Thomas indicated for Toby to sit next to him on the couch. "Toby, I find it unconscionable that someone would do such a thing to another person, much less someone your age. You'll understand if I'm angry because of what you experienced, and I hope I haven't taken my anger out on you in some way."

When Thomas finished speaking, Toby shook his head and told Thomas, "Thank you for caring, Thomas, but you haven't taken your anger out on me. You've been compassionate the whole time, something I appreciate."

Thomas smiled and replied, "Thank you for that, Toby, I can sometimes get a little overzealous when I get angry. Now, in examining your scars, and those recent ones, your body has a great deal of healing to complete before we can do anything. I'd like to see them look like old scars before we start treating them. My knee-jerk reaction is to not start with surgery. Your body has undergone a severe shock due to the beatings, it doesn't need any more brought on by surgery. My first thought is to use a good scar cream to see if that would lessen those scars. The cream may work better on your legs than your butt and back, but we'd have to wait and see. That is just my initial thought, though my team may have other ideas. Do you have any questions for me?"

"How long would the cream treatment last? And if surgery was necessary, how would you deal with all of my scars?"

Thomas had nodded his head at Toby's questions, answering, "The cream I'm thinking about isn't toxic at all, so it could be used as long as we wanted it used. As to surgery if necessary, I can't answer that question, Toby. My team and I would have to meet with you to get crisp pictures of the scars. We'd then have to sit down and decide the best approach without causing any more scars. But how about we wait on that solution until we see if the cream does the trick? I think it will, but before anything is done, all ideas have to be approved by my team. We have to reach a consensus on the best course of treatment. However, we need to let your body completely heal itself before we do anything, so don't fret over what we might decide. Oh, and just so you know, everything I'm doing is pro bono, so that's one worry you can throw out."

Jill chimed in with, "If you don't have any more questions, Toby, it might be best if you head to the library. You don't want to get behind in your lessons."

Toby shook his head when asked if he had more questions, and snorted when Jill hinted at getting behind in his lessons. "I've no more questions right now, I may have more later when a course of treatment is decided. Get behind in my lessons, Jill? Ha! If anything, I'm ahead of the lesson plan Susan had for me. She gives me a textbook and I'll be halfway through it before she turns around. And I've aced every test I've been given. I think her hair is getting thin."

Insinuating Susan was pulling her hair out over Toby, caused Jill to laugh. "You better go, Toby, before Janie comes in here and gives you what for."

Holding out his right hand to Thomas, after Thomas took his hand and shook it, Toby told the man, "Thank you for what you're doing, Thomas. If I'm completely honest, I was worried about what my back, butt, and legs would look once everything has healed. At least now there's a chance they won't look too bad."

Pumping Toby's hand again, Thomas told him, "You're more than welcome, Toby. I'm glad there's something we can do to help you. I think I see Jane coming out of the study."

Toby turned his head to look toward the study, watching as the door opened and Marie walked out of the study, closing the door behind her and heading toward the kitchen. "I better go," Toby announced, before getting up from the couch and heading to the library. Jill and Thomas heard him knock on the library door, then the door opened and closed, the voices being heard cut off as the door closed.

Thomas was looking down at the floor when he said, "That's a fine young man, Jill. He's gone through hell and came out the other side without losing himself. Whatever he does with his life, others will benefit. I think I've done all I can today and better go. Are you coming, Jill, or do you have more you want to do?"

"Ah, no, Thomas, I'm all through. I just wanted to check Toby to make sure he didn't break anything open. It all looks good so far. We better go find Janie and talk to her before we leave, she'll want to know what you've decided or are planning. She's funny like that."

They got off the couch together and walked over to the study. Jill knocked on the door, opened it, and after sticking her head through the opening, asked, "Janie, you got a minute?"

Jane was on the phone but waved them into the study. Jill led Thomas into the study before closing the door behind her. Jane held up a finger, then pointed to the table near the window. They walked over to the table but sidestepped it for the window itself. "Ever since my wife and I moved up here, I always marvel at the beauty of the area. It gets colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra in winter, but the spring, summer, and fall, make up for it. They'll bury me up here, Jill."

Jill was silent for a moment after Thomas spoke, then said, "I never looked at it that way until I came back to practice. Now, I couldn't live anywhere else."

Arms encircled Jill as the voice added, "Thomas has it correct. The spring, when everything starts to wake after a long cold time. The summer, when everything is in its full splendor. And the fall, when everything is getting ready for a long sleep. Then you have to tolerate the cold so you can witness it happening all over again." While still holding Jill, Jane asked, "So, Thomas, what's your initial assessment? Will you and your team be able to help Toby? He's brave, but I suspect worried about his appearance once his body is healed."

