“Erinna, time to wake up, Princess,” Jeff said, shaking Erinna awake. Jeff had already dressed, and Heather had dressed, too, as they had a meeting at the school. Erinna’s blood test results had officially reached the school. And the school notified them about a meeting yesterday. Surprisingly, they called again 10 minutes later, informing them about George’s upcoming transfer to the school.

When Jeff asked what they meant, the school answered that they would explain everything when Jeff and Heather arrived. They had two meetings at 9 am and 10:00 am, and Erinna’s meeting would be first. So, Jeff left the easier task of waking George up for Heather, and he decided to wake up Erinna himself.

“Just ten more minutes, please, daddy,” Erinna grumbled, burying her face in the pillow. She had been up late since Angelo had kept her awake, and Maria had fallen asleep earlier. Erinna’s cousins were going to leave today since school starts the day after tomorrow.

“Well, Princess, I didn’t want to do this, but you left me no choice,” Jeff said as he stood over the bed. Flipping Erinna over, he started to tickle her, making her squeal and giggle as she tried to get away from his hands. “Are you awake yet, Princess?” Jeff asked with amusement. Everyone knew Erinna’s biggest weakness was tickling, and Jeff and Heather used it to their advantage.

“Yes, daddy, I am up,” Erinna pouted as she sat up, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Go take a shower, and um... Do what you need to do. We have a meeting at the school, so your mom will come and put some clothes out for you to wear,” Jeff explained before Erinna got out of bed. Jeff chuckled and reached to kiss her forehead.

Erinna left the bed, and Jeff was about to leave the room when she called him. Jeff turned around to see what she wanted. “Did uncle Robert call yesterday?”

Jeff looked into Erinna’s eyes; those eyes were just like her mom’s. As beautiful as they were, they carried a lot of emotions. Jeff could tell Erinna had a bad feeling about her uncle not calling or answering for a couple of days, and it worried him that, as her mother, her hunch was rarely wrong. “No, Princess, I am sure he’s alright. You know your uncle can get busy sometimes,” Jeff said, using his poker face. He couldn’t show his worry to his daughter since he was the parent.

Erinna saw that Jeff used a neutral expression. She guessed that he was worried as well. Erinna shook her head and hoped for the best. She loved her uncle Robert since he was the only one she saw so much from her father’s side of the family. Her other uncle supervises a project in Canada, while her aunt is in Egypt on an archaeology excavation. She loved them, but she hadn’t seen them for a while.

Erinna walked to the bathroom with a sigh, took off her clothes, and threw them in the hamper; she sat down and relieved herself. She was glad that her period was over by now; she didn’t have to use pads or tampons anymore. Erinna then turned on the water in the shower and got in to wash. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the time for a bath, though she had come to love bubble baths. Once she was out of the shower, she toweled herself dry.

It was also embarrassing that Maria had her first period two days later. Her cousins wouldn’t let them get away without teasing them about their periods. Of course, they wouldn’t kid them in front of their brothers since the three boys already had enough embarrassing material on the girls.

After drying herself and putting on her bathrobe, Erinna walked out of the bathroom. She walked to her vanity table, where she started to blow-dry her hair and then brushed it. She had a small makeup kit on her vanity table that she could use to practice, but Erinna wasn’t allowed to use anything more than lip gloss when she was out of the house. Heather wouldn’t let her use anything else.

When Heather entered the room, Erinna brushed her hair and placed the brush down. She seemed in a hurry, but she stopped to watch Erinna. The sight never failed to warm her heart and make her smile.

“Good morning, Princess,” Heather greeted, walking to her daughter and kissing her head.

“Good morning, mommy,” Erinna greeted back.

“Let’s quickly get you dressed since we’re in a bit of a hurry,” Heather informed her. She led Erinna to her walk-in closet and let her pick out a bra and panties while Heather found what Erinna would be wearing.

