“Honestly, there were times I thought this day would never come,” Sophie said as she fidgeted nervously in her smart blue pencil dress and matching designer heels. “And I definitely never pictured it being under these circumstances.”

“Well, regardless of the circumstances, you definitely deserve to feel proud,” Amy advised her friend, who smiled in response.

“Definitely,” Hayley concurred. “Just a pity you can’t take any of the credit for it…” Sophie nodded sadly as she gazed out at the large crowd that had formed outside the bookstore, and at the blonde woman sat at the table behind several copies of the book that was being launched- a book that Sophie wrote every word of, but which had another woman's name on the cover- the name in question being Rachel Harrison.

Sophie felt ambivalent about the prospect of another woman taking the credit for her work. On the one hand, Rachel was a friend, a close friend, even and she had been the one to originally commission Sophie to write the book. The nature of the material in the book was so inflammatory that if Sophie’s name had been on the front cover, it would have got her in a lot of trouble- not in the least because she was blowing the whistle on the very company she continued to work for. But on the other hand, as Sophie often had to remind herself, she wasn’t a stewardess. She was a journalist, a writer, and her lifelong dream had been to have a book published. After eighteen months of hard work interviewing, researching and compiling, she had achieved that goal, but only a select few people would have any knowledge of her involvement in the publication, and that it should be Sophie’s name on the cover, not Rachel’s.

However, as Sophie had to remind herself with increasing frequency, ‘Sophie’ wasn’t even her real name…

“Tomorrow is NOT going to be fun,” Hayley said. “Alana is going to go MENTAL.”

“Oh god, and how!” Amy chuckled. “Wouldn’t be surprised if Masson himself shows up. Which, of course, means that all days off will be cancelled so we can get called in for a bollocking.”

“Yeah, well, even if he does, there’s nothing he can do,” Sophie said. “Everything in that book is factual and/or anecdotal. Rachel and I consulted a very expensive lawyer before publication to ensure we’re not at risk of any libel charges.”

“Meh, you know that Masson will do SOMETHING, even if just to save face,” Amy shrugged. “God knows I wouldn’t want to be Rachel right now.”

“Even if she is wearing a REALLY cute skirt,” Hayley said, earning nods from her two friends- even Sophie, who found herself making a mental note to search online for Rachel’s skirt when she returned home- and for her top and her shoes, too.

“Eh, I guess there’s no sense in worrying about it if it hasn’t happened yet,” Amy shrugged. “There’s no way he can trace anything in that book back to any of us, is there, Soph?”

“Not a chance,” Sophie replied. “Trust me when I say I was very careful about keeping real names hidden.” And there we go again about ‘real names’, Sophie thought to herself.

“Oh, we definitely trust you,” Hayley said. “But you interviewed a lot of people for this book, and I wouldn’t put it past Masson to offer, you know, a bounty or something for, you know, info, or names…”

“Not thinking of any of your former trainees in particular?” Amy asked her dark-haired friend, causing her to frown.

“…Alicia’s a decent girl,” Hayley replied. “Yes, she takes her job seriously, but she’s not, you know, THAT much of a brown-noser.”

“We hope,” Amy said, before grinning as the bookstore doors opened and the readers began flooding in, each armed with copies of Sophie's- or rather, Rachel’s book.

A short while later, after the crowds had dissipated, Sophie smiled as she approached Rachel, who let out an exaggerated sigh of relief.

“Well, we’re in it now,” Rachel mused. “No putting the genie back in this bottle, heh.”

“Yep,” Sophie sighed. “I still don’t think we’re going to get any trouble from Masson, though…”

“Well- YOU won’t,” Rachel chuckled. “He’ll probably make a lot of noise about this, throw his weight around… I knew what I was getting into when I asked you to write this book, heh. But, it’s now written, so technically, you’re a free woman- or even a free man, if that’s what you really want…”

“Yeah,” Sophie chuckled.

“Seriously, though,” Rachel said. “Why are you still working for the airline? The book’s published now, it’s gonna be a big hit and you’re going to get a lot of money from it. You’ve always said you wanted to be a journalist, so what’s stopping you?”

“Well- that is the question, I guess,” Sophie sighed. “And honestly, I- I dunno.” However, despite her feigned sincerity, Sophie strongly suspected the main reason why she continued to work for the airline, despite her earlier mental assertion that she wasn't a stewardess, was the many friends she had made.

Sophie believed, of course, that she could just as easily make friends at any other job she chose to do. She strongly doubted, however, that she’d feel as close to any potential new friend as she did to Amy, Hayley, either of the two Rachels she counted as friends, or any of the other women she’d befriended during her time working for Soixante-Trois Airlines. The main reason for that, Sophie believed, was that Sophie couldn’t envisage any other workplace being so accepting of someone calling themselves both ‘Sophie’ and ‘James’.

Sophie had long since come to terms with the fact that even after 23 years as ‘James’, ‘Sophie’ would always be a part of her life, just as it had been for the prior eighteen months. Even during that short space of time, applying make-up, walking in heels and painting her nails had become as natural to ‘Sophie’ as shaving facial hair was to ‘James’. Sophie was determined that no matter where she worked in the future, no employer would be able to force her to give up her femininity- though there was one final obstacle that was preventing her from having the best of both worlds.

When ‘James’ came out to his parents and explained about ‘Sophie’, they had initially been accepting- but their acceptance had a condition attached to it. They approved of ‘James’ becoming ‘Sophie’ to work on the expose- but only to work on the expose. Now that the expose was not just finished, but published, Sophie was sure that no excuse would be good enough for her parents to let her keep being ‘Sophie'- not even the second book she was working on.

“I suppose that by working for the airline, you do get good material for your next project,” Rachel shrugged. “What is it again, a look at the world of femininity through the eyes of a man, that sort of thing?”

“Something like that,” Sophie replied.

“Well, I know I’m looking forward to reading it,” Rachel said with a smile. “And yes, I will pay for it rather than get a copy free, hehe!”

“Thanks,” Sophie chuckled.

“Though to be honest, like I've said before,” Rachel said quietly, “I- and believe me, I absolutely do mean this as a compliment, I- I don’t actually see you as a man. Not really, anyway… Sorry?”

“No need to apologise,” Sophie shrugged. “Truth be told, I- I don’t see myself as fully male either, not anymore, anyway. I mean, I’m not fully female either, I’m, like, somewhere in-between… Maybe 75 to 80 per cent female, I dunno. But-“

“But you like being ‘in-between’?” Rachel asked, smiling as Sophie nodded. “Absolutely nothing wrong with that. The world would probably be a better place if more people were allowed to be ‘in-between’.”

“No argument here,” Sophie chuckled, before sighing. “I’d better get home now, I’m not booked on a flight tomorrow but I reckon Alana’s gonna be on the warpath, so I’d better get an early night just in case.”

