Around 8 am, Erinna woke up with a tiny body bouncing on her bed. That’s what Erinna felt, but the reality was different, as it was Angelo, and he was bouncing on top of Maria’s body. Erinna only realized that when Angelo started to jump up and down on her.

“Oof, you…” Erinna sat up, groaning, holding Angelo down. “How did you even get in here?” Erinna asked, feeling it weird that a three-year-old could leave his parent’s room and walk to her room unnoticed.
Angelo just giggled and pointed to the door making Erinna roll her eyes.
“Rin, cookies, please,” Angelo said, bringing his hands together in an attempt to make Erinna bring him cookies. For a three-year-old, this boy knew his way around, even using Erinna’s new nickname, Rin. Angelo was the one behind the new moniker.

“Not now, you little naughty one, after breakfast,” Erinna said firmly. She felt a kind of responsibility towards Angelo. Even if no one asked her and Maria to watch him, they would look after him. Angelo huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He hoped to get Erinna to make him cookies, but he failed. He didn’t like the ones his mom made because she always burnt them in the oven.

Erinna was not in the mood to argue with Angelo, her spirit was not that good today, and she could feel pain in her stomach. “Maria,” Erinna called, but Maria didn’t wake up. She was a heavy sleeper. With a sigh, Erinna turned to Angelo. “Wake Maria up gently,” Erinna instructed as Angelo smiled. She knew that if you told Angelo to do one thing, he would probably do the opposite, so Erinna was sure he wouldn’t wake Maria gently.

Erinna walked to the bathroom just as Angelo started bouncing again, aiming to wake Maria. Walking into the bathroom, Erinna sat down to relieve herself, and when she stood up, she was shocked at what she saw in the toilet. Erinna used all her mental power to stop herself from screaming. Trying to act as calmly as possible, Erinna removed her clothes and walked to the door peeking out with her head. “Maria,” Erinna called, hoping Maria would be up already.

“Yeah?” Maria replied as she walked to the bathroom while Angelo held on to her left leg and refused to let go. Erinna would have laughed if she wasn’t in the middle of a panic attack.

“Can you call my mommy, please?” Erinna pleaded as she looked distressed and panicky. She was desperate and needed her mom, and she didn’t know who else she could ask for help.

“Ok! Will you be all right?” Maria asked, genuinely concerned about her cousin. It was her first time seeing Erinna like this, and it only made her worry about Erinna.

“Yes, just call my mommy, please,” Erinna pleaded for the second time before closing the bathroom door behind her.
After taking Angelo off her leg, Maria walked out of the room with Angelo in her hand. She looked around the whole house but couldn’t find Heather, her mom, or Leslie, for that matter. She found her brothers and George sitting in the living room watching TV; she asked them about Heather.

“They all left to go buy g... I mean some stuff for tomorrow,” George informed her. He was about to say gifts but couldn’t say it in front of Angelo, as he still believed that Santa brings presents, and they didn’t want to disappoint him.

“Emma and Destiny are in their rooms, dad is working on something, but everyone else went shopping. Why do you ask anyway?”
Maria explained to them how Erinna entered the bathroom and wouldn’t leave. She asked for Heather specifically. Erinna’s request didn’t bother Frank and Joe much, but it worried George.

Maria walked back to Erinna’s room and knocked on the bathroom door. “Aunt Heather left. Only uncle Jeff, your brother, and mine are here. Emma and Destiny are here too,” Maria announced, hearing a groan from behind the door.

George chose to enter the bedroom this time since he was so worried about Erinna that he couldn’t just sit down and not check on her. “Erinna, it’s me, George. Can you come out?” George asked with concern in his voice. Erinna’s actions weren’t something that would usually happen, so it was fair to worry him.

“No, I can’t,” Erinna cried, locking the bathroom door. The last person she wanted to talk to was George or her dad. “Maria, if Emma is up, can you please bring her?” Maria just shrugged and walked out of the room again. Walking to Emma’s room, Maria knocked on the door, and Destiny opened it.

“Is Emma up?” Maria asked, knowing that Emma didn’t wake up quickly. Even Erinna asked her to bring Emma if she was up.
“No, she’s still asleep. Should I wake her up, even though I doubt she would wake up now,” Destiny said with a giggle.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I think it’s urgent, Erinna locked herself in the bathroom, and she asked if Emma could come, though I don’t know why,” Maria admitted while explaining what was going on to the best of her ability. Maria knew it was hopeless trying to wake Emma up now.

