I thought I had it all figured out. I had my grand plan and executed it flawlessly. Or so I believed. It all started to fall apart after work one day when I explained what I was going to do to my boss…

“…So I’d liked to come to work on Monday as Laura.” I finished explaining. I was feeling a little faint from nerves, but I’d gotten it out. I wouldn’t have to pretend anymore!

My boss looked at me as if I was bat shit crazy for several long moments, and then said, “I’m afraid we’ll have to let you go, then.” In this deceptively quiet, sneering voice.

I just stood there a minute, my jaw bouncing off his desk, “What?! You can’t fire me for being transgendered!” I croaked.

“Oh, I’m not firing you for being transgendered.” He assured me tauntingly. “I’m firing you for being a disruptive influence. Ever since you got here I’ve had complaints from your coworkers about your behavior.” His voice just oozed sincerity. That was sarcasm, by the way.

“Oh, come on!” I replied indignantly, “Just yesterday Mr. Morris was saying I was doing a good job! You’re just making that up to get rid of me!” Mr. Morris was my supervisor, and always seemed quite pleased with my work. I got along with everybody, in fact, until now.

Contempt was written all over his face. “Mr. Morris was simply trying to encourage you. However, your work today shows that you simply don’t care about this job. If you were a better worker, I might be able to overlook your disruptive nature, but…” He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, as if he actually cared.

I was torn between a desire to throttle him, and an urgent need to never come in physical contact with this slime ball. “I’ll sue you!” I threatened.

He shrugged carelessly, “You could try.”

I felt like I was going to explode. “Argh!” I finally yelled, and stormed out.

I stomped my way home, cursing the entire time. That little swine! I thought, There’s nothing I can do, and he knows it. If I tried to sue, his lies would get him out of it, and I couldn’t afford a lawyer anyway, even if I still had a job!

Back in my apartment, I paced back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. Fuck him! I thought, I’ll go full time as planned and find another job as Laura!

By the time I had finally calmed down it was getting rather late, and I was worn out. I decided to let tomorrow take care of itself.

The next morning I got all my male clothes together and threw them in the trash. It’s Laura from now on! I thought. I got myself dressed, as Laura of course, and got to work on my resume. Then I opened up the newspaper and started looking through it.

There wasn’t much. Before long I had a list of possibles, my stack of resumes, and was ready to go. I kept checking to make sure I had everything; keys, resumes, list of possible jobs, etc. I checked myself in the mirror half a dozen times. Finally, I stopped procrastinating and stepped out into the world as Laura for the first time.

---

 
I made it half a block before it started. “Hey, look at that fag!” muttered one man to his friends. Minutes later a woman walking with her daughter crossed the street to avoid me. Everyone else who saw me studiously looked away and kept their distance.

I walked the rest of the way with my eyes glued to the pavement. I didn’t want to see their reactions anymore, or see the disgust on their faces when they did look at me. I stepped inside the building, grateful to be away from all of that. Except that I wasn’t.

This was an electronics store. I was hoping to get a tech support job here. It wouldn’t be as good as what I had, but something’s better than nothing. As soon as I walked in everything seemed to come to a stop around me. More stares, more muttered comments, and even a few loud ones. Somehow, I walked forward farther into the store. Everywhere I went that same silence followed, punctuated by the occasional insult or taunt.

I went to the service desk and asked about the job opening. I kept my voice soft to try and sound feminine, but I knew my voice needed a lot of work.

The woman at the service desk stared open mouthed at me a moment, before saying she’d get her manager. I didn’t have much hope at this point, but I waited as patiently as I could.

Several minutes later, the manager arrived. He was an older man and looked like he frowned a lot. He was certainly doing so now. “What do you want, sir?” he asked rudely.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I answered, “I’m here about the tech support job.”

He looked me up and down contemptuously, “I’m sorry, sir, but that position has been filled.” With that, he turned around and stalked off. The woman at the service desk looked at me apologetically and shrugged her shoulders helplessly. Well, I thought, at least someone here has a heart.

I fled the store as quickly as I could without running. One down, three to go. I thought.

The longer I spent in public, the more depressed and afraid I became. Some of the comments I was getting were downright hateful. I knew this was going to be tough, but not *this* tough. I’d thought in this day and age things would be different. More fool I.

Each stop seemed to get worse than the last (to be fair, the third stop the manager was very apologetic about it and might actually have been telling the truth about filling the job already). I’d been shoved several times now, in addition to all the insults, taunts, and occasional threats I’d received.

As soon as I’d finished at the last store I started back home as fast as I could. I’m not sure if things really got worse at that point, but it sure felt like it. I almost ran the last block to my apartment. I did run once the door was in sight, and locked myself in as quickly as I could.

