Another BigCloset TopShelf story. Charlene's ability to be 'On Time' is questioned...

Tales of the Season : Charlene's Story
By
Lisa Elizabeth
Chapter Nine
..... And So The Drill Begins!
Charlie left the dining room confused about what could possibly take two to three hours to complete before he went to bed! He didn't have to wait long to find out! Marie was waiting in the bedroom for him when he walked in.
"Ah, there you are, Cherie! We have much to do before bedtime. Let us begin, yes?" Marie became a whirlwind of activity with that comment.
First she unbuttoned the back of the dress and helped Charlie slip it over his head. He was instructed to hang it in the closet on a rack marked for clothes to be cleaned. He then was told to carefully remove his hose and garter belt and place them in the hamper. When that was completed Marie took Charlie into the bathroom.
"This is makeup remover, it is used for your eye makeup and mascara." Marie stated pointing to one of the bottles on the counter. "This jar contains cold cream. You will use it to remove the foundation and blusher from your cheeks. When you are through with those two on your face we will continue."
Charlie looked over the items on the counter. He noticed some small cotton pads next to the bottle of makeup remover. He picked one up, poured on the remover and wiped his eyelid. He was pleasantly surprised to see the makeup came off easily! He had been afraid that it might have been some sort of permanent dye and he would have blue eyelids for months!
After cleaning both eyes, he applied the cold cream all over his face and rubbed it in as the instructions on the jar had said. He then wiped it off with a warm washcloth and dried his face. When he looked in the mirror, all the makeup was gone. He then went back into the bedroom to find Marie.
Marie's critical eye checked him over carefully. "Not bad for your first time, Mon Petite. You will get better as time goes by."
This surprised Charlie. He thought he had done a good job of cleaning his face. Now he checked closely in the mirror every time he was near one to see what he missed.
"Come along Charles, we need to get your hair ready." Marie motioned him back into the bathroom where she used a sprayer and wet his hair down. After demonstrating to him how to properly dry his hair and wrap a towel into a simple turban, Marie made him practice the turban three or four times until he did it smoothly. He was then told to go sit at the vanity.
Once seated, Charlie was again trying to see what he had missed in removing his makeup. While he was busy, Marie rolled a cart out from the bathroom loaded with curlers.
"Stop staring and please sit up straight. Your face is fine for now!" Marie told Charlie. "Now pay close attention to what I am doing, you will be doing this yourself very soon!"
Marie then started combing and separating Charlie's hair into sections. Each of these sections she coated with a gel and rolled onto a large curler, then secured with a clip. After Marie did the first two she had Charlie do the next few. It took him quite a bit longer to get the section gelled, rolled and clipped but eventually he completed the task. They completed putting in the curlers following that same pattern, Marie would start the row, Charlie would finish the rest of the sections. By the time they finished, Charlie thought his arms would fall off!
Next Marie took a small bowl and had Charlie stick his hands in it to soak. While they were soaking, she removed the cart and pulled up a tray and a chair next to Charlie. "I will now show you how to properly manicure your hands and feet! Once again, watch carefully as you will be doing this yourself."
Marie slid one hand out of the bowl and dried it, then went about filing and buffing Charlie's nails. All the time she was doing this she kept up a light conversation, asking about his family and what Southern California was like. When she was happy with the shape of his nails and cuticles she demonstrated how to apply a rose colored polish to his nails. Marie did the first one then had Charlie do the rest of his hand. this was repeated on the other hand. Next Marie had Charlie raise up his foot and the procedure was repeated for them. The only difference were the cotton balls Marie showed him. He was told to place them between his toes for polishing and allowing the polish to dry.
"Miss Marie? It's really kind of boring sitting here waiting for nail polish to dry isn't it?" Charlie asked quietly.
"Oui! I agree, but it is one of those things you must learn. Ms. Thompson says so. I personally believe that it will help you learn patience! But you must ask Ms. Thompson to be sure." was Marie's reply.
While Charlie sat there waiting for his nails to dry, Marie put away the cart and all the items she had taken out to 'prepare' Charlie for bed. He sat there fascinated by the shape and color of his hands, and a little polish made his feet seem more girlish. He was lost in this thought when the bedroom door opened and Jane Thompson walked in.