Reaching into the first drawer, Erinna picked up a pair of baby-blue bikini-cut panties, and then from another drawer, she picked a matching bra. She quickly slid the panties up to her waist, then put on the bra hooking it behind. Putting on the bra daily helped Erinna do it quickly, and she didn’t struggle anymore.

Heather picked up a dark blue, straight skirt and a white blouse with a ruffled bib. Erinna picked up one of her white tights and started to put them on, pulling them up over her waist. She then put on the skirt and tucked her blouse into it. “Mommy, can I wear a pair of my kitten heels?” Erinna asked with her pleading puppy eyes look.

“Maybe some other time, sweetie,” Heather said, stroking Erinna’s cheek and pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Maybe one of your Mary Janes, ok?” Heather instructed, not comprehending her daughter’s obsession with heels. She would understand if Erinna was short, but she was tall, and even with low heels, she would tower over all the kids her age.

Erinna huffed before buckling the straps and putting on a pair of black Mary Janes. She finished her look with a black headband. Fully dressed, Erinna grabbed her phone, then a small clutch. She placed her things into it and walked downstairs.

Everyone was up, and breakfast was getting ready; Erinna spotted George. He was wearing a suit and a tie which is very unusual for him. “Wow, you’re wearing a suit. Are you feeling ok?” Erinna teased, reaching with her palm to see whether George had a fever.

George rolled his eyes as everyone laughed. It would take a lot of effort to convince George to wear a suit and even more to wear a necktie. Even if he wore a case, he usually wore it without a necktie. “You cheeky little monkey,” George said, pinching Erinna’s cheeks and making her giggle.

“Uncle Jeff,” Alex called across the table while Heather placed his breakfast in front of him. He had been here since Christmas and still hadn’t received a call from his dad. While this was like his second home, Jeff was like a second father, and Heather loved him the same way she loved Erinna and George; Alex was worried that he had not yet heard from his dad. After all, Alex still loved his father. His dad always called him, which was so unlike him that Alex hoped his dad wasn’t in trouble. His dad never talked about his job, but he was an FBI agent, and things could get dangerous. Alex was trying not to fear the worst, but he became more worried with every passing day.

“Yes, Alex,” replied Jeff.

“Have you heard any word from my dad? We haven’t heard from him since Christmas eve, and I am worried about him,” Alex admitted revealing his fear. Even when his dad is on a mission, he always calls him daily. Of course, he isn’t always able to do that, but he still keeps in touch via his office. Of course, all details about his missions are kept tightly secretive.

“No, Alex, we haven’t heard a word from him. I will call his office today to see if they can give me any update on his whereabouts.”

After breakfast, Erinna, George, and their parents walked to their car just as Collins’s car passed in front of their house. Oliver waved to Erinna from the window, who waved back as she smiled.

All of them got in the car heading to Talented Youth Academy. “By the way, why is George coming with us?” Erinna asked, looking at her parents, then looked back at George and cheekily added. “You look good wearing a necktie with that suit.”

Everyone had to hold their laugh while George just rolled his eyes. Seeing the Collins family also leave meant that it wasn’t only him but all of his friends who received a call. They were about to find out whatever it was, as they were already in front of the Academy.

Everyone left the car, and they met with the Collins family. Nancy and George moved beside each other, and so did Erinna and Oliver. However, a cough from Jeff and Erwin caused the four of them to put some distance between each other. Reaching the reception, both families explained why they were there.

“Yes, students from New Heritage Academy will meet in one hour in our auditorium. As for Miss Houston, the principal would like to meet her immediately. You can head to her office directly,” the receptionist explained to Jeff and Heather before turning to the Collins while the Houstons walked directly to the principal’s office.

Walking through the hallway, Erinna spotted Conner, Shelby, and Steven. Oscar sat beside them quietly, looking at his phone. Something seemed different since Conner and Steven looked nervous. A couple of students from the same year but different classes and kids from other years shared the same distressed and worried look, while most of their parents had the same edgy look. Erinna just waved to her friends before walking away.

