How could this be? She had been holding the lifeless bird statue when I petrified her and some of her life force was now in the bird. How much had been drained from her? The bird had had no life force for over a week.

I looked at the place where she and the bird were in contact and I could see some of the red inside her moving into the bird. I grasped the bird and was able to remove it from her hand. The bird's life lines were still very faint. At least now the essence was no longer flowing from Marie to the bird.

I carried the bird into the house and sat down at the kitchen table.

“Where's the young lady?” Mom said.

“I had an incident.”

“What happened?” Daddy said.

“You remember me telling you about this bird?”

“That bird is just a statue now, isn't it?”

“Not any more. Marie was holding it when I zapped her. I went about working and three hours went by before Daddy called me to dinner. Well, this statue now has a very faint life essence. And Marie's life essence has dimmed slightly. It'll probably be a few hours before she turns back to normal.”

“We have to call her parents,” Mom said. She ran out of the room.

I just nodded.

“This wasn't your fault,” Daddy said. “In fact, this is good news.”

“It is?”

“It means if you were to accidentally drain someone to permanent stone, they could be revived.”

“That assumes the bird will eventually revive.”

“True. But, it does give you hope that it works that way.”

I ate dinner. Mom came back into the kitchen. “They were rather calm about it,” she said.

“What did you say?” Dad asked.

“I said Marie was with Medusa and she accidentally got zapped so she would be late coming home.”

“Ellen, her mother, said Marie had told her she was sleeping over tonight.”

“She said what?”

“Then she asked if I meant Marie would be late tomorrow and I had to tell her I didn't realize Marie was sleeping over. I said, never mind then, since she should be fine by tomorrow. Ellen thanked me for calling and then we talked about some parent's club school stuff before we hung up.”

“Can't really ask her anything until she's no longer stone,” I said. “But, I will get to the bottom of this.”

“I'm sure you will,” Dad said.

After I ate, I went back out to the garage. No reason to waste the added time she was a statue. It was another five hours before she moved.

“Wow, that hour seemed to drag out forever,” she said.

“It was more than an hour.”

“Did you zap me more than once?”

“No, there was a weird trick accident. It's almost one in the morning.”

“Really? I was a statue for like seven hours?” She said with glee. “I thought you said it had to be only an hour. Oh, wow, that looks so cool.”

“It's ready to be fired. I'm glad you think it came out well.”

She walked around the bust and looked closely at it, careful not to touch it. “It's an uncanny likeness.”

“So, why does your mother think you're staying the night?”

“Oh, I didn't say that. I said I might stay the night. I was hoping we could get this done in one sitting but you had implied it might take a few weeks of sittings.”

“You got your wish.”

“I got two wishes. You finished the hard part of getting the bust done in one night and I got to be a statue.” She yawned. “Can I stay the night? I'm really sleepy.”

“Sure, I guess. Let's go inside. Daddy probably stayed up to make sure you were okay after your extended petrification.”

We went inside and Mom and Daddy were both in the kitchen. Mom was eating her midnight load of carbs.

“How are you feeling, Marie?” Mom said.

“Tired. Like, really rundown.”

“You can stay here tonight. Do you want to stay in the guest room or make it a sleep over?”

“Sleep over, if that's okay with you, M?”

“Em?” I thought, then said. “Sure. Are you hungry or too sleepy?”

“Let's go to sleep.”

“G'night, Mom and Dad.”

“Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison.”

“Good night, Marie.”

When we got to my room, I said, “You can take the bed.”

“We could share it. Just to sleep, of course.”

“Okay, sure, of course, right.”

She took her book bag into the bathroom and changed into pajamas that she had brought with her. I was already in my pajamas when she returned. I went to the bathroom and she was in my bed, taking up the half against the wall when I returned. I got into bed next to her.

“Can you make me a statue for an entire day?”

“I don't know. I haven't explained to you what happened tonight.”

“That will have to wait until morning,” she said with a deep yawn. Several of my headsnakes were very close to her. She cupped one under the chin and said, “Good night,” to it. It flicked its tongue at her.

“Good night,” I said. But, she was already asleep.

There was a knock at my door and, half-awake, I said, “Come in.”

It was Mom. “Elliot’s here. Are you two still asleep?”

I looked over at Marie still sleeping. “What time is it?”

“Nine thirty.”

“I'll be right down.” I got out of bed as gently as I could without disturbing Marie. No luck.

“Is it morning?”

“Yes. Elliot is here. You can keep sleeping if you wish.”

“Okay.” She rolled over and her breathing indicated she was asleep.

I quickly got dressed and went downstairs. Elliot was eating breakfast with Daddy. “Morning,” he said.

“Morning.” I kissed Daddy on the cheek and gave Mom a hug before sitting down.

Elliot looked like he was about to say something about missing out but instead said, “I heard about Marie and the bird.”

