The Haints

By Jamie Lee

Author’s Note: This story is a work of pure fiction, meant to be read for pure enjoyment. It is not based on facts of any kind, just those I made up in my mind. I realize some of which is in this story may seem far fetched, but it’s a story, dreamed up from the gray matter between my ears. So please, read this story in the spirit it’s meant to be read, for fun. Jamie Lee

We had wandered the ether for millions upon millions of years, searching for an appropriate home that would serve our created purpose. Our creator had a dream to use us to bring harmony to her planet, but was too late, as with the rest of the planet, we were thrown out into the ether and left to drift until we found our purpose. We wandered past planet after planet, some having no life, and some with life but not needing our purpose. It wasn’t until we approached a system from the perpendicular that we observe a planet, a blue planet, with indications of needing our purpose, if only we could find the one which would become our catalyst.

~*~*~Part 1~*~*~

*-*-*Chapters 1-6*-*-*

*-*-*Chapter 1*-*-*

Our creator’s planet was in such turmoil and had been for some time, with those more aggressive wanting to impose their will on others, causing battle after battle until no part of her planet was untouched. It was year ten before our release when she hit upon an idea to create us and use us to bring harmony to those who aggressively sought to rule all with their ideals, and cared not what was damaged or who was killed in the process. Their ideas were right and all were going to live by them or perish in the process. By year nine her plan had been formed, and our construction had begun, though under the most secret of conditions. For if the aggressive learned of what she was doing, she would die and die painfully.

By year eight all the material needed for our construction had been gathered, it had been difficult to do so in secret and to ensure our beginning continued to go unnoticed. There were several times where she was almost found out, but thanks to those who believed as she did, she was shielded. During year seven the method of our construction had been determined, and slowly, one by one we started to form. It took several cycles of our sun for each of us to be created and by year six there were only ten of us in existence. By year five we were now fifty, and by year four, one hundred. By the time year two appeared we became two hundred, but our time had run out in year one as our last hundred joined us, the aggressives did the most unthinkable, they blew up the planet. They used a device aimed at those refusing to follow their ideals, but its effect was to set up a chain reaction which shook the planet apart, thereby rupturing the core of the planet, sending everything out into space. Even our group of three hundred. We had learned, over the years, how to protect ourselves from harm due to radiation and other effects caused by the wars, and taught that to the new ones which joined us each year. So when we realized what was about to happen, and we could do nothing for our creator, we formed our shell and let what happened throw us out into space, causing us to wander until we finally found what needed our purpose. And after millions upon millions of years we found a blue planet which gave off every indication of needing our purpose before it too sent all of itself on a journey throughout the ether.

Over the millions upon millions of years we taught ourselves many things, guidance being only one, so it was nothing for us to guide ourselves to that blue planet and put ourselves in a position to observe and find the one who would become our catalyst. We were in no hurry to find the one, and the planet still had a chance, so we continued watching until the one presented herself ten years after we had arrived. Now it was only a matter of choosing the right moment to present ourselves to her and ask her to become our catalyst. And because our purpose was to bring harmony to those who were openly aggressive, we had no thought to our purpose being rejected. It was, after all, in the planets’ best interest.

*-*-*Chapter 2*-*-*

Tameria had come out to her parents over the summer before her freshman year in high school, and had feared the worse when she did. But her fears were for naught as her parents had already figured out Robert had never been their son, but waited until he was ready to come to them. And when he told them about Tameria, they welcomed her with open arms, immediately taking her out in order to fill her closet and chest of drawers. Their love was of the kind the group had been searching for, but hadn’t seen until Tameria had revealed herself that summer; and it was that love the group hoped to use as the catalyst to bring harmony to those openly aggressive throughout the planet.

Tameria’s summer was filled with appointments, gender specialists, doctors, counselors, and endocrinologists, and of course, shopping. It was also filled with dressing as Tameria whenever the family went out together, including her two brothers and one sister; the three long ago understood Robert was vastly different than any other boy. It was because of their parents’ acceptance of Tameria that the three also accepted her and did their best to help her adjust to being who she had to be from that point forward. And while the family accepted her, there were those who were anything but accepting, and had on occasions come after her even when they saw her out with her family. Those who tried paid for their mistakes by answering questions before a judge and risked going to juvenile hall for a number of years. Word got around about their mistakes and until Tameria started her freshman year in high school, no one bothered her the rest of that summer.

“Hey sleepy head, time to get up and get ready for school,” Tameria heard her mom say as her mom gently rocked the sleeping Tameria. Tameria was able to get one eye open enough to see it was 6 a.m.

“Mom! It’s six in the morning, I don’t need to get up this early.”

Her mom only chuckled before telling her, “Because a girl wants to look her best, a girl takes longer than a boy to get ready for anything. Now, come on and get up, we have a lot to do to get you ready for your first day in high school. We also have to go to the Office and make sure all your records have been changed, and to see what else they’ll require of you. Now, come on,” her mom told her as she peeled the covers off Tameria and lightly swatted her behind before kissing her on the cheek.

Today was so much different then the summer which had just ended. Tameria was up around eight in the morning during the summer, and had time to decide what to wear that day without being rushed before being instructed in the ways of girlhood. But because of what today was, she was made to choose her clothing the night before in order to speed up her needing to get ready for school--and she would not be allowed to change her mind once her clothes were selected. Tameria oozed out of bed, headed to the bathroom for a relief and shower, and when ready, when she was finally dressed, her mom helped with her hair and the light amount of makeup she would be allowed to wear to school; she was getting better with her makeup but her hair was still causing her problems.

We had observed this Tameria, once we found her, and found her to be the one we would follow and help become the catalyst we needed to bring the aggressives of this planet into harmony with those who were in harmony. So it was, we followed her on her new journey to this...high school...that had been spoken of, and once there, we agreed to venture into every aspect of the construct to learn more about this...high school. As we ventured forth, we saw more like Tameria, more, “humans,” as they called themselves, and found some out of harmony and making plans to do harm to Tameria. This we could not allow, and we decided it was now time to put forth our purpose to Tameria and the two she called parents.

Tameria’s parents drove her to the high school on her first day there in order to meet again with Mrs. Glasstow, the Principal, and make sure all the paperwork which they submitted over the summer had been properly filed. Mrs. Glasstow had also explained that because of Robert’s change, she would have to meet with the school board and discuss what laws pertained to his change. The school already followed every “normal” law pertaining to discriminations, but the meeting was to make sure they didn’t miss ones pertaining to her gender change.

After parking the car in the high school parking lot, Carol and Brian, Tameria’s parents, walked with her to the high school office and were greeted by Mrs. Glasstow as they entered the office. “Ah, good morning, Carol, Brian, and Tameria, don’t you look very pretty this morning. Are you ready for your first day of a new year? Why don’t we go into my office and talk for a bit?” As Jenny Glasstow led the way, and the Jinks followed, The Haints also followed, not having any trouble staying unnoticed. After everyone was seated Jenny began telling about the meeting with the school board and how the school board wanted to make sure Tameria had every opportunity to enjoy her time at school and received a good education. And to assure the Jinks that all laws pertaining to her change would be adhered to by all school staff and students alike. And as had been done in the past, anyone not following the established law would find the weight of the law on their shoulders.

“As we discussed this past summer,” Jenny started off, “you, Tameria, will be allowed to use the handicap bathrooms only, until you’ve fully transitioned. Word has gotten around about you, and some parents are still upset about the possibility of you using the girls restrooms, or locker room, so it was decided this was the best solution. Maybe this will change once it’s seen that your change isn’t some ploy to get into the girls areas. I know you are serious about this, I’ve been able to speak with your counselor about your commitment to this, but parents being protective of their daughters will take time to convince.”

Before Mrs. Glasstow had started speaking, Tameria had taken a blank sheet of paper out of her folder to write down what Mrs. Glasstow would be telling her, but before pen could be put to paper Tameria sat frozen and watched as a message wrote itself across the top of the paper.

”Use caution, Tameria Jinks. Others have will to do you harm. We are The Haints.”

Jenny could tell by Tameria’s posture that something was wrong with her, for she never acknowledged she heard a word Jenny had said, and she kept staring down at the piece of paper in her lap. “Tameria, what’s wrong, sweetie?” Jenny’s question to Tameria brought Brian’s and Carol’s attention to their daughter, causing them to see what Jenny had observed. Ever so slowly Tameria picked up the paper from her lap and gave it to Mrs. Glasstow, giving the three adults a glimpse of her pale face as she did so. It wasn’t until Mrs. Glasstow took the paper from Tameria that Tameria started to shake, shake so bad her mother had to gather her up in her arms and hold her tight. Jenny read the message several times then showed it to Brian and Carol before asking, “Where did you get this Tameria? Who gave it to you?” All three adults watched as Tameria shook her head before replying, “No one gave it to me, it wrote itself right before my eyes.”

Brian and Carol both knew Tameria wouldn’t outright lie to them, but she had been known to tell a whopper of a story now and then. So it was Brian who asked, “Honey, no one is going to be mad at you for telling one of your whoppers, but we need to know the complete truth here. Who gave you this note?” As the three adults watched the fourteen-year-old girl, she started to shake again, going pale in the face again as she said, “It wrote itself without any help from me. No one gave that to me.” This time it was Carol who spoke in a rather testy tone, “Tameria, we don’t have time for one of your stories, tell us the truth, where did you get this note?” And Tameria answered her mom with two words, “Right here,” as she pointed to the chair she had been sitting in.

Carol had an exasperated look on her face, she was in no mood for games. Brian was not far behind his wife, as was Jenny. The three changed their attitudes when the whiteboard in Jenny’s office suddenly came to life, and as the watched four words appeared on the screen:

”We are The Haints”

The first thing Jenny did was grab the whiteboard controls and try to shut it off, since it was obvious to her that her whiteboard had been hacked. But try as she might, even unplugging the board, it remained functioning. And as they watched the same four words were repeated, before a message appeared before them:

”We are The Haints. We have a purpose. We have found the ones who can help us in our purpose. Others have will to harm Tameria Jinks but we can cause them harmony if willing to allow.”

Now it was the turn of the adults to turn a lighter shade of pale, as they saw the message appear on a whiteboard which had been unplugged. Jenny’s shaking hands tried to dance over her computer keyboard, but fumbled several times until she had pulled up the word “Haints.” “Ghost,” Jenny said as she read the meaning of the word, “Haint means ghost,” she repeated as she looked at Brian and Carol. As if The Haints could read Brian’s mind another message appeared before Brian could object to what Jenny just told them.

”Yes Brian Jinks, we are The Haints, The Group. We are many of us and we were given purpose millions upon millions of years ago. But for our creator and her others, their time expired and we were cast upon the ether. And our creator and her others are no more.”

Jenny slowly got up from the chair behind her desk and walked over to the door to her office and locked it. She then phoned her secretary and told her that unless the building was on fire, she was not to be disturbed. She then went to the small fridge in her office and removed four bottles of bottled water, keeping one for herself and giving the other three to Tameria, Brian, and Carol. As the four watched, all the messages on the dead whiteboard disappeared and another message appeared, one similar to the one on the paper Tameria gave Jenny.

”Others in this construct have will to harm Tameria Jinks because she is different. If allowed we can bring them harmony to keep Tameira Jinks safe.”

It was Tameria who regained her wits as she asked, “What is The Group?” And after the three adults almost drained their bottled water, they watched as Tameria’s question was answered on the whiteboard.

”We are The Group. We are The Haints. We are and have been with purpose for millions upon millions of years. Tameria Jinks. If permitted, our purpose can be shown. If permitted we can bring harmony to those who will to harm Tameria Jinks.”

Carol had calmed down enough to ask what everyone was thinking, “Where do you come from? And how can you show us your purpose?”

”We come from the perpendicular of this system, from a time before all here was. We wandered millions upon millions of years after being pushed out into the ether. We can show our purpose by melding.”

This time it was Jenny who asked the question, “What are you and what do you mean, melding?” And as they watched, the whiteboard cleared and an even more cryptic message appeared:

”We are what we are. We are The Haints. We are The Group. Your optics are unable to perceive us without aid. We are beings that have become one with ourselves. We bring purpose to cause harmony to the aggressive. We join to show our purpose. We bring a chance to save your planet.”

This last message faded from the whiteboard, and left the four shocked, to say the least. It took a moment before anyone spoke, but when they did it was about the most immediate concern, Tameria’s safety. Brian looked at the whiteboard and asked the question which most concerned him, “Can you keep Tameria safe from those who wish her harm without harming those people?” And as they watched the answer was a simple one.

”Yes. If allowed it can be done now. Their will to harm Tameria will be transmuted. If allowed their form can be transmuted.”

“What does that mean,” Tameria asked, as the answer to her dads’ question hung on the whiteboard. Jenny looked at Tameria before telling her, “It means those who want to hurt you can have their attitudes adjusted by these Haints. They also mean they can change their physical appearance, possibly from boy to girl or girl to boy.” Turning to the whiteboard Jenny asked, “Is that what you mean?”

”Yes.”

“Yes” was the only answer written on the whiteboard, and gave the three adults pause as the implications started being realized as to what The Haints could do if allowed. Aggressive boys could have both their attitudes and gender changed. Aggressive girls could have their attitudes changed and gender switched. The three adults realized they had the power of God in their hands to finally do something about anyone who was aggressive towards others, if they so choose. But did they have the moral right to allow the changes to be done? The school was always trying to change attitudes so that everyone could have a safe time at school. And what about changing genders, how would that help? Wouldn’t that cause unwanted attention from many groups of people? Wouldn’t that upset the families of those who were changed? Could those who wanted to change be changed without causing them harm from their family and/or friends?