Upon seeing Oscar, George rolled his eyes and didn’t want to be in the same place as that asshole. He decided to ignore him and walk behind his family.

Reaching the principal’s office, her assistant welcomed them. “Good morning. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Houston. Mrs. Mackenzie is waiting for you inside,” the assistant informed them while giving Erinna a kind smile.

They all entered the office to see four people sitting around a round meeting table. At the head of the table was a lady with red hair and hazel-brown eyes. The swimming coaches, Damian, Monica, and Vince, were on both sides of the table.

“You can’t just take my best swimmer away. The team is nothing without him. These boys are not even close to his level. I can’t accept this decision,” coach Vince argued. Everyone seemed to notice the Houstons walking into the office except him.

“Coach Vince, please calm yourself down, Miss Houston’s parents are here, and we can’t progress with the discussion without their opinion,” Mrs. Mackenzie informed him before turning to the Houstons standing.

She stood up and walked over to them. “Good morning. Sorry for the rude behavior you witnessed from one of our staff. Please have a seat,” Mrs. Mackenzie offered as they all took their seats. Coach Monica whispered something in Coach Damian’s ears, making him shake his head.

“I see Miss Houston is already presenting as a girl. I am sure you have received the Public Health GCS test results. Miss Houston is now obligated to attend school as a girl. She must wear the girl’s school uniform, and she will also be using the girls’ changing room from now on,” Mrs. Mackenzie explained.

Erinna cringed inwardly upon hearing about the girl’s uniform. George smiled and made a coughing sound as Erinna glared at him.

While Erinna didn’t mind wearing skirts, she still didn’t like the girls’ school uniform because she knew it would bring her a lot of unwanted attention. She hadn’t yet realized that she had already caught every boy’s attention no matter where she went.

“We understand and will buy Erinna the required number of uniforms today. No worries, Mrs. Mackenzie,” Heather assured her, looking towards Erinna, who crossed her arms over her chest. She could tell Erinna still didn’t like wearing the girl’s uniform.

“Erinna, huh? Well, that’s a lovely name, Mrs. Houston. We shall change your daughter’s name in the system then. Have you thought about Miss Houston’s middle name?” Mrs. Mackenzie asked, smiling at Erinna, making her blush.

“It’s Clover, ma’am. My new middle name is Clover,” Erinna answered politely. She had had this conversation with her mom since they would get her a new birth certificate and change her gender in official documents. Heather insisted on Erinna choosing her middle name, as she didn’t want to force a name on her child.

Mrs. Mackenzie looked toward both Heather and Jeff, who nodded in confirmation. “Clover, it is then, now for other matters we have right now, first if Erinna would like to stay in the swimming team, the school could only see it appropriate that she transfers to the girls’ team, with coach Monica as her team coach and coach Damien, will remain as her personal swim coach. We need Miss Houston’s and your agreement for this,” stated Mrs. Mackenzie.”

“Hold on. I disagreed with that. I am not handing Ryan over. He’s my best swimmer,” Coach Vince invaded the conversation, refusing to let Erinna leave his team.

“I am not having my daughter changing in the same locker room with boys to stay in the boys’ swimming team. It’s her choice if she still wants to swim, but she’s not going back to the boys’ team, and that’s final,” Jeff stated firmly. There was no room for argument, so Coach Vince stood up and left the room in a rage.

“Mr. Houston, please pay no attention to him. The best he can do is to waste your daughter’s potential. If anything had changed, the country now has a great female swimmer,” coach Damien commented, making Erinna blush a bit.

“I have to apologize for what happened. My school is blessed to have a student like your daughter, and teachers find it hard to bring questions challenging her. Due to a high number of new GCS students this year, our Academy started a support program for GCS students to help them....” Mrs. Mackenzie explained the program while both Heather and Jeff listened carefully.