“It was an accident.” I added, “Thanks,” as Mom gave me a plate of food.

“A happy accident,” he said. “You can't really kill someone by accident any more.”

“Maybe. We won't know that until the bird turns back to flesh.”

“True,” he said. “She's still here? I want to ask her about being a statue for seven hours.”

“At the time, she said it had seemed longer than an hour. She wasn't sure. But, I haven't even explained to her what actually happened. She was really tired when she changed back.”

“She's still sleeping?”

“She just rolled over and went right back to sleep when I got out of bed.”

Elliot occupied the conversation, speculating about applications of this life-energy transference. Marie entered the kitchen an hour later, dressed in different clothes than she’d worn to school the previous day. She must have expected to stay the night.

“I can't believe I slept so much,” she said.

Mom put a plate of food in front of her. “You are probably starved.”

“Oh, god, I am.” She sat down and wolfed half of it down almost as fast as Mom could eat. “I feel like a pig. Why am I so hungry?”

“Probably because you donated some of your life-force to a dead bird.”

“I did what?”

I explained how the bird was purely a statue until the accident. I went into detail about how I can see these life-force energies and how I feed on them. And I explained that the bird now had life-force energy again.

“I jump started the bird.”

“Or the statue somehow stole your energy and the bird is still dead. We won't know that if and until the bird comes back to life.”

After an awkward pause, Elliot said, “Now, can I ask Marie what it was like being a statue for seven hours? I've spent more than seven total hours as a statue but not for more than an hour at a time.”

I shrugged.

“It was amazing,” she said. “You've been zapped multiple times? You're so lucky.”

Elliot started describing our experiments and Marie bombarded him with so many questions she heard about every experiment in excruciating detail.

“I want to help,” she said at the end. “You zapped Elliot's brother without hitting Elliot. You probably need a lot more practice with that.” She was looking at me expectantly.

“That would be great. Although you seem to want to be a statue more than not.”

“Really?” Elliot said.

“I do,” Marie said. “I want to be a statue at an art show or something. Spend a day or a week in one spot being looked at by passersby. It would be so cool.” She sighed.

“I suppose we could practice the transference and find out how to time it so you would know how long the resulting stoning would last,” Elliot said.

Daddy looked like he was going to interject, but said nothing after I said, “I don't know how comfortable I'd be with that.”

“We don't have to start there,” she said. “It's not like there's an art show waiting for me to be exhibited there.”

“You should call your mother,” Mom said. “I may have scared her last night.”

She got up from the table. “Okay, I'll make the call and then meet you in the garage?”

“Okay.”

Elliot and I left the kitchen. Daddy cleared the plates.

“She's interesting,” Elliot said.

“I know.”

“This looks great,” he said, indicating the bust.

“Thanks. I'll fire it after our first experiment. Speaking of which. Go out into the breezeway. I want to take a look at the bird.”

“Gotcha.”

When the door closed, I opened my inner eyelid and inspected the bird. Its colored lines were improved from last night. It was a little disconcerting, I thought, to think this bird was tied into an alternate dimension now. And that link was filling it with life.

There was a knock at the door and I closed my inner eyelid.

“Ready, M?”

“Come in.”

“Are we going to experiment with the bird?”

“No, I was just looking to see what it's life force looked like. It's better. No idea how long it will take to fill up though.” I put the bird back on a shelf, out of the way.

“A selective petrification experiment, then?”

“When do you have to leave?”

“Mom wants me home by four so we could do four or five experiments if we get started right away.”

We started with me trying not to turn either of them to stone at I approached them. I managed to get within five feet of them before she transformed. I was startled when it happened and Elliot was transformed as well.

I spent the hour getting the bust glazed and ready for the kiln.

“Your eyes look so cool when you do that,” Marie said.

Elliot transformed back to normal as she spoke. “I never mentioned that, did I? But, it true. There's like a green glow to them but the vertical yellow color pierces the glow.”

“Thanks, I guess. I suppose I'll never get to see it.”

We tried that experiment for the next few hours. I was able to get within two feet of Elliot before he was petrified the final attempt. But, Marie always was petrified before he was.

Marie reluctantly drove home as it was nearly four o'clock. She returned on Sunday for more experimentation. She always volunteered to be the one who got petrified.

That morning before she arrived, there were some spots of blood in my underwear. I almost panicked until I realized what this probably meant. Welcome to womanhood, me. When I went down to breakfast, I must have had an inquisitive look on my face.

Mom immediately asked, “What's wrong, honey?”

“I think I have to put to practice the mother-daughter talk we had.”

She disappeared and reappeared even faster than I thought was possible for her. She was holding a small pink box from a store aisle I was not use to being in.

“Did you notice any discomfort last week? Feeling bloated or tenderness?” She said.