It was Tameria who finally cut through the shock by asking the whiteboard, “Would you please change the will of those who want to hurt me so they no longer want to hurt me?” And before any of the three adults realized what she asked, she asked, “And would you show me your purpose.” And as the four looked at the whiteboard they saw four words:

”It has been done.”

Donnie Billings, Billy Miller, Donna Spitz, Carrie Moore, and several others had met over the weekend, at Billy’s home, to plan their not so cordial welcome of Tameria Jinks, the faggot in their eyes who needed to learn how they felt about such things. They had planned to ambush Robert before he made it to his first class, stripping him bare, and physically showing their displeasure over what he thought he was doing; and if he ended up in the hospital, too bad. It was about fifteen minutes until the first bell for class at eight, when everyone in the group experienced a severe pain between their eyes which came and went in quick succession. None realized their plans had changed from one to humiliate someone, and possibly send them to the hospital, to one of wanting to make sure all new Freshmen had a very good first day at school. To them, their weekend meeting had been about how to help welcome the new students to school. They also didn’t know that they all had become hosts to The Haints and The Purpose, and from this day forth would help bring harmony to others throughout the remaining years of their lives. They also didn’t know that two of their group harbored secrets which could have had the group turn on them had their secrets become known before harmony was given to them.

Because Carol was holding Tameria on her lap, she was the first one to respond to Tameria’s requests. “MY GAWD, Tameria, what have you done? You don’t know what The Haints will do to those kids or to you, for that matter!” Turning to the whiteboard she asked, “Can you reverse what you’ve done to those kids and Tameria? Please?” The last message disappears before a new message is displayed:

”None have been harmed. Those who will to hurt Tameria Jinks now wish to welcome her to this construct. Those who will to hurt Tameria Jinks now wish to welcome all new to this construct. There are two who are like Tameria Jinks and in time will join Tameria Jinks. Tameria Jinks has no damage because of her request. Tameria Jinks has our memories of the millions upon millions of years before now. Tameria Jinks now sees why we are here and the force which drove us here. We are now with Tameria Jinks.”

“What do you mean you’re with Tameria now?” Brian’s agitated voice was slightly above a whisper, and threatened to increase in volume until Carol laid her hand on his arm. “Easy Brian, take it easy,” she told him as the four watch while the latest message vanished and a new one appeared.

”As with those who will to hurt Tameria Jinks but are changed, so one of The Haints, The Group, is with them and Tameria Jinks. We are one with ourselves so we are one with those as well. Tameria Jinks will not be harmed. Tameria Jinks will learn, as will the others, so harmony can be given to those of the aggressives. We and Tameria Jinks are one and the same.”

Jenny could see the confused looks on Carol and Brian’s faces, but understood what The Haints had just said. “Brian, Carol, I think what The Haints just told us is that one of their group is with each of those kids who wished to hurt Tameria. And one of their group is now with Tameria, likely in her mind. And they will not harm any of the ones they are with.” Turning to the whiteboard she asked, “Isn’t that so?” And like before they saw:

”Yes.”

The room went deathly silent, with the one word given still showing on the dead whiteboard. The thought went through Brian and Carol’s minds at the same time because both took turns asking, “What do we do now? Do we need to talk to someone? Should we take Tameria to a doctor, or someone else?” Jenny was as unsure what they should now do, but that was taken out of their hands by the next message they saw.

”No one is sick. A healer is not required. Tell no one of The Haints, The Group. All is as should be with those meld with The Haints, The Group. All will be well. Live as you always do. Tell no one.”

The last message was clear enough for all four in that room, keep quiet about what they know; go on as though nothing is different; no one is hurt so a doctor isn’t needed. “Tameria, sweetie, how do you feel right now,” Jenny asked, as Brian and Carol look at their daughter in expectation of her answer. “Mrs. Glasstow,” and she turned to her parents, “Mom, dad, I feel fine. I do have new memories that are starting to form, but I don’t hurt or feel sick. And going by the clock on the wall, I really should get to my first class.” All three adults glanced at the clock and saw it was 7:55 a.m., five minutes until the first bell that would start a new year at the high school. Carol looked at Brian, and both looked at Jenny, before they all three agreed that it was best Tameria go to her first class. Tameria hugged her mom and dad, kissed each one on the cheek, and started towards the office door before she stopped, turned, and told the three adults, “There is something I don’t feel right now, fear of being here at school. I don’t fear being made fun of, teased, or humiliated. I feel really good about being here.” And with that statement, she waved to her parents, opened the office door, walked out, closed it, and walked to her first class of a brand new year at high school. After Tameria left the office, Brian, Carol, and Jenny discussed what they needed to do now. It wasn’t until another message appeared on the whiteboard that a decision was made for them.

”Tell no one. All is well. Harmony will be brought to those who will to harm Tameria Jinks. Harmony will not harm others. Live life as you have. Love.”

When the first bell rang, Jenny explained to the Jinks that she needed to go and make her presence known throughout the school. The three adults agreed to not tell anyone, as they were instructed, and to stay in contact with each other and to call should anything unexpected occur--regardless the time. The three shook hands, with Jenny heading to the halls leading to the classrooms, and Brian and Carol to a coffee shop in order to talk about what they witnessed. As the three started to part, one message was left on the whiteboard for a brief moment, the one instruction they had been given to keep things to themselves, and then the dead whiteboard was clear.

*-*-*Chapter 3*-*-*

Tameria didn’t know that the peace she felt being in high school for the first time came from The Haints within her, the ones who would protect her for the rest of her life. It was also the one which would communicate with its others when others showed they wished to harm Tameria or anyone that appeared different. And so it was as Tameria walked towards her first class, freshman algebra, she did get several looks, a few stares, but no overt signs of anyone wanting to hurt her during her walk. And because all the math classes were held in the leg nearest the gymnasium/auditorium area she had quite a walk.

The high school was laid out in the shape of an old wagon wheel, with the spokes of the wheel containing classes and lockers. The rim of the wheel was another hallway which allowed access to the spoke hallways from the outer end. The administration and counseling offices were grouped at the center of the high school, having doors on the south, east, and west sides; the north door was for school staff only. Directly north of the offices was a wide walkway which allowed passage between the east and west sides of the high school. North of the walkway was the library, with doors on the east and west sides. Directly north of the library, between it and the cafeteria, was a small arboretum which offered a bit of calm in an otherwise hectic building. The area was large enough that benches had been placed which allowed students a chance to eat their lunches, or meet with their class, or just spend time when class breaks were scheduled. Because of the small fountain at the very center of the area, it was not uncommon to see several students eating lunch or for their classes to meet in that area. After the arboretum was the cafeteria, able to hold half of the student population during each of the two lunch periods. It was accessed by several double doors on its south side. The Gymnasium and Auditorium were accessed from another hallway at the north end of the high school, going left into the Gymnasium or right into the Auditorium, or straight down the hall to exit the high school at the north end. Because the school carried a minimum of 1500 students any given year, both the gym and auditorium could hold the entire student body for any meetings or assemblies which required the entire student body’s presence; which only happened for pep rallies in the gym. At other times, for assemblies held in the auditorium, only half the school attended at a time in order to make it easier for traffic flow in and out of the auditorium. For school sports, the locker room was at the west end of the gym, with PE lockers, for boys and girls, on the south side of the gym. Both walked into one door but after a short hallway, turned either left for the boys locker room or right for the girls locker room; a side door in the short hallway led out to the playing field.

Tameria’s math class was down the 2 o’clock spoke, all the way at the end on the right. Her locker was right outside that room, as it was felt by the administration that getting each student as close to their first period class as possible would save a lot of time for everyone, i.e. it would be hard on a student if their locker was in the 4 o’clock spoke but their first class was in the 10 o’clock spoke. As Tameria stood at her locker, she could hear voices aimed in her direction, voices which had only recently heard about Robert becoming Tameria, some voices which were edged with great displeasure. When those voices were heard, Tameria heard another voice, one directed solely at her.

”We are The Haints. Tameria Jinks. We can bring harmony to those voices if allowed.”

Tameria was taken aback by the voice she heard in her head, and instead of openly reacting, she acted as though she was considering what to take from her locker. “Is that you The Haints?” Tameria asked, as she took her math book from her locker.

”Yes Tameria Jinks. We can bring harmony to the voices if allowed.”

“Um...no...don’t do that,” she mumbled, hoping she had not been heard. “Unless they intend physical harm then allow them to speak. They have a right to their opinion as everyone does, and it would be wrong to silence them because of it. It might not be nice, but it isn’t wrong.”

”We, The Haints, will honor your will Tameria Jinks. But know, should any will to do you harm we, The Haints, will bring them harmony.”

“Okay, I understand and can live with that,” Tameria mumbled, “and thank you,” she told The Haints before closing her locker and walking into her freshman algebra class. Ms. Debra Carol was standing in front of her desk when Tameria walked into the class. Tameria walked up to her, introduced herself, and gave her the paperwork she was asked to give by Mrs. Glasstow.

“Ah, Miss Jinks, good to have you in my class. Find yourself a seat and we’ll get started in a moment.” And before Tameria walked away, Debra whispered, “See me after class, before you go to your next class, okay?” Debra winked at Tameria after she whispered the request, getting a head nod from Tameria showing Tameria understood. Tameria found a seat in the middle of five rows, the fourth seat from the front, and smoothed the back of her dress before sitting. “Faggot,” she heard whispered from behind her and to the left. “Queer,” came from the same direction. “Pervert,” came from her right, only in a girl’s voice. The bell rang just as the last student came into the class and took the last available seat. Debra closed the classroom door, walked back in front of her desk, and began class with roll call. After everyone was accounted for, Debra then said, “Mr. Dickenson and Miss. Start please stand.” The two slowly stood, causing all eyes to focus on them, waiting to see what would happen next.

“Would you two please repeat what you called Miss. Jinks before class started?” When neither student said anything, Debra prompted with, “Didn’t you call her a faggot and queer, Mr. Dickenson? And didn’t you call her a pervert, Miss. Start?” When both simply nodded their heads, Debra said, “I can’t hear you Mr. Dickenson or you Miss. Start.” When both answered “yes” Debra then told them to see her after school, and to turn in a five page paper on discrimination by Friday--it would count as part of their grade. “Please sit down,” she told James Dickenson and Cynthia Start, before telling the entire class, “All of you received the school packet which contains rules of conduct for everyone who attends this school. No one, not even staff, are allowed to deviate from the rules of conduct, and that most certainly pertains to discriminating against anyone. Mr. Dickenson, Miss. Start, as you write your five page report, put yourself in the place of the people who experience discrimination first hand. Ask yourself how you’d feel if it were you who was discriminated against. Each of you ask yourselves that question, how would you feel if because you had, say, blue eyes, you were discriminated against. Or blonde hair, or being tall or short. Or in the case of Miss. Jinks, being the person she has to be. People, not only do you hurt those you speak evil of, but you hurt yourself as well. You show how petty you are by calling someone names. And Mr. Dickenson, Miss. Start, I see you’re angry because you got caught for saying what you did, and are likely blaming Miss. Jinks. Don’t! You both made the decision to say what you did, Miss. Jinks did nothing to warrant your language. If you two don’t change your ways I see a short attendance at this school for the both of you. Now, let’s talk algebra.” And with that Ms. Carol started teaching her class algebra, a subject which Tameria ended up enjoying.

After her algebra class let out, Tameria hung back to speak with Ms. Carol as she had requested. “Ah, Tameria, how do you like the class so far? I know we didn’t delve very deep today, but you may have already formed an opinion.”

Debra watched as Tameria formed her words before replying, “I think I’m going to like this subject, at least I do so far. It seems to be easy for me to understand.”

Debra just nodded her head before telling Tameria, “I have two cousins who are like you, Tameria, and it was rough for them at first. Judging by your overall attitude, your parents have welcomed you? Their parents were in shock at first, and tried to dissuade them short of kicking them out of the house. It wasn’t until both did something very foolish and had to be rushed to the hospital that their parents finally realized the mistakes they had been making. They quickly found the right people for them to speak to and be treated by so they wouldn’t make another attempt on their lives. Their parents also found a counselor who helped them understand what my cousins were going through, and had been going through for so many years. Everyone is much happier now, and they are two very beautiful young ladies. So, I just wanted you to know I know what you’re going through, and might go through. If you have any problems you come to me and I’ll put a stop to it, okay?” Tameria had to wipe her eyes after hearing Debra’s story, and was shooed out of the class towards her next class before she was late her first day.

Freshman on the first day of high school were given a bit of leeway because of the unfamiliarity with the school, and tried to keep their classes close to their first period classes. It wasn’t always possible, so those who had a long walk were given a pass during the first week. Tameria’s next class, history, in the 4 o’clock spoke, wasn’t too far a walk, but with everyone changing classes took a bit of time. Along the way she heard more voices calling her names, and again told The Haints not to do anything about them. As she walked through one particular group of students, she received a punch to the stomach which dropped her like a rock, gasping for breath. As quickly as she hit the floor, two pairs of adult hands were helping her to stand, guiding her to a nearby bench.

