At a secure location beside the sea, Luke finally undergoes the genetic change he knows is about to happen.

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This story is copyright (c) 2009 Penny Lane. All rights reserved. The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended.

*****

The taxi dropped Luke in front of the guest house, the driver unloading his bags before departing. Luke looked around at his new home for the next few months. The building was large and probably Victorian. To either side were scattered trees, pines that were slightly bent by the wind. Beyond those were a mixture of white flat-roofed buildings in the art deco style and thirties bungalows. Behind him, the other side of the road, a wide grassy area stopped abruptly at the cliff edge. The building was on the highest point of the outcrop, the road descended in both directions to small coastal towns. Luke lifted his bags and shouldered open the impressive front door.

"Mr Renshaw? We've been expecting you. If you'd like to follow me."

With the woman in front, Luke carried his bags through the building and, to his surprise, out the back door. Cars were parked along the whole width of the back of the building. Facing the main block was a separate building which had an open space at ground level, obviously used for parking as well. The woman led him up a covered wooden staircase at the side of the block and opened the door to a long corridor.

"This is called the Annexe, although it used to be the stable block when it was originally built. We put people with your special requirements over here so that you can have some peace and privacy, but there's nothing to stop you using the public rooms in the main building if you want to. Here, this is your room."

Luke followed her into a reasonably-sized bedroom. It was furnished like a typical motel room, but it looked far more homely, with chintzy curtains and some fresh flowers in a vase on the dresser. The window overlooked the parked cars. There were two large built-in wardrobes and Luke raised an eyebrow when he opened them.

"Why so much space? I've only got these two bags."

"Come, now. You don't imagine that the clothes you brought with you will be the ones you'll be wearing in six months time? You'll certainly fill one of these, I can guarantee it."

"Duh." Luke grinned shamefacedly. "You'll have to forgive me, it was a long journey."

"If that's the case, would you like to have a rest and freshen up before I brief you? My name's Annette, by the way. You should speak only to me about your special needs, unless I tell you otherwise. One or two of the other staff know what's going on, but not all do. At least, not the whole story in any detail."

"Yeah, actually, I think I would. I didn't have to come very far, but I had to change a couple of times and there was a lot of standing around, and there were emotional aspects to this trip I didn't expect. I think I'd like to have a shower, and then chill for a while. What time do you serve dinner?"

"Usually we start at seven and serve till nine, unless we know everybody's been fed by then. I think I'll come over about six or quarter past and give you the tour, if that's all right. Do you mind staying in your room till then?"

"Not a problem. See you later then, er, Annette."

Luke spent a few minutes unpacking his bags and putting the contents into the wardrobe and the big chest of drawers which stood against one wall. Then he stripped off and had a good shower before climbing into a clean t-shirt and jeans and collapsing on the bed. He rolled onto his back and gazed unseeingly at the ceiling.

It's started. My home has been taken away, most of my possessions have been taken away. This is my only home for the next six months or so. Soon, my body will be taken away, and finally my name will go too. There's no way for me to stop this short of throwing myself off that cliff out there. He snorted. With my luck, I'd probably survive that as well. With the exception of those I worked with at the Institute, everyone I've ever known, even my school mates, is going to think I'm dead or missing. All my outside friends have gone forever.

The knock on the door awoke him. Groaning, he sat up and called to whoever it was to enter.

"You did need the sleep, then," said Annette, coming in. "I imagine the sea air did that to you. Most of our visitors spend a good deal of time dozing when they first come here, they're not used to having so much oxygen to breathe. Are you ready for me to begin?"

Luke ran his hand through his hair and looked at Annette blearily. "I suppose so."

"Okay then. I don't have a set spiel I go through, because when all's said and done there aren't that many come here to transition, and things are usually different each time. I'll set your mind at rest straight away about myself. I'm a normal woman, but I'm the daughter of a Z-parent, so you should feel quite comfortable discussing anything you need with me. I'm the manager of Redcliffe House, and my father is the owner. I know Mrs Canning, she comes here every so often to stay, after all, Z-people need holidays as well as normal people."

Annette sat on the chair in front of the dresser, turning it so that she faced Luke.

