there. From what Heather had said, someone by the name of Rick was going to be here and was probably going to ask me to some sort of a dance. Like I could really dance. I had always avoided dancing like the plague. I couldn't move my body other than like a lumbering hulk foundering in a pit of tar. I had no rhythm or musical talent of any sort. Everyone in my family was gifted musically. I was the one that was not gifted in those respects. But then, I had no idea what Jennifer could do. I wasn't sure I wanted to find out. But I may have to find out. I still had my exploration to do.

The doors opened for us and we charged right in as if we owned the place. From the look of terror on some faces, maybe we did. Maybe the terror pack is the right name for us. We started sweeping from one store to another browsing around and not even buying anything. About 1:00, we made our way to the food court and swept through it looking for something to munch on and restore our energy. We would need it for the next three hours before I had to go home.

I was really dying to have a pizza but I knew with this slight body, I wouldn't be able to eat my whole pizza as I normally do. I went to the Sbarro's stand and ordered a slice of cheese/veggie, which turned out to be nearly a quarter of a whole pizza. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat it all. I was also thirsty so I went to the Orange Julius to get me a Raspberry Julius. I decided to go lightly and ordered a medium sized one. The other girls had found a couple of empty tables and coerced a couple of boys to join the tables together and then gave each of them a kiss and sent them away with their heads spinning in bliss.

I joined them there and amid strange looks from all five of them, I began to chow down on the pizza. I was nearly halfway through before I noticed that I was being stared at. Sheepishly, I sat the pizza slice down and looked up. "What? Do I have sauce all over my face?" I asked.

Heather had a particular look of disgust on her face. "No, but since when do you eat PIZZA?" She said it with such vehemence that I was hard pressed to catch her meaning.

"I've always loved pizza. Just because I don't eat it around you, doesn't mean that I don't eat it at all."

"Jen, you worry me sometimes. It's like you're two different people. One day you're the rabble rouser that has a 'world-be-damned' attitude that eats a salad, then the next day you're the quiet demure wallflower that scarffs a pizza down as if there's no tomorrow. What has gotten into you lately?"

It kind of scared me when she mentioned being two different people. I guess I was being the same type of person that I was as a man. And it was certainly sending the wrong messages off to all the girls since they were looking at me the same way Heather was. I knew who I was but that wasn't who I was being at the moment. I didn't have the ability to act like a teenage girl since I had never been one before. I was getting so flustered that I started to cry. All of a sudden, the dam burst and I was in full tears. I turned away from the table, got up and fled the scene of my outburst. I ran as hard as I could to find a place of sanctuary. Whenever I wanted to be alone, I usually ran for the restroom and hid in a stall until I was ready to face the world again. That was where I was now heading. And also into one of the greatest disasters of my short life as Jennifer.

I spotted the familiar sign the said 'Men' and entered it, only to run into a group of boys that were just leaving it. Hands grabbed my arms and stopped me in my tracks. "Leave me alone!" I shouted.

"Whoa, there. I don't think you should be coming in here," one of them said. "I think you should be going to the one just down the hallway."

I had to do a double take and look closer at where I was going. And I had to remember who I was at the moment. Before I could think too hard about where I had been heading, the girls surrounded me and hauled me away from the men's room. That was too close.

"Jen, what's wrong? You have been acting so weird today. I know it can't be your period because you just had that last week. Have you been taking something that you shouldn't take?" The last spoken with a hint of dread.

"No, I'm not taking anything illegal and you wouldn't understand what's wrong even if I told you. You would just think I was crazy and probably get me into some very serious trouble."

"Jen, there's no way that I or any of us would get you into any sort of trouble."

"Heather, you're wrong about that. Just by the six of us being here right now, we're on the verge of being in trouble. I was thoroughly scolded by my mother before you got to the house because of everything we have been doing here at the mall. Mom told me that she'd been getting all sort of complaints about me and the rest of you from people that she knows that work here. I have to be on my best behavior or I won't be able to come here or even be with you anymore. I don't like being in trouble and it hurts mom to see me running wild like I have been."