I dropped my bag as I walked to my bedroom, where I collapsed on my bed in tears. I tried to get myself under control, but it just wasn’t happening. Somewhere along the line, I fell asleep.

The next day was more of the same. And the next day, and the next. I began to inquire by telephone instead of walking there, but that didn’t help much. My voice was just as bad as my appearance. Finally, I settled on e-mailing my resume to any prospective employers I could find. This got a few responses, but they dried up quickly once they’d seen me in person or talked to me on the phone.

After a couple weeks of this, I had all but given up. I just couldn’t pass, and nobody could see past that. Perhaps if I had been on hormones longer before going full time things might have been better.

My savings were meager, at best, so I realized I had to do something quickly or I’d be out on the street. Getting a job in that time seemed unlikely, so I did what I had been dreading doing. I called my parents.

---

 
I arrived at my parents’ house the next day with all my worldly possessions (which consisted of my clothes and a laptop and that’s about it). I knocked and waited anxiously, wondering how they would react. My fear had gotten the better of me, and I hadn’t told my mother why I’d lost my job when I talked to her on the phone. Pretty stupid, I know, but I didn’t. So the first she was going to learn about me being female was seeing me standing there wearing a dress.

I didn’t have to wonder about her reaction long, as the door opened and there stood my mother, staring at me with her eyes bulging out of their sockets. “Kevin!” she squeaked, “What are you doing wearing that?!”

“Well, Mom, I…” I started to explain, but she shushed me and dragged me inside.

“This isn’t Halloween! What if the neighbors had seen you?!” she asked, loudly.

“I’m sorry to spring this on you like this, Mom, but this is who I am.” I tried to explain. I don’t think she heard all of it, because she threw her hands up and shrieked in frustration.

“This is not who you are! How many times do I have to tell you that you’re not a girl?!” she screamed at me.

“Wait a minute…when did this happen?!” I asked, bewildered.

She flopped down on the couch and explained exasperatedly, “Every other year, it seems like. Don’t you remember?”

“Uh…no!” I answered.

Sighing, she ticked them off on her fingers, “The first time was when you were five. You insisted you were a girl, and I explained why you couldn’t be. The second time was when you were nine, same thing. Third time was at 12. So I guess this is only the fourth time. How can you not remember all that? I spent hours drilling into your head why you couldn’t be a girl, and the last time your father explained it, too.”

Oh. “Mom, I don’t remember the first two times, and the only thing I remember from the third time was waking up in the hospital not knowing how I got there. If I hadn’t heard you two arguing about it later, I never would have known that Dad did it!” I answered. That explains sooo much! I thought.

She rolled her eyes, “Alright, I’ll explain it again, then. When you were in the hospital I had you tested, just to make sure. You are 100% genetically male. You are not a girl, not even intersexed! You are a man, and you need to get used to that fact! This stupid fantasy of yours is going to get you killed.” She finished with tears brimming in her eyes.

I felt crushed. They’d known. All along they’d known, and actively worked to prevent me from being myself. Could they ever accept me? “I’m sorry this upsets you, Mom. I’m sorry I can’t be the man you want me to be. But this is who I am. My name is Laura, now.”

“Your name is Kevin!” she screamed at me. “Get out of those ridiculous clothes before your father gets home.”

Sighing in defeat, I grabbed my bags and trudged back to my old room. I couldn’t be a boy anymore, that just wasn’t happening. Besides, I’d thrown all my male clothes away. What was I going to do?

I answered that question by crying myself to sleep on my old bed. I never heard my father get home, but the argument that started between them woke me. “He WHAT!” My father shouted. “I thought I straightened him out years ago! This time it damn well better take!”

I heard his thudding footsteps approaching, then stop as my mother yelled back, “Don’t you dare do that again! He doesn’t even remember what happened last time, thanks to you! Maybe if you hadn’t given him a concussion he might have remembered and we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“NO!” My father thundered, “You’re not blaming this on me! If you hadn’t held me back all these years, he never would have gotten this crazy idea in his head. It’s a miracle his brother isn’t as screwed up as he is!”

That was enough for me. I didn’t remember the beating that resulted in me being in the hospital, but I didn’t want to experience a repeat. I grabbed my purse, jumped out the window, and ran around to the front of the house. I paused at the kitchen window when I saw my mother standing there with tears streaming down her face. She saw me and mouthed ‘GO’. I went.

---

 
I ran for as long as I could. I didn’t really think my father would follow me, but I ran anyway. I went over everything my parents had said in my mind. It was clear, now, that my father would never accept me. I’d kind of thought so, but I never thought it would be this bad. I wasn’t sure about my mother.