“Easy Tameria...easy...breathe easy,” a familiar voice told her as the pain started to subside. When she was able to look up she saw Mrs. Glasstow sitting on one side of her and an unknown adult on her other side. A scuffle drew the attention of the three as a boy was brought up to where the three were sitting.

“Here he is Mrs. Glasstow, the one who punched Tameria. He tried to run by getting lost in the crowd, but they were following him and gave us directions to where he had gone.” The name tag on the man’s ID badge said William Collar, Security, and the boy he had gripped by both arms was extremely angry.

“Do you know who I am?” The boy spat, “My old man is going to hang all of you out to dry if you don’t let me go.”

William jerked the boy back toward him to keep him from doing any more harm to Tameria. “James Kincade, I should have known,” Jenny said, “We’ve had a nice long talk with your dad, and I think you’re going to be in for a big surprise. During our last talk with him, because of the trouble you’ve been in the past two years, he mentioned something about military school.”

“That son of a bitch ain’t gonna send me to no military school, my mom won’t let him,” James arrogantly spat out.

“Ah, I hate to break it to you, James, but it was your mother during that meeting who made the suggestion.” Jenny watched as the boy went from an arrogant young man to a pale frightened young man after her last statement. “William, take him to my office, and have Gloria call his parents.” The three sitting on the bench watched as James was pulled away towards the office by William, offering very little resistance. James Kincade was not like this his freshman year, quite the opposite, Jenny mused. But when he came for his sophomore year he had changed, he was more aggressive, more bitter about something. Perhaps it was because his mother remarried after she divorced a very abusive man, a man who put her into the hospital more than once. Jenny hated to see him become even more embittered by being sent to a military school, but something had to be done.

”We are The Haints. Jenny Glasstow. We can bring harmony if allowed. We can bring harmony to the one James Kincade if allowed.”

Jenny almost jumped off the bench when she heard the voice in her head. Rather than risk anyone hearing her she thought, ”The Haints?”

”Yes.”

“Ho boy,” Jenny said to no one in particular when she heard the answer to her question. She also wasn’t expecting something else when Tameria said, “They might be able to help if you let them.” Jenny slowly turned her head until she was facing Tameria before asking, “You heard that?” And Tameria only nodded. Jenny had a lot to think about, especially since it seemed The Haints was now with her as well. But first things first as she asked Tameria, “How are you feeling, can you make it to class now?” When Tameria indicated she felt better and could make it to class, Jenny had Mr. Holden walk her to her next class and explain to her teacher what had caused Tameria to be late; the two made it to the door of her class just as the second bell rang. And once again, several students were singled out because of what they whispered when Tameria entered the class. And once again, several five page reports would be counted as part of several students’ grades. And once again, the class was reminded of the rules of conduct. And once again…

”We are The Haints. Tameria Jinks. We will bring harmony to the voices and the one James Kincade the aggressive. Tameria Jinks will not be hurt.”

Because Tameria was surrounded by other students, she had to “think” talk to The Haints. “Um...wait...don’t do anything yet. If the voices aren’t going to cause harm then do nothing, as before. But monitor Mrs. Glasstow and see if she can’t get the problem resolved with James. She believes there is a reason James acted out and wants to try and get him help instead of seeing him sent away. Maybe instead of immediately bringing harmony to him you can help him see that he needs help and that it was wrong what he did?”

”We are The Haints. Tameria Jinks. We honor Tameria Jinks request. We will not bring harmony to the voices . We will show James Kincade as Tameria Jinks wishes. Know Tameria Jinks, should James Kincade not understand his need for help, we, The Haints, will bring James Kincade harmony. James Kincade will not be harmed.”

Once Tameria’s history teacher, Mrs. Janet Bridges, finished reminding everyone of the rules of conduct, and started their history lesson, Tameria found that while history wasn’t going to be something she’d pursue as a career, she did find it interesting enough to pay attention. At least it didn’t put her to sleep as it was doing to some in the class. It would seem all the teachers were equally concerned about Tameria, because Mrs. Bridges stopped Tameria after class and asked how she was feeling after the incident in the hall. “I’m doing fine Mrs. Bridges, sore, but fine, thank you.” “Just remember, Tameria, every teacher in this school is on the lookout for any student being bullied or harassed. So if anyone gives you any problems you go to any of us and we’ll take care of the problem. Okay?” Mrs. Bridges gave Tameria a smile and like Ms. Carol, shooed her off to her next class, P.E.

As Mrs. Glasstow had told Tameria that morning, she would change for P.E. in the handicap restroom, which was situated between the boys and girls locker rooms in the hallway to either locker room. The architect had the foresight to also include a shower in that restroom because it would be needed for any students with handicaps needing to shower after P.E. After dressing out, everyone was to report to the gym, by going down another short hallway, and take a seat in the bleachers, since it was the first day of school and would be the time they would learn who their P.E. teacher would be. Because there were so many per P.E. period, there were six teachers, three men and three women.

Tameria wasn’t the first to enter the gym but neither was she the last. And it seemed the word hadn’t gotten around because once again she heard whispered words as she’d heard in her last two classes. Only this time, after the morons were told to stand up, besides the five page paper due Friday on discrimination, each one had to run every row of seats in the gym five times, after they were told who would be their P.E. teacher. And when grumbling was heard from the small group, it was Miss Susie Brinks who informed them, “You people brought this on yourselves, no one is to blame but you people. So don’t think you’re going to get back at Tameria Jinks for something she didn’t do. Because if you do. I can guarantee you your stay in this school will be extremely short. Now, get running.” Those assigned to Susie were given to Mrs. Barbara Martin for this period because Susie was tasked to watch those running the row of seats.

Because it was the first day, the majority of time was spent in the gym with teachers explaining grading, what they would be doing and some general exercises--mostly to see what physical shape the students were in. By the time the small group finished their running, everyone was dismissed to the showers, in order to get ready for either their next class or lunch. Most were ready when the bell sounded, and some were planning something which could get them kicked out of school if caught.

”We are The Haints. Tameria Jinks. We hear some will to plan harm to you because of punishment. We will bring harmony to them. They will not be hurt.”

“Um...maybe we should tell Mrs. Glasstow and let her handle it? I don’t want them to get hurt, but I don’t want to get hurt either.”

”We are The Haints. Tameria Jinks. They now will to hurt Tameria Jinks as Tameria Jinks goes for sustenance. We will bring harmony to them. They will not be hurt. The controller of this construct has been told.”

Tameria knew enough to recognize that The Haints was referring to her going to lunch, and that the group had been planning to hurt her as she walked to the cafeteria. But as she reached the area of the arboretum. that group only smiled and waved as she walked by. None knew that the sudden pain they felt between their eyes, which abated just as quickly, was the work of The Haints adjusting their attitudes. And like the others, this group was destined to help others for the rest of their lives. thanks to The Haints that were now with each person.

This being her first time eating in the cafeteria, Tameria was impressed by the selections she could choose from and hoped it tasted as good as it looked. As Tameria was trying to select a place to sit, three girls waved to her and asked her to sit with them; Tameria hoped she wasn’t being set up for something. But as it turned out, the girls were impressed with the courage Tameria showed by coming to her first day of high school as Tameria. And of course, there were questions, lots of questions. Questions about, “When did you know you were really a girl?” Beckie Smoothers asked. Or the one from Grace Jackson, “Have your parents accepted you as Tameria?” Or the one from Tara Still, “Would you like to go shopping with us some time?” But the question that threw her was one not asked by any of the girls at the table, since it came from Mrs. Glasstow, sitting in her office.

”Tameria can you hear me?” Mrs. Glasstow asked Tameria.

Tameria choked on the sip of tea she had just tried to swallow when she heard Mrs. Glasstow’s voice in her head. ”Mrs. Glasstow?” Tameria thought as she coughed a bit because of the tea, hoping that would cover her conversation with the principal. ”How can you be speaking with me like this?” She used the choking as a reason she couldn’t talk to the other girls for a moment, pointing to her throat as the reason. Thankfully the other girls understood and continued talking among themselves.

”Tameria, I don’t know how The Haints are doing it, but they are allowing us to talk this way. I wanted you to know that after talking with James Kincade and his parents, and telling everyone the possible outcome from his attack on you, he finally confided to the three of us that he’s like you, and has been so for as long as he can remember. But was afraid to tell his parents. His attacking you was his anger that you were able to come out and he wasn’t. That you had the courage to come out and he felt like a coward. Because your parents were there for you I called your parents and asked that they talk with Mr. and Mrs. Kincade so they’d hopefully understand what you had been going through before you told your parents. They weren’t that upset when James told them, and after talking with your parents, are going to get Janice the help she needs. The Haints said they gave him the courage to do what was right for him so that he’d have the needed harmony in his life. I hope you don’t mind, but he’s going to have kitchen duties after school for the rest of the month. I didn’t feel it would be best to suspend him as that would only add to what he’s going through right now.”

Tameria digested what Mrs. Glasstow told her before replying with, ”Mrs. Glasstow, I asked The Haints not to hurt him because of what he did, but to help him tell why he was so angry. I’m glad he finally will get the help he’ll need. I’m also glad his parents didn’t just throw him out, which I know does happen. I don’t mind that he won’t be suspended because it won’t do him any good, he needs to stay in school. I have to go now, the girls I’m with in the cafeteria are getting suspicious of my silence.” Tameria cleared her throat several times, giving the impression she was finally able to speak after choking. “Guess I shouldn’t be in such a hurry to swallow and talk at the same time,” she told the other three girls, who giggled because of what she said. The bell rang, indicating the first lunch was over and time to head to class, so the second lunch could use the cafeteria. Tameria bused her lunch tray and walked with the three girls until each had to go their separate ways, Beckie to algebra, Grace to history, and Tara to home ec. When Tameria arrived at her biology class, two doors east down the 3 o’clock spoke, Mr. Garr handed her a note from the office, which asked her to come to the office after school; it was from Mrs. Glasstow.

Word was starting to get around, as there was only one jerk who didn’t whisper low enough not to be overheard calling Tameria a nasty name. And as in the other classes, this jerk was made an example of with a five page report on discrimination due by Friday and reiteration by Mr. Garr about the student packet everyone received and the rules of conduct it contained. But otherwise, Tameria found the first day in Biology rather interesting, and was becoming aware that she rather liked those courses, so far, which dealt with the sciences. Just before the bell rang, Mr. Garr gave out the reading assignment for the next day and kicked them out when they heard the first bell, nodding his head at Tameria as she walked by him. ”Did Mrs. Glasstow tell all of my teachers to keep an eye out for me?” Tameria thought to herself as she headed to her Home Ec class in the 4 o’clock spoke. ”Maybe I should ask her when we meet after school,” she thought to herself as she walked into the home ec class.

Home Ec turned out to be quite a surprise, since Robert had understood it was only for girls, after listening to his older sister, Karen, talk about school over the past summer. But when Tameria walked into the class she saw as large a number of boys as there were girls, and found out why from Mrs. Gordan. Tameria was surprised to find Grace in the class, and sat with her at the table near the south windows. Once the bell rang Mrs. Gordan took over in a gentle but firm way. “Welcome to Home Economics 101, everyone. When I call your name please answer so I know you’re here and won’t mark you absent. Two unexcused absences and you get to have a sit down with Mrs. Glasstow. Clear? Okay, John Monrow…” and Markie Gordan called out the twenty-five names on her roster, before explaining about the class. “...each of you has received a student packed, and I caution you to read the material it contains very carefully. Besides the rules of conduct for our school, you will find names of staff who can help you if you have a problem your teachers can’t solve, or you’re too embarrassed to ask them.”

“Now, gentlemen, I can see almost all of you are really not excited to be in this class--don’t play poker gentlemen, you’ll lose every time. Let me give you a bit of history about why this is done, gentleman. Two years ago several parents went before the school board, and also spoke with Mrs. Glasstow, about having boys take Home Economics along with the girls. Those parents made the case that guys needed to learn how to cook, sew, buy food, clean, and other things related to home economics since they would not always be living at home. The school board kicked the idea around before getting with the teachers here at school and it was felt the parents had a valid reason, so this year every boy in school gets a year of home ec, or more if they prefer. Guys, don’t not feel embarrassed by being in this class, think of it as an opportunity to learn something you might actually be good at. And please don’t think every girl in this class already knows more than you do because that may not be the case. You see gentlemen, the other reason it was felt you should take Home Economics is to get you past the idea that only girls take care of a home or apartment. That it’s the girls’ responsibility to clean, wash, iron, cook, sew, buy food, and anything else associated with keeping up your place of living. And as you’re going to find out, there are a lot of very fine male cooks and chefs out there who make some pretty good money because someone once made them take Home Economics. You’ll also find there are some excellent male fashion designers out there also making big bucks because of the same reason.”

“Now, when we go into cooking, you will work in pairs, there are an equal number of boys and girls, so it will be a girl working with a boy. Ladies, besides making a skirt, blouse, and dress for yourselves, you will make a shirt and pants for your assigned partner. Gentlemen, besides making a shirt and pants for yourself, you will make a skirt, blouse, and dress for your assigned partner.” Markie held her hand over her mouth to suppress a grin when the groans started. “Now people, you’re all taking this much too hard. I want you to succeed, to do the best you can, make something you can be proud of and maybe find an interest you didn’t know you had. Also know, you can come in after school to work on any project you are having trouble with during class, and I will be more than willing to help you all I can. Okay, for tomorrow, read the first two chapters in your texts, and we’ll get started burning the stoves the day after.” The bell rang and most of the boys couldn’t get out of the class fast enough. Markie wasn’t surprised at the response from the boys, it happened in her other classes too. But she was determined to help them see they could do something besides what society said only girls should do. As Tameria and Grace walked by Mrs. Gordan, Markie nodded to Tameria, raising an eyebrow as she did. Tameria got the meaning and just nodded back, letting her know she was okay.