"I don't see what that has to do with how you're acting right now. You almost go into the men's room while running away blindly crying. You have hardly said a word to any of us all day but yet normally, you're chatting up a storm with us all. If I didn't know better, the Jen that I know isn't the one that's talking to me right now. But that's impossible. Who else can you be if you're not Jen?" She was really worried about me. Her face was showing all sorts of concern.

"I really can't tell you who I am because I'm confused enough as it is. But I don't want to talk here. This isn't the place for it. Before I even tell any of you what's going on, I have to extract some severe promises of silence."

"I'll make any promises that you would need. We have to help you out. You're our friend and I can tell you're in pain of a sort I've never seen before," Heather replied.

All the rest of the girls chimed in their promises of silence. I sighed since I knew it was going to happen anyway. "We have to leave here now before anything is said to you. I'm shopped out anyway. Where can we go that will be private enough to talk?"

"We can head back home and go to the park down the street. We can be away from anyone out there," was the reply I was given.

"If that's the best that can be done, then so be it. We have to make sure that no one comes around us or things will go badly for us," I said.

We left the mall and made our way to the bus stop. The ride to our home area was one in total silence with none of the girls saying a thing. The other people on the bus thought we were a bit strange by not saying a single word during the ride. It seemed like forever before we got near the area even though it was only 15 minutes. We all exited the bus and made our way to the park.

Upon arriving to the park, we looked to find the most secluded area we could find and by sheer luck, there was a grove of trees in the northeastern part that wasn't even used by the innumerable amount of children playing there. It seemed most of the kids would rather have been out playing than sitting on the benches that were shaded by the trees. We all silently went into the shade and sat down.

"Ok, now spit it out. What's your problem?" Heather questioned/ordered me.

As a visual aid, I brought out the necklace that I was wearing. "Heather, Tiffany, you both remember this necklace from when we were 10 don't you?" Upon receiving their affirmative nods, I continued. "This thing is at the heart of my problems. I had the actual chain given to me some time ago but to me, the charm that's the shape of the binoculars was sent to me in the mail this morning with a letter."

"Wait a minute, you wore the necklace and that charm five years ago. How could you have received it this morning?" Heather exclaimed.

"You see, to me it was this morning but to you it was five years ago that I wore this the first time. Or I should say Jennifer wore it the first time. I'm not Jennifer. For some reason that I've not been able to fathom as yet, I'm wearing Jennifer's body but it isn't mine. You might say I'm a visitor out of time even though the time is now. I received a letter with the first charm that told me that if I wanted control of my life back, I had to answer eight questions but the questions were so cryptic that I didn't understand them.

"I'll recount the questions so that you can think about them also. The first question was simply listed as 'Discovery'. Nothing more and nothing less. But before I continue this story I must tell you all something that must be kept confidential. You may not talk about it with anyone other than you five. I'll know it if you do.

"First and foremost, I'm 40 years old, I'm single without having ever been married, no children out of wedlock either. The biggest thing is that...I am or was a man. My name is Michael."

Gasps of absolute shock flew from all five girls. Then a flurry of questions bombarded me. "How can that be?" "Why are you here" "What happened to Jennifer?" So many more that I lost track of them.

"Girls, I've no more of a clue as to why this happened than you do. I'm trying to work my way through what seems to be some sort of mystical treasure hunt. I don't know where it came from and I'm finding it rather hard to continue figuring this out. That's why I'm talking to you about this. As to what happened to Jennifer, I don't know. I don't know if I'm somehow Jennifer and I am having a split personality moment and the mind running the body is schizophrenic, I just don't know. Before I can become myself, I have to answer the question that placed me here. As I said, the first question was discovery. And I discovered that my life long feeling that women and girls were alien creatures wasn't true. You're human beings that aren't understood by the likes of men and me especially. I had quite a few girlfriends over my life but I never really had anything that could be a sustained relationship. I basically was miserable all my life and it was made even worse trying to deal with women. I don't know if this all is a punishment to me for some past wrong I may have done to some unknown woman or girlfriend. I'm lost in a strange world and I don't know how to get out of it." With that, the tears came again with a vengeance.