Destiny stood puzzled at first, but then her eyes grew wide as if she had realized something. “Could it be her first period?” Destiny thought loudly, making Maria pout.

“I haven’t had mine yet. That’s not fair,” Maria replied, pouting.
“Well, at least we found something that you both can’t share,” Destiny joked with a giggle, making Maria stick her tongue out at her. “I don’t know how to help, but I can try,” Destiny shrugged as she followed Maria back to Erinna’s room.

By now, both Joe and Frank were in Erinna’s room, and Destiny was glad Jeff was not in the room, too, since what she was about to do couldn’t be done with Jeff around.

“Girl’s stuff, don’t come in until we tell you it’s ok. All right, you three out, and take Angelo with you,” commanded Destiny as everyone looked at her, confused. Before they could say anything, Destiny had herded them out of the room, handed Angelo to them, and then closed the door behind them. With that, Destiny turned back and walked to the bathroom door.

“Erinna, there’s only me and Maria in the room. Can you open the door?” Destiny asked. The only answer that came was a resounding ‘no.’ Destiny sighed. She wanted to help but didn’t know what she could do. Then, an idea came to her. “Should I call Nancy? If you prefer, none of the boys will know why I called her,” Destiny suggested. Eventually, she knew she would be going through the same thing and wanted to help Erinna.

“Yes, but don’t tell anyone else, only Nancy,” Erinna replied from behind the door. She was in the middle of a panic attack and had no idea how to deal with all the blood.

Nancy sat on her bed at the Collins’ house, scrolling through her phone. Brandi sat beside her on the bed in her old jeans and T-shirt, feeling she couldn’t take it any longer.

“Nancy, I can’t do this anymore, I know you guys are worried about me, but I can’t pretend to be a boy any longer,” Brandi said, standing up frustrated. Her abusive cousins will be arriving for dinner today before leaving again. Until they left, she had to be in her old clothes again.
Nancy sat up with a sigh. She didn’t like that either. Nancy and Brandi quickly became the closest cousins, and Brandi was eager to learn everything about being a girl. She was a speedy learner. That, however, meant that Brandi couldn’t return to her old habits. She couldn’t do it again.

“I know, so let me ask mom if we could spend our time at the Houstons’ house until dinner. I am sure Oliver would sooner accompany us too,” Nancy suggested and was about to leave her room when her phone started ringing.

“Good morning, Destiny,” Nancy answered after picking up her phone. As she picked up the phone, she saw that it was Destiny. She had exchanged numbers with all of Erinna’s cousins since they were all awesome, and she understood why Erinna was happy about them coming.

“Hi, Nancy, are you busy, as it’s kinda urgent, and Erinna needs you,” came Destiny’s reply on the other side of the phone. Destiny had no time to waste, and it seemed Nancy was the only available person that Erinna was willing to open the door to see.

“Even if I was, I could always make time for Erinna. Just tell me what’s going on, and I will be on my way,” Nancy replied, now very concerned. Whatever it was, she couldn’t leave her little sister alone if she needed her. Destiny explained to Nancy what was happening and asked her not to tell anyone about it. “I will be there in 10 minutes. Just tell her to calm down and wait for me,” Nancy added with a sense of urgency.
“Brandi put on something cute. We’re going to the Houstons’ house,” Nancy informed Brandi before hurrying to her bathroom. She removed a package of sanitary pads from her bathroom and returned to her room.

Nancy left her room and walked downstairs to find her mom with Oliver in the living room. She sat down with her hand around Oliver’s shoulder while watching a movie.

“Mom, I am stepping out to see Erinna. I am taking Brandi with me, and we will be back before dinner,” Nancy informed her mom while walking into the living room.

Immediately Oliver’s head turned towards her with interest, he hadn’t seen Erinna for a couple of days, and he wanted to see her. He had more friends than ever in his life, but of all his friends, the one he always wanted to see was Erinna. Her image never left his mind, not even for a second.

“Can I go too?” Oliver asked excitedly, looking at his mom.

“Aww, is little Oli missing his girlfriend?” Nancy teased, making Oliver blush. Although she and George were 100% on board and supported these two, Nancy couldn’t help but tease Oliver. He was just too cute when he blushed.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Oliver replied a bit defensively. Although he couldn’t help but imagine himself being Erinna’s boyfriend and taking her on a date, it was embarrassing and frustrating. Even a part of his body responded to the idea in a way he hadn’t experienced before.
“Nancy, stop teasing your brother. You can all go, but be back before dinner,” Carol replied before turning to Oliver, who was looking at her with pleading eyes. She enjoyed her time with her son, but since his annoying cousins will be coming today, she might let him have some fun before facing them.