Thomas turned and walked around the table before pulling out a chair. He waited until Jill and Jane did the same on their side of the table and sat down. After sitting down, he began outlining his findings. "As I told Toby, Jane, nothing can be done until his body is completely healed. Not having consulted my team, my initial thinking is to use a scar cream on his back, butt, and legs, before considering surgery. His body had experienced one hell of a shock being beaten like that, Jane, and to opt for surgery right off, before his body is over the shock of being beaten, could cause him more problems. And there's the fact it involves his entire back, not a patch or two. If surgery would be called for, we'd have to come up with a way to remove those scars without making him look like a patchwork quilt. But right now, he needs to heal completely and I need to consult with my team. I will tell you something, Jane. That's one fine young man staying with you. He's going to be a benefit no matter what he does with his life."

Jane looked at Thomas a moment before she spoke. "Thank you for the initial assessment, Thomas. Even I could see it would be difficult in dealing with all of those scars. He surprised us when he arrived, Thomas. We'd been led to believe he was an arrogant and rude individual, only to find the young man you met. Would it surprise you to know he wants to become a psychologist? He's worried it won't happen because of his involvement in the shoplifting spree. That outcome depends on the prosecuting attorney, whether they accept he had little choice if he didn't want to continue being beaten."

Thomas slowly shook his head at Jane's words. "They can't be that stupid, Jane, not to see he had little choice in stopping the beatings." He then added, "Yeah, given his demeanor, I can see him as a psychologist, an outstanding psychologist. Well, if you don't have any more questions, I better be going. Jill will keep me informed about Toby's progress, then we can get to work helping him."

Jill put her arm around Jane's shoulders, leaned into her, and kissed her on her cheek. "I better go too, Janie. I have two appointments this morning and need to get ready for them. I like how well he's healing so will see him again in three days. If he still looks good then, I'll stretch out the days. As usual, if anything comes up, call me immediately. Otherwise, don't let him do anything that over-stretches his skin." She gave Jane another kiss before the three stood up and Jill and Thomas followed Jane to the study door. Jane opened the door and allowed the two to exit the study first, closing the door behind her after walking out of the study. She walked with them to the front door, unlocked it before opening it and bidding the two goodbye. Jane watched until they got into Jill's car, and Jill backed out of the driveway. Jane and Jill waved at each other before Jane closed and locked the front door, happy something could be done for Toby.

Before Jane had a chance to turn around and return to the study, a pair of arms went around her waist and she felt a chin rest on her right shoulder. "So, will Thomas be able to do something for Toby? Or, as I suspect, it's too early to form a working plan?"

Jane leaned her head into Sherry's left cheek, and reached up with her right hand to gently stroke Sherry's right cheek. "Let's go into the study and discuss what Thomas told me," Jane said to Sherry, stroking her dear friend's right cheek again. Sherry lightly kissed Jane on her right cheek, lifted her chin off Jane's shoulder, and took her hands from around Jane's waist. After letting Jane turn around, Sherry took Jane's left hand and they walked together to the study.

Opening the study door, Jane pulled Sherry into the study with her, stopping to let Sherry close the door behind them. Jane began speaking as they walked over to the table. "Right now, there's nothing Thomas can do until Toby's body has completely healed," she told Sherry, pulling out a chair on the window side of the table and sitting down. As Sherry pulled out a chair on the opposite side of the table, directly across from Jane, Jane told her, "Because of the severity of the scarring, he doesn't want to opt for surgery right off because they'd have to come up with a way to deal with his entire back. He's worried surgery would cause Toby to end up looking like a patchwork quilt. His initial assessment is to use what he called scar cream, it's specifically made to help lessen the appearance of scars. But as he said, Toby's body would need to completely heal, and he'd have to present his assessment to his team."

Jane had her hand folded in front of her on the table as she spoke. Sherry reached across the table and took Jane's hands, asking, "So, love, how are you doing? Do you still want to go bastard hunting, or are you content to let the experienced hunter lead the way?"

Jane smiled at Sherry's hunting reference, replying, "If I let myself, I'd be happy to hunt down those bastards and remove them from the face of the Earth. But what would happen to those boys Ruth sees who are redeemable if I did that? She'd have no choice but to send them to juvenile detention, where they'd be sucked deeper down the wrong road. No, Sherry. I've decided to let the experienced hunters, as you put it, take the lead and do what they do best, while I do what I do best. Though I will admit something to you, I feel lost."