None of the girls even knew how to react to my disclosure but they did know how to react to one of their friends crying. They all came to me and hugged me closely. All of them were murmuring soothing sounds to me while trying to get me to relax. It took some time for me to finally cry myself out. When I finally did, Heather as the spokesperson for the group asked me, "You said you have eight questions to answer. From the necklace you're wearing, you're on the second question. What did it entail?"

Still sniffling, I told them, "The second question is still too vague to understand. It said 'Explorations'?"

"Explorations? What kind of question is that?" Rachel wanted to know.

"That's why I'm having so much trouble with it. The charm is the shape of a steering wheel of an old time sailing ship that was used in the explorations of the world on the ocean. I sort of thought that I had to do some sort of exploring while I was in this body but I don't know what I'm supposed to be exploring."

Michelle suddenly lit up with what I just said. "Could it mean that you're meant to explore what it means to be female? It would settle the explorations part. Is there any sort of timeline that you have to get this done?"

"No, there's no timeline that I'm aware of. I've been told that I'll have all the time in the world to figure things out. The letter said that I would have to deal with each part separately and that when I answered the questions suitably, I would be returned back to when I came from. The first one returned me to a point that was five minutes after I left. But the weird thing was that the world froze on me before I put the first charm on the necklace and put it around my head. When I put it on, it seemed like the world was spinning around me and when it stopped, I was Jennifer at the age of 10. That's the first time I met Heather and Tiffany. I spent the whole day with them and we went to the park to play. But it was during that time that I was able to work out the answer to the first question. When I got back to the house, there was a letter waiting for me on the front gate. I opened it in her room and then went back to where I was from. Just a few minutes later, I put the second charm on the necklace and put it on and wound up where I am now."

Heather looked at the others and then looked at me. "It seems that what Michelle has said seems to be the most logical thing that could be. Would it hurt you to try to enjoy who and what you are? At the moment, you're not a silly old man but you're a lively young girl. I think that all of us can help you feel comfortable in Jennifer's body. Won't we, girls?"

All of them voiced a concerted "Yes!" vote. I, at least, had help now. I'm sure that with their help, I would be able to accomplish the task ahead of me. Other things were pressing though. I looked at the watch I was wearing and noticed that the time was 4:15.

"If you will excuse me now, I have to go home so that I can go babysitting at the Johnson's house tonight. I'm not really looking forward to it since I know absolutely nothing about babysitting. Not to mention knowing anything about babies."

"Do you think that the Johnsons would mind if one or two of us were to come over and help you. We could start teaching you about children and how to take care of them," Heather said.

"I don't know but I'm sure that I could get permission for one person. I don't know the Johnsons but I would assume that they wouldn't mind if there were extra hands to help with their baby. I'll call them when I get home. I have to go to their house at 5:30 so I'll give someone a call when I'm able to find out. Now, who is it that will come with me?"

A very short discussion lead to it being Heather that would go with me. For that I was grateful since she was the one that I knew better than the rest but that wasn't really saying much. But for some reason, I think she would understand and help me more than the others. I had that feeling in my heart. I bid my farewells and left to go home. I had two minutes to spare when I got home. Mom looked surprised but she also looked relieved. I think that she'd thought I wouldn't be home until too late. I made the telephone call to the Johnsons after discussing the issue with mom. The Johnsons were happy to let me bring one other person with me but they wouldn't pay two babysitters. I assured them that that wouldn't be the case and to consider that they would be getting a two-for-one deal. I called Heather to let her know it was ok for her to go there with me. She would be over here before 5:30 so that she could go when Mr. Johnson picked me up.

I ran to my room and looked for some new clothes to wear for the evening and went in to take a quick shower. I never really thought about the term 'quick' in dealing with being a girl. Everything was so much harder to do. The shower seemed to be quick but it was actually 20 minutes long. I never knew that the mass of long hair would be so hard to get clean but I finally was able to do so. I knew I was going to have to really hurry now. I seemed to be on mostly autopilot at the moment because I didn't take the time to explore Jennifer's body while I was in the shower. It was almost like I had been in it all my life but I knew that wasn't the case.