“Okay,” Rachel said. “I’d better be getting to the pub too, don’t like leaving ‘him indoors’ in charge for too long, heh.”

“See you soon,” Sophie said, grinning as she exchanged a gentle hug with the blonde woman, before heading toward the nearest tube station. As she headed home, Sophie consoled herself with one thought- even if she ended up working somewhere that didn’t tolerate both ‘James’ and ‘Sophie’, she would always have the friendship of women like Rachel and her flatmates to rely on.

Sophie arrived home a short while later and flopped onto the flat’s large sofa, tired from the day’s events. Her tiredness soon dissipated, though, when her flatmates emerged from the kitchen to welcome her home- and to tease her like the old friends they were.

“That’s right, you just put your feet up,” Amy said, smirking as Sophie responded with a stuck-out tongue. “We’ll get dinner ready, make your bed too… Maybe madam would like her sheets changed?”

“Bite me,” Sophie said, earning giggles from Amy and Hayley. “What time’s Rachel due back?”

“She was in Athens today, so probably late,” Hayley replied. "Pity she couldn't make it to the launch today."

"More like 'miracle that all three of us COULD'," Amy retorted. "But it was nice to, you know, have one last 'Team ASH' thing together, you know?"

"'One last Team ASH thing'?" Sophie asked. "What, are either of you two going somewhere?"

"Well- no," Amy replied. "But- but are you seriously telling me you're going to keep working for the airline, now that you're, like, a published author?"

"I'm not planning on going anywhere," Sophie replied. "And besides, even if I did work somewhere else, we'd still be Team ASH, right?" Sophie grinned as her two friends both started to blush.

"Always," Hayley said with a shy giggle. "But you really want to keep working for the airline?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" Sophie asked with a loud sigh. "It's not THAT bad a place to work."

"You literally just wrote a book on how it IS, or at least can be an unpleasant place to work," Amy retorted.

"Well- that's journalism," Sophie shrugged. "Sometimes you write about things you don't fully agree with."

"That would explain the people who write for The Sun, I suppose," Hayley shrugged, earning a sarcastic snort from Sophie.

"Oh please," Sophie grumbled. "Don't insult the profession of journalism by suggesting that the people who write for THAT rag have anything to do with it." Sophie felt a warm feeling swell inside her as she and her flatmates shared a giggle while they waited for their food to cook.

Sophie spent the rest of the evening relaxing and watching television with the other members of ‘Team ASH’, and feeling more content than she had ever been. Amy and Hayley weren't just her friends- they were her family in every way that mattered, and Sophie wasn't about to give that up for anything. Amy and Hayley headed to bed shortly after 9:30pm as both women had flights the following day; but Sophie waited up a little longer for her other flatmate to return, and was rewarded when the young blonde woman came through the door just after 10:15pm.

“Hi Rachel!” Sophie said with a grin.

“Hey Soph!” The bubbly voice of Rachel Lyscombe replied as she kicked off her heels and lowered herself onto the sofa next to her friend. “Good day today?”

“Yep!” Sophie replied with a grin. “Spent most of it with your namesake, heh.”

“Oh- god, of course, the launch!” Rachel said. “Sorry I couldn’t come, but, you know, work…”

“Well, it’s not like you can help that, heh!” Sophie giggled. “I’ve had a look online to see if there’s been any response, but it doesn’t look like there’s much yet, just a few generic reviews on Amazon… I- you know, I- I feel a little guilty? About, you know, ‘biting the hand that feeds me’?”

“I suppose,” Rachel shrugged. “But didn’t you only get the job in the first place to write the book?”

“Well- yeah, I guess,” Sophie replied. “I just- I dunno. Growing up, I always wanted to be, you know, a journalist who got all the big scoops, who exposed, like, fraud and corruption, that sort of thing… Say what you will about Masson, he’s no fraudster, nor is he corrupt…”

“Meh, you don’t get to be as rich as he is without, you know, a few words in the right ears,” Rachel shrugged. “I was with Ellen on today’s flight, she told me a few things Amelie’s told her that could fill another book, heh.”

“Maybe I’ll have to have a word with her,” Sophie said with a shrug, making her young friend giggle.

“And it’s not like working conditions are perfect,” Rachel said. “The sooner I get out of this corset, the better, and my feet are KILLING me. Though at least I got through the whole day without any lewd comments from horny passengers, heh. Though that’s only because on red route, you mostly get holidaymakers instead of the sexually repressed businessmen, heh. NOT looking forward to Paris on Friday, though at least I get to sleep in tomorrow.”

“Unless Alana calls us all in to discuss the book,” Sophie says, smirking as her friend rolled her eyes and groaned.

“Don’t even joke about that,” Rachel sighed. “…Meh. Either way I’m knackered, heh. Gonna head to bed now, what time will you be along?”

“I’ll be along after you stop texting Lucas from bed,” Sophie replied. “Valentine’s Day was LAST week.”

“Meh,” Rachel shrugged. “We just like celebrating it, hehe!”

“Yes, on the other 364 days of the year as well,” Sophie said with a playful sigh. “Go on, I’ll let you have the bathroom first.” Sophie grinned as her young friend giggled, before skipping off to the bathroom to get ready for bed. As she watched Rachel walk away, Sophie mused to herself on how her desire- or even need- to have both 'James' and 'Sophie' in her life would make it all the harder to find room for anyone else. If 'Sophie' had never existed, 'James' wouldn't have had any problem looking at Rachel and seeing a beautiful young woman and potential girlfriend. For 'Sophie', however, regardless of how attractive she found Rachel, she would always be a friend first and foremost, even if her boyfriend wasn't getting in the way. Sophie couldn't help but wonder if this would be the case for every woman she met, and whether or not anyone would ever be able to love both 'James' and 'Sophie' in equal measure...

The following morning, Sophie was woken up not by the alarm on her phone, but by an incoming call, and the brown-haired woman immediately groaned when she saw the caller ID.

“That took long,” Sophie sighed sarcastically before answering the call. “Hello?”

“Hi Sophie, it’s Gemma,” the voice of one of the airline’s secretaries replied. “We’re going to need you to come in today for a meeting, if you’re available?”

“Umm, sure, I can come in,” Sophie said, trying her hardest to disguise that her heart had jumped into her throat. They couldn’t have found out this quickly, surely? Sophie thought to herself.

“Good,” Gemma said. “If you see Rachel, tell her we need to see her as well.”

“Umm, okay,” Sophie replied with confusion- while Rachel had contributed to the book, Sophie had made sure that she couldn’t be identified- all names had been changed, and all other details had been fudged to make it almost impossible for the airline to identify specific flights or customers being mentioned in the book. “What time do we need to be there?”

“As soon as possible,” Gemma replied. “You won’t be required on a flight, but you will need to change into your uniform and be prepared to stay all day. You will receive overtime for the time you stay today.”

“Thanks,” Sophie said, before taking several deep breaths to calm herself while her roommate stirred in the room’s other bed.