She’d obviously tried very hard to keep me from following this path, but some of the things she said and did made me think she was looking out for me the best way she knew how. And maybe that was as much protecting me from my father as from anyone else. Then again, maybe she was as bad as Dad. I just didn’t know, but I wasn’t about to go back to find out.

I finally collapsed on a park bench to catch my breath several blocks from my childhood home. I guess I’ll never be able to call that home, again. I thought.

I was a real mess; gasping for air, tears streaming down my face, and shaking like a leaf. It felt like hours before I was able to calm down and get myself under control. I wasn’t usually so prone to tears, but I had been on hormones for a month or so now.

I finally got myself under control and reluctantly called my brother. I wasn’t really expecting a better reaction, but I had to try something.

“Hi Kevin, what’s up?” he answered. Well, that answers the question of whether our parents had talked to him yet or not.

“Hi George. I, uh, don’t suppose you have room for a roommate?” I asked.

“Why, who’d you have in mind?” he answered cluelessly, as usual.

“Me. I lost my job and I need a place to stay until I can get another job.” I said.

“How’d that happen?” he asked. “And why does your voice sounds so funny?”

Sighing, I answered, “Turns out my boss isn’t exactly transgender friendly. I’ve changed my name to Laura, and he fired me when I told him about it.” I held my breath, waiting to see how he’d respond. Badly, I assumed.

“You what?!” he yelled, “You still going on about that girlie shit? What is wrong with you, man? Dad’s going to blow a gasket if you show up at home in a dress!”

“Uh, yeah, kind of late to be saying that.” I answered, wincing at his tone. “I went to the house, but I had to make a run for it out the window when Dad got home.”

“Well, duh! I would’ve thought you would have learned your lesson after the last time! He gave you a concussion, man! What were you thinking?!” he demanded.

“I didn’t know that was why he gave me the concussion! The only reason I even knew he was responsible for it was that I heard him and Mom arguing about it afterwards!” I answered defensively.

He snorted, “That figures! So I guess you want to move in with me and wear dresses and skirts, huh? Well forget it! If you can leave the girls clothes behind I’ll let you stay for a while, but that’s it.”

“I only have women’s clothes, now, George. I’m not going back to being Kevin, no matter what.” I said. Come to think of it, all of my clothes were at my parents’ house. Maybe I could sneak in while my Dad was at work or something?

“Then forget it, man,” he answered, “I’m not getting involved in this. Bye.” He hung up without waiting for a response.

Well, I hadn’t really expected anything else. From there I went down my contact list on my cell phone. I had three friends I could ask. I called each in turn, but their reactions were much the same as my brother. Now what?

I sat there on that bench and stewed over my situation. No home, no job, no family, no friends. There had to be something I could do…didn’t there? Some way to salvage this situation? But what?

I realized I was shivering. I decided to head over to the nearest coffee shop and get something warm to drink. Maybe if I thawed myself out I’d be able to figure this out.

As usual, everything stopped when I walked in. I furtively shuffled up to the counter and ordered a large coffee. I tried my best to ignore the stares and comments as I waited for it. As soon as it was in my hand I retreated to the most remote corner of the room I could and sat down.

I’m not sure how long I sat there, hunched over my drink with my hands wrapped around it to warm them. Most people were staying well away from me, but occasionally someone would stray close enough to make a snide comment. So I didn’t pay attention at first when someone asked if they could sit at my table.

“Excuse me, miss. May I sit here?” she asked again. I glanced around furtively to see if she was talking to someone else, but there was no one anywhere near me. I shrugged my shoulders and continued to ignore everything.

She sat down and said, “You may think this strange, but I admire you.”

I stared at her in disbelief. Did she really just say that?! Why would anyone admire me? “Why?” I asked softly.

“Because I never had the courage to do what you’re doing.” she answered.

I took a better look at the woman sat across from me. She was a Goth, wearing all black with a corset top and short black skirt. There was no doubt whatsoever that she was female, but maybe she didn’t want to be? “You want to be a man?” I asked.

She smiled and said, “No, I’ve already been there and there’s no way I’m going back.”

My jaw bounced off the table as I gaped at her. Her clothes were pretty form fitting and she had all the right curves in all the right places, if you know what I mean. Another words, total babe! “No way!” I breathed, “You must have been the most feminine man ever to look that good now!”

“Actually I wasn’t.” she answered. “That’s part of why I never got the courage, I knew I couldn’t pass without major surgery. Even then, I would have been rather homely, I think. I was cursed with very masculine features.”