“Maybe. I'm not use to how I feel like this normally.”

“I'll ask you next month. You should start to bleed tomorrow or Tuesday.”

“Great.”

“Sarcasm is an excellent coping mechanism.”

Over the next few days, the girls who had befriended me, including a few I met for the first time in the bathroom, gave me all sorts of contradictory tips as well as commiseration. It was what it was. I wasn’t fazed by it so much because I expected it to be horrific, I guess. Not saying it was enjoyable by any stretch of the imagination. I could deal with it just like half the population has been dealing with it.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Marie would join us on Friday afternoons and weekends to perform experiments. On weekends they would arrive together. For some reason this bothered me.

During that time, I had my follow up appointment with Dr. Lewis at the clinic. I decided to dress up for the appointment. He noticed immediately.

“That is a very feminine outfit. I take it your transition to a woman is going well.”

“Other than my period last week, it’s been almost unremarkable,” I said.

“Well, all teenage women come to terms with that aspect womanhood over time.”

“Yeah, if people who are women all their lives can complain about it, so can I.”

“So be it. Anything you’d like to talk about? Are you still being bullied?”

“Not as badly. The guy, Tommy, still doesn’t like me. Tried to spread rumors that I wasn’t all woman. And he encourages his buddies to help out.”

“Do you know why he would do this?”

“He’s a prick.”

“Is that all it is?”

“I had never spoken to him before the first time he picked on Gordon. Can’t say I’ve ever had a conversation with him that wasn’t confrontational.”

“Do you feel you are handling these latest confrontations better or worse than you did as Gordon?”

“Better. He use to make fun of my looks. I would take that to heart no matter how many times I told myself not to. My twist made me beautiful, I’m told. So, he doesn’t have an easy way to torment me.”

“You said you’re told you’re beautiful. Do you think you are beautiful?”

“I was just being modest. It’s funny. I make clay sculptures. Before my twist I made a bust of a beautiful woman. My new face is the face I sculpted months ago.”

“That’s amazing,” Dr. Lewis said. “Anything else you want to discuss?”

“My relationship with my best friend is a bit weird.”

“Who is this friend and what’s weird?”

“Elliot’s been my best friend since we were little kids. We mutually decided we didn’t want to mess up our friendship.”

“How did he take that?”

“Just fine. I think I’m the one regretting it. He’s recently started dating someone. I don’t know how I feel about having to share him with his girlfriend.”

“Would these feelings be the same if you were still Gordon?”

“Mostly. There is a bit more subtext with my gender change.”

“You have feelings for him?”

“I’ve always had feelings for him. They hit differently now.”

“Do you like boys?”

“I think so. I’ve never dated. So, I have nothing to compare my new self to.”

“Is this Elliot’s first girlfriend?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like her?”

“Yes, she’s actually been helping Elliot and me with learning how my trick works.”

“How do they help?”

“It started with Elliot. He would have me activate my trick and walk toward him to see when he would be petrified or how long I could prevent it from happen.”

“Has this worked?”

“Yes, I’ve used my trick on one person without affecting another at various distances.”

“With permission?”

“Of course. I have only turned one person to stone without prior permission. That was the school nurse when I first twisted.”

“Elliot and Marie enjoy being petrified.”

“I think Elliot tolerates it because he’s my BFF. Marie likes it. She’s wanted me to try draining her so she ends up being petrified for more than an hour.”

“That is dangerous.”

“I haven’t done this.” I lied. “And I agree that it would be dangerous. But, they keep pointing out that in a controlled environment it would be less dangerous than if it just happened by accident.”

“This is true. I can’t order you not to experiment. Just be careful.”

The next day Marie and Elliot arrived together.

“What’s this?” Elliot asked, pointing at a piece I had just finished.

“That’s Duke,” I said. The piece was a one-foot tall replica of Duke the last time I saw him. “Dr. Hauser would always bring Duke to work but he can’t do that any more. I figured he might like this for his desk at work.”

“That’s a beautiful looking dog.”

As we started running out of new experiments, Marie convinced Elliot that getting a timing on how long taking a sip of a statue increased the duration of their petrification. I didn’t want to take chances on draining someone to death. The two of them made multiple arguments about how I needed to know everything about my hunger.

“If you do both of us, we can compare notes afterward,” Elliot said.

I rubbed the side of my boobs. I was feeling bloated. I was not in the mood to argue. I had told Dr. Lewis only recently that I wasn’t planning to practice this kind of thing because it was dangerous. I sighed and told them to pose. Marie was immediately in a majestic pose. Elliot knelt down before her as if pleading for something. I flashed them without warning and they were made of stone in a heartbeat. I tapped the timer app on my phone and then approached Marie.