When Mrs. Mackenzie finished explaining the program, she asked any questions.

“We don’t have questions regarding Erinna, but the school called us regarding our son George’s transfer into this school. We asked what they meant, but they answered by saying you will explain everything here,” Heather replied, pointing to George, who sat in silence.

“Ah, Mrs. Houston, I must admit my school would be happy to have two Houston students. We have an assembly meeting for all the New Heritage Academy students in the auditorium to present all the details at 10 am.”

“But I will explain a few things now,” Mrs. Mackenzie explained. “I would like to talk about what happened.”

“The company that runs our school bought out the company that runs the New Heritage Academy. We will move their students into an expanded wing, shutting down the old campus. We are allowing all their students to transfer to our school.”

“Of course, George, you can attend another school if you prefer, but our school will save you all the trouble. Also, George, you will remain with the football team and still be the first-year team captain.”

“I am sure George will love the new school uniform, Mrs. Mackenzie,” Erinna cheekily commented, making George glare at her.

The comment made everyone, including Mrs. Mackenzie, laugh. She was fond of all of her students, especially Erinna. Some kids were exceptional, even according to the school’s high standards. After all, the school is interested in special students and tries to enroll them and work on their talent. To have Erinna and her older brother as students, they must have hit the jackpot.

“Miss Houston has a point, though. We expect our students to wear a clean and tidy uniform, and we have strict rules,” Mrs. Mackenzie explained.

“I almost forgot about one thing.” Mrs. Mackenzie reached into a drawer and took out a blue and red badge. The badge displayed “Ryan Alan Houston, Primary Student Council President.”

“Miss Houston had been chosen respectively by both students and teachers to be the student council president for the Primary school. We need to get her a new badge with her new name on it,” Mrs. Mackenzie explained as Erinna’s eyes almost popped out of her head.

“How? When?” Erinna was way too surprised that she didn’t know what to say. The President of the student council is always a 6th-grade boy or girl. She had never heard of having a 5th-grader as the President.

“You were absent due to sickness that day, Ms. Houston. Your teachers and classmates believed you to be the most suitable candidate for that position.” Mrs. Mackenzie had given her vote to Erinna too. She knew how much Erinna had contributed to the school.

Whenever the school needed volunteers, she was there. She doesn’t even think twice before jumping to help whoever needs help. She does what no child her age would do most of the time. Even if Erinna thought otherwise, no one was better than her for that position.

A while later, the Houstons emerged out of Mrs. Mackenzie’s office. Since they were in the school, they decided to buy uniforms for Erinna and George at the school’s uniform shop after George’s meeting.

George had no problems moving into this school since he could keep an eye on Erinna and Oliver and easily protect them. He had only one problem, though, the uniform. Now George has to wear a tailored suit jacket, fitted slacks, shirt, and the school necktie in winter. He can’t wear sneakers to school anymore; instead, he must wear leather dress shoes. Even his socks must be formal.

In his previous school, he only needed to wear a dress shirt and slacks, and that was it. This school has a strict dress code and he won’t enjoy that freedom here. The school even has different primary, middle, and high school uniforms. Erinna had cheekily remarked that George would love Nancy’s uniform. He just glared at her.

At 10 am, the Houstons entered the auditorium where all the former New Heritage Academy students were sitting.

“Mrs. Mackenzie made her opening speech and welcomed all the new students to the Talented Youth Academy and gave them all the reasons behind this change. Coach Miller got up and told everyone how the football team would move here as well, and all the current players who chose to attend would retain their spots on the team. He also mentioned that the old school’s sports center would remain open for all students since it was only a short walk down the road. This policy applied to all the other teams in the sports program.

After the welcome meeting concluded, they quickly visited the school’s uniform shop. Both Erinna and George followed their parents back to the car with the bags containing their new school uniforms in their hands. They all got in the car, and Jeff started it up. Instead of returning home, Jeff drove in the other direction. This sudden change confused both Erinna and George.