Yeah, right. No way this babe could have ever had ‘very masculine features’. Not possible. “This is some joke, isn’t it?” I asked, my voice rising involuntarily. I winced internally at how masculine it sounded.

“No!” she assured me hastily. “I wouldn’t do that. If you’ll listen I’ll explain it. It’s a long story, and you probably won’t believe it, but will you at least listen?” she asked.

I was getting angry at the thought that she was just teasing me. Women are always able to get to me like that easier, because I tend to trust them more (which is to say, at all). And what’s with that explanation? She tells me it’s a long, unbelievable story, but then asks me to listen? Not very convincing, if that’s what she was trying to do.

I was about to tell her what she could do with her story, when I remembered just what kind of situation I was in. I still needed to figure out how to salvage my life, and still had no ideas. Worrying about whether she was messing with me suddenly didn’t seem all that important.

I dropped back in my chair and sighed, hunching back over my now cold drink. “Why not?” I said. “I’ve got nothing better to do. I lost my job, my parents kicked me out, and my friends won’t speak to me. I might as well listen to your fairy tale.”

She took a long drink and then began to tell me an insane story about magical transformations, healing, invisibility, and all kinds of other impossible things. “So that’s my story.” she finished. “So,” she asked hesitantly, “what do you think?”

---

I just sat there for a moment, absorbing it all. If it were actually true, it would be the greatest thing ever for people like me. If it were true. I started to get angry again. Why was she messing with me like this? I angrily stood and strode towards the door, cold coffee in hand. As I dumped my cup in the garbage I noticed the Goth, Veronica, following me.

Two other people had stood up at a nearby table and were moving towards me, as well, and I started feeling very paranoid. I sped up and headed out, but just before I could open the door the youngest one grabbed my arm just above the elbow. She was fairly tall, but slim. I ignored her grip and kept moving, or tried to.

I turned back to look at the slim white haired girl in shock, as she hadn’t budged an inch, but my arm felt like it was just about pulled from the socket. It reminded me of part of the Goth girl’s story. I wracked my brains and remembered the name of the girl she claimed prevented her from ending her life. “Melanie?!” I whispered in astonishment.

She smiled impishly. “Got it in one! She called us before she talked to you. I guess from the hurry you were in that she freaked you out after all, huh?”

The third woman stepped up beside Melanie. She was the smallest woman I had ever seen. Not that she was *that* short, but that she was just so thin. Yet somehow she didn’t look unhealthy. This must be Ann, I mused. “Hello. I’m Ann, as you’ve guessed. I want to assure you that Veronica was not making fun of you in any way. What she told you is the truth. I know it’s hard to believe, but if you’ll give us a chance, we can prove it to you.”

By this time Goth girl…I mean Veronica, had caught up with us. “Are you alright?” she asked.

I glanced around at these three beautiful women who, they wanted me to believe, were all able to do magical things like transform their bodies any way they wanted. Their beauty made that a little easier to believe than it might otherwise be. After all, most women who look like that have had some help!

Still, what they were asking me to believe was pretty extreme. “Okay,” I said, “let’s see you prove it.”

“Okay.” Melanie said. “Let’s go.” She opened the door and walked through, still holding onto my arm. Being a fast learner, I walked with her before she could dislocate it. The others followed.

“Where are we going?” I asked hesitantly as we walked.

“Oh, we’re going a looong way. All the way back to that bench in the park.” Melanie answered impishly. I groaned, I’d spent entirely too much time on that bench today.

We soon found ourselves in the park and I sat on the bench and looked at them expectantly. “Well?” I asked.

Melanie and Veronica looked at Ann. She grimaced. “Okay, you want me to do the honors again, don’t you?” She asked. At their nod she sighed and her body became male right before my eyes! “Well, are you satisfied now?” Ann asked after a few moments of my bulging eyes staring at her. I nodded numbly and she changed back.

“So, do you need to see anything else?” Veronica asked.

“Uh, no, I guess not.” I answered. “So, are you saying you can teach me this stuff, too?”

Veronica looked to Melanie and Ann, who both nodded. “Your spirit is fairly strong, so I have no doubt you can learn.” Ann answered.

Melanie was just about bouncing off the walls, if there were any. “It takes a while to learn, but it’s really cool! And I know how to teach this stuff better now, so I can help you a lot. Between me, Ann, and Veronica, you’ll be in good hands!”

Ann looked a little uncomfortable as she said, “Actually, I can’t stay long.” She was about to continue when Melanie interrupted.

“What?! Why not? You stayed with me for months when you trained me, and you were around for most of Veronica’s training, too. Why not now?” she asked, clearly uncomfortable with Ann’s revelation.