“I'm going to take a sip now.” My eyelid was still open and the swirls within her were familiar. I placed my hand on her chest and waited a moment, verifying I was in control. I drew as small a sip as I could. The ambrosia within her flowed for just a second. It was still divine. I left my hand in place for a second before removing it. I repeated the process on Elliot.

While equally divine and delicious, I noticed that they tasted different. There were distinct and subtle differences between their sweet nectar and the taste of other beings I had tasted, including Mr. Hauser and even Duke.

Elliot revived about thirty seconds before she did. The clock timer said eighty-two minutes had passed. We repeated the test and, on average, my quick sip added about twenty minutes to the overall duration. I had hoped we were done.

“Did you feel the pull, Elliot?” she said.

“This time I did.”

Marie had said the sips felt like I was tugging on her somehow. “You did? It's like a rope tied around my rib cage was gently tugged when the sip happens.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“I wonder what a longer... drink would feel like.”

“I've already said this is dangerous.”

“I am curious myself,” Elliot said.

“Not today,” I said. I finally won an argument about this. I only noticed afterward that my bloating had subsided.

Marie, Elliot, and I would each lunch together at school on the days Stacy didn’t ask me to eat with her and her friends. Those days Marie and Elliot eat lunch at a table together.

One Tuesday, while eating lunch with Stacy and her friends, I spent most of the time there watching Elliot and Marie laughing together.

“Earth to Medusa,” Melody said.

“What?”

Stacy said, “I said, are you coming with us shopping on Friday? It's been a month since our last shopping trip. You need to add a few more things to your wardrobe.”

“Fridays, I'm usually busy. Thursday would be better.”

“You let me know.”

Wednesday afternoon, Elliot and I were in my garage after school when he said, “I have a question.”

“Okay.”

“Marie and I won't be able to come over Friday night. Will that bother you?”

“How do you know Marie can't make it?”

“Because she and I are going on a date.”

My stomach twisted into a knot. “Why would that bother me?”

“I can tell you’re upset.”

“I'm not.”

“Okay. I believe you. Are you happy for me?”

The question hung in the air a little too long before I said, “Of course.”

“Medusa, my friend. I don't want to hurt you. If you say, 'Don't date, Marie,' I won't. But, please be honest with yourself if not me.”

I sat in silence for a moment looking at the floor. “You can date anyone you want to, Elliot. I'm not a child. Yes, I think I'm a bit jealous. But, I'm also not ready to date anyone. Marie likes you. It's obvious. Find out what might develop.”

“You're sure?”

“No, I'm not sure. Just don't overthink it. You won't get rid of me by dating her. She likes being petrified too much to mess up our relationship.” I laughed.

“I suppose that's true.” He gave me a hug. “Thanks for being understanding.”

Friday morning, Tommy and Ryan made sure to be talking very loudly about women who have penises and implying I was one of them. I ignored them. But, Ryan used his trick on my shoes and I just stepped right out of them.

They laughed. “That usually works better with sneakers,” Ryan said.

“Hand me my shoes, Ryan,” I said.

“Why don't you just pick them up?”

“Because I know they probably weigh a ton by now. You will pick them up and hand them to me.”

“Sure,” he said. He picked them up and held them out.

As I reached for them, I pushed them toward him and let go. As they landed on his foot he let out a scream. Guess they were a lot heavier than they looked. The gathered crowd was laughing at him. I quickly picked up my shoes and left.

All during the shopping trip on Friday I was wondering what Elliot and Marie were doing. I swear I wasn’t mopey. But, they took me home rather than back to Melody's house for a fashion show.

I was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling when Mom tapped at my door frame. “Can I come in?” she said.

“Sure.”

“I noticed you didn’t spend any time in the garage with Elliot and Marie tonight.” She sat on my desk chair.

“It happens.”

“No, it doesn’t. Something you want to talk about?”

“Not really.” We sat in silence until I said, “They're on a date.”

“Elliot and Marie?”

“Yes.”

“A date date?”

“Is that a surprise?”

“It is. What do they have in common besides you?”

“Marie is into professional video game competitions. She knows far more about video games than I ever cared to know about it and apparently Elliot is into it, too. I never knew. She's even qualified for a semi-final for a military squad tactics game.”

“She's that good at video games?”

“She even streams. Has a ton of followers. Mostly because she’s a gorgeous girl who’s good at the games.”

“And all of this is a problem for you?”

“It isn't. And it is. I'm happy for Elliot, assuming tonight goes well. It will.”

She got up. “I know this probably doesn't help. But, the idea that one of you would have a girlfriend before the other was always something I worried about in the past. I hoped you guys would deal with it maturely. You being a woman doesn't fundamentally change the dynamic. Or does it?”

“Elliot is like a brother to me.”

“Good.”

“But, he isn't my brother.”

“Um...”

“I'm not ready for any of this. I told him not to waste an opportunity.”

“That's very mature.”

“Girls mature faster than boys.”