"Firstly, the Annexe is your refuge while you're staying here. When we don't have need to provide special services, we let it out the same as the other guest rooms, but now you're here, the only people you are likely to see up here are other Z-people and myself, plus the two staff who clean the rooms up here. Very occasionally you might get another Z-person come to stay, but mostly you'll be on your own. Try to remember, though, that it is part of the guest house, and try not to treat it as if it was your own flat. You've been in the bathroom?"

Luke nodded.

"Shower, toilet, washbasin and bidet. If you want a bath, there's a separate bathroom down the corridor with a large tub to wallow in. In fact, let's go and have a look."

She got up and Luke followed her out of the room. His was the first room along the corridor. As they walked along she showed him a small lounge, the bathroom, a small guest bedroom, a kitchen and finally another larger bedroom like his own.

"The guest bedroom is, like the name says, if you have a guest to stay, like your parent, for example."

"My Dad? He did say he'd come and visit if he got time. Of course, he's going to be changing soon as well. Do you know if he'll come here?"

"If he is, they haven't told me about it. Was he your mother?"

"Yes, although of course I've only ever known him as a father."

"He'll be a few months behind you, then. It's possible your stays could overlap, if he's sent here."

"I'd like that. We've decided to become cousins afterwards. It's possible that seeing him change may help me to adjust to the different relationship we'll have, at least that's what Doctor Alice says."

They reached the end of the corridor. Facing them was another door with an "Emergency Exit" sign over it.

"This is, of course, for emergencies," Annette explained. "But you can also use it for making a discreet entrance or exit without being seen from the main building. Outside is a covered staircase which leads to the access road behind all the properties on this side of the road. If you put a code into the keypad it will silence the alarm which normally goes off when the door is opened. At the bottom of the stair is a similar door and keypad for when you come back. The code is three-nine-oh-five-hash. Can you remember that?"

"Three-nine-oh-five-hash. I think so."

On the way back they entered the small kitchen.

"This might become important later on during your change. It's quite common, although not guaranteed, that your appetite might go through the roof as your body remodels itself. If you were to stuff yourself during meals in the main building, the other guests might ask questions, so we decided that this might be a better way. There's a fridge and freezer under the counter there, and we'll keep them topped up if you decide to do a midnight raid." She looked at Luke. "Don't throw your packaging away, leave it on the counter and the staff will make sure that what you've eaten gets replaced."

"Will I really eat that much?" Luke asked.

"It varies, so I'm told. You're a first-timer, so I don't think you've got a lot to worry about. I will ask you to have regular meals like the rest of the guests, that way you'll just appear to be a normal visitor to the area like them. If you feel hungry in between, you can come and make yourself something up here. If there's something particular you'd like, like pizza or curry, for example, just ask and we'll see what we can do."

They walked back to Luke's bedroom and reseated themselves.

"What else do I need to tell you? Oh, don't get your hair cut again, will you. If you let it grow out, it'll be long enough to style properly by the time you've completed your transition. Now, while you're here, we usually advise people to visit only one of the two local towns depending what gender they currently are. In other words, go one way when you're a man, and the other when you become a woman."

She smiled. "This is partly practical. Anmouth has the better pubs for men and Redcliffe has the better shopping for young women. The idea is that you keep your personae separate, so that people don't draw too many conclusions. For more serious shopping, such as you are going to need to get yourself up and running, Angela, Patricia or myself will take you by car to one of the nearby large towns where we can do strange things and no-one will mind too much. Once you've adjusted, you can probably manage your own local shopping with a little assistance from one of us three."

"I'm not sure about this shopping thing, but Dad says it'll be relatively painless. What happens about the transition itself?"

"Still shaving?" Annette asked with a smile.

"No, haven't done for a year or so now. Didn't need to do much before anyway."

"A characteristic of Z-people. The fact that your facial hair has stopped indicates that your change has already started. The next thing you will notice is that your chest becomes tender, yes, that happens to all women at puberty, and you'll want to eat and sleep a great deal. You'll probably spend a fair bit of time up here not doing very much once that starts happening. Your face will slowly change shape, and your skin will soften. Certain parts of your bony structure will soften and move about, for example there will be changes to your pelvis. I'm told the structural changes only happen on the male-to-female transition, and usually only the first time. Your voice will raise in pitch a little, and your small adam's apple will go."

"I learned about most of this while I was working at the Institute. What I meant was, what happens to me here."