“I have another student…in Europe.” Ann answered apologetically.

“Europe!” Veronica gasped. “How could you have a student in Europe?”

Melanie looked as shocked as Veronica at first, then comprehension dawned. “You perfected it, didn’t you?” she whispered excitedly.

Ann fidgeted as she answered, “Well, I don’t know about perfected. There’s still a lot of room for improvement…”

Melanie turned to Veronica and said, “She has! She can fly!”

I sat there gaping at this strange conversation. “What are you on about?” I asked in bewilderment.

“Ann travels a lot to find more people to help.” Melanie started explaining. “I knew she was practicing flying to travel farther faster. The last she talked about it, she was only able to fly about twenty miles an hour while remaining invisible. She comes and visits with us every week or two, so if she has a student in Europe, and was able to come back with just an hour’s notice, that means she can fly much faster.”

“Well, not quite *that* fast.” Ann countered. “I was already on my way back to tell you about my new student and let you know that I wouldn’t be around as much for a while. It would have taken several hours otherwise.”

Melanie dismissed this, “You’re just modest! You still increased your speed several times over! I wonder how fast I could get?” she mused.

“Wait a minute!” Veronica interrupted. “I know Melanie said she’d seen you levitate, but are you saying you can actually fly? And at supersonic speeds?!”

“Flying is just an advanced application of levitation. And I only fly about 950 miles per hour.” Ann answered self-consciously.

I was still sitting there with my jaw in my lap and my eyes bugging out of my head listening to this crazy conversation. “You can fly 950 miles per hour?! That is supersonic! How can you survive flying at that speed?”

Melanie looked thoughtful at that and gasped, “No! Are you actually invisible, flying, and shielding all at the same time?!”

Veronica plopped down on the bench besides me. “Shielding? What are you talking about?”

“It’s a really advanced technique.” Melanie started to explain excitedly. “You don’t have enough energy to do it yet. I can only hold it for a few seconds at a time. I knew Ann could shield really well, but I didn’t know she could fly and be invisible while shielding! That’s just awesome!”

Ann didn’t seem too comfortable with all this praise. She shuffled over to sit next to Veronica. “I’m sure you’ll learn it eventually. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have. But we’re not here to talk about that, we’re here to talk about helping you.” she said, and pointed at me. “By the way, what is your name?”

“I’m Laura.” I answered. “It’s really nice that you all want to help me, but that still doesn’t solve my problems. I still need to find a job and a place to stay.” I was starting to get bummed again. What they were offering was just starting to sink in, but it wouldn’t do me any good if I didn’t have anywhere to live while they taught me.

Their attention shifted back to me at that. “Well…” began Veronica, “If Ann’s not going to be around, maybe you could use her room?” This last part was directed at Ann uncertainly. Ann smiled and nodded for her to continue. “So a place to stay is settled, and you don’t have to worry about a job right away, you’ll be pretty busy training anyway.”

Melanie smiled at this. “Yeah, you can stay with us! I would have suggested it, anyway. Sometimes we get real bushed training, so it’s better that you don’t have to travel far to get to bed, right?”

I nodded numbly at this. Was I understanding them right, were they offering me a place to stay free of charge? I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. “If you’re all okay with that, then I’ll do it.” I said.

“Don’t worry about money.” Ann said. “I pay for the rent on the apartment, so you don’t have to worry about that. And I don’t want you even considering getting a job for a while, you’ll be very busy with training for several months at least. I’ll help get you started, but Melanie and Veronica really don’t need it. They’ll take good care of you.”

“How long are you going to be here, Ann?” Veronica asked.

“Just a couple of days.” she answered. “I can’t leave my new student alone for too long. Then I’ll have to fly back.”

“How long will you be gone?” Melanie asked. She looked pretty down, which for this girl was probably saying something.

“A few months, at least.” Ann answered apologetically. “Even then I probably won’t be around as much as I have been. I’ll have to split my time between here and there, and I’ll still want to visit other parts of the world, too.”

Melanie sighed sadly. “I guess I should have known this would happen, but I’ve just gotten used to you being around, you know? You’re the closest thing to family I have.” I could certainly empathize with that!

Veronica cleared her throat uncertainly. “Um…you’re kind of like a little sister to me, Melanie. Even if you are the one teaching me all of this…” She trailed off uncertainly, waiting for Melanie’s reaction.

Melanie looked at Veronica in shock. “Really?! I didn’t think you even liked me! I know I can be kind of pushy at times…”

Veronica chuckled. “Well, yes, you can be a little annoying sometimes. But isn’t that how little sister’s are supposed to be? Besides, my family all love you. I think they’re a little intimidated by Ann, but not you.”