“We do.”

She kissed me on the forehead and left. Eventually, I fell asleep.

As I expected, the date was fabulous. They still spent Saturday with me being petrified. The first time I tried more than a sip, I slipped and Elliot turned back to flesh after three hours but Marie was still petrified.

“Three hours? How much more of sip did you take?” He said.

“It felt like maybe three or four sips worth. I'm as confused as you are.”

“How many sips did you take from Marie?”

“I messed up. Probably five or six sips worth. Based on what I can see with my special sight, she's probably got another three or fours to go.”

“At least we know she's enjoying it.”

“We also need a better unit of measure than sips.”

“I kind of like sips. It goes well with how you described how we taste.”

“What do you mean?”

“You said my life-force had a smokey flavor and hers was more floral. It's like we're expensive sipping whiskeys. So, sip seems like a great word for it.”

“I suppose it's better than comparing it to wine tasting,” I said. I changed my voice to sound more snooty, “Elliot pairs well with poultry.”

We laughed.

“How was your date?” I said after an awkward pause.

“It was good, I guess. I don't think I'm supposed to talk to my best friend about my date while my girlfriend is standing four feet away from me.”

“I'm not sure what the proper etiquette for that is,” I said, continuing in the snooty voice.

“She's fun. And when she's not like this, she's vivacious. We went for a walk in the park after dinner and she was constantly dragging me to see one cool thing then quickly to another. I'm never really seen the park before until I saw it though her eyes.”

I had brought it on myself. I smiled and said all the right things. But, I felt a small part of me dying inside. Unusual thoughts crept through my head: why couldn’t she have been boring? Why doesn't she have a terrible laugh?

She was restored after six hours and fifty minutes. They had to leave shortly thereafter.

Elliot and Marie were inseparable the next few weeks of school. I spent most lunch periods with Stacy and her posse. I still walked to school with Elliot, unless Marie drove past and picked us both up. Elliot use to spend every afternoon in my garage where we just hung out. These weeks he was only around on Tuesday and Wednesday by himself and Friday with Marie.

“I was thinking,” she said. “What happens if two people are touching when you zap them and then take a sip from one of them? The bird drew my life-force when I was holding it.”

“You just want to smooch Elliot as a statue.”

“I do.” She giggled. “Can we? You don't mind do you?”

“Just don't grope one another in front of me.”

“Okay.” She grabbed Elliot and they embraced and kissed one another.

I zapped them. They made a cute statue couple. I took a few pics because Marie was always sad when I forgot to take pics of her and Elliot as statues.

I put my phone down and opened my life-force vision. It was interesting. Some of the life force flowing through them was definitely jumping into the other where their lips met. I wondered what that meant. The stopwatch app was past ten minutes before I put my hand on Elliot's back and took a sip.

After enjoying the initial hit of his ambrosia, I noticed that he tasted different. There were notes of her taste in his. There was definitely a flow of life force running from her to him.

I touched her and took a second sip. The flow passing across their lips ran into her for a few moments. Normally, one sip from each of them would last a total of eighty minutes for each of them. As I waited, I did some homework. But I was distracted and the stop watch time slipped past eighty minutes without any changes in them. The watch was at one hundred twenty-five minutes when they both revereted together.

“How long?” She asked.

“Over two hours. Just like a normal two sips of a single subject.”

“You could see us swapping life energy before the sip?” Elliot said.

“I said that out loud? I guess I did. Yes. I should have guessed you were just one statue from the trick's point of view.”

“I felt both tugs,” he said.

“Yeah, I felt when you sipped him and when you sipped me,” she said.

I was in the stairwell at school when a voice behind me said, “Excuse me, do you have a moment?”

I stopped on the landing and turned around, face to face with Ross Perry. He was on the last step of the downward stairs. As I said, “Yes?” he stepped up onto the landing and I had to look up to look him in the eye. Ross was on the basketball team mostly because he was about seven feet tall. He was the only person in school taller than me.

“Medusa, right? I was wondering if we could go out for donuts and coffee on Saturday together.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Yeah, like a date. You like guys, right? I wasn't sure. I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.”

“I don't know what to say.”

“I'd prefer, 'Yes'. If you're busy Saturday we can pick another day. Or you can say, 'No'. I just thought you might enjoy my company.”

“Okay. You aren’t put off by these? Or that I use to be a guy?”

“No, and no. I dig the snakes. And I'm sure you having once been a guy is more a thing for you than it is for me.”

“You have no idea.”

“If you aren't willing to go, for any reason, just say so, I can take it.”

“No, I think I should go. A donuts and coffee date sounds like fun. Maybe eleven o'clock?”

“Sounds good. I'll pick you up and take us to a shop around eleven.”

“Okay. It's a date. I'll send you my address.”

“Sounds good.” He smiled and walked away.