"Charles! I see Marie is almost done with you for tonight!" Jane said in her sternest voice. "You and I have a few 'rules' to go over before you go to sleep. Listen carefully for they will determine whether you stay or leave this Friday!"
Jane's voice shook Charlie out of his preoccupation with his nails. He looked at her and really only heard the part about listening and determining whether he would stay or leave. "Yes ma'am", was his reply.
Jane noticed that she finally had his attention so she continued. "In this house we practice modesty and cleanliness as part of your learning process. I know you think you know how to be clean, but a young lady is under a much harsher microscope in our society and must adhere to a more rigorous schedule of personal hygiene. Therefore, you will always bathe at night before bed to remove any trace of makeup and again in the morning so that you are fresh for the day's activities! Is this understood?"
"Yes ma'am." Came the canned reply.
"From now until I say otherwise there are two items of clothing that you will ALWAYS wear! One is a proper pair of panties and the other is a bra. These two items will serve to remind you of exactly what is demanded of you. If you show up without either of these garments on I will terminate your training and ship you off to the courts immediately!" Jane noticed the boy pale when she mentioned sending him back to the courts.
"For tonight I have come up here to personally prepare you for bed. It is my habit to insure that you fully understand what is happening to you and the best way to accomplish that is to tell you about it while I assist you." Jane looked deeply into Charlie's eyes, there was a fear in there that she always saw the first night in her boys. It made her smile a little.
Charlie had been looking at Jane when she told him all these things he had to remember. The smile that formed on her face looked almost predatory to Charlie's mind when she paused to look at him.
Jane continued her normal speech on learning to become a sweet, winsome, lovely, demure girl in order to learn better ways of handling the 'stresses' that had gotten Charles into this predicament. While she talked, she applied a foundation, mascara and blusher to his face. She then had him stand to remove his petticoat, properly hang it in the closet and handed him a simple Rose colored satin nightgown to slip into.
"I understand that it is only nine-thirty, Charles, but we have a lot to accomplish tomorrow and breakfast is at eight AM sharp. I expect you there wearing what you have on now along with that robe and the slippers next to your bed. Is that clear?" Jane instructed. "We will commence your lessons right after we eat!"
"Yes ma'am." Seemed to be the only words Charlie knew for the past half-hour. He was afraid to say anything else at this point. He saw the robe and when he looked next to the bed, there was a pair of Rose colored mules with a two-inch heel. 'Those must be the slippers she's talking about.'
"Ah! One final thing and you shall be ready!" Jane reached for the tube of lipstick. Handing it to Charlie, she continued. "I want you to apply this to your lips. It is a simple task. You have seen it done many times by the women you know. It will be your first lesson in making yourself 'pretty'!"
By this time, Charlie's hands were shaking again. 'I don't have a clue..' He finally took a deep cleansing breath and removed the cap. After fumbling with the tube a little he figured out how to extend the lipstick and then very carefully coated his lips. 'Sort of like coloring! You just have to stay inside the lines!' Happy with his completion of the task, he smiled at himself and then looked at Jane.
"Adequate for now." Jane stated examining Charlie's lips. "You still need to blot the excess as Marie showed you earlier."
That comment had taken the satisfaction out of Charlie. He thought he had done damn good for it being the first time he had ever applied lipstick! 'Just what the hell does she expect! I've never put on makeup before, except for Halloween and then I got Mom to do it so it would look good!' With a sigh, Charlie took a tissue and blotted his lipstick the way Marie had shown him earlier. ‘Bitch!’
"Good! I see it is now almost ten, so it is bedtime for all of us. I shall see you in the morning, Charles." Jane then motioned Charlie to the bed. After he was in, she tucked him in like a small child. She made a parting comment. "I want you think about what we talked about tonight. I want you to remember that sweet girlish face that you saw last in the mirror. That is to be your fate for the foreseeable future, consider this well, Charles, for you only have until Friday to show me you mean to succeed." Jane walked to the door, turned out the light and closed the door behind her.