Tameria had never taken music before, and had been unsure whether to take vocal music or band. She had sung to herself, when she was by herself, as Robert, and seemed to have a decent female voice for a guy, so when deciding which to take her parents thought her voice was good enough to take vocal music--they confessed they’d heard her a time or two when she sang as Robert. Grace continued to walk with her toward the 7 o’clock spoke, telling her she had vocal music next, which made Tameria happy. But what surprised her was seeing both Beckie and Tara there when the two girls entered the vocal music room. Ms. Katherine O’Conner welcomed them as they walked into the room, telling them to find a seat anywhere and that class would start shortly.

The bell rang, and Ms. O’Conner closed the door then began taking roll. Like her previous classes, Tameria once again heard about the student packets. How it was important to read what that packet contained, and how the class was going to be taught. Katherine told them they would be putting on concerts at different times during the year, and would even go Christmas Caroling at retirement homes before the school broke for winter holidays. “Now now, no gussy faces,” she told them, “I think you’re going to find when you discover how you sound together, you’ll be very surprised. As to Caroling, do any of you have family who is in a retirement home? If you do then you know how they appreciate anything which helps them pass the time, and I know from experience, those we visit really appreciate our being there. So think of our singing at retirement homes as a way of cheering up someone who might need cheering up. Okay?” And with that Katherine started listening to each student and moving them to the proper section based on the range of their voices. Tameria, Grace, and Beckie were put in the Alto section, while Tara was placed in the Soprano section. Once every student was in their assigned section, Ms. O’Conner then started teaching them how to sing scales as a warm up exercise. By the time the bell rang, she had them singing scales in harmony, which surprised everyone because they really sounded good. As class was dismissed, Katherine felt this was going to be one of her best classes, as she nodded to Tameria as Tameria walked by her.

Tameria’s last class of the day was English, in the 8 o’clock spoke. Again she was surprised as Grace and Tara split off in the main walkway but Beckie continued to walk with her to the same English class; she now had two friends in two of her classes. Mr. Stapleton said hello to each student who entered the classroom, nodding to Tameria as the other teachers had done. Mr. Stapleton’s class was different from the other classes in that all the desks were arranged in two circles, one inside the other. Because of what Tameria experienced in her other classes, she guided Beckie to two desks on the outer ring facing the door. Once the bell rang, Mr. Stapleton closed the classroom door and walked to the center of the two circles. “Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to Freshman English in this fine agust establishment. When I call your name please respond, I’d hate for your first day to be a visit with Mrs. Glasstow. Sarah Abermathie…” Tameria had to stifle a giggle when Mr. Stapleton mentioned visiting Mrs. Glasstow because she had already done so first thing this morning, after James punched her, and during lunch. And she was going to see her again after school. A small giggle did escape her lips which got a raised eyebrow from Mr.s Stapleton, but nothing more. She answered, “here” when her name was called and wondered why Mrs. Glasstow wanted to see her again, as she waited with everyone else for roll call to end.

“Now, because we have to, and you’ve already heard it before, but, you all have received student packets, which contain among other items, rules of conduct while you’re in school. And I know from reliable sources that a few students hadn’t read those rules because they are going to turn in five pages reports on discrimination this coming Friday. So I will stress the point, know the rules of conduct and what each teacher can do if you don’t follow the rules. Know, too, that any teacher can dole out punishment if you are caught breaking the rules. And if the violation is severe enough, you can be suspended or expelled. That isn’t a threat, it’s a promise, so read. Now…” and Mr. Stapleton went on to explain how he was going to run the class, how it was going to be give and take between them, that participation in class was going to count towards grades, and that they were going to start off the year with writing. “Now for tomorrow I want you to write a two page report on any topic you choose, that can be read aloud, I might add. I’m doing this to find out who knows what and how fast we can get to our next subject. As you go through your lives, you’ll find it becomes very important to write correctly, whether you actually write long hand or by using a computer--by the way, I want these reports done in long hand, no computers; your longer papers can be done using either method. And after tomorrow, if I see your handwriting is not very legible, I’ll ask you to use a computer. We have about thirty minutes left, so let’s get to know each other.” And Mr. Stapleton started off by telling a little about himself, then pointing to each in turn and allowing each to say something about themselves before the bell rang for the final time that day. As the students filled out of the classroom, Mr. Stapleton asked Tameria how she was doing, getting a, “I’m doing fine, Mr. Stapleton. Thank you asking,” before she left the room and headed to the office for her meeting with Mrs. Glasstow.

As Tameria walked down the walkway towards the office, a large group of boys were walking in the opposite direction, towards the gym.

”Tameria Jinks. That group of males wills to do harm to others. We will bring harmony to them.”

Tameria looked at the group of boys The Haints was talking about and quickly, and silently, screamed at The Haints, ”NO DON’T!” In that split second Tameria realized the boys The Haints were talking about are boys going out for football, and The Haints had misunderstood their “will to do harm.” ”They are not going to harm anyone, they are going to play a sport. They need to be aggressive to play the sport.” Tameria got a real shock when The Haints asked her,

”Tameria Jinks. What is a sport? Why must they be aggressive? Being aggressive destroyed our world.”

Tameria stopped dead in her tracks, stunned by the question The Haints asked. She thought for a moment then asked, ”Can you access our computers?”

”Yes.”

”Good. The library is right there,” and she pointed to the library’s location. ”Find a computer that isn’t being used and look up sports, and football, you’ll then have your answer. And maybe it would be good if you looked up human nature so you can understand the need for humans to sometimes be aggressive.” Tameria hadn’t walked more than twenty feet when she heard:

”Tameria Jinks. Football is a sport between two opponent teams. None will to hurt the other but will to win the contest. We The Haints will not bring them harmony. It is very confusing. Tameria Jinks. Humans are naturally aggressive, many times will to cause harm. Many times will to be aggressive but not cause harm. We The Haints must study this so we can bring harmony correctly. Tameria Jinks.”

”I’m glad you learned that not all aggression is bad. It is sometimes necessary to help save lives.” She had been about to say, “and takes lives,” when she remembered they already knew that terrible fact. The rest of her walk to the office was quiet, and when she told the receptionist who she was, she was told to go on through, she was expected. Tameria knocked on Mrs. Glasstow’s office door and entered when she heard, “Come in.”

“Ah Tameria, come in, come in, close the door and take a seat,” Jenny told Tameria. “Would you like something to drink?” She held up the bottled water sitting on her desk and when Tameria shook her head she continued, “First off how did your first day of high school go? Other than the people we know about.” Jenny listened as Tameria told her about each class, and the three girls she befriended. What Jenny really wanted to hear was what Tameria asked next, “How’s James doing? Will he be okay? Can I talk with him or did my parents not want me to be around him?”

Through The Haints, Jenny knew how Tameria reacted when The Haints wanted to bring harmony to someone because of what they said, and to James. Jenny thought to herself that Tameria was one very special girl, and would go far in the world. “Your parents never said you couldn’t speak to him. In fact, they hoped you would, so you could help him with his own transitioning. Talk to him before school, during breaks, lunch, or after school when he’s working in the cafeteria. His parents may even like it if you go over to their house and talk to all of them. His parents are going to take him shopping today after school, and his mom and sister are going to help buy him proper fitting clothes. You see, it seems he’s been trying on his sisters’ and moms’ clothing when he was alone, and able to get it all put back without them ever knowing what he had done. Some things he bought on his own, like nylons, panties, and bras, so those were never disturbed in his sisters’ or moms’ chest of drawers. But now he’ll, I guess I should say, she’ll, have her own clothes and be allowed to dress as Janice when she gets home from school or when they go out somewhere. They decided to not let Janice come to school until they’ve found professionals who can help James with all of his needs. There was talk of next year if all went well the rest of this school year.”

Tameria had listened to everything Jenny told her, even the part she knew about James working in the cafeteria for a month after school. Jenny suggested Tameria might want to see him before she went home each evening, just to see how he’s doing. Tameria nodded her head and told Jenny, “That’s a good idea.” Tameria found out she couldn’t talk to him today because of the planned shopping trip, but could tomorrow. Before Tameria left the office, Jenny reminded her, “Remember, any teacher will help you if you get bullied or harassed, okay?” With that, Jenny bid Tameria good evening and Tameria made her way out to the south parking lot where her mom was waiting to take her to her doctor appointment, and maybe somewhere else since her sister Karen was also in the car.

*-*-*Chapter 4*-*-*

When Tameria got in the car she asked Karen, “Isn’t Michael taking you home today, he’s your usual ride?” Karen just smiled at her sisters’ question before telling her, “Not today, squirt, we’ve some place to go after your appointment.” As their mom drove the car out of the parking lot, and towards the doctors’ office, Tameria tried every question she could think of to get her sister to tell her where they were going after she saw Dr. Billings. “Aw come on, give, tell me where we’re going after I see the doc.” Both mom and Karen just laughed at Tameria’s attempts to weasel information out of them before mom said, “Relax, you’re going to enjoy where we’ll go afterwards.”

Dr. Patty Billings, a fifty-ish woman with chestnut hair starting to be streaked with gray, who’d practiced medicine for the past thirty some years, had become Tameria’s doctor during the summer when Robert came out to his parents as Tameria. She had seen to it that Tameria had visited all the right doctors who could help her become the girl she needed to become. When Tameria first started seeing her, the visits were every two weeks, checkups to make sure Tameria wasn’t having any side effects from the blockers or small doses of estrogen she had started taking. And today was another checkup, a monthly checkup, and possibly an increase in the estrogen Tameria was taking; the exam would determine whether an increase was possible.

Carol, Karen, and Tameria, arrived at Dr. Billings’ office fifteen minutes before Tameria’s appointment, and after checking in, sat for only a few minutes before Carol and Tameria were called back to one of the exam rooms. There, a nurse, one Terri Harbor, had Tameria put on a hospital gown before taking her vitals, weighing her and checking her height, and measuring her chest, waist, and hips. No sooner had the nurse finished than Dr. Patty Billings entered the exam room, in her usual boisterous manner, and an ever present smile. “Carol, Tameria, good to see you both again. How have you been?” She asked as she picked up Tameria’s chart and perused the pages. “Well, everything looks good on paper,” Patty told Carol and Tameria, “But I’m going to have Terri draw some blood so we can get a real good picture.” As Terri got out the needed equipment to perform the phlebotomy, both Carol and Tameria had an instant conversation with The Haints.

”They’re going to take a sample of my blood, The Haints,” Tameria thought talked to The Haints. ”They’re going to find something strange when they look at my blood, YOU, The Haints.” Carol had heard Tameria’s statement to The Haints, and also heard their response.

”Tameria Jinks. Carol Jinks. Do not worry. We The Haints will not be found. We The Haints will not be taken. Tameria Jinks. Carol Jinks.”

After hearing what The Haints told them, both Carol and Tameria did a mental sigh, glad there wouldn’t be any awkward questions in that regard, but not prepared for a few questions that would soon be asked. Terri drew several vials of blood, labeling each one, then calling for a lab tech to come and take the vials for testing. Once Terri was finished, Patty listened to Tameria’s lungs, her heart, and for any out of the ordinary sounds from her body. She also had Tameria up in the stirrups in order to check her genitals. After her genitals were checked, Patty palpated her chest for breast development, and once that was done had Tameria get dressed.

Patty waited for Tameria to dress before talking with mother and daughter. “Well, you look remarkably well, heart and lungs sound really good, they tell me you’re more comfortable with today’s visit than past visits--you’re calmer. Your genitals have shrunk, which is to be expected, and depending what we find in your blood, we may want to do a bit of surgery down there--but let’s wait until the test results return; I’ll call you when they’re in. There is some indication of breast development...have you noticed any itching or discomfort, Tameria? Have you noticed any discomfort from the medication you’ve been taking?” When Tameria answered, “a little,” to Patty’s question about breast development, and, “no,” to the medication question, Patty simply nodded and told Tameria, “You’re making steady progress, so don’t rush things, keep doing what you’re doing, stay on the medication, and when the blood test results are in we’ll make you another appointment. Okay? Any other questions?” And when there were none, Patty simply said, “good, expect a phone call when the results are in.” And with that the three hugged and Carol and Tameria picked up Karen on their way out of the doctors’ office and on to their mystery site.

Tameria once again tried to weasel information out of her mom and sister as they pulled out of the parking lot, getting only giggles from the two. What Carol and Tameria weren’t ready for was what The Haints told them.

”Tameria Jinks. Carol Jinks. We The Haints have the power to transmute Tameria Jinks . We The Haints have the power to make Tameria Jinks female.”

When Tameria and Carol heard what The Haints told them, Carol almost ran a red light, and Tameria almost choked on the bottled water she had been drinking. “Mom, Tameria, what’s got into you two?” Karen asked, as she noticed her mom’s reaction to the red light and Tameria choking at the same time. Thankfully Carol had been driving in the outside lane, and when the light turned green, found an entrance to a parking lot and pulled in, putting the transmission in park and shutting off the engine, before she gave it to The Haints.