Melody was beside herself when I mentioned the date at lunch. “Ross Perry. Oh Em Gee. He’s so tall. You have to wear heels on this date.”

“Heels? On a donuts and coffee date?” Tess said. “That might make her seem desperate.”

“Ross is taller than our giantess friend by several inches. Heels are almost necessary,” Stacy said.

“You should wear that aubergine sun dress,” Melody said.

“That's purple, by the way,” Tess said.

“I sculpt and draw. I know more than eight colors.”

“No need to be snippy.”

“I am a bit moody.”

“Is it that time of the month again?”

“Yes, third time starting Monday if I'm regular.”

Elliot and Marie were happy for me.

“Are the fashion police driving you nuts about what to wear?” Marie said.

“Yes. Apparently I have an aubergine dress that will look fabulous.”

“That should be a good color for your coppery and green skin.”

“Yeah, I've taken art classes. It rarely comes up with sculpting, but I know a thing or two about color. I'm just not use to applying it to clothes.”

They made other plans for Friday so I could get a good night's sleep before my date.

Saturday could not arrive fast enough. I woke at seven and had breakfast with Mom. She didn’t mention the date, thankfully. After breakfast, I showered and painted my nails. I put on the dress Melody suggested. It was shoulderless, with a half sleeve on the upper arms only. I spend nearly an hour trying to decide how I should shade my eyes. I went with a palette that I found pleasing containing a blend of dark green and light purple. I used my usual dark green lipstick. I tied a few purple bows around the necks of the four longest hairsnakes. Three of them liked how they looked and the fourth I could tell was just tolerating it. I had started calling that one Dirk at some point. It fit him. And, yes, he was definitely a masculine hairsnake.

I buckled the tops of my black heels. They were taller than the ones I usually wore, just over five inches. I would still be shorted than Ross with them on. I had checked the contents of my clutch twice when the doorbell rang. I heard Mom shout she was getting it as I left my room.

“Medusa should be down in a moment,” I heard her say as I descended the stairs.

He was wearing jeans. I felt a bit over dressed. But, then I saw he was wearing a polo shirt so he was a little dressed up compared to a T-shirt.

“You look amazing, Medusa. I should have worn my khakis.”

“You look fine,” my mother said. “Have fun, you two.”

As we walked to his car, he said, “I love the heels. It's amazing that I don't have to look down to see your eyes.”

“I understand. I tower over a lot of people myself.”

He held the door to his car open for me. And closed it after I was seated in the passenger seat. After he got in, I said, “Where are we going?”

“Ever heard of Guilt Free Desserts?”

“Who hasn't? Is that where we're going? It's, like, on the far side of Spiral.”

“It's only twenty-five minutes away. Is that too far? I thought we could talk on the way there. We could just go to an Apollos.”

“No, that's fine. I've always wanted to try Guilt Free.”

He drove us to the crosstown highway. “So, I'm not sure about Twisted etiquette. Do I ask you about your twist early on a first date or late or do I save it for a future date?”

“I have no idea if there is such etiquette.”

“I wouldn't know. No one in my family is Twisted. I'm a natural mutant.”

“People must assume you're Twisted all the time.”

“Yep. They also want to know what my trick is. Other than a high percentage at the free throw line, I don't have anything close to a trick.”

“Were you always into b-ball?”

“Not initially. When I had my first big growth spurt in sixth grade, it felt like everybody was telling me I should be a basketball player. So, naturally I resisted the idea. I hadn’t been especially athletic before that. My cousin Archie convinced me to try it and gave me a few lessons in dribbling and stuff. I still can't say I'm into basketball. I don't watch pro or college games much. Are you into sports?”

“No. I was a bit too nerdy before this.”

“Doesn't matter. What are you now?”

“I wish I knew.”

“You will. You should come to one our games. See if you like it more with someone you're rooting for.”

“When is your next game?”

“Monday. We have a home game against North. We usually beat them. Though, who knows if they are any good this year.”

“I'm free Monday afternoon. I'll stop by if I can.”

“That's great. If all goes well, we can go somewhere after the game. And if today goes well.”

I just smiled.

“So, what's it like?”

“What's what like?”

“Any of it. Twisting? Being a girl? Being a mythic character? I'd like to hear anything about all those things you would be willing to share. Or I can continue talking about myself.”

“No, it's my turn,” I said. “Both my parents are Twisted so I always knew I would Twist. I have not spent a lot of time dwelling on being a girl. My father drilled into me not to get to attached to the old me and I guess that advice worked.”

“You don't miss being a guy?”

“Every time I sit down to pee.” We both laughed. “But, that's not important. I don't enjoy my periods any more or less than any other woman.”

“So, the rumors that moron Tommy says about what your packing under that dress are false? Good to know.”