“Mmph,” Rachel moaned as she rubbed the tiredness out of her eyes. “Soph? Who were you talking to?”

“Work,” Sophie sighed. “Guess who’s being called in, and why?”

“Ugh, I’m sorry, Soph,” Rachel sighed, before rolling back over in bed.

“All of us,” Sophie said with a soft sigh. “I’m sorry, Rach.”

“Ugh, never mind,” Rachel moaned as she got out of bed. “Think we could’ve predicted that would happen. Have Amy and Hayley already left?”

“Yeah, think I heard them go out earlier,” Sophie sighed. “Do you want the shower first?”

“Nah, you can go,” Rachel moaned, before crashing back down onto her bed. “Umm, weren’t you going to visit your parents today?”

“Ah- ugh, crap,” Sophie groaned as she reached for her phone again. “They were really looking forward to reading the book, too…”

“Weren’t they at the launch yesterday?” Rachel asked.

“Ah- no, no they weren’t,” Sophie replied. “…Because ‘James’ wasn’t, either.”

“Ah,” Rachel said, before sighing. “And I thought I had problems with my parents, heh.”

“Still getting grief for moving out?” Sophie asked.

“A bit,” Rachel shrugged. “I will confess, though, I- I really do have it easy compared to you, heh.”

“Yeah,” Sophie sighed. “I suppose I’d better call them, let them know…”

“I’ll take the shower first, then,” Rachel said as she got out of bed. “Give you a little privacy.”

“Thanks,” Sophie whispered as she nervously dialled her parents’ home phone number.

“Hello?” The familiar voice of Martin Connolly said into the phone, pausing as his child took a deep breath.

“Hi dad,” Sophie said in a voice that was unmistakably ‘James’s.

“James!” Martin said with obvious delight in his voice. “How are you, son? I thought we were going to see you later, why are you calling now?”

“Well, yeah, that- that’s kinda why,” James sighed. “I got called into work today, some kind of emergency meeting, so- yeah.”

“When you say ‘work’,” Martin said in a dark voice, “you mean the airline, don’t you?”

“Well- yeah, kinda…” James replied with a grimace.

“James, you’ve published your book now,” Martin reminded his son. “The only reason you should be going into that job is to tell them what to do with it! The job, and the uniform!”

“Well, I-“ James stammered.

“Unless you’re telling me now that you actually enjoy the job?” Martin asked. “Or the uniform?”

“Well- no, no, of course not,” James replied, biting his lip at his lie. “It’s just if- if I quit now, when the book’s just been published, it will look kinda suspicious? If I give it a few months…” James bit his lip again as he withheld information about his second book from his father, knowing that he wouldn’t react well to the knowledge of its existence.

“I thought you said you were free from any criminal liability for publishing it?” Martin asked.

“Well- yes, I am,” James replied. “But there’s no sense in drawing attention to myself, I mean, just because they can’t sue me for libel doesn’t mean they can’t try to make a case for, erm, lost earnings…”

“Why are they calling you in today anyway?” Martin asked. “I thought your next flight wasn’t until Saturday?”

“Almost certainly because of the book,” James replied. “Hey, maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll fire me?” James grimaced at the sarcastic tone of his voice, though luckily for him, his father didn’t seem to notice.

“Well, if you do, we’ll be in all day,” Martin said with a loud, exasperated sigh. “Just make sure you change before coming round!”

“Will do,” James said. “See you, dad.”

“Talk soon, son,” Martin said, before hanging up the phone.

Sophie let out a long, exasperated sigh as she sat down on her bed. While compiling both her books, she’d been told numerous stories about how people in her situation had faced discrimination, and even outright rejection from their families because of they needed to live their lives, but she’d also been encouraged by many stories of how these same families had come around, had accepted, loved and even encouraged their new daughters. Every story Sophie had heard had made her hopeful that one day, maybe, her parents would accept their new daughter, even if only on a part-time basis. However, with every phone call she made to her parents, she saw that possibility slipping further and further away…

Just over an hour later, Sophie and Rachel strode through the employees-only section of the vast Heathrow airport, the brown-haired woman mentally reassuring herself with every step that if everyone had been called in, it meant she hadn't been singled out, so she shouldn't be as worried as she was. However, with every reassuring thought she had, another thought popped into her mind to remind her that it might just be herself and Rachel that was called in, and her book may well have got her friend fired as well as herself…

Sophie’s paranoia was eased, though, when she opened the door to the locker room and found it crammed with her friends and colleagues in varying stages of undress. Sophie and Rachel had to fight through the throng to reach their lockers, with Sophie tripping over someone’s handbag just as she reached her locker, and was only prevented from hitting it head-first by a long, slender arm that appeared almost out of nowhere.

“Whoa, careful, honey!” The soft Southern voice of Annabelle Cope said as she caught Sophie.

“Thanks!” Sophie chuckled. “God, I’ve never seen this place so crammed…”

“I know,” Annabelle said, before lowering her voice to a whisper. “And I think I know why too, honey.”

“Doesn’t take a genius to figure it out,” Sophie grimaced. “I’m surprised they called EVERYONE, though…”

“Well- and you didn’t hear this from me, okay, honey?” Annabelle said. “I’ve heard a rumour that the boss is here today.”

“What, Alana?” Sophie asked. “What’s so unusual about that?”

“Not her, honey,” Annabelle said. “THE boss. The big boss? Someone said they saw a few girls pass through earlier in dark blue uniforms like ours. DARK blue uniforms. Those are only used on his private jet.”

“Ooh…” Sophie said, grimacing as a painful feeling swelled in her stomach.

“Don’t panic, honey,” Annabelle said, placing a supportive hand on her friend’s shoulder. “We’re all here for you. We’re a sisterhood. We know why you did what you did and we all- ALL support you. So quit worrying. Though I gotta confess, I do wonder why you’re even still working for the airline?”

“Literally everybody short of the Queen has asked me that in the last few days,” Sophie chuckled. “And- ehh, I dunno. Maybe by the end of today that decision will get made for me?”

“No need to admit defeat before you’ve even started, honey,” Annabelle said. “And god knows I’d miss you now that Jess and Paige have gone. Not to mention Nat, Zoe, Anna-Jade… I like seeing a friendly face when I come into work, you know?”

“Yeah,” Sophie said, a wide, warm smile spreading across her face. “I definitely do know that.”

Minutes later, all of the women present, dressed in their smart blue uniforms, assembled in the airline’s cramped conference room. Sophie felt herself fidget nervously in her seat as Alana strode purposefully to the front of the room, a look of barely restrained fury on her face.