“Daddy, where are we going?” Erinna asked with curiosity. George looked up at his dad, trying to guess where they were going.

“That’s a surprise, Princess. You will see when we get there,” Jeff announced. They wanted to bring it home as a Christmas gift but could not. Also, he knew how much Erinna had wanted one, so he didn’t see why they couldn’t do it today.

Erinna looked at George, who just shrugged. He didn’t know what was going on either. Knowing that she wouldn’t be getting an answer from her parents, Erinna sighed and laid back in her seat. Eventually, sleep got the best of her, and she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore.

“Wake up, Princess, we’re here,” Jeff announced, lifting Erinna out of the car. It was a mistake as Erinna wrapped her legs around his waist and her hands around Jeff’s neck, burying her head in his shoulder. Jeff couldn’t help but chuckle and would lie if he said he didn’t like this. Erinna was a daddy’s girl, and he enjoyed spoiling his Princess.

“What are we doing in front of a farm?” Asked George making Erinna poke her head over Jeff’s shoulder. She could see the farm in front of her, the vast green land, but she didn’t know what they were doing there.

“They breed dogs here,” Jeff explained, much to Erinna’s excitement. She and George always wanted to have a pet dog, but both Heather and Jeff were hesitant at first.

“We’re getting a puppy!” Erinna excitedly exclaimed with a squeal as Jeff put her down. Heather and Jeff couldn’t help but laugh, and they knew how much Erinna wanted a puppy.

At the same time, a brand new dark blue Dodge truck drove up and stopped beside them. The window opened, and a guy wearing a cowboy hat stuck his head out of the window. “Howdy, Jeff, you finally decided to visit your old pal,” the guy said before opening the door and leaving his truck.

He walked straight to Jeff before they both hugged each other. “You’re getting older, old man,” the guy joked.

“Look who’s talking, Martin? You look like you’re in your eighties, man,” Jeff replied before they laughed and hugged each other again. “Martin, I am sure you remember Heather.” Heather waved to Martin with a smile.

Martin laughed and waved back, saying, “I ain’t but a day over seventy,” but once his gaze settled on George, his eyes almost popped out of his head. “That’s George? No way, man,” Martin said, walking to George and ruffling his hair. “You darn sure sprouted up like a weed, boy, and you look just like your daddy.” George huffed, trying to comb his hair back to its normal state once again. “You sure have changed a lot. I think dad is right for calling you an old man,” George replied sarcastically.

They had known Martin for a long time, and although George hadn’t seen him since he was four, he would never forget him. The last he heard of Martin, he was working on his family ranch in Texas, so it was a surprise that he was again living nearby.

Martin approached Erinna taking off his hat and placing it on Erinna’s head, making her giggle. Martin smiled at Erinna. He recognized her similarity to Heather instantly. “And who’s this sweet little thing? I don’t believe I know you, sweetie pie.”

“Martin, that’s our youngest daughter, Erinna,” Jeff said, stepping in. It confused Martin a bit, but he didn’t mention it. Martin had left for Texas before Erinna was born, of course, but he thought Jeff and Heather had a boy named Ryan.

“You can call me Rin, sir,” Erinna said, sticking her hand out to him.

“Rin, eh, call me Martin everybody does,” Martin exclaimed, shaking Erinna’s hand. “Would Y’all come inside? Whatever you want from the farm is on me,” Martin announced, opening the front gate to his farm.

“We’re looking for a puppy, and I don’t think I can trust anyone more than you for this matter,” Jeff admitted as they all followed Martin inside, with Erinna happy about the cowboy hat Martin had given her.

“Y’all came to the right place. Follow me,” Martin instructed them. They followed Martin, passing a couple of barns on the way. “We breed horses, cattle, and dogs here,” Martin explained before turning to Erinna. “Would you like to learn how to ride a horse? For a purdy little thing like you, there’s no charge,” Martin added, seeing the excited smile on Erinna’s face.