I glanced across at Ann and noticed she looked sad when Veronica said that. I didn’t really know these people yet, but something about Ann made me want to help her. “Hey, don’t feel bad, Ann. I think most people would be intimidated knowing what you can do. Besides, they’re obviously confused as Melanie is clearly the intimidating one.”

Ann smiled while Melanie spluttered. “What do you mean I’m intimidating?!” Melanie finally asked.

“Well, you are the one almost ripping people’s arms out of their sockets all the time, aren’t you?” I asked reasonably.

“She’s got a point there, little sister.” Veronica said teasingly. “I had hand prints on my arm for days after I first met you.”

“Well!” Melanie huffed. “If I’m so intimidating I’ll just get out of the way, then!” With that she disappeared.

I looked around in shock, not having seen their invisibility trick yet. At least, I thought that was what she did… “Did I go too far?” I asked fearfully.

Veronica looked a little worried, too, but Ann was smiling as she said, “Don’t worry. She’s not really upset; she’s just playing with you. She hasn’t even left.”

Veronica and I both relaxed, but then Ann tensed up and yelled, “Melanie! Don’t you dare!” while seemingly glaring at me. I turned to see where Melanie was, only to find her fading back into sight right behind me with arms outstretched like she was about to grab me!

“Aw, Ann, you ruin all my fun!” she pouted. Then started giggling. Ann rolled her eyes and stood.

“I think we’d better get back to the apartment before we start attracting attention.” she said, looking at Melanie meaningfully. Melanie stopped giggling and looked contrite. For all of 5 seconds. Then she started giggling again as we all stood and left the park. I could tell this was going to be very…interesting.

---

 
Veronica took advantage of the walk back to the apartment to warn me about the first part of training. What she called ‘awakening your spirit’. It sounded downright cruel to me. Melanie seemed to think it was a bad idea to warn me about it, thinking it would lessen its effectiveness, but Ann said that my spirit is stronger than Veronica’s, so with them feeding me energy I wouldn’t need to be as distressed as Veronica did.

I asked how my spirit could possibly be stronger than Veronica, what with everything she had been through, and her already being trained. Turns out each person’s spirit is different, and although training could strengthen it, that could only accomplish so much.

So, basically, I’m spiritually well endowed. Veronica’s more average, and Melanie is very well endowed. And Ann is just ridiculously well endowed. Which just sounds like a really weird conversation to be having. Even in my head.

It was getting pretty late by now, so we picked up some Chinese on the way (Turns out that’s Ann’s favorite). After eating I was all for going to bed, but Ann suggested that awakening my spirit now, while I was physically and emotionally tired, would work better.

“Besides,” she added, “I’d like to get you started before I leave, and you’ll need to rest after awakening your spirit. This way we have all of tomorrow to work with you before I have to go back.” This made sense to me, so I agreed.

What came next was one of the most miserable experiences of my life. They each took turns saying things to upset me. I knew what they were doing, but they hit more than a few buttons. And the being fed energy thing just felt weird! Of course, that was nothing compared to when we finally managed to pull it off.

Apparently sensing the thoughts and emotions of those around you, along with seeing their auras, is par for the course. Lucky me, I got to have three trained spirit…users?… or whatever you want to call them at hand to sense that stuff from. Ann told me later that the thoughts and emotions of people trained to use their spirit energy tend to be ‘louder’ and more distinct than the untrained. Also, their auras are much…brighter, for lack of a better term.

Anyway, it was pretty overwhelming. Once I ‘relaxed’, as they called it, things mostly returned to normal. Still, it was also exhilarating, because it meant that I was one big step closer to being me!

“So, how are you feeling now?” Ann asked after I had some time to recover.

“Hopeful.” I admitted. “I hadn’t really given up, per se, but I was close. I don’t know how I can thank you for what you’re doing. I think you’ve saved my life.” Melanie and Veronica shared knowing glances when I said that. I guess they felt much the same when they started. Especially Veronica, since she actually tried to kill herself. I thought.

Veronica nodded somberly to me, and I realized she’d caught that thought. It was going to take some getting used to, living with people who could literally read my mind.

“Hey, don’t sweat it!” Melanie said. “Veronica only hears people’s thoughts some of the time. And I usually won’t respond to your thoughts. It really weirded me out when Ann did that when we first met.” I nodded back, and yawned.

“I think it’s time for bed.” Ann said. “I need to do some packing, will you be alright on the couch tonight Laura?”