“Thank you all for coming in at short notice,” Alana said in a curt voice. “As some of you may be aware, a former employee of the airline, Rachel Harrison, yesterday published a book, a so-called ‘tell-all’ about life working for the airline.” Here it comes… Sophie thought to herself. “It should go without saying that management does not endorse or even approve of this publication. Management considers many of the anecdotes contained in the book to be defamatory in nature, and we will be pursuing legal action against Ms. Harrison, both to suppress publication of the book and to seek damages. However, we are also aware that Ms. Harrison was not alone in working on this book.” Sophie felt her heart start to race as her manager glanced over the entire crowd. “If any member of staff is found to have contributed to the book, they will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including immediate dismissal. We will be conducting meetings with all of you over the next few weeks. If any of you have any information you wish to give beforehand about the book, please, feel free to do so.” Sophie felt her entire body tighten as she glanced around the room- suddenly, all of her friends and colleagues became potential threats. “In the meantime, management will be putting out a statement later today condemning the book and urging passengers and members of the public not to buy it.” Ouch, Sophie thought to herself as Alana finished her speech and asked for questions from the crowd. Much to Sophie’s delight, though, the first question asked was the one she'd hoped the most would be asked.

“How true are the things that are written in the book?” Daisy, one of the newer stewardesses, asked.

“Well, that’s not relevant,” Alana replied in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. “And I’m a bit disappointed that you felt the need to ask that, Daisy.” Sophie bit her lip to ease her guilt as the young woman started to blush. “The fact is, this book was published without our consent or even our knowledge, and it could potentially damage our business.” In short, everything I wrote is true, Sophie thought to herself.

“What if we’re asked about the book on a flight?” Danni, another relatively new stewardess, asked.

“Then you’re to reply with ‘no comment’,” Alana replied. “Or to direct the passenger to the official statement we’re putting out later today. Under no circumstances are you to discuss any element of the book with members of the public in or out of work. On that note, we will be searching lockers later today as well, and if we find any copies of the book in your possession, you will be subject to disciplinary action as well.”

“Will management address any of the criticisms in the book?” A voice from the back of the room asked, which Sophie would've immediately identified even if it wasn't for their thick Manchester accent.

“…Management will consider any suggestions sent through proper channels,” Alana replied, her eyes shooting daggers at the Mancunian woman. “NOT through a piece of libellous, badly-written fiction.” Sophie bit her lip to keep herself from objecting to Alana’s assessment of her work- she knew it was well-written, and Alana was likely trying to get a rise out of someone, meaning she didn’t know who exactly had ghost-written it for Rachel…

“If there are no further questions, you’re free to go back home,” Alana said. “See Gemma on the way out about claiming for your overtime. Ellen- you stay.” The room fell silent as Ellen froze on the spot, her cheeks reddening as every pair of eyes in the room turned in her direction. Sophie felt another pang of guilt well up inside her as her friend was singled out, not just because of the unwanted attention Ellen was getting, but also because she could make for an excellent scapegoat…

“Sophie- you too,” Alana said, making every muscle on Sophie’s body tense up as the inquisitive eyes turned away from Ellen and toward her.

“Wh- what?” Sophie asked.

“We’ll need to speak to you once we’re done talking to Ellen, so stay at the airport,” Alana commanded, maintaining a neutral expression on her face that Sophie tried desperately but was unable to read.

“Umm…” Sophie said, biting her tongue to keep her from asking ‘why’, as she feared what the answer would be.

“Wait in the locker room, we’ll call you when we need you,” Alana said, before turning to Ellen with an angry look in her eyes. “Let’s go.” Sophie felt her hands turn to ice as she followed her colleagues back to the locker room, where everyone- everyone except Sophie, that is- changed out of their uniforms.

“I wouldn’t worry too much, honey,” Annabelle said to Sophie as she removed her skirt, hat and blazer. “They’re probably just calling people in alphabetically, you know, like Ellen’s surname begins with a B, yours begins with a C…”

“Yeah, but so does yours,” Sophie reminded her colleague. “And they haven’t asked you to stick around.”

“Well- yeah, I guess,” Annabelle conceded. “But you got nothing to worry about, really.”

“Definitely,” Rachel said as she approached accompanied by her former trainee, who was struggling to keep tears out of her eyes.

“Hey, Daisy,” Sophie said softly as the two young women sat down next to her. “Are- are you okay?”

“Meh, I guess,” Daisy mumbled in reply. “I just- I’ve never been spoken to like THAT before, not even at school…”

“No one should be,” Annabelle said. “I dunno what’s happened to this place. When I started working here- well, in Paris- I mean, it wasn’t a perfect place to work, and the senior management’s attitude to women and transgendered people in general left a LOT to be desired, but- but we were at least treated like adults, you know?”

“Didn’t Alana used to be a flight attendant herself?” Daisy asked.

“Before my time,” Annabelle replied. “Though I definitely agree that she IS the problem here. Some people just ain’t any good as a manager.”

"There's some serious Peter Principle going on there," Sophie mumbled in agreement.

“Does she have a superior, though?” Rachel asked. “Someone we can speak to if we have any concerns?”

“Not in London,” Annabelle sighed. “Ah well, I guess… And I suppose, you know, there are worse bosses.”

“I guess,” Rachel shrugged. “I’m going to head home now Soph, okay? Call me when you get out of the meeting.”

“Sure,” Sophie whispered as one by one, her friends and colleagues finished changing and left, leaving Sophie by herself when Alana eventually came to collect her.

Sophie felt her whole body trembling with nerves as she walked the short distance toward her manager’s office, even though logically, she knew she had nothing to worry about. Even if she was fired and her involvement with the book became public, all that would happen is that her journalism career would be bolstered. Even if she was added to the lawsuit against Rachel, she knew that everything written in the book, despite being anecdotal, was truthful and could be verified. Even if she ended up having to move out of her flat, she knew that the airline couldn’t prevent her from being friends with the rest of the former Tutu Project. And even if she had to move back in with her parents and become ‘James’ again, it wouldn’t necessarily mean that ‘Sophie’ would completely cease to exist. So why, Sophie thought to herself, am I so anxious?

“Take a seat,” Alana ordered, and Sophie relaxed as she sat down, only to tense up again when she saw that sat opposite her wasn’t just her line manager, but also the unmistakable face of Antoine Masson himself.

“Sophie,” Alana continued as she sat down. “We know you’re close friends with Rachel Harrison. We know you’ve introduced Rachel Lyscombe and several other new hires to her, despite our disapproval. And we know you have a degree in journalism. And, also, we know you are not taking any medical steps to transition from male to female. Do you deny any of this, Sophie?”

“…No,” Sophie mumbled as she gripped the arms of her chair for support.

“I didn’t think so,” Alana said. “So we’re giving you this one-time offer. Tell us why you wrote the book, tell us how you wrote it, and tell us who you interviewed, and we won’t include you in any legal action that we pursue.” Sophie felt her heart race as she looked into Alana’s eyes- it was clear that the older woman was deadly serious both in her offer, and what the consequences would likely be if Sophie didn’t accept it. However, Sophie also knew what the consequences would be for anybody whose name she divulged- and every name she could provide was the name of a friend. With only two options before her- save her own skin or protect her friends- it took virtually no time for Sophie to make her decision.