Heather arrived back at the house about 5:25. Right on time, Mr. Johnson pulled up in front of the house and tooted his horn. Heather and I bade mom goodbye. We expected to be out until 11:00 or 12:00. According to Heather, the Johnsons were really good people to sit for. She'd only sat for them once but they were well known in the neighborhood even though they had only lived here for a year. Their only child was a daughter that was nine months old. I was still dreading the thought of sitting for a baby that small. But they do come in smaller packages but those rarely came without the parents attached.

The ride to the Johnson's house was short but quiet. Mr. Johnson knew that his wife was ultimately in charge when it came to their daughter. She would lay down the law and rules concerning the baby. As we entered the house, it was to the sound of a giggling baby. She sure seemed happy go lucky but that was because she knew she was safe with mommy. Mrs. Johnson heard us enter and stopped playing with the baby but kept her within reach.

"Hi girls. I'm glad that you could both sit for us. It will make things a bit easier to handle this little bundle of energy. Now, I know Heather has sat for Treesa before so she knows how hard it is to deal with her. But Treesa will start missing me quickly after we leave. You will have to double-team her to keep her from missing me too much too quickly. On a piece of paper next to the phone is our cell phone numbers as well as the places that we will be going as well as the instructions I'm giving you now. Her next bottle will need to be at 6:00. She will let you know when she needs to be changed. I just changed her about fifteen minutes ago so she should be good for a little while. About 8:00, I usually give her a bath which she absolutely loves. She normally goes to sleep about 9:00 so her last bottle will be just before that time. She will need another one later but I'll be home before she needs one. If you need anything or if there are problems, please don't hesitate to call us. If there's an emergency and Treesa needs medical treatment, call 911 first then call us. We will drop what we're doing and come home or go to the hospital if it is necessary."

Since Heather was the more knowledgeable one, she spoke up, "Mrs. Johnson, don't worry about Treesa. I've a past arrangement with her and we understand each other. Poor Jennifer has never dealt with a baby before, which is why I volunteered to come and help her. I know you could have asked for me to baby-sit but I had a previous engagement, as you knew when you called me last week. But that engagement was cancelled at the last moment, which is why I asked Jen if I could come and help her. Your daughter's in good hands with the two us here. We will call you if we have trouble. You two go and have a good time and don't worry." She finished off with a very confident smile to the parents. This girl was natural parent material. I could learn a lot from her with this situation.

Both parents seemed satisfied that their daughter was in good hands so they left her in out care. Now I was starting to get very nervous. But I knew Heather was there for me to lean on if I needed it. As the door closed behind her parents, Treesa suddenly looked concerned. Heather was ahead of the game in those regards. Before the baby could utter a single scream, she was down on the floor with her favorite toy and making baby sounds to try to distract her attention from her mother leaving the house. I got down and joined the two of them in the playing. Before too long, we had her giggling and enjoying the play session.

Before I knew it, it was time to put Treesa to bed. Both Heather and I were plum tuckered out. That child really was a wild one. We had been able to give her a bath but it was with a mini shower for us two when she went wild in the water splashing her hands and causing a cascade of water that drenched us. Both Heather and I were laughing hard all evening long with the antics of this darling child. Once she was in bed and asleep, I was able to sit down and relax for the first time in hours. It almost seemed like days but I knew that it was deceptive. I had never been so busy in my life as I had been over the previous three hours.

Once I had sat down I was able to think about everything that I had been through with this baby. I had never realized just exactly what I had missed by not having a child of my own. I knew how much poorer my life was without someone to call me daddy and I really wanted to remedy the situation. I was quiet for too long for Heather's liking.

"A penny for your thoughts, Jen."

"I was just thinking about how much I've missed in my life because I didn't ever marry and have any kids. The whole evening so far has been an extreme learning experience for me while dealing with Treesa. If there was any way that I could correct that situation, I would do so."

"From the sounds of things, you're learning a bit about where women actually come from. We have to start at a young age and are given dolls that are in the likeness of babies. Everything we do is geared towards one day having and raising babies. What you experienced tonight is only a tiny part of what I've had to deal with my whole life. But I think that you could be a wonderful parent in your own time. If that day ever comes."