You almost caused me to have an accident, The Haints. Don’t surprise me again while I’m driving. And what do we now do about Karen, she isn’t stupid and will likely figure out something is happening between Tameria and myself? And what do you mean make Tameria female?” Carol used the moment to catch her breath, after nearly running the red light, and to thought speak with The Haints, hoping Karen didn’t ask more questions. And now waited for their answer to her question about Karen.

”Carol Jinks. We The Haints find Karen Jinks trustworthy. We The Haints can show Karen Jinks our memories, if allowed. We The Haints can be with Karen Jinks a short time if Karen Jinks is touched, if allowed. Carol Jinks. We The Haints can be with Karen Jinks as The Haints are with Carol Jinks and Tameria Jinks, if allowed. We The Haints can make Tameria Jinks female as is Carol Jinks and Karen Jinks. Tameria Jinks can then produce other humans. Carol Jinks.”

Even though The Haints was speaking to Carol, Tameria had heard what they said, and just about had a heart attack because of The Haints telling her mom they could make her a true woman; her mom started sputtering too when she heard the last part. But she wasn’t surprised when her mom asked her in reference to Karen, “What do you think, should we? They didn’t say no.” It only took a moment before Tameria asked Karen, “Karen, how open minded are you to strange happenings?” Upon hearing Tameria’s question, Karen looked from Carol to Tameria and saw the seriousness of Tameria’s question. “How strange?” Karen asked, as she began to get a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Karen,” Carol said, trying to pick her words carefully lest she spook her daughter. “We have something we’d like to share with you that might freak you out at first, but if you don’t panic, you might learn some wonderful things as a result.” After Carol told her that, she saw the pleading looks on both her moms’ and Tameria’s faces, showing her there was no real danger in what her mom said. “What do I have to do?” Karen asked, not sure this was a wise idea but curious at the same time. “Take my hands,” Carol told her, as she held out her hands to her daughter. “Don’t panic when you hear a voice, it’s the voice that wants to speak with you. Okay?” Karen scrunched up her brows at the mention of hearing a voice, but went ahead and took her mother’s hands.

”Karen Jinks. Be not afraid. We are The Haints. We wish you no harm.”

Karen pulled her hands out of her mother’s hands when she heard the voice in her mind. “What in the Sam Hill was that?” She asked, as she looked from her mom to her sister and back. “Well, what was it?” “They are The Haints,” Tameria told Karen matter of factly, “and they come from a long way away from Earth. They are a group of beings that were created on a planet a long time ago, a planet which is now scattered all over the Universe. There were wars on that planet, caused by aggressive people who wanted to force everyone to believe as they did. And when the others wouldn’t, the aggressive used a weapon which caused a chain reaction that ruptured the planet’s core, causing the planet to blow up and sending The Haints out into the Universe; they’ve been traveling longer than life has been on our Earth.”

Tameria paused for a few minutes to let what she told Karen sink in, and then continued with, “And they are with mom and me, and walk to talk with you. Their purpose on their home planet, which came too late, was to bring harmony to those who were aggressive and aiming to hurt others. You may not know it, but there are several kids at school who have had their aggressive will to hurt others modified so they only want to help others. The Haints haven’t hurt anyone, only changed the attitude of those who have in mind to physically hurt others. Give them a chance to talk with you Karen, they won’t hurt you.” The silence was heavy when Tameria finished talking to her sister, hoping she would once again take mom’s hands and listen to The Haints. “Karen, The Haints haven’t hurt Tameria, or myself, or your father--yes he knows about them and they are with him too. Please, listen to what they have to say,” Carol told her oldest daughter as she once again extended her hands to her daughter. This time when she looked from Tameria and her mom there was a countaince about both of them that was very inviting, almost angelic. Slowly, though apprehensive, Karen once again took her mom’s hands and once again she heard a voice in her mind.

”We are The Haints. Karen Jinks. We will you no harm. Karen Jinks. Tameria Jinks speaks the truth of our origins and purpose. Karen Jinks. We come from a time and place perpendicular to this solar system, and have wandered many millions upon millions of years. Before life began on this planet. Before this planet was ready for life. Karen Jinks. Our creator wanted harmony on her planet and we were to bring harmony to the aggressives, but were too late. Karen Jinks. We found this planet. We found Tameria Jinks. We can bring harmony to the aggressives on this planet before it is too late. Karen Jinks. If allowed. We The Haints can be with Karen Jinks always, if allowed.”

Karen’s hands slipped out of her mom’s hands as she sat dumbfounded by what she just heard. No longer was she feeling any fear about her first experience with The Haints, but what they told her has her mind racing with questions. She puts her hands back into her mom’s hands and fires off the questions forming in her mind. “What are you, The Haints? How did you get to this location? Why Tameria, why mom and dad? Why me, how would you be with me? And what about our two brothers? Will you be with them also?” She was about to ask The Haints why not just make themselves known to everyone, when the reason became clear, misuse by those who are aggressive and would hurt others to get what they want.

”We are The Haints. Karen Jinks. Be at peace. Karen Jinks. We will you no harm. We are The Haints, The Group, created to bring harmony to all the aggressives who will to harm others. Our creator had to remain hidden lest she be destroyed. Karen Jinks. Our creator remained hidden, acquiring the necessary material for our creation. Karen Jinks. Our creation was not in time to save our planet. When the core of our planet ruptured, we The Haints were thrown out into the Universe. We wandered longer than your planet has supported life or was ready to support life. We The Haints, The Group, learned during that time to do many things. Karen Jinks. We learned how to guide The Haints to ascertain the need for harmony on planets we passed during our wondering. Karen Jinks. We searched for one like Tameria Jinks after finding your planet. Karen Jinks. We found within Tameria Jinks the necessary material to help bring harmony to those who will to harm others. Karen Jinks. It was necessary to reveal ourselves to Carol Jinks and Brian Jinks when Tameria Jinks started in that construct. Karen Jinks. It was necessary to reveal ourselves to Jenny Glasstow also. Karen Jinks. All have agreed to remain silent. Karen Jinks. You, Karen Jinks, we find trustworthy, and intelligent, and can be with you always, if allowed. Karen Jinks. This planet contains the necessary material for The Haints to create more of ourselves to help save your planet. Karen Jinks. Your younger male siblings are too young and immature to know about The Haints. They would not remain silent should we reveal ourselves to them. Karen Jinks.”

Karen took several minutes to digest what The Haints told her before her mom and Tameria heard her say, “Hooolllyyy shit!” Karen saw the scowl on her mom’s face before hearing, “That language is not very ladylike, Karen. Don’t let me hear you say that again.” Tameria only chuckled at Karen’s expression before both heard, “Sorry mom, but don’t you realize what The Haints are? They’re nanites, a group of nanites that came to this planet from some other planet. There are other people out there, mom, people like us.” Karen was still excited before Tameria told her, “No Karen, those people were all killed when their planet exploded. And what are nanites?” Karen looked at the questioning looks her mom and sister were giving her before telling them, “Nanites are microscopic machines. Machines which can be programmed to do a variety of things, if programmed correctly. Companies have been experimenting with them but none have developed nanites which are sentient like The Haints. And yes, they are alive, they are sentient.” It was Carol’s turn to ask The Haints a question, one which put her on edge.

“The Haints, is Karen right, are you nanites, machines, sentient machines?” Throughout the years, Carol had read articles which warned how dangerous sentient machines could be if turned loose in the world. And rebuttals from those who swore there was no danger if they were properly programmed. It was a war of words which had been waging since the idea of nanites was born.

”We are The Haints. Carol Jinks. We will no harm to anyone. Carol Jinks. Karen Jinks speaks truthfully of our being. Carol Jinks. We The Haints are your nanites. Carol Jinks. Our purpose is to bring harmony to the aggressive who will to harm others. We The Haints will to help save your planet. Carol Jinks.”

There it was, Carol heard it herself, The Haints are nanites, machines, the same machines which have caused some to fear what would happen to the world should they be unleashed into the world. And she, Tameria, Brian, and Jenny Glasstow, and how many others, had their very own sentient machines living within them. Karen and Tameria saw the fear in their mother’s eyes, but it was Tameria who laid her hand on her mother’s arm before telling her, “Mom, they won’t hurt us, you’ve felt that from The Haints. I’ve felt it, and judging by Karen’s excitement, she knows it too. Mom, they mean what they say, they want to help us not make the same mistake those people did which destroyed their planet. I’ve seen how they changed some at school, for the better, who wanted to hurt me. Those kids wanted to hurt me bad but The Haints changed their attitudes and now they are better for the experience. I’ve heard tell how terrible they’d been in the past, and how many are now finding it strange they just want to help anyone in need. Mom, let The Haints show you what happened to their planet, and you’ll see we need their help.” “Maybe later, sweetheart, now is not the time for any more shocks,” Carol told Tameria as she started the car, put it in gear and carefully pulled out of the parking lot, heading to their mystery location.

About ten minutes later Carol pulled the car into the parking lot for a small strip mall, parking in front of “Billie’s Hair Conditioner.” “Well, here we are, Tameria, our mystery location,” Carol said to Tameria as she and Karen started getting out of the car after Carol shut off the car’s engine. “Mom,” Tameria started as she looked up and down the strip mall trying to figure out why they were there. “What are we doing here?” Tameria’s last question was cut off as Carol and Karen shut the front doors of the car, and when Tameria got out of the car she asked again, “Mom, what are we doing here?” Both Carol and Karen smirked at Tameria’s question, as they both walked towards the door for “Billie’s Hair Conditioner.” “We’re going in here,” Carol told Tameria as she pointed toward Billie’s, “To get our hair done, and a few other things.” When Robert came out to his parents in the summer, his hair was down to the bottom of his ears. When Tameria came out, Carol had taken the time to trim her hair so it wouldn’t look to unkept. Karen had mentioned a hair salon but Carol felt Tameria’s hair needed to be a bit longer before going that route. And now, after several months, Carol felt Tameria’s hair was long enough for her to visit a hair salon; she also wanted Tameria to experience a waxing, pedicure, and manicure, and maybe get her ears pierced--she had her fingers crossed on the ear piercing.

Tameria flashed through her memory of the conversation they had this past summer about her visiting a hair salon, and experiencing a few more things than just getting her hair done. She had one foot on the parking lot and one foot up on the sidewalk when Carol and Karen saw the “deer in the headlights” look on Tameria’s face. “Um...mom, I don’t think I can do this,” she told her mom as she took her foot off the sidewalk and started backing up towards the back door of the car. She had the door open, and was about to get back in the car, when two pairs of hands each grabbed an arm before telling her, “Yes, you can do this and are going to do this. This is something you need to experience if you’re going to remain Tameria,” Carol told her newest daughter, in a rather exasperated voice. When Tameria refused to walk with her sister and mom, and the two could only drag her up to the sidewalk, Carol rounded on Tameria and asked in a very agitated voice, “What’s it going to be, Robert, Tameria or back to being Robert? Choose and choose now,” Carol finished with a growl in her voice. Carol and Brian had been told by the counselor they spoke with when Robert came out to them, that sometimes it would be necessary to force Tameria to do things she’d not done as Robert. She told the couple it was natural for Tameria to be frightened when asked to do things Robert had never done, but to be firm with her and make her understand if she didn’t want to do those things which girls routinely did, then she could return to being Robert. And that’s what Carol was doing now, being firm and giving Tameria a choice.

When Carol gave Tameria a choice, go inside Billie’s or return to being Robert, Tameria panicked, and the tears started flowing. “I can’t go back to being Robert, it would kill me, I might kill me,” Tameria sobbed, and Carol and Karen took Tameria in their arms, letting her cry. As she cried, Carol suddenly realized how traumatic her words had been to Tameria as she heard Tameria repeat over and over again, “I can’t go back to being Robert, it would kill me.”

As Carol and Karen held the crying Tameria, Billie Martin, owner of Billie’s, came outside to see if she could help. Carol and Karen looked up as they heard the door to Billie’s open and saw Billie come outside. “She’s just a bit upset coming here, Billie, it’s her first time in a hair salon,” Carol told Billie, as Billie walked over and gently lifted Tameria’s chin so she could look Tameria in the eyes. “Sweetheart, your mom explained about you, how you came out this summer and now live all the time as Tameria. And I can assure no one in my shop is going to make fun of you in any way, we just want you to have a good experience as the pretty girl you are. What do you say, will you come inside and let us do our magic?” Tameria was not the first new girl Billie had coaxed into her shop, there had been several others, others more frightened than Tameria. As one last sob escaped Tameria’s lips, she nodded her head, and let herself be guided into Billie’s by her mom and Karen. “I’m so sorry to be such a bother,” Tameria told the three ladies, once they were inside Billie’s. Billie turned to her and told her, “You are not a bother, you are never a bother. This is all new to you and your fear got the best of you. But you’re not a bother, understand?” Billie hugged Tameria and felt Tameria nod her head before leading Tameria back to one of the changing booths, and telling her exactly what they would do for her today. Tameria’s fear popped up again when Billie told her about getting waxed, needing to explain that others like Tameria had been waxed here and all were treated with respect, regardless. Billie then went on to tell her about getting her hair done and a manicure and pedicure while her hair was being done. They were also going to help with her makeup while she was there, and maybe she’d get her ears pierced? Tameria told Billie she’d think about that one while they were doing everything else.