Seeing as how I’d been contemplating sleeping outdoors tonight, I wasn’t about to complain about a couch! “Sure, Ann! It’s a comfy couch.” I answered. And it was.

---

 

I awoke to the smell of pancakes. I wandered groggily into the kitchen to find Melanie cooking away. She smiled brightly at me with a “good morning” and returned to her work.

As I was sitting down at the table Ann walked in carrying two large boxes. I offered to help her with them but she smiled and said, “It’s alright, they’re too heavy for you, anyway.” It was surreal to hear that from someone so small, but I took her word for it.

Veronica finally dragged herself in just before Melanie finished with the pancakes. Evidently not a morning person. They all looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if they had peanut butter. The barbarians had never heard of putting peanut butter on pancakes!

After breakfast Ann gave me the rundown on how spirit energy works, what you can do with it, etc. She, Melanie, and Veronica would take turns demonstrating things. Apparently Veronica had never seen anyone levitate before, because she looked as shocked as me when Ann did it. Not to be outdone, Melanie joined her.

After that little demonstration Ann said, “Since I’m not going to be around as much anymore, there’re a few things you need to know. First off, every spirit is different. Some spirits are simply too undeveloped to be awakened. Veronica’s spirit is at the low end. Anybody with a weaker spirit won’t be able to be awakened. That’s important, because you may find someone else like yourselves who’s spirit is too weak to be awakened. In that case telling them about what you can do would be counter productive because you couldn’t help them.”

Melanie and Veronica were both thoughtful at this, and I think we were all a little sad, thinking about how many desperate people there might be out there that could not be helped in this way. Depressing as it was, I was glad Ann told us about it, or we might have made a tragic mistake.

“Another thing,” Ann continued, “is that you need to be careful not to try something that is beyond you. For instance, Veronica, I would not suggest you try to fly. I’m sure you can learn to levitate, but flying takes too much power for you. Similarly, while Melanie is perfectly capable of learning to fly, she needs to understand her limits or she could end up flying over an ocean and running out of energy.”

Melanie gulped at that, with her enthusiasm about flying and her abilities in general, I figured this was a much needed caution.

After that little talk, it was training time. It was just the same as what we’d done last night, just over and over again. Ann had Melanie supply most of the power because she needed to save hers up for her flight. Veronica wanted to help, but Ann cautioned that this was another thing that Veronica should keep away from.

I felt a little bad for Veronica; she seemed so much more limited than the others. Or even me, once I’m fully trained. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t seem too bothered.

After exhausting ourselves training, Ann and Veronica made up lunch for all of us. Melanie and I scarfed ours, then crashed.

I woke up a few hours later. They were all watching TV and, presumably, waiting for me to wake up. Ann congratulated me on already reaching the point where I didn’t need extra energy to connect. Apparently it took Veronica a lot longer to reach that point. Then she explained what I’d be doing next in my training.

“Well, I’ve done about as much as I can.” Ann said. “Melanie and Veronica will finish your training. Now I’ve got to get going. Do you have any questions for me before I go?”

“No, I can’t think of any.” I answered.

“Okay. By the time I see you again, you should be well on your way to fixing your birth defect. Good luck.” She said, and gave me a hug goodbye. She did the same with Veronica and then approached Melanie.

“I’m going to miss you.” Melanie said with tears in her eyes. “You’ve been like a mother to me, much better than the woman who gave birth to me.”

Ann was looking a bit teary-eyed, too. “I’m going to miss you too. It’s been a pleasure to watch you grow these last two years. You were already an extraordinary girl when I met you, and you’ve grown into a wonderful woman.”

They embraced tearfully and just held on to each other for a while. I kind of felt like I was intruding and I think Veronica did, too. We gave them a little space to say goodbye. Eventually they let go, said goodbye, and Ann left.

Veronica and I tried to cheer Melanie up, not a task either of us ever thought would be necessary, I think. Veronica was starting to get a little down, too. I could see they weren’t going to get anywhere like this, so I took a look at their DVD collection.

“Anybody up for a movie?” I asked as I looked.

“Whatever.” Melanie answered.

Veronica looked at me like I was crazy for a moment, but then I think she figured out what I was trying to do, as she said, “Sure, what did you have in mind?”

“Hmm, how about this?” I asked, holding up a DVD case.

“Spaceballs? What’s that?” Melanie asked.

Veronica smiled, so I knew she was familiar with the movie. “It’s a parody on Star Wars. It’s hilarious!” she said.

Melanie shrugged, so I put it in the machine and we settled down to watch it. It was just as funny as I remembered it. Melanie was a little slow to warm up to it, still being sad about Ann leaving I’m sure, but soon she was rolling on the floor laughing.