Sherry gave Jane a questioning look before asking, "Lost how?"

Jane took a deep breath, sighed, then explained her feelings to Sherry. "Sherry, when Marie and I have a new boy with us, we have to get him to do what he's told when he's told without complaining. As you can imagine, being told he's going to be presenting as a girl, wearing all girls clothing, every type of girls clothing, will shock him. And naturally, he will balk, complain, or dig in his heels and flatly refuse to do so. He learns all of this only after I have acquired his word of honor to do what he's told when he's told and not complain. So, when he throws a fit because he's about to be presenting as a girl, I throw his word of honor back into his face, challenging his ego with it. I also threatened to send them home dressed as they are, you can imagine how that went over with them. That usually had the desired effect, and we had little to no trouble with that boy doing what he was told. However, some of our boys did complain even after giving us their word of honor, which resulted in consequences for that boy, usually more of the same but a touch worse."

Just as Jane was about to continue her explanation to Sherry, the study door opened and Marie walked into the study carrying a tray on which sat a pitcher of water and several glasses. She sat the tray on the end of the table, reached out and patted the women's hands, turned, and left the study, closing the door behind her. Sherry had watched as Marie walked across the study, sat the tray down on the table, then left the study. She shook her head, then told Jane, "You know, the way she always shows up when she's needed, does make it seem mystic. And, if I didn't know better, I would believe she is psychic."

Jane chuckled before saying, "Well, let's keep our secret between us. We don't want our boys to learn they are being watched."

"Okay," Sherry began, "You have explained how you normally work, so what's got you feeling lost?"

Sherry watched as Jane pursed her lips, knowing this was a sign Jane was organizing her thoughts. "When Frank arrived, Marie and I began our usual program. When I awoke Frank, I could tell he was scared, but only recently discovered why he was scared; being sent back to Agnus scared him. Because Frank was scared, it became easy to have him give me his word of honor and do what he was told when he was told. But he just went through the motions, he seemed dead inside. Nothing Marie and I tried sparked him in any way. Then Charles arrived, which started to anger me because I'd swore never to have another Kenneth in my home, though Ruth explained she had little choice except to let Strom take him to Federal Court and add additional charges. Charles spotted Francis as a Frank right off, thanks to his being given dispensation to take an Anatomy and Physiology course at a University near his home. Plus, he already knew about Pettycoat Punishment because of a paper he had to write for a class and came across the reference. Do you see that chair over there," and Jane pointed to the straight-back chair sitting against the far wall. "When our new boys come into the study to meet with me, I have them sit in that chair I then have sitting in front of my desk. Oh, Sherry, that's the most uncomfortable chair you'd ever sit in. The seat is completely flat, like sitting on a board. The back is completely straight, making the boy sit up straight. You might tolerate it for a few minutes, but my time with the boy is calculated to last long enough so he starts to find the chair uncomfortable. At that point, he wants nothing more than to get out of the chair, so getting him to give me his word of honor is his way of doing just that."

Jane stopped talking and reached for the pitcher of water, pouring water into two glasses. She offered one to Sherry before taking the other and taking a long drink. "After a few minutes, Frank was squirming while sitting in that chair and quickly gave me his word of honor. But Charles was different, the uncomfortable nature of the chair didn't phase him. All through our talk, he sat there ramrod straight, never once fidgeting or squirming. I also found it interesting how he looked me directly in the eyes, never once shifting his eyes away from mine. As we talked, he said something I could latch onto and use to my advantage. His parents told him experience is the best teacher, and I milked it for what it was worth. I pointed out how being one of my girls was an experience he'd get nowhere else, unless someone had a costume party, and he ended up going as a girl. I kept emphasizing that point, and he eventually decided to become one of my girls. And then he did something a student would only do to their sensei, he gave me a ritual bow, pledging his honor to me. Since that time, he has never refused to do what he was told, though, at the salon and The Style Shoppe, he was scared when he found out what he'd be doing; afraid he'd be seen for a boy dressed as a girl. Fortunately, Carolyn at the salon, and Gale at The Style Shoppe, reasoned with him, asking if he wasn't perceived only as a cute girl when he was at the Mall. He couldn't deny it, as the reaction of a few proved they thought he was a cute girl. Oh, Sherry, I do have something you must see, and I hope you're a wise woman who carries a spare pair of panties with you. Because after watching the video, you may need them. And if you spread what I'm about to tell you, you and I are going to the pond and you're going swimming. After watching Charlotte walk the runway dressed in all-black lingerie, I so wished Art was here when I got home."