Billie left Tameria in the changing room to completely undress and put on the robe and slippers, while she went back out to talk with Heather and Sophie, the two ladies who would be working with her on Tameria. “Heather, Tameria is really frightened, so try and get her to relax before you start waxing. And before you start, tell her everything you’re going to do. Don’t leave anything out. And Sophie, make sure you explain what you’re doing when you give her a pedicure and manicure, talk to her, try and reassure her she’s doing fine--she’ll be having her hair done while you work.” As Billie finished her small lecture, an apprehensive Tameria walked out of the changing room, wearing a robe and slippers, and nothing else. Billie puts her arm around Tameria’s waist, and takes one of her hands in hers, and leads her to where Heather and Sophie are standing. “Tameria, this is Heather and this is Sophie. Heather will be doing your waxing and Sophie will be doing your pedicure and manicure.” After both women were introduced, each one gives Tameria a hug and whispers, “It will be okay, you’re doing fine,” before Billie turns Tameria over to Heather as she and Sophie go to get ready for Tameria’s hair and nails.

Heather replaces Billie with her arm around Tameria’s waist, pulling her tight into her, and feels Tameria shaking, as she leads her into the waxing room. “Sweetheart, you’re doing fine, and everything will be alright,” Heather tells Tameria as she and Tameria enter the room, taking her over to the loveseat and having her sit down. After Tameria sat down, Heather closed the door to the room and turned on the “in use” light. She then sits down next to Tameria and tells her, put her arm around Tameria’s shoulders and tells her, “Tameria, I’m going to explain what I’m going to do during each step, okay? I won’t lie to you, waxing can hurt, more sting really, but everything will be okay. I’m going to have you lie on your back on the table, undressed, and wax the front part of your body, then have you turn over and do your back half.” When Heather said undressed, Tameria’s reaction was immediate. She started shaking more, and at one point started to get up until Heather gently laid her hand on Tameria’s arm. “Sweetheart, you being undressed before me isn’t going to be a problem. I know about you and that you have some things which you will take care of later in your life. I’m not going to make fun of you or make you feel bad because of the extra parts, it’ll be just the two of us girls in here, okay? Can you do that for me?” Tameria sat back down and thought about what Heather had just told her, before telling Heather, “I’ll try.” “Good girl, that’s all I ask,” Heather told Tameria before having her stand up, take off the robe and slippers and lie down on the table on her back.

”We are The Haints. Tameria Jinks. The Heather human speaks the truth. Tameria Jinks. The Heather human wills you to be calm and does not will to cause you harm. We The Haints can alleviate pain if allowed. Tameria Jinks. The Heather human cares for you. Tameria Jinks.”

As Tameria listens to The Haints her fears about getting waxed lessen, and as her mom told her, this is an experience many girls go through. And if this is what many girls go through then she needs to go through it too. “Thanks, guys, but don’t alleviate any pain, this is something I need to experience.” It is at that moment she realizes her mother was right, she did need to experience this whole salon experience if she was to be Tameria. Others had done it, so she could too. Tameria comes back to the room and notices Heather had turned on some soft ,soothing music, and Heather was smiling down at her because she, too, was smiling. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a pill about this whole thing, Heather. But I just realized my mom was right, I need to do this whole thing.” Heather reaches down and hugs Tameria before asking, “Are you ready? I’m going to start on your legs, which don’t seem to have a lot of hair. Then I’m going to do your groin, and then your chest and arms. Then while you are lying on your back, I’m going to reshape your eyebrows. Okay?” When Tameria acknowledges she’s ready, Heather starts applying hot wax to Tameria’s right leg, laying a cloth onto the hot wax. When the wax cools and is ready to be removed, Heather tells Tameria, “Okay, here we go, one two three,” and Heather quickly pulls the wax off the right leg. Tameria lets out a slight screech as Heather rips the wax off her leg. “How are you doing, ready for more?” When Tameria affirms she’s ready for more, Heather does another spot on the right leg. And so it goes with the rest of Tameria’s right and left leg, Tameria emitting a slight screech each time the wax is ripped off her leg. Tameria notices there really isn’t much pain after, just a slight burning sensation afterwards.

Heather finished with both of Tameria’s legs, then examined her groin, noticing she didn’t have a lot of hair there. “Tameria, you’re doing real well for your first time, so hang in there, okay? I see you don’t have a lot of hair around your groin, but the area can be cleaned up to look nicer. Now, this part might actually hurt, because that is a sensitive area, so if you need a break you let me know, okay?” Tameria just nods her head and Heather starts waxing Tameria’s groin area. Because this was Tameria’s first time being waxed, she didn’t know what to expect when Heather told her, “Okay, here we go. One two three,” and quickly pulls the wax off one area of her groin. When the nerves talked to Tameria’s brain, Tameria let out a, “OH MY GAWD that hurt,” before sitting upright and rubbing that area. Heather quickly rubbed salve into the area, lessening the pain Tameria felt. “You okay, still want to continue?” Heather asked Tameria, as she closely watched the girls eyes. Tameria had been breathing heavy after Heather pulled off the first wax, but had slowed her breathing and told Heather, “Whoa, girls do this often? Guess we’d better finish so I don’t walk with a limp.” Heather let out a hearty laugh as she again hugged Tameria and helped her to lie back down. Now that Tameria knew what to expect, the pain associated with removing the wax around her groin didn’t come as that big of a surprise. It didn’t hurt less, but wasn’t a big surprise either. And as before, when Heather pulled off the wax, she immediately followed it up with the salve, helping to lessen any pain Tameria was feeling. After Heather finishes with Tameria’s front side, including her eyebrows, Heather hands Tameria a bottle of water and orders her to drink at least half of it before they continue.

“I don’t want you to dehydrate while you’re with me here, Billie wouldn’t like it if you came out looking like a prune.” Tameria laughed at Heather’s little joke, before drinking the entire bottle of water. “Whoa there miss prune, guess you were thirsty, weren’t you? Hey, the next time you get thirsty, tell me, okay?” An admonished Tameria lowers her head before feeling soft fingers under her chin and lifting her head. “It’s okay, sweetheart, it’s my fault for not telling you to ask for water if you got thirsty. I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you. Will you forgive me?” Heather reaches up and wipes tears off Tameria’s cheeks, as Tameria does the same to Heather. Tameri reaches out and hugs Heather and whispers, “Yes, if you’ll forgive me for my reaction.” “Oh you sweet girl, there’s nothing to forgive because of your reaction to my getting angry with you for not telling me you were thirsty. Too bad there aren’t a million like you in this world, it’d be a better place to live.” Heather and Tameria embrace again, both shedding tears onto each other’s shoulder. When both women calm down, Heather gets a tissue and wipes tears out of Tameria’s eyes and off her checks, before doing the same to herself, and then hands Tameria another bottle of water, taking one for herself. Both drain the bottles of water before Heather has Tameria lay on her stomach on the table, and continues waxing Tameria.

As Heather waxed first the back of one leg and then the other, Tameria had a better idea of what to expect and noticed she didn’t feel as much pain this time compared to the front of her legs. She did, however, howl a bit when Heather wax her butt crack, even though Heather told her it might smart a bit. And as before, Heather was quick with the salve after the wax was pulled off between Tameria’s butt cheeks. Heather then examined Tameria’s back carefully and pronounced it hair free and with a flourish, announced, “You my dear are now hair free in all the right places. You will knock them dead when they get a load of those great looking legs you have.” Heather then picked up Tameria’s robe and slippers, hands them to Tameria, waited until they had been donned, then with her arm around Tameria’s waist, opened the door to the room and escorted Tameria to the waiting chair at Billie’s station, giving her a kiss on the cheek before handing her off to Billie for more magic work. “You make sure to come back and see me, okay,” Heather told Tameria before giving her another kiss on the cheek. Tameria hugged Heather and thanked her for being patient with her, and she would come back.

When Heather walked Tameria over to Billie’s station, Tameria noticed that her mom and Karen were sitting under the hair dryers, with rollers placed in their hair. Carol lifted the hood of the dryer and asked Tameria, “Well, how’d it go? How do you feel?” Heather put her arm around Tameria’s waist again and told Carol, “For her first time she did real good. She was a bit scared at first, but still did good.” Tameria leaned into Heather before telling her mom, “Heather didn’t mention my little meltdown or my squeaks and squawks when she pulled off the wax. Still, I’d like to come back when I need another waxing.” Carol got up from her chair, walked over to Tameria and hugged her daughter, whispering, “I’m very proud of you for doing this, and seeing that it wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be.” Pushing them apart, she tells Tameria, “I’ve talked to Billie about what to do with your hair. She’s going to trim off any split ends, then because I thought you’d like to leave it long, shape it so it would bring out your wonderful facial features. Leaving it long would let you try different styles for special occasions, but that is your choice and you should discuss that with Billie. Okay?”

Billie was watching the mother-daughter interaction and enjoyed seeing the love a mother had for a daughter who was not born as her daughter. Too many times in her past she’d seen mothers who could barely tolerate their not natural daughters being in her salon, so this interaction between mother and daughter was a blessing to her. “Okay you two,” Billie playfully said, “You missy,” as she pointed to Carol, “Back under that dryer. And you,” she said, pointing to Tameria, “Let’s get you into my magic chair and see what we want to do with that mop you call hair.” The three women laughed at the levity before Carol went back under the dryer and Billie guided Tameria the chair at her station. Billie knew Tameria was completely nude under the robe so quietly spoke with Tameria about how to sit in her chair so no one noticed her nudity. And as Heather had done, she told Tameria exactly what she was going to do, starting with washing and conditioning her hair. Once Billie finished washing and conditioning Tameria’s hair, Tameria told her, “Billie, I don’t know a thing about hair styles or what looks good on me. So I don’t know what to tell you to do.”

Billie saw Tameria start to tear up after what she just said, but spoke softly to her by telling her, “Hey hey hey, none of those, I have the perfect thing to use so we can figure out what to do with your hair.” She wiped the tears off Tameria’s cheeks before rolling a table over to her station, containing a monitor and what looked like a camera. Smiling, she tells Tameria, “This, my sweet one, is the latest in ‘what do I do with my hair’ technology. I take a picture of you, put it into a program and we can play with hair styles, colors, everything, until we find what’s right for you. What’d ya think?” Tameria dropped her head before telling Billie, “I’m sorry Billie, I didn’t mean to get all emotional about all this.” Billie reaches over and gently lifts Tameria’s chin and softly tells her, “You have nothing to be sorry about, all of this is new to you and can be frightening if you don’t know what’s about to happen. But I promise you once we fix your hair your mom and dad will have to get a big stick to beat off all the boys.” Holding up the camera-like device she asks Tameria, “How about a big smile for the birdie?” As Billie looks through the viewfinder at the girl giving her a huge smile, she realizes there’s more beauty to this girl than what people see, beauty which will take her far in her life. Billie takes the picture of Tameria’s face, and her hands, telling her they can do the same with the color of polish to use on her hands and feet.

Billie and Tameria play with the program, looking at different hairstyles on the Tameria picture on the screen. They’re trying to find a style that lets Tameria keep her hair long but also brings out her great facial features. In the end, they decide to just highlight her natural color and curl it to give it some bounce, which would let Tameria and her mom do other things with her hair depending on the event. As Billie starts removing split ends, Sophie runs another version of the program only for finger and toe nails, letting Tameria see how certain colors would look on her hands and feet. They both see that pale colors don’t work well with Tameria’s skin tone, nor do the real dark colors--at least not for everyday wear. They settle on something between a pink and red, for everyday wear, which goes very well with her skin tone. While the two ladies were deciding on nail polish color, Billie had put Tameria’s hair up in rollers, some large, and some medium. Billie told her this would give her just the right amount of curl to help frame her face, plus it wouldn’t take away too much length. When the last curler was placed, Billie took Tameria over to one of the hair dryers, and Sophie brought over her equipment and worked on Tameria’s hands and feet while Tameria’s hair was drying.

”We are The Haints. Tameria Jinks. Can Tameria Jinks explain why this construct is necessary for human females? Tameria Jinks. Is there purpose this serves? Tameria Jinks.”

”Guys, I think you need to ask my mom or Karen. This is my first time here for all that’s being done. I only know that after women have visited a beauty salon they look different, have different hairstyles, have better looking finger and toe nails, and maybe different looking makeup. And sometimes pierced ears if they didn’t have them before. As to the purpose, mom or Karen could tell the real purpose.”

”We are The Haints. Carol Jinks. You heard our question to Tameria Jinks. Carol Jinks. What purpose is this construct called beauty salon?”

”Yes, The Haints, I heard your question to Tameria, and what’s done in a beauty salon is as Tameria described and is experiencing. But the purpose, the main purpose, is to make a woman feel better about herself by changing something about herself. Many women grow tired of the same type of hairstyle, and with a new style, feel much better about themselves. The same goes for waxing, getting a pedicure and manicure, maybe new makeup, and anything else a salon offers. They feel like a different person when they leave. And The Haints, it makes them feel more sexy, more appealing to the one they are with in their lives. It also lets them be pampered instead of pampering others. That’s the best I can explain it, The Haints. Maybe you can ask Jenny Glasstow or Karen and they give you another reason why they visit a beauty salon. Just know that there are as many reasons as to why a woman visits a beauty salon as there are women, so asking another woman will get you a different answer to your question.”

”We are The Haints. Carol Jinks. Jenny Glasstow gave much the same response as you. Carol Jinks. Karen Jinks was not calm enough for us to ask our question at this time. Carol Jinks. We will wait until she is calmer. Carol Jinks.”