“Yeah, about two weeks after my twist I was officially initiated into the sisterhood. Would you have asked me out if you thought he was right?”

“Probably. I'm not expecting to see under your dress.”

“Ever?”

“Expecting. If things go well, after some time together, who knows?”

“Okay. The gorgon thing was, of course, a complete surprise, as is the nature of my twists.”

“Ironic, too.”

“I can see that now. My friend Elliot's been great. He's helped hone the control of my trick by getting petrified by me far too often.”

“What's that like?”

“For him or for me?”

“Either. Both.”

“It's easy for me. I have two eyelids. When I open the inner eyelids, my trick activates. It's literally no big deal for me. For him? He says it's mostly boring. If nothing is happening, you barely notice the time passing, people say.”

“Elliot. I’m not sure which of your old friends that is. Is he the one dating Marie Applebottom?”

“Yes, they’re dating.”

“She doesn't mind that Elliot hangs out with you?”

“She wants to be there, too. Don't tell anyone. But, she actually likes being petrified.”

“She likes being bored?”

“I don't know why.”

“Do you have more friends now that you've twisted?”

“I think I do. The old me had a reputation for being a nerd. These days, only people like Tommy treat me like they treated Gordon.”

The conversation drifted into a discussion of the various clicks around school. Soon, we arrived at the bakery. There were people standing in line out the door and down past two neighboring stores. There were saw horses with Spiral police department logos placed to indicate where people should stand. Luckily, Ross found a parking spot not too far from the entrance. We got out and walked to the end of the line.

We got more than a few stares. Some of them were for Ross but most of them were for me. It was a little disconcerting to be stared at by so many people. I hadnt spent a lot of time out in public.

“You're popular here. You’re a stunning beauty, no doubt.”

“Yes. No other reason I might be stared at would make sense.”

As we approached the end of the line, the couple we were going to stand behind turned toward us. The guy said, “Those things are alive?”

“The snakes? Yes.”

“Can I touch one?”

“I wouldn't advise it. They are venomous.”

He was about to reach out but put his hand down after that.

“I apologize for Gerry's forwardness,” the woman said. “He has personal boundary issues.”

“I’m sure the visually Twisted get asked similar things all the time,” Gerry said, failing to defend himself.

“Why do you think my date is Twisted?” Ross said.

“Well, obviously… um, she… just look at her.”

“So, you judge people and pigeon hole them based on looks.”

“I didn’t… I…” Gerry looked like he wanted to storm off.

The woman with him said, “Just shut your mouth, Gerry. Thanks for that. He needed it.” Gerry turned to argue with her. She took Gerry to the end of the line putting a few people between us.

When we reached the doorway of the shop, we could see several display cases filled with pastries. There were still five or six people in front of us. The room smelled even better than the scent that had been spilling out the door.

A little boy sitting with his mother by the entrance looked at me and said, “You’re tall.”

“Am I tall?” Ross said.

“You both are.”

“Don’t bother the nice people,” his mother said.

“Why do you have hair, Mommy?” he said. “Snakes would be so much cooler.”

I leaned down. “Do you want to touch one of my snakes?”

“Yes, Yes.”

“What do you say, Jeremy?”

“May I please touch one of your snakes?”

“Only if you promise not to pull on it.”

“I promise.”

I had one of the long snake float down toward him. “Cup it in your hand and pet it with the other hand.”

He held out his hand and the snake nestled in it. He stroked the back of the snake. “What’s its name?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “What do you call your arm?”

“Arms don’t have names.”

“They don’t?”

“I call my right arm Priscilla.”

“I think its name is Foggy.”

“We have to move forward,” Ross said.

“Maybe, it is. Say goodbye to Foggy.”

“Bye, Foggy,” he said. “Before you go, can we take a picture together?”

“Sure.” I crouched down and his mother got her phone out.

“Say cheese danish.”

She took the pic and Ross handed her his phone. “Can you take one of us?”

“Sure, stand together.” She snapped a pic.

“Have a nice day.”

We stepped away from the table and closer to the counter.

“Lovely boy,” Ross said.

“Jeremy. I’ll never forget the first man to ask to touch my snakes nicely.”

“No one’s ever asked before?”

“No one’s ever asked nicely.”

“I’ll remember that.”

We purchased a dozen pastries intending to bring some of them home. We found a seat in the shop and ate one pastry each while drinking coffee.

“These are divine,” he said.

They were amazing, to a point. I found them lacking in some way I could not pinpoint.

“Is there something wrong?” Ross said. How was he so empathetic?

“No, I think my sense of taste is off.”

“That happens, doesn’t it?”

“I hadn’t noticed it before. I also haven’t had many pastries since my twist. They’re great. Don’t worry about that. I just think I expected them to be even better than they are.”

“I suppose that is a problem the bakery sometimes deals with.”