“I have no knowledge about how this book was written,” Sophie replied, flinching slightly as Monsieur Masson snorted and rolled his eyes.

“This offer will not be on the table for long,” Alana said, anger slowly seeping into her voice. “Consider your position here carefully, Sophie.”

“I don’t have the answers you’re looking for,” Sophie asserted.

“Listen to me, you stupid girl,” Monsieur Masson sneered. “This book is going to cost me money. And it is going to make you money. Do you think I cannot afford a legion of lawyers to get me that money?” Sophie gulped as the billionaire stared furiously into her eyes. She had no doubt that he had the wealth and influence to make her life VERY miserable. However, Sophie also knew how the media, specifically, the press worked. She likely had even more knowledge in that field than Monsieur Masson did, and two words popped into her mind that emboldened her resolve- the words ‘Streisand Effect’.

“…But how would it look in the press,” Sophie asked in a quivering voice, “a big company suing one of its own employees without any proof?”

“We can get an injunction preventing the press from reporting on it,” Alana retorted with a smug look on her face.

“You're a United fan, like me," Sophie shrugged. "Ask Ryan Giggs how well they work, especially when it comes to social media,” Sophie tried her hardest not to smirk as the smile to fall from her superiors’ faces. “I did not have anything to do with the publication of this book.”

“Would you be willing to take a polygraph test to confirm that?” Alana asked, making Sophie freeze.

“…I shouldn’t have to,” Sophie replied. “If you don’t trust me, you should-“

“What, fire you?” Monsieur Masson sneered. “And expose ourselves to a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal? Especially when you have said you would manipulate the press?”

“We’re not going to schedule you for any flights for the next two weeks,” Alana announced, making Sophie fidget- she still needed to work to eat and pay bills, and two weeks without any wages was going to hurt. “If I were you, I’d take the time to consider your employment with this company, and whether you really want it to continue.”

“Okay,” Sophie whispered as her stomach began to churn- first her friends, then her family, and now even her employers themselves were saying she should quite the airline...

“I’d also think twice about whether or not you want to write anything else,” Alana said, making Sophie tense up again- as much as she preferred writing to being a flight attendant, she wanted to have both in her life for as long as she could. However, when she published her second book, the game would be up- making Sophie wonder fir the first time ever whether she really wanted to publish her second book...

“You can go now,” Monsieur Masson said, prompting Sophie to stand up. Before she left the office, though, Sophie paused and bit her lip.

“Do you have something else to say, Sophie?” Alana asked.

“Yes,” Sophie said, before taking a deep breath. “The statement you put out today… The more you tell people not to do something, the more you’ll encourage them to do it. By putting out a statement all you’ll be doing is giving the book free publicity.”

“Thank you for your opinion,” Monsieur Masson sneered. “But our press team knows what it’s doing.”

“Okay,” Sophie conceded. “But you might want to Google ‘Streisand Effect’ as well.”

“Thank you again,” Monsieur Masson snorted, before dismissing Sophie with a wave of his hand.

As she left the office, Sophie let out a long sigh that betrayed feelings of both relief and frustration. She still had her job, for now at least, but it was hanging by a string. She’d escaped legal action by the skin of her teeth, but she had to tread carefully to keep that the case- and worst of all, if she published anything in her own name, even if it wasn't about the airline, her employer would come down on her like a ton of bricks. It had always been Sophie’s dream to be a published author, and while she’d sort-of accomplished it with her expose, she was eagerly anticipating the day that she could launch her second book and receive all the accolades she deserved. After the meeting, though, that dream seemed further away than ever- and that was before Sophie considered the additional obstacle of explaining the second book to her parents. Sophie began to believe, for the very first time, that her life would be happier away from Soixante-Trois Airlines, and wondered as well whether her life would happier away from 'Sophie'...

Feeling defeated, Sophie returned to the abandoned locker room and changed back into her smart black pencil dress, ready to head home and sulk for the rest of the day. As she walked back through the airport’s vast concourse, however, she saw a group of familiar faces that immediately brought a smile to her face- especially when the four women immediately rushed to Sophie to give her a supportive hug.

“Guess I won’t meet you at home after all,” Rachel said with a chuckle.

“Hello Sophie,” Amelie said supportively. “I understand you have had words with my father?”

“Yeah,” Sophie replied with a heavy sigh. “Guessing Ellen told you, then?”

“There is little that she does not tell me,” Amelie said with a shy grin as her fiancée liked fingers with her. “especially when it is about family. And speaking of family…” Sophie smiled as Amelie turned to the one member of the group that Sophie hadn't met, but whose face she immediately recognised. “Sophie, this is ma petite soeur, Francine. Francine, rencontre Sophie, la femme dont je t'ai parlé.”

“It is good to meet you,” Francine said hesitantly as she exchanged air kisses with Sophie. “Pardon me, but I do not know English as well as Amelie, but I learn.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Sophie replied. “And I have no problem speaking French for the rest of the day.”

“No- no, please, I want to learn,” Francine said with a smile. “I am hoping to be here, umm, in this year. To work or to study.”

“Ah, hoping to follow your sister, then?” Sophie asked.

“Oui- yes,” Francine giggled as she shot a teasing look at Amelie. “Mais je ne sais pas pourquoi elle a choisi d'étudier à Londres au lieu de Paris.” Sophie smiled as the young woman teased her older sister. She’d also wondered why Amelie hadn’t chosen to study in her hometown, but she’d come to learn the reason why- and she was stood next to Amelie.

“Pour ma amour,” Amelie replied softly as she exchanged a gentle kiss with Ellen. “But today we are also here for Sophie! The writer of the truth must never be punished.”

“So- sorry, so you-“ Sophie said, addressing Francine.

“Yes, Francine knows about the book and about Project Tutu,” Amelie said.

“My father, he-“ Francine said, before sighing. “I love him, but he can be an ass. He does not respect those who work for him. Perhaps with this book, he will learn.”

“You can keep wishing,” Amelie snorted, before shaking her head and turning to Sophie with a smile on her face. “We do not need to worry about that today. Today, we have a day only for us girls! I wish to show my sister London, and then we can get a meal, and do some shopping!”

“I’m- I’m kinda gonna have a cash flow problem for the next couple of weeks, though…” Sophie grimaced.

“That is no problem,” Amelie replied, withdrawing a jet-black credit card from her purse. “My father will pay one way or another!”

“And- and you said a day for us girls,” Sophie said quietly. “I mean, the four of you, you- you’ve always been, you know, girls, but I-“

“I only see five women here,” Rachel said firmly.

“As do I,” Amelie said, causing tears to form in Sophie’s eyes as Ellen and Francine both nodded in agreement. How could I ever turn my back on this? Sophie thought to herself as she giggled and followed her four friends out of the airport and back toward the centre of the city.