"Of course. Now, the idea is that you stay as a male until your breasts develop sufficiently that it starts to get difficult to hide them, at which point Luke Renshaw's job is done, and he checks out of the guest house. From that point on you get treated as a female, and very soon after that you will in fact be a female. Our only task from that point on will be to educate you in order that you can comfortably pass as if you had been female from birth. I will warn you that that part is the most difficult. We do find sometimes that the habits of youth are the most difficult to break."

"I'm aware that I've got a lot to learn, and that some of it will be quite difficult to take in. After all, despite knowing what's going to happen to me, I've had very little to do with the women's half of the world. I'm quite looking forward to it."

"You have a good attitude, I'm glad to hear. We have had one or two difficult cases in the past who had trouble adjusting. Got there in the end, mind, but caused a few scenes in the guest house while it was happening." Annette stood. "Now, if you'll come with me, I'll show you around the rest of the main building so that you can see where everything is, and then I think it will be time for dinner. Coming?"

*****

Luke settled in and developed a routine to pass the time until things started to happen. The slab of rock which gave Redcliffe Bay it's name was tilted, falling gently away to the very small resort of Redcliffe on one side, and much more steeply on the other to the tiny fishing port of Anmouth, where a small river cut through the sandstone to reach the sea.

Each morning after breakfast Luke would walk briskly down the road towards Redcliffe, turning towards the sea before the small town began and following a staircase down the cliff face to the beach. Once there, he would jog along the beach the five miles to Anmouth, ending his exercise at a cafe by the harbour where he would read a morning paper over elevenses. After that he would either walk further along the beach the other side of Anmouth, explore the small port, or sit on a bench at the harbour reading a locally-bought paperback.

Following lunch in one of the pubs, restaurants or cafes in the port he would climb back up the steep side of the hill to Redcliffe House, avoiding the switchback road and instead taking the coast path which led straight up the broken rock face. By the time he reached the guest house, perched at the highest point of the cliff, he was usually tired enough to want an afternoon nap before doing anything else.

At around four in the afternoon, one of the three women would come over and give him some instruction in feminine ways. Because his bodily dimensions could change unpredictably, it was not practical to provide him with women's clothing yet which he could keep, but a store room supplied items he could borrow for practice purposes, mostly left behind by previous transitionees.

Over the next month Luke learned the names and care of many items of clothing and had practice wearing various kinds of outfit, breast forms substituting for the as-yet absent body parts. Several pairs of heeled shoes gave him experience of walking as a woman would, although he was warned that as his hips changed his gait would also alter.

Instruction in make-up was also given, and he was tested to make sure that he understood what to do and under what circumstances he might do it. At the end of these sessions he had to turn back into Luke and his tutor made sure that he scrubbed everything from his face and body before he presented himself for the evening meal.

In the evening Luke watched TV in the resident's lounge or read a book from the guest house's library. Occasionally he joined in card games with other guests, usually whist or bridge. Spending time travelling around Europe had made Luke comfortable with most card games, so he did not disgrace himself on these occasions.

*****

"I've noticed that laptop in your room," Annette said quietly to Luke one morning after breakfast. "That's not going to be a security risk, is it?"

"No, it's all right, Annette. It was bought specially for this job, and it's never going to be connected to the Internet. At least, not while I've got it, it isn't. It's a project someone at the Institute thought would be a good idea. Would you like to come and see what I'm doing?"

"I'll sort out the breakfast things with the girls and I'll follow you over in a few minutes, if that's all right."

When Annette entered the room Luke had the laptop up and running, perched on the top of the chest of drawers. A webcam was clipped to the slightly opened front drawer, and a trackball dangled on a long wire.

"I've been meaning to ask you about this, actually. I'll show you what I've got so far," said Luke.

He opened an album file, and there were shots of a naked Luke, together with close-up shots of parts of his body.

"I bought the laptop in a high street shop with cash the week before I came here, and it's only got the standard software on it," he explained. "The whole disk is encrypted, and the photos are encrypted on top of that. The idea is, to take a set of photos every day of the same parts of my body so they have a complete record of my transition, and they can see what happens when. Of course, every Z-person over the age of twenty-five knows what happens when, but up till now there's been no record of it. Since nobody transitions while at the Institute, it's been difficult arranging that. I wondered whether modern technology might help us, and this is a trial run using off-the-shelf parts."