"I can only hope so Heather, I can only hope so."

I was starting to feel a slight depression coming on because of the lack of a child in my life. It was hard to think about things otherwise. Then I thought of something that should have been bothering me.

"Heather, I'm wondering something. What're you going to say to Jennifer once I leave her body again?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you going to tell her that a man has been inhabiting her body against her will?"

"I don't think I was planning on telling her anything. What would I say? Do you realize exactly how crazy this sounds? She would think I was absolutely crazy and would probably not talk to me ever again. I'll never let anything come between our friendship and you would be the thing that would come between us. So you can rest assured that I won't say anything to her."

"Thank you. That means more to me than I can say. Let me ask this of you. The last time I was here when you, Tiffany and Jennifer were ten, did you or Tiffany mention the necklace to her the next day?"

"Now that you mention it, I did. I told her that she looked better without that ugly necklace that she'd been wearing the day before. Her response was that she hadn't worn any necklace and that she didn't know what I was talking about. I asked her about the park and the ice cream and she didn't remember anything either one. I thought she was being weird and I never brought the subject up again."

"Let's make a deal then. I don't know if I'll be here very long or when I might be back. But I know that the necklace goes with me wherever I am. It came with me that last time and left with me. Now it came back with me and I know that it will go back again. Until you see the necklace again, the only people that you can talk to this about are the other four. Jennifer mustn't know about this at all. None of the others can talk to her about this. I have to trust you in passing the word to them. When the necklace shows up again, then you can talk to me about things. Are we agreeable with this?"

"Yes we are. I'll tell the others about this deal and I know they will agree also. You can trust us with your secret."

"Thank you for that."

I knew that I could trust them all with my life if it came down to that. I knew it wouldn't but I could relax over the issue. What else could I explore while I was here?

I know! "Heather, could you teach me how to put makeup on? Jennifer put some on this morning but when I took my shower earlier, I washed it off. Now, I sort of feel like the ugly duckling being around you with your makeup on and me not having any."

Heather's eyes lit up brightly. I could tell that she was pleased to be able to help me. "I would love to! Did you bring your kit with you?" she asked.

"I don't know what a kit looks like. I remembered to bring Jennifer's purse with me when I came. Do you think it is in there?"

"If I had any doubts before about you being a man, I don't have any now. Only a man wouldn't know about a makeup kit or where it's kept. Jennifer has her kit in her purse where it belongs. It isn't much but it's enough to work with. Go get the purse please."

I went and grabbed the purse that to me looked like a saddlebag for a horse. It seemed too big to be of much use but at the same time, it seemed smaller than it should have been to hold everything that it does. I was wondering if there was a hidden portal to another world to keep everything in it. I had to giggle at the thought as it crossed my mind. Heather looked up at me as I approached her and giggled.

"What's so funny now?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing major. I was thinking about how much stuff you girls keep in your purses and how small they are in comparison to the quantity of things in it. I thought there might have been some sort of pocket world in it that you shoved everything into."

"Gawd, you're weird. I'll have to tell this to the other girls. They will get a great laugh out of it. Now, sit your fanny down here and we will set to work on making your face beautiful again. Oh, before you do, go into the master bath and get Mrs. Johnson's makeup mirror. You will need to see what I'm doing so that you can practice later."

I did as she said and was back in a minute. I sat on the couch with a strange feeling inside me. I had never put makeup on in my whole life but I've seen some of my past girlfriends put it on. To me, it looked like they had to put so much on to look good but it was always on second inspection that I noticed that they hardly had anything on at all. It was so subtle that while I could see it on them, they looked natural and highly defined in their faces. I tried to hold my head still while Heather started putting the base on.

She stopped for a second and asked, "What do you think you're doing? Relax will you? I'm only putting makeup on and you're looking at me like I'm about to use a paintbrush with wall paint on you. This is for your benefit so you will know what to do later on. Try to hold the mirror up to where you can see what I'm doing while I explain it all to you as I go." And she proceeded to do exactly that.