Sherry laughed with a surprised look on her face. "Why, Jane Thompson. You mean to tell me one of your girls got your motor running after she did her best doing what you told her to do? Oh, this I gotta see.

They both pushed their chairs back, stood up and Sherry followed Jane to her desk. Jane sat down in the high-backed chair, pulled out a set of keys, and unlocked the security drawer. Pulling the drawer out farther than normal, she removed a panel that appeared to be the back of the drawer. Reaching into the opening, she extracted a long wallet-type case. After opening the wallet-type case, it turned out to be a thumb drive storage case. Taking out the highest-numbered thumb drive, Jane inserted it into a USB port in the computer, opened a file labeled, Charlotte, found the video she wanted, and started it playing. As Sherry watched the video, while standing behind Jane, she watched as Charlotte modeled several styles of dresses and swimwear before she watched her model lingerie. When it came to the part Jane told her about, Jane smiled when Sherry said, "Oh, my, gawd! Where did she learn to work a runway like that? Wait, I know that movement, and that one. She's doing Katas as she walks. My, gawd, she is so hot doing that."

"Look at the women in the audience. And the men and boys watching from the Mall. She that woman there," and Jane pointed to a woman in one shot of the video. "See how she's fanning herself while others are sitting calmly? See that boy right there," pointing to a boy who had just grabbed himself before rushing off toward the men's room. Or those two men there," pointing out two men not exactly grabbing themselves but not exactly not grabbing themselves either, before they too rushed off. More women were fanning themselves, and more men and boys grabbing themselves, but they were out of the camera's frame. That was the most sensuous walk any of my girls have ever done, and it had some profound effects on the viewers."

When the video ended, Jane heard Sherry say, "Oh, damn it," before Sherry hurried out of the study. She came back several minutes later, only to find Jane laughing when she came back into the study. "I'm so glad to be one of those wise women you asked about, I couldn't believe how wet I got watching the last of that video. If you spread what I'm about to tell you, we'll see who goes swimming in the pond. But I'm going to need some copious amounts of TLC when I get home, regardless of the time."

Jane started laughing again, before telling Sherry, "Don't say I didn't tell you so. Brenda told me after the show was over, she needed some loving when she got home. And I've no doubt several women in the audience had the same thought as Brenda, given how they reacted to what Charlotte was doing on the runway."

Sherry walked over to the table, poured more water into her glass, and drank three-fourths of the water before sitting down in her chair. "Whew… that was some video, but let's get back to Frank. You said he was just going through the motions before Charlotte arrived. How did things change when Charles arrived?"

Sherry watched as Jane removed the thumb drive from the computer and returned it to the storage case. After Jane closed the case, she put it back into the compartment built into the drawer, returned the panel before she closed and locked the drawer, then pushed her high-backed chair back and stood up. As she slowly walked toward the table, she began telling Sherry the effect Charles had on Frank after his arrival. "After Charles accepted my proposal to become one of my girls, Marie took him to his bedroom and gave him girl instructions. We ran him through our usual routine, having her come back to the study for my inspection. It was also our routine to have the girls walk five circuits of the study with a book balanced on their heads, needing to start the count over should they let the book fall to the floor. Charlotte had little trouble with walking the study and became better with time presenting as a girl. He even did well during his first visit to the salon, even giving Sandy better than she gave; he angered Sandy more than once. He picked up on Frank's emotions and attitude and talked with him about his attitude toward me and Marie. He read Francis the Riot Act about how he'd been treating me and Marie. About keeping her bedroom clean as a guest should do, and about doing the best she could regardless of what she had to do. Charlotte got through to Francis when Marie and I couldn't, and we couldn't because she thought of us as her Aunt Agnus. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I never considered how our treatment of her might have reminded her of her Aunt Agnus. It wasn't until Charlotte came to me and explained it all. Because of Francis, Charles, and Toby, our next boy will be vetted extremely well. We will know the circumstances leading up to his being with us. We will know his family background and how he was treated by his family. You and Susan will be involved, so we don't repeat the mistakes we made this time. While we will begin with our normal routine, and establish our authority over the boy, we will be very careful next time not to remind him of anyone who caused him to act out and be sent to us." Jane chuckled before saying, "And I said the same thing when Kenneth was with us, and here we are again with two boys who don't belong here. Maybe I should wait and see before getting out a hammer and chisel and carving our plans in stone."