Several hours later, Sophie returned home carrying several shopping bags containing dresses, shoes and assorted beauty products, each and every one Sophie was eager to try out. While the shopping trip and the company of friends had soothed her anxiety over the morning’s events, the whole day had left her feeling exhausted. However, as much as she wanted to curl up on the sofa with a mug of tea wearing a warm sweater and a comfy pair of leggings, she had somewhere else she needed to be- though this would prove to be just as much fun as the shopping trip, if not more so.

Sophie had a wide grin on her face as she exchanged her smart pencil dress for a fun, long-sleeved minidress in a glittery green colour, and her work shoes for a pair of sky-high stilettos. Her smart make-up was removed and replaced with thick silver eyeshadow, dark eyeliner and her thickest fake eyelashes, and two shades of deep crimson coated her lips. Once she was done saturating her hair in hairspray and dousing herself with a cloud of sweet-smelling perfume, Sophie turned and posed for her roommate, who didn’t hesitate in giving her approval.

“Looking hot, Miss Connelly!” Rachel said with a giggle as Sophie twirled to show off her brand-new dress and matching heels.

“Thank you, Miss Lyscombe!” Sophie replied. “Is Lucas gonna be meeting us there?”

“Oh- didn’t you hear?” Rachel asked. “Amelie insisted that it was girls only tonight, so Lucas is kinda taking the night off. I’ve told him I’ll make it up to him tomorrow though!”

“Right,” Sophie said with a cheeky grin. “So will that be a quiet night or a noisy night for me, then?”

“Oh- shut up, you!” Rachel giggled as the pair headed out into the living room, where their two flatmates were waiting, having just returned from their flight to Brussels.

“Hey you two!” Amy said, before sighing and smiling sympathetically. “Hey Soph. How- how are you feeling?”

“Ehh, been better,” Sophie sighed, before grinning as Amy and Hayley each gave her a comforting hug. “That meeting with Alana was NOT fun, especially as fat Tony was there as well.”

“Wh- Masson!?” Hayley asked. “Is he- is he going to be there tonight?”

“Any reason why he would?” Amy asked.

“Umm, how about ‘the party is being thrown by one of his daughters for another one of his daughters’?” Hayley asked.

“Not met Amelie, have you?” Sophie teased.

“She’s assured us that tonight will be absolutely, 100% girls ONLY,” Rachel said, giggling as her three flatmates all cheered.

“Well I definitely approve of that!” Amy giggled. “After today, I think we could ALL use a break from work, hehe!” Enforced or otherwise, Sophie thought to herself as the four women headed out to their waiting taxi.

A short while later, the taxi pulled up outside the salubrious home of Amelie and Ellen, who both welcomed the four women with friendly hugs before leading them into their main room, where the party was already in full swing.

“Hey girls!” Abbey said with a giggle as she and Annabelle greeted the newcomers with hugs of their own. “Hey Soph… Ellen was telling me you were getting a bit of a hairdryer treatment today?”

“Hair… Dryer?” Amelie asked with a confused look on her face.

“It’s a United fan thing,” Ellen scoffed as Abbey and Sophie both grinned smugly. “Basically means a severe telling off.”

“A bollocking would be another inappropriate-in-this-crowd way of putting it,” Abbey said, making the assembled women all giggle.

“I hope you’re learning all of this, Francine?” Ellen asked as the 18-year-old Frenchwoman approached with a nervous grin on her face.

“…A bit,” Francine replied with a giggle. “I am very, umm, hoping to enjoy to coming here in August!”

“Votre anglais sera parfait d'ici là,” Amelie reassured her younger sister.

“Are you going to be moving here, Francine?” Rachel asked. “To London?”

“Oui,” Francine replied. “To work with all of you.”

“For- for the airline?” Amy asked.

“Oui,” Francine replied.

“For our father to pay for our university,” Amelie explained, “we must each work for one year in one of his businesses. I spent a year working as a stewardess, as you know, and now will Francine too.”

“Umm, no offence,” Hayley said, “but why would you want to work for the airline, and in London rather than Paris?”

“As London has my sister,” Francine replied, giggling as she shared a gentle hug with Amelie. “And I hope for if I have special, umm…”

“Special treatment,” Amelie said softly.

“Then so will be all of you!” Francine said with a giggle. “And for, I have heard about your Tutu group.”

“You know about the Tutu Project?” Abbey asked.

“Oui,” Francine replied. “Most because it’s funny to see Amelie in a tutu!”

“Tch,” Amelie sighed as her sister giggled. “But Francine does know about the Tutu Project, does know the reason for it and is looking forward to reading the book. When it is translated to French, anyway.”

“IF it’s translated to French,” Sophie sighed. “Something tells me your father’s going to be even angrier about the book coming out in France than he was over here.”

“Let us deal with him,” Amelie said with a confident smile. “He can ignore the book. He cannot ignore his daughter telling him over a year of the same thing.”

“And I shall tell him too,” Francine said. “Il ne voudra pas que sa plus jeune fille endure ce que vous faites tous.” I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Sophie thought to herself as she pictured Francine struggling in the same heels, tight skirt and corset that her older sister had worn months before.

“And if his mind does not change,” Amelie said confidently, “then the Tutu Project shall come again!”

“Well- you can count me in,” Sophie said. “I’ve come too far to back out now, heh.” Both as a member of the project and as a woman full stop, Sophie thought to herself.

“Us too,” Amy said as Hayley nodded, and before long, all the women in the room nodded in agreement, bringing a warm feeling to Sophie’s heart.

“Then it is decided,” Amelie said. “Tomorrow, we shall talk to our father. But tonight, we shall party!” Sophie grinned as the assembled women all let out a loud cheer and the volume of the music increased, and while Sophie was ready for a night of fun, one other feeling overwhelmed her- a feeling of belonging unlike any she had ever had before, whether at university, among friends, or even among family.

The assembled women spent the rest of the evening dancing, drinking and listening to Francine's stories of life in Paris, with the party only subsiding when many of the women excused themselves as they had flights the following morning. Eventually, it was just Sophie, Amelie, Ellen and Francine left in the flat, and as she helped to tidy up, Sophie couldn’t help but muse on the Frenchwomen’s relationship with their father.

“Hey Amelie,” Sophie asked hesitantly.

“Yes, Sophie?” The Frenchwoman replied.

“Do you- and feel free to refuse to answer if you find this question offensive, but…” Sophie said. “Do you- do you ever worry, you know, about your father?”

“Heh, most of the time,” Amelie replied with a snort of laughter.

“No, umm, I mean-“ Sophie stammered. “Do you ever worry that, you know, he might- he might cut you off? Money-wise, I mean?” Sophie bit her lip as the young woman paused to contemplate her response.