What seemed like forever with her explaining every little detail of the application of facial makeup really had only taken no more than 20 minutes. I had been in awe of Jennifer's face before. Even more so now. That young lady was absolutely beautiful and the makeup enhanced her beauty even more than ever. The lessons I'm learning tonight will come in handy later on but hopefully I can get through this whole thing soon.

"Heather, you're a master at makeup. I never really thought that I would ever have any makeup on my face but since this isn't really my face, it looks wonderfully natural."

"You have to remember this though, what I've done to Jennifer's face is something that she does every day without fail. That means if you spend very much more time in her body, you will have to put it on yourself. Do you think you can remember what I did? The style that I put on you is meant for daytime wearing. You have to remember that for a night out, you would have to wear it a bit heavier but not too heavy. Too much would make you look slutty and Jennifer would never forgive you for making her look like a tramp. But for now, you look clean and wholesome as a girl your age should."

"Thank you Heather. I appreciate everything you're doing for me. Without you and the others, I would be making a total farce out of Jennifer's life. That wouldn't be right for me. I'll try to do what's the best for her so that my actions or inactions, which ever the case may be, won't hurt her." With that, I reached over and gave her a big hug.

The look of surprise was on her face only momentarily. "You're learning to express yourself femininely. Without thinking too hard about it, you gave me a hug. That's what girls do. We're always touching gently or hugging."

Now that she mentioned it, I was starting to think more like a girl. Not much but it was enough to notice. I wondered if it would carry over to my real life. I'm sure that I would find out eventually.

The evening wore on and eventually the Johnsons came home from their night out. They looked happy but had a tired look on their faces. I could tell that they were no longer used to going out and having a night on the town since having the baby. Mrs. Johnson thanked us and hurried off to look in on her precious package. Mr. Johnson took us out to the car and dropped us off at our houses after paying us for the night. Heather was the first one dropped off and she said she would call me tomorrow after I got home from church. Mr. Johnson waited until she entered her house and then took me home.

He thanked me and I told him that any time they needed a baby sitter that I would always be available for them. I got out of the car after bidding him a good night. As I approached the gate, there was another envelope on it. Again, it said Jennifer. I took it without making it seem obvious and went to the door. Mom had left it unlocked and I entered it quietly. I turned around and waved goodbye to Mr. Johnson. He then left.

I was tired and needed to get some sleep seeing as to how my day seemed like it was going on forever. I decided that I wasn't going to open the letter tonight because I didn't know how long it would be before I was able to get some sleep for real. I could feel the next charm inside the envelope when I rubbed the surface. I wasn't able to discern what it was. I was going to wait until morning to look at it.

I went into the bedroom and prepared myself for bed. I didn't like taking over Jennifer's life like this but I wasn't in any control over how things went. I took the clothes off that I had been wearing all evening and put on a clean nightgown that was in Jennifer's dresser. I then went into the bathroom and washed the makeup off of my face since I knew enough to know better than to leave it on all night.

Once I was through cleaning myself up and making use of the bathroom facilities, I went back in the bedroom and crawled into the bed. I was tired enough that I fell quickly to sleep.

The night went well and I woke up in the morning feeling more refreshed than I can remember being. I knew that it had been a good idea to sleep. I must have been awake more than 24 hours by my figuring. Entirely too long. I won't do that again. I got the robe that was hanging on a hook next to the bed and put it on. Morning ritual calls for me to use the bathroom and then grab a cup of coffee. After I'm done, I'll read the letter.

Bathroom used, I went into the kitchen to find Jennifer's mom there enjoying a cup of coffee. "Morning, Mom," I greeted her.

"Morning, sweetie. Sleep well?" was the response I got back.

"Yes, mom. I slept like the dead. It seemed to me the best night's sleep I've had in a long time. Thank you for asking. How was your night?"

"It was fine after you got home. I couldn't help but worry about you being out so late but I knew the Johnsons were good people and would take good care of you in bringing you home. I hope you and Heather had a good night together watching the baby. I just hope you two didn't talk all evening long and ignore the sweet child."

"No, mom. We did talk but it was after the baby went to bed. We had our hands too full before that time to do much more than talk to her. She certainly wasn't neglected or ignored once she was in bed. We checked on her ever 30 minutes or so to make sure that she was ok."