Erinna looked back at her parents excitedly and with an inquiring look. “Can I please, please, please?” Erinna asked, bouncing up and down excitedly.

“We can see when you have time for that, Princess,” Jeff replied with a chuckle. Erinna hugged him, and he hugged her back before resuming their walk.

They finally reached a place where a couple of barns were joined together in one big building. An open yard in the back was full of puppies of all kinds. Erinna squealed and ran to watch them. Many dog toys and water bowls littered the yard. There was also a roof to keep any rain away.

“This is where we let the puppies out to play. Those are three to four months old,” Martin explained, walking behind Erinna. “I suggest you see the adults first before deciding what puppy you would like to take.” With that, they all followed Martin inside the building.

George and Erinna stepped inside the kennel to check out the dogs, and Martin had many different dog species. There were species from almost everywhere: Husky, Akita, Caucasian Shepard, Kangal, greyhounds, Rottweiler, German shepherds, and many other Mastiffs.

“We have exactly 57 dog breeds, and I am planning to expand to at least four times that many,” Martin explained proudly. He had something for animals, and he didn’t hide it.

George was not listening; however, he looked at the large dogs. These dogs were not just large but gigantic, and he stopped just in front of a big dog with thick but short fur. The dog was huge even when it was lying down. The dogs were in something similar to a cage with metal bars between George and the dog. The sign on the wall next to it read Kangal, Anatolian Shepard.

Martin noticed George’s attention on the dog and smiled. “Just like your dad, huh?” Martin said, walking to George. “Your dad also has something for big dogs, but I don’t recommend that dog. For your first dog, the Kangal is not a good choice. It sheds twice a year and is good with children but not with strangers or other animals.”

“How so?” hearing this, George frowned; he had his eyes set on a big dog. He knew that Erinna wouldn’t mind, and she was on his side, for that matter.

“We train these dogs to chase wolves and bears, and it’s hard to train them. If you want a big dog, however....” Martin walked to a nearby cage, where another big dog lay down. “I could recommend this one, a Great Dane, since they are much easier to train, less aggressive, and are still enormous.”

By then, Erinna had caught up to their conversation and walked over to see the dog. At that time, the dog stood up to Erinna’s amazement. “Wow, it’s gigantic,” Erinna commented, making Martin laugh.

“Well, you heard the little lady,” Jeff joked, walking over with Heather. “How long would a puppy take to grow to that size?” Jeff asked, suddenly uncertain after seeing the size of the dog. He watched as the dog walked up to Erinna and started to lick her hand through the bars making her giggle.

“Oh, this one, Pontius, he’s three years old, so to get to this size, a puppy needs around 18 months, and a puppy would still need from two to three years to develop his muscles,” Martin explained happily. For his friend and his family’s friend, he would give them the best service he could provide. After all, Jeff had helped him a lot when they were younger.

“By the way, uncle Martin when did you come back from Texas?” George always had a close relationship with Martin. He didn’t recognize the farm because it was much bigger now. He used to come to this farm every weekend and learn how to ride a horse because Martin started teaching him, and he couldn’t stop the cowboy inside him.

“Hmmm, I came here two years ago but didn’t stay here that much. Now that I have sold the land in Texas, I can fund my project here,” Martin said before explaining why he sold the land in Texas. “I worked my Daddy’s ranch in Texas after he passed away. A couple of years ago, they found oil under the ranch, so I sold out to an oil company, moved back, and built the spread here with all that money. Now I’m a gentleman rancher, raising some of the finest dog and horse breeds in this here state.”

Martin led them through a door to the yard where the puppies were playing. Erinna and George quickly picked a brown Great Dane puppy that Erinna decided to name Rex, king in Latin. So, with Rex in hand, and after a discussion with Martin since he refused to take any money from Jeff, they finally left the farm and walked back to the car, with Rex following happily behind them.