“Go change your clothes before leaving, and I left a shirt and trousers on your bed. Just make sure not to get them dirty,” Carol instructed.

“Thanks, mom,” Oliver said, hugging Carol and kissing her cheek before running up to his room. With a smile plastered on his face, Oliver started to get dressed. He was used to dressing formally as Carol always wanted him to look his best, and even his curly hair was in a neat haircut.

Downstairs, Carol waited to hear Oliver’s door closing to turn her attention to Nancy. “Is something wrong with Erinna? You seem to be in a hurry. That’s not like you,” Carol inquired.

“Nothing serious, mom but almost everyone went shopping this morning, and Erinna is having her first period with no one there to help her. I am worried she will experience a panic attack,” Nancy explained, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

“Should I come too? I have nothing to do, and dinner only needs to be reheated. I could help, so you don’t have to handle it alone,” Carol suggested, a bit excited and overjoyed at the same time. She was as happy as the day Nancy had her first period. After all, Erinna was like a second daughter to her.

“No, mom, there is no need for you to go. I can handle it by myself,” Nancy immediately responded. She knew that her mom was genuinely worried about Erinna and loved and cared for her, but moms sometimes like to embarrass their children. She remembered Carol’s embarrassing comment back then and didn’t want Erinna to face that.

Soon, Oliver came down, and they both waited for Brandi, who didn’t take much longer. She just had to choose something she liked and brush her hair into her new style from the salon. Nancy then packed the pads into one of her purses, and they put on their coats. They walked the short distance to the Houstons’ house, and Nancy knocked on the door. Destiny immediately opened the door and let them in.

“I am not sure if Erinna will allow anyone but Nancy in,” Destiny commented, looking at Nancy after seeing Brandi and Oliver. She knew they were friends but also that Erinna didn’t want to see anyone else.

“Alright, I got this. Leave it to me,” Nancy said before making her way up the stairs to Erinna’s room, leaving Oliver and Brandi slightly hurt and confused. When Nancy made her way into Erinna’s room, she found Jeff standing in front of the bathroom, looking distressed.

“Nancy, thank goodness, maybe you can help,” Jeff said, feeling relieved after seeing Nancy. The fact that no one would tell him what was happening, his daughter had locked herself in the bathroom and was unwilling to open the door, worried him a lot. He feared things he didn’t want to think about, but his mind was racing, afraid that Erinna might have hurt herself.

“Erinna had locked herself in and won’t open to anyone,” Jeff added.
“No worries, sir, I assure you everything will be alright,” Nancy assured Jeff before walking to the bathroom door and knocking. “Erinna, it’s me, Nancy. Can you open the door?”

There was a short silence before Erinna answered. “Nan! Are you alone?” Erinna asked.

Nancy looked at Jeff, a look he understood immediately, and with a sigh, he left the room, telling himself that he could trust Nancy.

“Yes, I am alone,” replied Nancy. No sound came from the bathroom for a second until Nancy heard the door unlock and felt relieved.

The door opened, Nancy entered the bathroom, and Erinna immediately closed the door behind her.

“I don’t know what to do. Emma is asleep. Amy, Olivia, my aunts, and mommy are out shopping. Destiny and probably Maria doesn’t know what to do either. I didn’t know who else to ask for help, sorry,” Erinna admitted with tears flooding her eyes. She didn’t even know why she was crying.

“Why are you even apologizing? You haven’t done anything wrong. You are experiencing your first period, and all this blood is normal,” Nancy exclaimed, kissing Erinna’s forehead and wiping her tears. “I have everything you might need with me. Just go take a shower and clean yourself off while I pick out clothes for you,” Nancy added before putting down her handbag.

Erinna started the shower and used the new shampoo and body wash her mom had brought. Erinna nodded before walking into the shower holding a towel between her legs, soaked with blood. Meanwhile, Nancy stepped out of the bathroom to get fresh clothes for Erinna. Nancy was surprised when she saw Maria standing there, as the girl looked virtually identical to Erinna. Still, she could see their slight differences after seeing both a couple of days ago.

“I still have a hard time dealing with the fact that you’re not twins,” Nancy admitted with a sigh. Maria giggled and smiled at Nancy as she entered Erinna’s walk-in closet, followed by Maria.

“Is it true that Erinna had her first period?” Maria inquired, following Nancy as she picked fresh underwear for Erinna. Maria had always been close to Erinna, even when she was still Ryan, as they had many common interests. Now that Erinna was a girl, she felt closer to her cousin.