While I had been talking, I had been going over to the cupboard and getting a coffee cup and I poured myself a cup out of the pot mom had fixed. I sat down next to her and took a sip of the coffee. I nearly choked on the taste. It was horrible and I had to spit it out quickly. I heard laughing coming from mom. I looked up to see wild mirth on her face. I didn't think it was so funny. "What did you put in this coffee? It tastes like sewage!" I said.

"I hope that you realize that coffee is an acquired taste and I've been drinking coffee since I was in college. I figured you knew what you were doing so I didn't say a word. I think you're too young to take up drinking coffee but I knew you had to sample the taste before I said anything."

"I've had coffee before and it never tasted this bad."

"Oh you have, have you? Where on earth would you have drank coffee before? It certainly hasn't been here. I only make enough so that I can have a second cup in a little while."

Oops! I don't think Jennifer has ever had coffee before. That might account for the fact that it tasted so horrible. I was about to say that I had been drinking it for twenty-two years. I certainly can't say that since I'm only 15 in this body. I had to make up something. "Lisa had brought some to school a couple of weeks ago and she said it was made out of coffee. But she called it something strange that I had never heard before. She called it a coffichino or something like that."

"Don't you mean a cappuccino?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's the word she used. I had some of hers and it was delicious. But she said it was actually coffee. But it didn't look like this when I drank it."

"That's because it's a different process to make. I drink straight coffee just to wake up. But I don't drink any more during the day since it makes me too wired if I drink too much."

"Weird. I really don't think I'm going to drink any more coffee. I may try a cappuccino sometime later if I can find some. Do I pour this back in the pot?"

"No, I think since you spit it back into the cup, you should just dump it down the sink."

I poured the foul tasting brew down the sink where it could join the regular sewage. I never knew that what I had enjoyed drinking for years would have that sort of effect on me in a new body but I learned a mighty big lesson with this.

"Jen, if you would like to go take a shower to get ready for church, I'll have some pancakes ready to eat by the time you get done."

"Ok, mom. I'll be out in a few minutes." I left the kitchen. I went back into the bedroom and got out the letter I found last night and opened it. I pulled out the letter first without taking hold of the charm.

'Jennifer, I'm glad that you're taking the explorations so well. You're doing everything correctly. Taking the girls into your confidence was perfectly done and they helped you out the way that needed to be done. But your time of exploration is done. Things will be harder from now on and you will have to spend a minimum of one month as Jennifer before you will be able to solve the puzzle of the next clues. You know what to do now that you have had a chance to figure out what you need to look for. You next clue, by taking it in hand will return you back to where you started. Take your time in starting the next one but remember you will still have all the time in the world. Good luck."

I read the note again. I would be Jennifer for at least a month when I return? Who's this person that's mucking up Jennifer's life so badly? How is she going to react to the fact that she won't be aware of anything for a whole month? Also, where does she go when I'm in her body? I wished I could ask these questions of whomever it is that's doing this to me. But I cannot. I upended the envelope and dumped the charm into my hand. The swirling started and ended quickly.

I was back in my bedroom again. My alarm clock said it was 10:10 am. That was strange. The first one started at 10:00 and ended at 10:05. Now this one started at 10:06 and ended at 10:10. I spent 6 hours as Jennifer when she was 10 and this last trip was twenty-two hours. It seems that the subjective time was nearly 5 minutes for each trip. I wonder if the real time will remain 5 minutes if I have to spend a month as Jennifer. I would have to find out.

I set the necklace down on my nightstand. I wasn't ready for a new trip yet but I wanted to get a good look at the new charm. It was in the shape of a shoe. Why a shoe? What does that mean when compared to the question of settle in for the long haul?

I would contemplate that for the next little while. But for the moment, I'll just sit and contemplate everything I've found out so far. Maybe a small nap before I start the next round. The letter said I didn't have to start right away. I would take it to heart. I'll give it a couple of hours before coming back to the necklace and charms.
 
To Be Continued...
 
Note: TG magic age-regression adult-teenager borrowed-body rated-g
Posted by: Admin on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 12:02 AM