Sherry reached across the table again and took Jane's hands. "Janie, could of, should of, and would of, are regrets everyone runs through. Some get so hung up on those regrets they never move forward. Others see them as learning experiences and continue with their lives. You have to decide how you'll treat your regrets and whether you'll let them mire you down or move you forward. Knowing you as I do, I don't think you'll let them hold you back. You may piss, moan, and groan, about them. And you may even get angry when even with your best efforts, what you don't want happens anyway. You're wiser than you were three weeks ago before Charlotte arrived. You've made a plan to counter any injustices with the next boy sent to you, but that doesn't mean things will go as you planned. Janie, sometimes you are so narrowly focused, you miss the little things standing right in front of you. You need to open yourself up and observe everything around you, especially the little things. Charlotte showed you how to see not only with your eyes but also with your heart. Question why a boy isn't responding as you want. Observe his behavior, his attitude, then ask yourself why. And if your head can't find an answer, use your heart. You're afraid to show others your big heart because you believe it will diminish your authority. Trust me, Janie, you radiate authority, so no one will dismiss your authority if you show them you also have a big heart. Whether you realize it or not, you've done that very thing with Francis and she still recognizes your authority, though I suspect it's better to say she respects you, respect you earned by not being her Aunt Agnus."

"Janie, didn't you tell me Charlotte asked you why she is here? Why fate put her here at this time? Look at everything she's accomplished since coming to Seasons House. She helped pull Francis out of her shell. She helped you see why Francis was just going through the motions. She helped a girl named Barbara when she was Carolyn's makeup model. She has helped Toby in ways I don't think either of them realizes yet. How many girls who visit the Mall do you think she saved from those assholes? Marie may not admit it, but she's even touched her as well. You, Marie, Francis, Toby, and everyone else she's encountered, have all been affected by her one way or another." Sherry looked into Jane's wet eyes and asked in a soft voice, "And hasn't it worked out as you wanted, developed as you hoped it would? Isn't Francis where you want all your boys to be before leaving you? If Charles hadn't come to Seasons House, you would still be Francis' Aunt Agnus. Francis would still be going through the motions. Barbara would still be a pariah because of her acne, Sandy would still be a terror to your girls, Charles would never have questioned his manhood when he didn't get aroused as he saw three beautiful girls naked, or have saved countless girls from those pigs. And what about Pinto, a horse you and Marie couldn't get to trust you two? And it took Charlotte, what, a few minutes to gain her trust?"

Jane dabbed her eyes as Sherry drank her water, then refilled both glasses. She waited until Jane had a drink before continuing. "Everything everyone has been experiencing is cause and effect, Janie. Think about it. If Toby's brother hadn't been involved in the shoplifting ring, he wouldn't have beaten Toby. If Toby hadn't been forced to shoplift, he wouldn't have been arrested at Taylor's department store. If Toby hadn't been arrested, he wouldn't have seen Charles and falsely accused him of being involved in the shoplifting, and Charles wouldn't have been sent to juvenile court. If Strom hadn't threatened to take Charles to Federal Court if Ruth didn't find him guilty, he wouldn't be here now. If Frank had been left with the Willows, he wouldn't be here now."

"You and Marie were frustrated with Frank's progress. You needed something but weren't sure what you needed. Carolyn needed something to help Barbara but wasn't sure what she needed. Sandy needed someone who wasn't afraid of her to give her better than they got. And it's likely the Mall staff were frustrated with those boys at the Mall but didn't know what they needed to stop them. However, Frank had to live with Aunt Agnus. Toby was beaten and forced to shoplift. He was arrested at Taylor's department store and falsely accused Charles. Ruth had to find Charles guilty to keep him out of Federal Court. And Charles was sent here where he chose to become one of your girls and an answer to the problems all of you were facing. Cause and effect, Janie. And if Charlotte hadn't gone ballistic, I wouldn't be here now to help all of you. Because you wouldn't have needed my help. Cause and effect, Janie."

It was Jane this time who reached across the table and took Sherry's hands in hers. "I never thought to look at current events that way, Sherry. It does, though, answer Charlotte's question to me. We needed her here at this particular time. We needed her skills and the heart she wears on her sleeve. Even I needed her counsel with how Marie and I were treating Francis. How can one person be the center of a pinwheel and have such an effect on the blades of the pinwheel? And from one so young, Sherry?"

Sherry gently squeezed Jane's hands, telling her, "Age has little to do with needs, Janie. All of you were in need, and Charlotte had all the qualifications needed to effect change. It's… that simple, Janie."