After the movie Veronica started making dinner while Melanie ran me ragged with more training. She seemed to be her old self again, so I didn’t mind.

Dinner was a welcome break. Afterwards training resumed. I only lasted a couple of hours.

After a trip to the bathroom and getting changed for bed I was about to climb into my, well Ann’s, bed when there was a knock on the door. I felt a bit self-conscious being seen in my nightgown, knowing how incongruous I looked, but I answered it.

Veronica was on the other side of the door. “Hi Laura. I just wanted to say goodnight, and to thank you for helping to cheer Melanie up. She’s usually so upbeat that it’s easy to forget that she’s really had it pretty rough. Her parents rejected her violently, so Ann and I are all she has.”

I thought back to what I had learned about my own father. “Yeah, I can relate to that. I’m glad I could help.” With that we said goodnight and I was about to close the door when Melanie called for me to wait.

“Hi Laura. I’m sorry I got all moody on you guys like that. It’s just really weird not to have Ann here, or at least really close like she has been, you know?” Melanie said, or asked, I’m not sure.

I smiled, “It’s no problem Melanie. I think I understand how you feel. It would be easy to get attached to someone as nice as Ann. She seems to be about as close to an angel as we’re ever likely to meet.”

Melanie beamed back at me, “Yeah, she’s really cool! She kind of has a hero complex, I think, but in a good way. Like, she doesn’t want recognition or anything, she just feels compelled to help people. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize, and say thanks.”

“Thanks? For what?” I asked innocently.

Melanie tapped the side of her head and said, grinning, “Mind reader, remember? I didn’t notice at the time because I was all upset, but I know you and Veronica were trying to cheer me up, and that movie did the trick. So thanks, and goodnight!” With that Melanie skipped back to her room.

I don’t know if I’m ever going to get used to this mind reading business, I thought, as I climbed into bed and drifted off.

---

 
We settled into a routine after that. They took turns talking me through each step of my training. Whoever wasn’t working with me did the cooking and cleaning. I got out of it because the training was a whole lot more tiring for me, than for them. In fact, since they didn’t need to feed me energy, I was the one doing all of the work.

It was at least a month before I was ready to learn about healing. Like Veronica, I had no injuries to heal, so I was going to piggyback on Melanie while she did it. I learned invisibility as Veronica had, and how to align my senses with Melanie’s.

“Have you ever done this before?” I asked Melanie as we were walking towards the nearest hospital. I was referring to healing. I had fallen into the habit of abbreviating what I said to her, because with her ability to hear my thoughts, I didn’t really need to extrapolate.

“No, I haven’t. I’ve seen Ann do it a lot, and I’ve healed myself, but that’s it.” Melanie answered. “Don’t worry though,” she added, “I can totally do this. It’s really not that complicated.”

I nodded and we continued on. I was keeping my head down and trying not to attract attention. The girls had helped me find some better clothes, and to figure out better makeup techniques, so I looked a little better than before. I was still very nervous about it, though. I knew I didn’t pass well at all.

It didn’t take long to reach the hospital. Once inside we became invisible, and I gave out a sigh of relief. I was now totally blind, true, but now nobody could see me!

We wandered around the hospital for a while. I suspect we got a little lost, but I couldn’t ask because invisibility doesn’t include inaudibility. Eventually Veronica pulled me to a halt and placed my hand on Melanie’s. I synched up with her and ‘watched’ as she patched up some poor guy’s heart enough to keep him alive. She did seem to know what she was doing.

After healing two more people, we came across a woman in *really* bad shape. There didn’t seem to be a single organ or system in her body that wasn’t affected. Melanie spent quite a bit of time working on her. Once Melanie had done all she could, I expected us to move on, but we didn’t. She kept her concentration on the sick woman for a long time. I couldn’t tell what she was doing, though.

“This is bad.” I heard Melanie whisper. I could only guess we were in a private room if she was willing to risk speaking.

“What is it?” Veronica asked, also whispering.

“This woman, she had a really bad degenerative disease. She was in such bad shape, I was able to completely cure the disease, and then repair the worst of the damage before her spirit forced me out.” Melanie paused for a moment before saying, “It didn’t do any good.”

“Huh?” I whispered.

“How could that not do any good?” Veronica asked.

Melanie sighed sadly and said, “She has a really powerful spirit, stronger than mine.”

“How is that a bad thing?” Veronica asked incredulously.

Still synched with Melanie, I could feel the sadness and frustration coming from her. “She’s given up. She just wants to die, to get away from the pain. Her spirit is acting on that wish. She’s killing herself.”

---

 To Be Continued...