“Sometimes, maybe,” Amelie whispered. “I know I must seem like a hypocrite, taking his money and living in his big, fancy flat while working- well, being in the Tutu Project. But as much as I sometimes hate him, I- I still love him. I just want him to be better, to treat women better, to treat his employees better, but I- I do still love him. He is still my father, and I am still his daughter, so- so no, not really, I do not worry. One day he may even accept me for who I am.” Sophie bit her lip as her friend’s words resonated with her. Regardless of gender, Sophie was still her parents’ child- their only child- and she still loved them dearly, but unlike Amelie, she couldn’t help but worry that her parents wouldn’t be able to accept ‘Sophie’ as well as ‘James’. She worried that they might never be able to accept her for who she is…

“Sophie?” Ellen asked as she approached the two women. “Is everything okay?”

“Hmm?” Sophie replied. “Oh, umm, yeah, just- just, you know, thinking…”

“About what?” Ellen asked, prompting a smile to form on her friend’s face.

“About how when Francine starts work for the airline,” Sophie replied, “no matter how much of a pain the uniform, the customers, the management and the working environment might be, she will have THE best colleagues in the world.” Sophie grinned widely as the three women, soon joined by Francine, shared a genuine, loving group hug.

Sophie’s alarm woke her up the following day at 5:30am, but before she could swing her legs out of bed, she switched off the alarm and laid back down with a dull moan of frustration. The previous day’s events meant that her scheduled flight to Berlin had suddenly become unscheduled, and left Sophie at a loose end- her parents were both busy, as she’d established the previous day, Rachel had already left the flat to get her flight to Paris, Amy and Hayley would soon do so, and Amelie and Francine would be spending the day with their father- making that option, despite her fondness of the two French girls, the least appealing of the lot. Sophie rolled over in bed and tried to get back to sleep, but only nodded off for a few minutes at a time before finally getting up just after 8am.

As she showered and shaved her face, Sophie gazed down at the fine stubble growing on her legs and let out a soft sigh. On an ordinary day, she would shave her legs bare before going to work, but this wasn’t an ordinary day- though as Sophie was forced to concede, her idea of ‘ordinary’ had changed a lot over the previous 18 months.

Before August 2017, Sophie had never shaved any part of her body other than her face. The only cosmetic she’d used was deodorant- a man’s deodorant- the only hair ‘style’ she’d ever had was a short back and sides and she’d never even conceived of applying moisturiser to any part of her body. And yet, not only were these actions now acceptable to Sophie, she viewed them as essential- even if she faced the possibility of never wearing a Soixante-Trois uniform ever again.

A few minutes later, Sophie emerged from the shower, her entire body below her eyebrows shaved clean of any hair and her legs coated in a soft moisturising cream. After drying herself off, Sophie returned to her bedroom, where she sighed at the sight of her vast make-up collection spread across her dresser. Over the past 18 months, Sophie had become an expert at applying all kinds of cosmetics, a skill essential for ‘Sophie’ but useless to ‘James’. However, with nowhere to go, even ‘Sophie’ had no need to apply any make-up, though that didn’t stop her from putting on a light layer of mascara and eyeliner, an action that took Sophie seconds but immediately made her feel much more confident than before.

With nowhere to go, Sophie also had no need to dress smartly or fashionably, and had no reason not to pull on a pair of ‘James’s jeans and one of his sweatshirts. However, as cold as it was outside, Sophie found herself reaching for the most comfortable clothes she owned- a pair of ‘Sophie’s leggings and one of her long sweater dresses, under which she wore her usual flattening thong and padded bra- even though there was no one around but her to get the 'benefit' of such undergarments.

As she relaxed on the sofa and turned on the television, Sophie mused on how natural, how ‘right’ it felt- the clothes, the make-up, everything. However, as she relaxed, she was forced to concede that the time may soon come when ‘Sophie’ would be a thing of the past. Without the approval of her parents, without a job, Sophie would have no need to wear a flattening thong, or a padded bra, or any other item of women's clothing in her wardrobe. Her friends would, of course, disagree, stating that Sophie could always dress for dressing's sake, and would always offer her a safe space in which to become 'Sophie', but Sophie would still need an excuse to justify doing so, if only for her own benefit...

Sophie did, however, have a source of comfort available to her other than family or friends, and with her mind in turmoil, she felt a greater than ever need to call upon this source.

Ninety minutes and one phone call later, Sophie strode confidently into the office of Dr Beverly Phillips, wearing a full layer of make-up on her face and a brand-new pair of over-knee brown boots covering her legs. On the tube ride to the office, Sophie had attracted the attention of several young men on the train, and while she certainly wasn’t interested in any of them, she couldn’t help but derive confidence from the attention she was getting…

“Hello, Sophie,” Dr Phillips said as the young woman entered her office and took a seat.

“Hi, thanks for fitting me in today,” Sophie replied.

“That’s quite alright,” Dr Phillips said. “After your book launch on Wednesday, I thought you might need to talk.”

“Yeah… Suffice to say, there’s been a bit of fallout from that,” Sophie said.

“Well, you did expect that to happen,” Dr Phillips reminder the young woman. “Though I can appreciate how things going from a hypothetical to, well, a non-hypothetical can catch you by surprise, even if you were expecting them.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Sophie replied. “Work have- well, they haven’t explicitly suspended me, but they’re not scheduling me on any flights for the next fortnight, so, well- yeah.”

“Do they know you wrote the book?” Dr Phillips asked.

“They suspect,” Sophie replied. “I’m fairly certain they won’t be able to prove it. But they- they are on a bit of a rampage. Antoine Masson himself even showed up. And they are threatening Rachel with legal action.”

“All of which was expected as well,” Dr Phillips reassured the young woman. “And Rachel is represented by a very clever lawyer who you’ve said already will represent you if the- well, if it hits the fan. But I’m not a lawyer, and you didn’t come to me for legal advice, did you?”

“…No,” Sophie sighed. “Everyone- and I do mean everyone, my bosses, my friends, even my family, they- they’re saying that I should now quit the airline, now that the book is done.”

“And what do you think?” Dr Phillips asked, keeping a neutral expression on her face as Sophie rolled her eyes.

“I- I don’t know,” the brown-haired woman eventually confessed. “I mean, I don’t want to be a stewardess my whole life, but I suppose I do have my second book to work on- as you know.”

“Yes, I have some more material for you to look at for that as well,” Dr Phillips said of the book she was helping to compile. “But you don’t need to work for the airline to continue writing it, do you?”

“That’s the question I’m asking myself,” Sophie sighed. “But- but it’s not the most important question.”

“I think I know what that might be,” Dr Phillips said softly. “But I’ll let you ask it.” Sophie took a deep breath to calm herself before asking the question that had dominated her mind ever since the publication of the book.

“Do I need to keep working for the airline to keep being ‘Sophie’?” The brown-haired woman asked, before letting out a loud sigh. “And I suppose you’re going to tell me I’m the only one who can answer that question?” Sophie sighed again as her counsellor nodded.