Charlie laid there in the dark with his eyes wide open, nowhere near tired or sleepy. He had followed Jane Thompson as she left the room, heard the door close and then heard the 'click' of the lock. "Guess I'm here until morning!" He said to the darkness. He lay there for a few more minutes and then let out a big sigh. So many thoughts were running through his mind. So many experiences for just one day! In less than twelve hours, he had gone from a boy riding on a train, to meeting two women and a girl his age. He had been chastised for his manners and then told he would become a sweet young girl or be shipped off to a juvenile detention center. To top it off, he now was in a very frilly bed, wearing a girl's nightgown, makeup on his face and curlers in his hair, which were very uncomfortable to lay on.
As Charlie reviewed everything that had happened today, he went through a myriad of emotions. He was scared, upset, angry, almost hysterical and sad at various times during the day. After taking another deep sigh, the emotions that bothered him the most were the fascination and curiosity that went with seeing his female image! Both times that he had looked in the mirror, after putting on the clothes and makeup, had made him shiver inside. If he had met a girl that looked like he did, he would have tried to talk to her and get a date. That thought caused him to shake visibly and become even more awake. 'What if someone asks me for a date? Oh, god!'
********
After locking Charlie's door, Jane walked across the hall and knocked on Joan's door. "Come in!," came from inside and Jane entered.
"Good evening Aunt Jane! Did you need something before bed time?" Joan queried as she rose from the vanity stool.
"Yes dear! Today went very well! I believe that young Mr. Hawkins will fall into line just as you did after a few short days." Jane could see her student's cheeks flush at that comment. "But that be as it may, I still need to show him that punishments are needed even for the older students. Do you remember Darla's punishment on the second day?"
Joan thought for a minute. That seemed so long ago, in reality it was only six months! "Yes I do. I believe that she had a temper tantrum and you had her dress as a very young girl for part of the second day. I remember seeing her at lunch with pigtails and a little girl style party dress."
"Yes dear, that was staged for your benefit! Just as you will stage a tantrum tomorrow morning to teach your 'little sister' the perils of disobeying the rules in this house! I believe that a bit of a snit during breakfast with you being sent to your room will set the stage. I will bring you a tray with the remainder of your breakfast. You are doing my bidding so I would not punish you truly. Later in the morning, I would like you to disrupt your piano practice. We will plan things more in the morning, I just want you to complain about having to practice at breakfast, alright dear?" Jane's tone softened, she didn't like this part of the indoctrination process. Having to punish the older student, but it made the new student realize that they needed to follow the rules.
"I would guess that is why those childish dresses and shoes returned to my closet today. I am correct in that assumption, Aunt Jane?" Joan let out a sigh.
"Yes, Joan you are correct. It will only be for a few days and hopefully Charles will understand the consequences of disobeying very quickly!" Came the reply.
"Anything else?"
"Yes, you need to be thinking of a name for your 'little sister'. Tomorrow after lunch, I would like you to tour the grounds with Charles. Just chat and get to know each other, for you will be together for a few months yet, then as you come back towards the house visit the gardens, where old Tom will be working. At that point, you will introduce 'Charles' to Tom! It was the same for you, no?" Jane saw Joan blush remembering how upset she was when Darla had first introduced her to Tom as 'Joan'. "Most likely he will react the same way you did. Just remember that you are trying to protect the fact that he is a 'boy dressed as a girl' and it will turn out alright!"
Joan shook her head slowly. "I now understand why all these things were done to me and Darla reminded me that I would be asked to do the same things for my 'little sister'. If I can help you keep Charles from the same fate I would have had, I am happy to help, Aunt Jane."
Jane smiled at that response. "You truly have come a long way since you first stepped into my home, Joan. I am VERY proud of you. Now, goodnight, I will see you at breakfast." With that Jane turned and headed for the door.
"Good night, Aunt Jane and thank you for helping me." Joan said as the head of Season's House left her bedroom.
Jane smiled at Joan as she shut the door. The walk down the hall was on 'auto-pilot' since the tears that formed in her eyes blurred her vision. 'That 'thank you' is what I live for!' She thought as she headed for her upstairs study. 'A short call to the Hawkins family to assure them that Charles arrived safely. Then a call to my husband, to have his voice hold me at this wonderful time. I just wish Art were here to do the actual holding tonight.'