We got back in the car and started the drive back to our part of town. Ross made small talk about the scenery. It was nice to engage with him without it feeling like we were interrogating one another. At some point, I blurted out, “Have you dated a lot of girls?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve dated two other women. The first one was just one date. We had nothing in common. The second one took three dates to figure out we had nothing in common. Why do you ask?”

“This is my first date.”

“You hadn’t dated before…?”

“No. I never had enough nerve to ask anyone.”

“Well, I hope we’re doing okay at the moment.” After an awkward silence, he said. “What do you do with your time?”

“I sculpt. I make clay sculptures.”

“That’s cool. Kind of ironic.”

“Tell me about it. I recently did a bust of Marie Applebottom. It came out quite well.”

“I’d love to see it. I wish I were artistic. My sister is. She can draw anything. But she never finishes any of her stuff.”

“Finishing is important,” I said. He allowed me to prattle on about the sculpting process and how I got into it.

“Do you really make new sculptures all the time?”

“Not really. Other than the bust of Marie and one piece, I haven’t done much sculpting at all recently.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been spending time learning how to control my trick.”

“Turning Elliot and Marie into statues.”

“Yes.”

“How long have you and Elliot been friends?”

“Since we were toddlers, I think. I use to worry I’d have a big personality change when I twisted and we wouldn’t remain friends. But, if anything, it seems we’re closer than before.”

“I wish I had a friend like that.”

“Who do you hang out with?”

“Mostly guys on the team.”

The car turned onto my street and he parked in front of my house.

“I had a lovely time,” he said.

“So did I.”

We both got out of the car and he walked me up to the front door. He handed me one of the boxes from the pasty store.

“This is for you and your family.”

“Thanks. Would you like to see my studio slash garage?”

“I would.”

I led him away from the front door to the breezeway between the house and the garage. I opened the door to the garage and turned on the light.

“Sorry about the mess. But, then, it’s always something of a mess. That part over there is Mom and Dad’s stuff. The studio is this section here.”

“Are those cloth covered things on the shelf your pieces?”

“Yes. This was the one I did before my twist.” I uncovered the bust with my face.

“It looks just like you. Except for the hair.”

“I know. I never thought it was finished. Now, I know it was the hair.”

“Are you going to fix it?”

“No, I like to think this is what I would look like with hair.”

“Do you miss your hair?”

“No. I’ve gotten too use to these guys floating around my head.”

“They do give you a striking presence.”

After he had given the bust a close look, he ended up standing right next to me. I could smell his scent over the pervading scent of clay in the room. He was looking me in the eyes and I could tell my snakes were checking him out as well.

He leaned forward. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes. His lips touched mine. His hands were touching my upper and lower back, pulling me into the kiss. My arms were useless. They just hung out to the side for the first few seconds of the kiss. Then, they wrapped around him.

The door to the breezeway opened and Ross and I were suddenly three feet apart. “I’m sorry,” Mom said. “I saw the car and was wondering where you two were.”

“I was just showing him the bust I made that looks like me,” I said, pointing at the shelf.

“It’s an uncanny likeness,” Ross said.

“I’ll get out of you hair... snakes,” Mom said awkwardly and left.

Ross and I stared at each other for a moment before laughing.

“Was she more embarrassed than we were?” I said.

“Let’s say she was. It was a beautiful kiss.”

“It was.”

“I should probably go.”

“Maybe we could do something after school Monday,” I said.

“After my game Monday,” he said.

“Right. I’ll be there.”

We kissed once more for who knows how long before he left. I brought the pastries into the house. Mom and Dad were in the kitchen.

“Someone had a good date,” she said.

“He is so nice. No, not just nice. Considerate.” I told them about the encounter with Gerry.

“He sounds very thoughtful,” Mom said. “I’ve been putting this off until you felt comfortable with yourself. But, we need to schedule an appointment.”

“For what?”

“You need to see a gynecologist.”

“Um…”

“I know you don’t want to think about this. But, delaying it will only make it seem scarier.”

“Okay. But, not Monday. I’m seeing Ross after school.”

“Okay, dear.”

Elliot called me Sunday night. “Hey, how’s it going?” He said.

“You and Marie have been spending a lot of time together.”

“Yes. I heard you had a good time Saturday.”

“From who?”

“Ross posted online.”

“Oh, the pic Ross had that woman take.” I looked up his social and found the photo.

“You two look so tall. That guy next to Ross is like more than a head shorter than both of you.”

“I was in heels. Ross is really tall.”

“You both were really smiley in this pic. Was the whole date smiley?”

“We had a good time. Ross is very thoughtful.”

“Yeah? I’ve never really spoken to him. Marie thought you two looked great in the photo. So, second date?”

“We’re going to do something after his game Monday afternoon.”

“I’m so happy for you.”

---

Thanks for reading. Comments are always welcome.