“Yes, that’s right, just don’t tell anyone yet,” Nancy instructed as she returned with a pile of clothes to the bathroom. Erinna was finishing her shower when Nancy entered. “I brought some sanitary pads with me; I will show you how to use them.” After Erinna had dried off, Nancy showed her how to use the pad in her panties and then left her to get dressed.

Once Erinna was dressed and blow-dried her hair, she left the bathroom. When she walked out of her bathroom, Angelo ran and hugged her legs as he couldn’t reach any higher.

“Rin, look, look,” Angelo shouted, pointing at the window.
Looking out the window, Erinna could see that it had started to snow again, as it was snowing last night.

“You wanna go outside?” Erinna asked with a smile as Angelo nodded rabidly. At that moment, Erinna’s stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. “But I need to eat first, ok?”

Angelo agreed to Erinna’s relief, and Erinna walked downstairs to get some breakfast. At the bottom of the stairs, she inhaled a wonderful smell from the kitchen. Erinna observed how Nancy and Destiny had teamed up to make breakfast in the kitchen. These two made waffles, eggs, bacon, and pancakes, which looked delicious.

“And I was going to make some cereal,” Erinna commented while putting Angelo in a high chair.

“Not when I am here. Destiny is a great help and knows her way around a kitchen,” Nancy replied.

Everyone gathered in the kitchen while Nancy and Destiny served breakfast to them all. Nancy could keep all the questions away from Erinna, which was a significant relief for her. Destiny made and covered a breakfast plate for Emma since she was sure that Emma would not be up any time soon. Jeff walked in, and they also made a plate for him.

Once they finished breakfast, Erinna and Maria ensured that Angelo wore his coat and gloves before playing outside in the snow. They played in the snow while Erinna and Oliver sat on the swings in the backyard since it was nice for them to be alone, and they didn’t realize that Nancy had made sure of it.

Eventually, the women arrived from their shopping trip. Heather was first to leave her car in a hurry looking for Erinna. Nancy had told her everything over the phone, and Heather was full of joy and excitement.
“Where’s Erinna?” Heather asked, approaching the front door of the house. She could see the kids playing but surprisingly didn’t see Erinna.
Maria giggled a bit; she knew Erinna was in the backyard with Oliver. “In the backyard with her boyfriend,” Maria replied, causing Emma and Destiny to snicker.

“Boyfriend?” Heather asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn’t realize how close Oliver and Erinna had become. She just assumed that they were just friends.

“Oliver,” Emma replied.

Heather rolled her eyes. Of course, how could she have missed it? “You,” Heather said, pinching Maria’s cheeks. “They are still too young to be in a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship, and so are you.”

Knowing where Erinna was, Heather went into the house and opened the backyard patio door, where she saw Oliver and Erinna sitting on the swing. “Erinna,” Heather called from inside the house.

After smiling at Oliver, Erinna shrugged and walked over to her mom.

“How are you feeling right now?” Heather said, hugging Erinna. Erinna looked up, confused, thinking she wasn’t sick or anything. Heather seemed to be excited, an unusual expression for that question.
“Nancy told me everything. You’re not just a girl anymore. You’re now a woman,” Heather excitedly exclaimed.

“Mommy!” Erinna whined while making Heather smile. Erinna’s cheeks turned red from embarrassment. She now understood what Nancy meant about mom’s embarrassing comments.

It was a special moment for Heather; she wished she had been here two hours ago, but everything was alright, thanks to Nancy’s help.
“Nancy showed you how to use pads?” Heather asked, receiving a nod from Erinna. “Good, you will need to learn how to use tampons too, since pads won’t work with swimming,” Heather informed her. She was glad she was an experienced swimmer and could help Erinna in many ways.

“What’s a tampon?” Erinna asked, making Heather chuckle. Erinna didn’t know what tampons were. Erinna didn’t even know what pads were before Nancy showed her today. How would she know that? Erinna knew these were forbidden topics for a boy, and she hadn’t dared go anywhere near them.

“I will show you later, now go and have fun,” Heather instructed, taking her arms off from around Erinna. “And no kissing,” Heather grinned, making Erinna blush red again.

“Mommy!” Again, Erinna whined before huffing and walking back to where she had left Oliver.

Around one pm in the afternoon, everyone was out in the front yard building a snowman and having fun, and only the adults stayed inside. They were all having so much fun that they didn’t notice a police car stopping outside the house and two officers emerging. They opened the front gate, stepped into the yard, and approached the first person they saw, Erinna.