Sophie finishes up the last coat of nail polish and has it dried about the same time Billie comes over to check Tameria’s hair. When she pronounces Tameria’s hair dry, she shuts off the hair dryer and guides Tameria back to her station. By this time Carol and Karen are through getting their hair done and stand in front of Billie’s station waiting for Tameria’s new hair to be unveiled, and they aren’t disappointed when Billie finishes removing the curlers and brushes out Tameria’s hair. Billie had lightened Tameria’s hair just a tad, and sprinkled lighter highlights throughout. The curlers did their job and Tameria’s hair now has more bounce, and frames Tameria’s face perfectly. Billie won’t let Tameria see the results, just yet, because Kathy has just pushed her cart to Billie’s station to do Tameria’s makeup. “So…” Tameria speaks to her mom, “...how’s my hair look? Billie won’t let me look yet and my curiosity is killing me.” Billie looks at Carol, Carol looks at Karen, and Karen looks at Billie before the three women tell Tameria, “You’ll have to wait a bit longer.” All three women laugh at the pout Tameria put on her face, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared when Kathy got down to Tameria’s eye level before telling Tameria, “If you want to look like an old prune when I’m finished, keep that pout, Otherwise, relax your face, young lady.” Tameria blushes a bit after what Kathy told her, while all four ladies just giggle.

Billie is standing back with Carol and Karen, watching Kathy do her magic. All three let out a, “OH MY GAWD,” when Kathy puts the finishing touches on Tameria’s makeup, and moves back to stand with the other ladies. There before the three ladies, sitting in a chair, is the most beautiful young lady they have ever seen. Gone is the fourteen-year-old who walked into Billie’s, now they see a young lady who appears to be seventeen or eighteen years old. Where Tameria had pretty eyes before, she now had stunning eyes and with so little makeup. The colors Kathy chose and the way she applied them not only highlighted Tameria’s facial features, but gave them a deeper quality, a quality that was guaranteed to catch the eye of any man or boy, or woman, looking in her direction. “Well, how do I look?” Tameria asked the four women standing before her chair. And as one they told her, “Beautiful.” Billie walked up to the chair and released the sevel lever and spun Tameria around so she could see herself in the mirror. “OH MY,” was all Tameria could say at first, as she looked at herself in the mirror. “Is that really me, is that what I really look like to others?” Carol and Karen came up to opposite sides of the chair, hugged her as they looked at her reflection in the mirror, and told Tameria that is exactly what others see, a very beautiful young lady. Carol and Kathy did something else while they were standing on opposite sides of the chair, each one holding a pierced earring up to Tameria’s ears. “Well, how do you think these go with your new look?” Carol asked her daughter, while holding up the dangling earring so Tameria could see the effect. Tameria looked at her new lightened hair with the highlights, then the makeup, then with the earrings, and liked what she saw. “I like them,” she told her mom before turning to Billie, “Can you pierce my ears while we’re here.” Billie hugged Tameria before telling her, “You bet we can sweetpea.”

Billie’s did quite a few pierced ears, so had a good selection of earrings on hand. After Tameria got her ears pierced, Billie suggested to put in studs just until the holes healed, then Tameria could wear any of the others Carol and Karen bought her. She also showed Tameria how to clean her ears and told her to rotate the studs to help keep the holes open. Everyone who had helped Tameria could see a different young lady leaving than the one who first walked in, and they all made sure to tell Tameria how beautiful she looked and to please come back. After Carol paid their bill, and as they left Billie’s, Carol could also see a drastic change in Tameria’s attitude; and so could The Haints. Carol had called Brian and told him they wouldn’t be home for supper, and to fix himself and the boys something so she and her daughters could go out to eat and celebrate a right of passage for Tameria. Carol had told Brian it had been rough going in, but their new daughter now has a new attitude, and looks gorgeous. Brian’s only response was, “I’ll get the shovel and the map ready.” Carol laughed at the old joke before telling Brian she loved him and would need him later.

*-*-*Chapter 5*-*-*

The restaurant Carol took them to wasn’t high brow, but it was nice, and didn’t require a reservation. Both Carol and Karen noticed the change as the three ladies had walked into the restaurant and were waiting to be seated. With Tameria standing beside Karen, it looked as though every male in the place had suddenly put Tameria on their radar, with all the candid looks, it wasn’t hard for Carol and Karen to know who was being scanned. As a server approached the three, Karen whispered to her sister, “Keep your wits about you, Tameria, every guy in here is checking you out.” They were shown to a table which put them almost at the center of the restaurant, whether intentional or not it couldn’t be known. Three menus were placed at three places, and the three ladies were told their waitress would be with them shortly.

As they waited, looking over the menus, Carol told her daughters, “Looks like all eyes are on us right now, especially the men and boys. I wonder why that might be?” Karen and Tameria giggled along with the mother, as a waitress walked up to their table and asked what they’d like to drink. Once she took their drink orders, she told them, “I’ll give you all a little more time to decide what you’d like while I get your drinks.” By the time their waitress returned, all three had decided what they wanted, and told the waitress, before Carol told Karen and Tameria, “Girls, I need to visit the ladies room.” Tameria told her mom that she was good, so it was Karen who accompanied their mom to the ladies.

Perhaps it was the feeling that nothing would happen in that restaurant which caused Carol and Karen not to worry about leaving Tameria at the table by herself, or Carol not really seeing the effect Tameria’s new look had on two particular boys, but whatever the reason, once Carol and Karen left the table, the two boys moved in; thinking they were going to make a score.

Tameria was lost in thought, and didn’t notice as the two boys approached, but when she heard chairs scraping the floor looked up expecting to see her mom and Karen. Instead when she looked up she saw two boys about eighteen-years-old leering at her before one asked, “Hey there, sweetcheeks, how about you ditch the two older bitches and come over with us?” “We could show you a real good time,” the other one told her.” Tameria looked first to one then the other before telling them, “No thank you, I’m here with my mom and sister and am not interested in having a ‘good time’ with the likes of you two.” That seemed to piss off the two boys because one reached over and grabbed Tameria’s arm before telling her, “Listen bitch, you’re going to come with us and we’re going to show you how real men treat someone like you.” As the boy’s attention was focused on Tameria, neither noticed the two women who suddenly appeared behind each one, one bending down between both boys and asking, “And just what do you two animals think you’re doing with my daughter?” The boys’ arrogance really showed as one told Carol, “Beat it bitch!” Carol looked at Karen, who nodded her head, and each woman reached down and grabbed one of the ears of each boy and lifted with enough force to cause both boys to voluntarily stand up; the one boy releasing Tameria’s arm. What Karen and Carol had done didn’t go unnoticed, as staff of the restaurant started heading in their direction, but not before Carol reached over and grabbed the one ear that Karen didn’t hold, and pulled both boys close before telling them, “I asked you two animals what do you think you’re doing with my daughter, my FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD daughter?” When Carol told them Tameria’s age, it was with a very deep growl, and that alone changed the two animals’ tone--and their skin tone. By the time Carol had asked her question, four big men from the restaurant had made their way over to the table and were now standing on either side of both boys. One man bent down and said to the mouthy one, with a growl, “I think this lady asked you a question, so why don’t you give her an answer.” Both boys knew they’d really stepped in it this time, and when the one Carol asked the question of could only stammer for a moment, both boys were abruptly taken by the arms by the four men and briskly ushered from the restaurant, but not before a picture was taken of each boy and each being told never to come back.

Tameria had sat quietly throughout the whole exchange with the boys, watching as her mom and sister forced the two boys to get up out of the chairs. And then as the four big men came over to the table then escort the boys out of the restaurant. She also watched as the Manager came over to their table and told her mom, “Ma’am, I do apologize for the disruption of your visit here at Tony’s, and there will be no charge for your meal today. And before you and your daughters leave Tony’s please, with our compliments, pick up the voucher that will be waiting with the cashier for your use at any time, for as many times you wish to visit Tony’s. It’s the least we can do, to make up for the nastiness such lovely ladies experienced today. Please, enjoy the rest of your time here at Tony’s.”

Fresh drinks were brought to their table, the old ones quickly taken away. Carol and Karen had sat down and the three had listened, with some surprise, at what the manager told them before Carol and Karen looked at Tameria and started in with their questions. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” Carol asked Tameria, who by the looks of her was quite calm, given what she just experienced. “Do you need a visit to the ladies to freshen up or for something else?” Carol couldn’t believe how calm Tameria looked or what she heard Tameria tell her next, “No mom, I’m fine. In fact the whole thing was rather amusing to me.” Now it was Karen’s turn to jump into the conversation by asking, “What do you mean amusing? Those two animals could really have hurt you. Tameria you need to wise up to the fact that you are no longer Robert but a very beautiful young lady, a young lady almost any male in this restaurant would love to get their hands on.” Neither Carol or Karen was prepared for the next statements.

”We are The Haints. Carol Jinks. Karen Jinks. We The Haints would not allow those who will to hurt Tameria Jinks do so. Carol Jinks. Karen Jinks. Tameria Jinks was in no danger of the will of the two human males to hurt Tameria Jinks. Carol Jinks. Karen Jinks. They will be given harmony after they receive our memories and learn the truth of willing others to do as they will. We The Haints will then remove our memories and the two human males will always be willing to help. Carol Jinks. Karen Jinks.”

Once Carol heard what The Haints had to say she understood why Tameria had been so calm throughout this whole mess. While Karen heard what The Haints had to say, she was still a bit buggy about hearing voices in her head. “Mom, Karen, it was necessary for The Haints to contact the minds of those two boys so they could learn more about those who are aggressive. While the boys at school never touched me, once that one did it made it much easier for The Haints to read his mind, and that of the other boy’s, so they could learn. I knew they’d not let anything bad happen to me because they haven’t so far. In fact, they’ve been very protective of me since this whole thing started with them.” It didn’t take long for both Carol and Karen to realize the truth in what Tameria said, for each one felt the truth through The Haints.

Their meals arrived just as soon as their mental, and vocal, conversations ended; and the aroma was divine. For the rest of their meal they made only small talk about school, what Tameria might like to get involved with at school, and her experience at Billie’s. When they had finished, and eaten the dessert that Tony’s provided as a compliment, they found the Manager waiting at the cashier as they were about to leave the restaurant. “Again,” he began, “Let me apologize for the unpleasantness of your experience tonight. And please, accept this voucher for your family, good any time Tony’s is open, and for as long as you wish to visit. Please have a pleasant evening.” To say Carol was pleased with how they’d been treated would be more than an understatement, she was downright impressed and they would be back, and with the whole family.

Once Keith and Tony had been escorted out of the restaurant, they sat in Keith’s car, wondering what to do next. All of a sudden their minds were flooded with images of death and destruction beyond anything they’d seen about Earth. They also saw the reason it all occurred, because some wanted all to believe as they did. The next minute both felt an immense pain between their eyes, which vanished as quickly as it began. It wasn’t long before both knew what they had to do and would wait to do so.

The Manager of Tony’s watched as the three ladies walked out of Tony’s, likely heading to their car. And as he watched he spotted the two boys approaching the three ladies. He signaled the two men who had escorted the boys out of the restaurant and together the three went out into the parking lot. But what they heard caused them to stop short and just listen.

“Um...ma’am, could we speak to you for a minute?” Keith asked Carol, the boys stopping a short distance from Carol, Karen, and Tameria. Carol turned when she heard the boy’s voice and asked him, “Well, what do you want?” The three ladies knew that The Haints had worked their magic on the boys, and that the Manager and two of his employees were also listening as Keith told her, “Um..ma’am, Tony and I owe you an apology for the way we acted towards the three of you; we were wrong. I don’t know if you can forgive us, but we just want to offer our apologies.” Carol looked at the two boys, and had no trouble, thanks to The Haints, seeing their apologies were sincere. Carol smiled before telling them, “Thank you for that boys, it took a lot of courage. But you also need to apologize to those gentlemen,” as she pointed to the Manager and the two big men, “and everyone inside the restaurant. Don’t you think?” Keith looked at Tony and both nodded to each other before walking over to Tony’s Manager and after a few short words, walked into the restaurant with the three men. Carol and the girls watched through the windows as the Manager held up his hands, as all heads turned to the two boys, and as Tony said something she only believed was the same apology they gave her and her daughters. What they did must have gone over big because the three girls saw first one customer then another stand and begin applauding. They then saw Tony’s Manager, and the two big men, shake both boys hands and slap both on the back. Carol and her daughters continued on to the car, but caught a snippet of conversation as the two boys came out of Tony’s and Tony saying, “Do you think mom and dad would let us work here after school? Michael did say it’d only be two hours a day.” The three ladies smiled as they got into their car and headed home.

It was about seven in the evening when they returned home, and Tameria and Karen still had homework to do for tomorrow. After Carol parked the car in the garage and the three entered through the door leading to the kitchen, Tameria was met with three “OH WOWs” from her two brothers and her dad. Carol and Karen stood back and enjoyed the reaction Tameria was getting from the males in their family. It was Brian who finally said, “Carol, you were right, our new daughter is downright striking. Guess I’ll have to keep that map and shovel handy,” before chuckling and hugging Tameria, telling her, “Very pretty, sweetheart, very pretty.” “Thank you, daddy,” Tameria told her father, before saying she had homework to do before tomorrow and getting a kiss on her cheek from her dad before heading to her room. Later that night, when the kids had gone to bed, well two at least, the boys had to be put into bed, Carol and Brian talked about Tameria’s first experience at a beauty salon, with Carol retelling that it was a rough start, but got much better as each step was completed. Carol even told Brian that after seeing how she looked in the mirror, she and Karen had helped her change her mind about pierced ears. It was at that point Carol showed Brian how much she needed him after the afternoon and early evening she’d had.