“Though I can offer some observations,” Dr Phillips said. “Looking at you now, I see a young woman before anything else. Even though you’ve chosen not to medically transition, you have chosen to present as a woman, and not just in your choice of clothing or cosmetics. Your demeanour, your manner of speaking- and I don’t just mean the pitch of your voice- and even your body language is that of a woman. You could easily have come here today as ‘James’, but you chose to come as ‘Sophie’. My conclusion, therefore, is that what you think you need is a reason to be ‘Sophie’.”

“Yeah,” Sophie sighed heavily. “Especially when I have two very big reasons to not be ‘Sophie’.”

“Your parents?” Dr Phillips asked in a sympathetic voice.

“I don’t think they’ll ever understand,” Sophie sighed. “’Sophie’ is as much a part of me now as ‘James’ is, and I- I don’t just want to, you know, put her away…”

“And you don’t have to,” Dr Phillips said. “Your parents need to understand that you’re 24 years old. You are an independent woman, and you have the final, if not only say in how you live your life. It’s natural to be worried about how they’d react to the news, and it’s natural to want to maintain a loving relationship with them. But you have to set down the ground rules for this new relationship.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Sophie sighed.

“Most things are,” Dr Phillips said. “If you’d like, I can arrange a meeting and be present when you speak to your parents.”

“I- I’ll have to think about it,” Sophie sighed. “I mean, I want this behind me but- ugh, I dunno.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, you do have time on your side,” Dr Phillips said. “I know you’re conflicted, but the status quo as it is right now is stable- depending, of course, on how it goes with the airline, but you’ll have a source of income from the book, and you are living independently with friends on whom you can count for support. You do have a lot of positives in your life, Sophie, and while it’s only natural to worry about the negatives- which are real, and which are valid- you need to realise that you have a foundation for your life, and you are the one in control.”

“…Thanks,” Sophie said with a chuckle as she relaxed back into her chair, conceding that the older woman had a point- it would be all too easy to wallow in self-pity, but Sophie needed to take control of her life- after all, it was HER life, not her employers', not her friends', not even her parents'.

Sophie left the office just over forty minutes later and had barely reached the nearest tube station when her phone beeped to inform her of a new text message. If I’m in charge of my destiny, I’m sure being pulled in a lot of different directions, Sophie thought to herself as she read the message. It soon put a smile on her face, though, and shortly afterward she was on a tube train not heading home, but to another part of the vast city.

“Hey you two!” Sophie said with a grin as she rendezvoused with the sender of the text message and her younger sister.

“Bonjour!” Amelie replied, giggling as she and Francine each gave Sophie a friendly hug. “I hope we did not get you out of bed early?”

“No, I was actually out and about anyway,” Sophie said.

“Wearing those new boots?” Amelie asked with a devious grin.

“Well, obviously!” Sophie replied, showing off her footwear to the two delighted young women. “Thank you so much for these, and for everything else yesterday.”

“Je t'ai dit que j'avais raison à propos de cette fille,” Amelie said quietly to her sister, bringing a smug smile to Sophie’s scarlet lips.

“I- I’m guessing you wanted to see me because of, well, what happened yesterday as well?” Sophie asked hesitantly

“With our father?” Amelie asked softly, smiling as Sophie nodded. “Oui, we- heh. We were speaking to him today, and we may have, you could say, got you your job back?”

“Wh- I’m- I’m sorry?” Sophie asked.

“Our father was very angry,” Francine explained.

“But we explained to him- well, I will not say all details,” Amelie continued. “But I said to him that we worked together, that you are professional, and he is lucky for you to work for him. And I told him about Barbara Streisand.”

“Barb- oh, um, you mean the Streisand Effect?” Sophie asked.

“Oui,” Francine said. “If he sues, everyone will know of the book.”

“So he’s dropped the lawsuit as well?” Sophie asked disbelievingly.

“He has,” Amelie replied with a smug smile. “Though that took much persuading! He is still angry at Rachel but wants the book to go away quietly. Though… He still will not read the book himself. He does not believe any of it is true, or if he does, he will not do anything about it.”

“Well- I suppose we shouldn’t have expected miracles,” Sophie sighed. “I know Rachel will be disappointed about that.”

“When I start, maybe we will,” Francine said with a shrug. “But our père has another, umm, way for his anger.”

“Another w- I- I’m sorry?” Sophie asked.

“He is angry at someone else,” Amelie explained. “Someone other than you or Rachel, or ma amour.”

“Well then… Who?” Sophie asked.

“Joshua Benedict,” Amelie candidly replied.

“Josh- umm, why, exactly?” Sophie asked, biting her lip as Amelie took a deep breath.

“’Les Anges’ has just released on Amazon in France,” Amelie explained.

“The French version of The Angels?” Sophie asked. “Yeah, didn’t the airline have some kind of sponsorship arrangement?”

“It was Soixante-Trois Mode,” Amelie corrected. “And they DID.”

“I- I was to be, umm, une Ange,” Francine mumbled.

“I- I’m sorry, you were going to be one of the French Angels?” Sophie asked.

“In exchange for the sponsorship,” Amelie said. “But, obviously, it did not happen, and our father has withdrawn his sponsorship and blamed Joshua Benedict. Even though he is not in charge of Les Anges, Catherine Dujardin is.”

“And- and didn’t Joshua Benedict come out as gay just before Christmas?” Sophie asked.

“Oui,” Amelie said. “Our father has avoided shooting himself in his right foot by shooting himself in his left foot.”

“…And he had to wait until AFTER the book was published?” Sophie asked, making the two women laugh as they back to their flat for lunch.

After the meal, during which Sophie listened intently as Amelie filled her in with all the latest gossip and politics at the airline, Sophie returned home feeling renewed. Thanks to her friends, she was no longer facing the prospect of a long and expensive lawsuit, she would still secretly receive income from her book and most of all, she would still be employed by the airline, a voicemail on her phone confirming that her next flight would be the coming Tuesday. Sophie still had the threat concerning her second book hanging over her head, but as Dr Phillips had said, it wasn’t an immediate problem. At that exact point in time, Sophie had her work- both jobs, in fact- her friends, including a new one in Francine, and the freedom to be as feminine as she wanted, whenever she wanted.

However, as she twiddled her phone in her expertly-manicured fingers, Sophie was forced to concede that she didn’t have everything she wanted- not yet, anyway.

“Hello?” The refined voice of Sophie’s mother asked as she answered the phone.

“Hi mum,” Sophie replied in ‘James’s voice.

“James, hi!” Pamela enthused. “We were so sorry you couldn’t come around yesterday, but we hear that good news is on the horizon?”

“Umm… Good news?” ‘James’ asked.

“Yes,” Pamela replied. “Your father says you’re going to be leaving that airline soon, now that you’ve got your book published, and you’ll soon be going back to being the real you?” The ‘real’ me, Sophie thought to herself.

“Yeah,” Sophie chuckled nervously. About that…