“Hello, I am Officer Louis, and this is my partner, Officer Garrett. We have a couple of questions we would like to ask you,” the Officer introduced himself, startling Erinna as she didn’t see them approach.

One of them seemed to be in his twenties, while the other looked to be in his thirties. While Erinna knew to respect police officers, she knew she was not obligated to answer their questions. “Can I call my parents first?” Erinna asked politely.

“Sure thing, but don’t take long,” Officer Louis replied unpleasantly. He looked annoyed, and his tone was cold and rude. Erinna didn’t like him.

Not wanting to keep the conversation going any longer, Erinna hurried inside the house to bring her parents. She didn’t see that the officers approached everyone else and questioned them, making Angelo seek shelter behind Maria.

Erinna walked into the house as quickly as possible and informed her parents of what was happening. Immediately all the adults, with Heather and Jeff ahead of them, put on their coats and stepped out front. They came out of the house at the worst possible moment.

“Listen carefully, boy, and if you don’t answer us, we can arrest you and ask you at the police station.” George was standing silently there with Officer Louis attempting to intimidate and forcibly interrogate him. He failed his task miserably, as George just smiled and remained silent.

Heather saw enough to make her blood boil. She knew when police officers crossed their boundaries.

“Excuse me. First, you have no right to arrest my son because he’s not answering your questions. Secondly, you’re trespassing and standing on our private property, and I must ask you to leave,” Heather said, approaching her son. If these two officers were lucky enough, they would get to keep their jobs, but Heather didn’t look very forgiving.

“I am a Police Department Officer, I have the right to go wherever I want, and for your information, one of these kids sabotaged your neighbor, Mrs. Douglas’s car. I have every right to arrest them and you if you are impeding our investigation,” he challenged Heather, which was a big mistake.

“I have had enough of this, I want your names and badge numbers, and I want to call your supervisor,” Heather ordered. “I will deal with that old hag later in court,” Heather added. She knew Mrs. Douglas very well, as she seemed to have a problem, especially with her kids. She’s an old lady who lived alone in the house next to them and had called the police many times on both George and Erinna, falsely accusing them of many things. Every time the police made a quick investigation, they politely apologized for taking the Hustons’ time and left. Sometimes they would even invite the officers in for a cup of tea.

Officer Louis refused to answer Heather or call his supervisor. He didn’t allow his partner, who looked nervous by now, to tell Heather his name and badge number. Heather quickly realized who the senior Officer was and who was in charge.

They argued for almost an hour when a black SUV parked behind the police car. A man in his mid-thirties left the car with a boy who seemed to be 10 to 11 years old. “Stay here, Alex. Let me see what’s going on,” the man instructed the boy, who nodded.

Seeing him approach, Heather and Jeff smirked, knowing this would be much easier than they expected. The man took something from the inner pocket of his coat and walked close to the Officer. “Excuse me, officer, what seems to be the problem here?” The man asked.

“And who are you?” The Officer asked as he held an FBI special agent’s badge in front of the Officer’s face.

“FBI Special Agent Robert Allen Houston. May I ask why you are here?” the agent answered as the Officer started to look worried. He was a person the Officer knew he couldn’t challenge.

Heather decided to answer herself because the Officer would not answer anytime soon. “They refused to leave our property even after I explained that they were trespassing without a warrant. They also wanted to arrest George because he didn’t give them the answer they wanted. And this is all because that old hag next door was harassing us when she falsely called the police again,” Heather explained as her smirk grew wider.

“I see. I am sure it was an honest mistake on the Officer’s part. I am sure they will leave the property before this situation escalates,” Robert explained. He knew that if he let these officers continue down this path, they would end their careers. Robert doubted that Heather would let them go that easily, but it was none of his business. He wanted to get them to leave and stop further disturbing his brother and his family.

“There’s no mistake here,” Officer Louis said, not wanting to admit his mistake. “We have a report to make, and I will carry forward with my investigation,” he added arrogantly.

“No one here will talk to you, and you have no right to arrest any of us or these kids. Now I want your names and badge numbers and both of you to leave our property at once, or I will take this matter to court,” Heather threatened. The Officer didn’t look worried, not knowing that Heather could back up her words.

“It’s your word against mine in court,” Officer Louis challenged while Officer Garrett remained silent. But he seemed to be just following along, and he had already realized their actions were way over the line.