*-*-*Chapter 6*-*-*

Before Tameria had gone to bed the night before, Carol had told her she’d have to get up much earlier to get ready for school. Tameria’s alarm went off at 6 a.m., causing Tameria to tell that clock something her mother wouldn’t appreciate. Once awake, and out of bed, she got out clean underwear, put on her robe and made her way to the bathroom. Once she turned on the light, and closed the door, she noticed a plastic cap setting on the vanity, with a note that read, “Use me. Love mom.” Because Tameria was used to washing her hair when she showered, this was a new experience for her, but she decided to take mom’s advice, right after she urgently used the toilet. When she returned to her room she found her mom sitting on her bed, holding a brush and comb, along with something that looked like a big wand. “Go ahead and get dressed, and then I’ll help you with your hair and Karen will help with your makeup,” Carol told Tameria. Because Tameria had taken the time the night before to choose what she’d wear the next day, getting dressed seemed almost instantaneous. Karen came into Tameria’s room as Carol was brushing and applying some additional curls to Tameria’s hair, and went right to work applying Tameria’s very light makeup. “You know, Tameria,” Karen said while applying a light layer of eyeshadow, “We’ll have to take a weekend and help you learn how to do your hair and makeup. There, that does it--we’ll save your lipstick until after you’ve had breakfast.” Both women finished with Tameria about the same time, and all three went down to breakfast.

Once Tameria had finished breakfast, and brushed her teeth, Karen stood by while Tameria applied her lipstick, having to redo it twice. Karen pronounced the second application good and both gathered their backpacks and after kissing their parents goodbye, left for school; Karen driving and Tameria taking the bus--Karen had activities that ran much later than Tameria wanted to wait. As Billie predicted, when Tameria arrived at the school bus stop, she caught the eye of every boy waiting on the bus. She also caught the eye of every girl as well, some not so friendly. But no one said anything until they got on the bus, then the general chatter was about Tameria. Grace got on the bus at the second stop from Tameria’s, and was bowled over at the transformation she saw in Tameria. “Wow, sister, don’t you look sharp today. Want me to get a stick for you to carry around? Ya know, to beat off all the flies you’ll attract.” Both girls giggled before Grace got serious and told Tameria, “You look really nice, that’s a good look for you. And look at you, you got your ears pierced.” Tameria blushed, as Grace had lifted Tameria’s hair to admire the studs she was wearing. “Yeah, I changed my mind about getting pierced ears after everything they did at the salon.” One girl said something a bit too loud, and Grace told her, “Shannon, bite me.” That shut the girl up, as Grace peppered Tameria with questions about what she had done at the salon. Tameria just finished her diatribe as the bus pulled into the school parking lot, stopping in front of the school doors and disgorging its passengers.

Since school started, Grace had met Beckie and Tara in front of the school door after she got off the bus, but now it was Tameria and Grace who met Beckie and Tara at that location. “Whoa...who is that marvelous creature you’re with, Grace? Some movie star?” Tarra teased as she and Beckie took in Tameria’s new look. “Girl, we better get you a bat to carry so you can knock the slime balls out of your way,” Beckie told Tameria. “You looookkk good.” Tameria blushed because of what the two girls said but thanked them nonetheless. The three headed into the school, Tameria becoming conscious of the looks she was receiving from the boys around her. Grace put her arm around Tameria’s waist and told her, “Just ignore those knuckle draggers, the only thing they’re thinking about is what’s in their pants.” All four girls giggled at what Grace told Tameria, before splitting up and headed to their first period classes.

Tameria walked into her algebra class, where Ms. Carol was again leaning up against her desk; something she always did. When Debra saw Tameria she said, “Very nice, Miss. Jinks, very nice indeed. Just be careful, okay?” Tameria thanked Ms. Carol, and nodded her head to let Debra know she knew what Debra meant by “just be careful,” before finding her usual seat. As more students entered the class, particularly boys, Tameria’s new look suddenly became an attraction. “Whoa, get a load of that,” was heard too much above a whisper. Another was heard saying, “Boy, wouldn’t that be something to get into.” All but a few boys had put the new looking Tameria on their radar, and Debra knew that bud had to be nipped and quickly.

The bell rang, the last straggler came into the room, the door was closed, and Debra told the class, “Mr. Drummin stay seated, Mr. Sharp you stay seated, Mr. Monihew you stay seated, Mr. Thompson you also stay seated, but the rest of you boys stand up.” Debra watched as the boys looked at each other before all but the ones she named stood up and looked expectantly at her. “So, you boys think just because a female student takes the time to take care of herself that you all have the right to be derogative towards her? Well, NOT. IN. THIS. CLASS! Gentlemen, you have a choice, detention for the rest of the week, or, when you come to class the rest of this week, you will be properly shaved, if you are shaving, you will have a neat hair cut, and you will wear a suit and tie, and everything which goes along WITH a suit and tie. And if you don’t have a suit and tie, you’d better find one or you will spend an hour in detention after school every day this week. And gentlemen, due this coming Friday, a five page paper on why it hurts someone’s self esteem when they’re degraded, and the person doing the degrading.” When those standing heard their sentences, there were groans galore. “Oh, and gentlemen, when you tell your parents why you have to shave, if you do, why you have to get a neat haircut, and why you have to wear a suit and tie the rest of the week, tell them the truth, because I can guarantee you they will call me for answers. And I will tell them exactly what each and every one of you said about how Miss. Jinks looked today.” Debra, and the girls in the class, watched as each boy standing suddenly had a very green look about their faces, knowing they were in for a peck of trouble when they explained to their parents the whys of what they needed for the rest of the week. Debra kept a straight face, sort of, but the girls in class only smiled.

It seems the messenger didn’t make it to Tameria’s history class, because the same derogatory remarks got those boys in similar trouble, except Mrs. Bridges gave those boys a choice of two weeks detention after school or two weeks of suits and ties, along with nice haircuts and all the trimmings. While Ms. Carol gave those boys a five page assignment, Mrs. Bridges made it ten pages due Friday. This school was very serious about cracking down on bullying, and it spared no one.

Between second and third periods, there was a fifteen minute break, giving the students a bit of a breather. Tameria usually used this time to walk from the 4 o’clock spoke up to the locker rooms used for P.E., instead of hustling to her next class as she often had to do. This time also gave her time to use the handicap restroom before getting dressed for P.E. It was as she was just reaching one of the girl’s restrooms when three girls walked right into her and pushed her into that particular girl’s restroom, forcing her backwards until they slammed her into the back wall of the restroom. All three girls had ugly looks on their faces, spoiling not only their looks but revealing their true natures. “So, miss I went to a salon to get pretty thinks it makes him more of a girl now,” the girl standing directly in front of Tameria said, pushing harder on Tameria’s chest with her left hand. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pair of scissors before telling Tameria, “Well girly boy, we’re going to make it so you look exactly like the boy you really are.”

None of the three girls heard the bathroom door open or close. Nor did they hear any footsteps come up behind them before one hand grabbed the wrist of the girl holding the scissors and grabbed her by the back of her neck. But she did feel the pressure on her wrist and neck when Jenny Glasstow bent down to the girl’s ear and asked, “And what do you three think you’re doing with Miss. Jinks in here?” The two girls each holding Tameria’s arms against the wall and the girl holding the scissors all went white as a sheet when they heard Jenny’s voice; one girl wet herself. “I think I was about to get a haircut, Mrs. Glasstow,” Tameria told Jenny. “Seems they don’t think I’m much of a girl.” Jenny’s hand slid slowly towards the girl’s wrist before reaching the scissors and taking them out of her hand. Jenny then took the scissor girl and actually slammed her up against the wall to their left, making it clear the other two girls should join her.

Neither Tameria or Jenny said a word, they didn’t have to as all three girl’s minds were filled with such horrid images of death and destruction that caused each one to drop to the floor and grab their heads. They then experienced a sudden pain between their eyes that vanished as quickly as it began, leaving the three girls with the feelings of the images they viewed. It wasn’t long before they could stand, and realize what they were about to do was wrong, and all three apologized to Tameria for their ill behavior. By rights, Jenny should have expelled all three girls, but having seen what The Haints would have shown them, she felt they received punishment enough. Jenny put her arm around Tameria and walked her out of the restroom and stayed with her until they reached the locker rooms for P.E. “Are you okay,” Jenny asked Tameria, as they walked down the short hallway to where Tameria would change for P.E. “Yes ma’am, I’m okay, though that was a bit unsettling. The Haints told me what they were going to try and do, so it wasn’t like I didn’t know beforehand. And I guess they told you at the same time?” Jenny just nodded her head, as she shooed Tameria into the handicap restroom to change for P.E., then headed back to her office.

From P.E. until school let out, it seemed the messenger finally made its rounds and all the boys who ogled Tameria learned to keep their mouths shut, or suffer the same fate of the boys in the Algebra and History classes. But the lesson learned that day didn’t carry over to the next day, when several boys showed up to school with fresh haircuts and wearing suits and ties, derogatory comments were made in classes which contained one or several suited boys. Those making the derogatory comments ended up wearing the same thing for the next two weeks, and were required to turn in a ten page report. When it was all said and done, there were very few boys in school which sported T-shirts and jeans for the next several weeks. Least the girls be left out, there were several who just couldn’t keep their comments about Tameria to themselves, or about the boys wearing suits or girls in their Sunday best, and ended up wearing their Sunday best for two weeks. One thing that was noticed by both staff and those students who escaped the clothing punishment, was how the overall attitude of the school changed. Those who had made the rude comments now seemed better behaved. It might have been because they didn’t want to wear their best clothes again, or the papers they had to write, or maybe with help from someone only two people in school knew about. This isn’t to say every student got the choice of detention or Sunday best, there were some who had to be suspended and/or almost expelled because of their offenses. But with few exceptions, almost every boy and girl spent two weeks in their Sunday best while at school.

The choice of detention or Sunday best had been discussed by all the staff even before Tameria ever started high school. It was felt by all that giving the offender the choice, pressure was put on the offenders to miss after school activities sitting in detention or not to miss after school activities by dressing in their Sunday best. It kept them in school and at the same time, sent a message that bullying of any kind was not going to be tolerated. To determine when it was bullying and when it was teasing, many examples were given at that meeting, so each staff member could tell the difference. And it didn’t hurt that some of the staff had been around the same kids all four years they’d been in high school. However, even though guide lines had been drawn up, and placed into each students’ packet, and each staff member knew how to recognize bullying, Jenny Glasstow was not naive enough to believe there wasn’t a parent or two who wouldn’t come charging into her office the first time their precious one had to dress in his or her Sunday best. And she was right.

Tyler Swarm had been one of the first boys who had to decide between detention, and miss after school football practice, or Sunday best for two weeks; he chose Sunday best. The day he was to wear his Sunday best, his dad came storming into the office asking to see Mrs. Glasstow, and actually barging into her office; a bad mistake. “What the hell do you mean by forcing my son to dress up in a suit and tie simply because he told some faggot how stupid they looked?” Jenny reached over and dialed the security number and asked for a security guard to come to her office, and stared back at Mr. Swarm as she waited for security to arrive. “Yes ma’am, you asked for security,” the security guard asked as he stepped into Jenny’s office. “Yes, Stephen, I called. Would you please escort Mr. Swarm out of my office until he’s been properly called INTO my office.” Stephen walked in front of Mr. Swarm and asked him, “Would you like to walk out or do I need to help you out, sir?” Charles Swarm just stared at the man before storming out of Jenny’s office with Stephen right behind him. Jenny let the man stew a bit before buzzing her secretary and letting her know she’d see Mr. Swarm now. There was a knock before the door to Jenny’s office opened and Mr. Swarm followed the secretary into Jenny’s office, before the secretary left, closing the door behind her.

“Hello Mr. Swarm, how may I help you?” Jenny asked Charles Swarm, still hot under the collar about his son and now, because of how he was just treated. “Do you know who I am, lady? Do you realize I can get you fired at the snap of my fingers? My son is not going to come to school tomorrow wearing that damn monkey suit and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.” Jenny wanted to let this man dig his own grave before she set him straight. “Yes, Mr. Swarm, I know who you are. You’re an overbearing egotistical midget who thinks himself bigger then he really is. You have no power to get me fired, your reputation precedes you so no one is going to listen to your complaint. As to your son wearing a suit and tie for two weeks, that, sir, was his choice because he didn’t want to miss football practice. Of course if you don’t want him to wear the ‘monkey suit’ that’s fine, but he will spend the rest of his time in detention after school, and miss football practice, and that will be noted on his permanent school record.” Jenny watched as the last fact she stated sunk into this bozo’s brain, showing on his face when he realized what this would mean for his son in the long run. The only thing Charles Swarm said before leaving was, “Stupid bitch,” as he slammed the door after leaving Jenny’s office. There were several other parents who came in and asked why the Sunday best for their child, and for the most part, most said, “That’s not what we were told.” But there were several like Charles Swarm who got the message when she dangled “permanent record” in front of their faces.

~~tbc~~