Robert continued, “Officer if I were you, I wouldn’t go near the court in front of a judge. I may not arrest you, but I assure you that we will thoroughly investigate your behavior. Secondly, I will nicely ask you to leave only once. You have two choices: tell Mrs. Houston your name and badge number and exit. Then I can try to convince her not to file a complaint. If you wish to continue down your current path, I am afraid I will need to escalate this situation by informing your superiors, and I can guarantee that you will not like the outcome.”

Robert just wanted to get them to leave the yard, and he didn’t only come to meet his brother. He always brought his son Alex to spend time with his brother and family. Especially on holidays. Robert was often busy with his investigations and would try his best to spend time with his son as much as possible. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have that much time this week since he tracked a drug shipment that would arrive very soon. Robert couldn’t slack off, but at the same time, he wanted his son to experience a good holiday, as things had been hard on him since the death of Alex’s mother.

“That’s my last answer. Like it or not, I have a crime here, and I have to investigate it,” the officer replied.

With a sigh, Robert took out his phone and dialed a number. He spoke on the phone for a couple of minutes, then put it back in his pocket. “Officers, I am detaining you until your supervisor arrives. Until he arrives, I advise you to stay silent and not to make your situation worse,” Robert advised, much to the shock of the officers.

Robert then turned and signaled for Alex to come. “Why don’t we let the kids inside? I am sure they have seen enough,” Robert suggested as Alex approached them.

“No, no one moves from here until....” the Officer objected but was interrupted by Robert, who was beginning to lose his patience.

“Officer, you’re detained. I advised you to stay silent. You have caused enough trouble already,” Robert said, raising his voice while silencing the Officer.

“Kids, get inside, Joe. Make sure everyone is ok,” Heather instructed as everyone watched the kids walk into the house.

It didn’t take long for an unmarked police car to arrive. When the vehicle stopped, a rather angry man in his forties emerged. Heather recognized him as a police Lieutenant.

“Agent Houston, it’s been a while,” the man said, walking up to Robert and shaking his hand.

The Lieutenant apologized and even forced the officers to apologize before ordering them to leave the property. He then turned to everyone else and added, “I am Lieutenant Tyler Jung. I deeply apologize for the inappropriate behavior of my officers. Officer Garrett, badge number 5863, is new, but I expected officer Louis, badge number 2904, to know better. I assure you we will thoroughly investigate their actions, and according to the outcome of our investigation, both will receive the appropriate punishment. I hope you don’t file a complaint, although I can’t blame you if you do.”

Lt. Jung handed his card to Jeff and tipped his hat to everyone. “Please excuse me. I have a pair of officers that I must discipline.”

Alex was surprised to see Erinna inside the house and asked the same question all her friends had asked. “Umm, Ryan, why are you wearing girl’s clothes?” Alex asked, trying his best not to sound rude, but he knew his cousin as a badass boy, and they both looked up to George.

When she heard the name Ryan, it sounded strange to Erinna, as she no longer felt like a boy and couldn’t see herself as Ryan anymore. She could only see herself as Erinna, or Rin as Angelo calls her.

“It’s because I am a girl now and not a boy anymore,” Erinna tried her best to explain. She knew Alex well enough to know he was curious and didn’t mean anything.

“You mean you feel like a girl and not a boy?” Alex replied, surprised to hear this. He never thought that his cousin would have these kinds of feelings.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something, Alex,” George said, his eyes on the screen as he was playing a video game with John. “Ryan has GCS, she physically has changed into a girl, and her name is now Erinna. Watch out, though, since she can still kick as hard as she used to,” George added, joking.

Alex looked sheepishly at Erinna, walked over to her, and hugged her. “You are still my favorite cousin, I will now love you like a sister, and nothing will change that.”

Erinna blushed and said, “And I can now do this,” and then gave him a big kiss.

Alex blushed profusely and smiled back at her.

Everyone stayed inside for the rest of the day, playing card games and many other indoor games. Before they knew it, it was dinnertime. Nancy, Oliver, and Brandi went back home.

After dinner, Robert had to leave, but Heather suggested letting Alex stay for the holidays. It was Christmas eve, after all. While Robert wants to spend time with his son, drug dealers don’t take time off during holidays. Knowing that he would have to leave early in the morning, Robert agreed and was glad he had prepared for this possibility. He returned to his car and took out an overnight bag for Alex and his Christmas gifts. Robert left everything he had brought with Jeff and went home.

The children woke up excitedly on Christmas morning, racing down the stairs. They all had one destination in mind, the Christmas tree in the living room, where they found a big pile of gifts stacked around the tree.