"You don't mind people seeing your body afterwards?"

"I don't mind now. Actually, I suppose I might object later, when I'm female. Never thought about that."

"What happens if it gets stolen? It's unlikely to happen here, but you never know."

"Then they get a brick. They won't be able to get past the encryption easily. There's a very small possibility that the wrong authorities could get hold of it, in which case they could use serious computing power to break the encryption, but it won't give them much except me personally, and the Institute agreed that the risk of that was small enough to be acceptable."

"So what's the problem?"

"I want to take photos of myself in exactly the same place each time. To do that, I need marks where to stand and to sit and to lie, and I don't want to mark the carpet or the furniture."

"Ah, I see. Okay, let me think about that. Apart from that, how are you feeling? Notice anything yet?"

"Yes. My chest is definitely getting sensitive, although there's no obvious sign of anything happening yet. It's beginning to irritate when I jog along the beach."

Annette nodded. "I think it's time to make some slight adjustments to what you wear in the morning. I don't think it would be a good idea for you to start wearing sports bras, people would notice the straps through your tops. We've got some very close-fitting t-shirts with Lycra which should do the trick, stop your tops rubbing your breasts. You'd wear them underneath what you normally wear. The measurements we do every day indicate that your hips are beginning to swell, although not much so far. Are your tracksuit bottoms getting tight?"

"Why, yes, they have been feeling a bit snug lately, although I can't see any visible difference in myself yet."

"We'll have a look in the store-cupboard to see if there are more suitable tracksuit tops and bottoms for you as well." Luke looked alarmed. "Don't worry, nothing too girly just yet. A lot of the leisurewear we have is fairly unisex, so you shouldn't raise comment wearing them."

*****

Once the main transition began, Luke was unprepared for the speed at which things happened. His testicles disappeared within a fortnight and his scrotum shrank to become two ridges behind his penis, which at this stage remained much as he remembered it. For a while, his breasts developed slowly, his nipples and aureole enlarging first before beginning to raise themselves on small itchy mounds. His waist had always been slim, but he began to be aware of his hip bones poking out below and touching his arms as he walked. His back ached as his lower spine adjusted itself to accommodate the shifting angle of his pelvis.

He could not manage to jog every day now, but contented himself with walking his normal route, his chest bound to prevent any irritation under the loose top. His skin, which had always been the envy of female acquaintances, now started to soften and appeared to glow even more. He started to eat extra meals mid-afternoon and late evening, preferring to sleep much of the time that he wasn't actually outside the guest house.

His photo problem was solved when Patricia turned up one morning with a rolled-up mat, which she opened out at the foot of his bed, and a reel of wide tape.

"Leave it this way up, and just use it as normal. When you want to do your photographs, turn it over, and mark where you want to stand or sit with the tape. When you've finished, leave the tape there and just turn the mat back. No-one's going to know it's there. I'll sort out the evidence once you've left us."

"Thanks, Pat. That'll work out just right. And I can use the mat to do some of my exercises, as well."

"Yes, well, you be careful while your bones are doing their thing. We don't want any embarrassing breakages to have to explain to Accident and Emergency."

"I haven't forgotten what you told me, Pat. I also know I do have to keep loading the bones in order for them to rebuild themselves properly. I'm only doing some of the simpler yoga forms you taught me, anyway."

"Good. I remember when I transitioned, I was much too tired to do any exercise a lot of the time. I'm glad to see you're made of sterner stuff than I was. Mind you, when I changed I was stuck in a tiny flat in a run-down area of a big city, too frightened to go out unless I absolutely had to. There wasn't a lot of incentive to do exercise. I'm glad these new arrangements have made the whole process so much easier."

"You and me both. At least I can walk along the beach here. The sun and the fresh air are doing wonders for me, I think."

*****

Luke considered his face carefully in the bathroom mirror. He didn't think he looked any different, although he knew that his features must have started softening. His lower jaw had started aching dully as some minor repositioning of his teeth took place, and there was something different about the shape of his eyes, although he couldn't work out what. The face that looked back at him was still, to his mind, that of Luke Renshaw. And yet...

"Miss? Your bacon sandwiches."

The comment as he sat in the Anmouth cafe that morning had taken him by surprise. Instead of his normal coffee and a muffin he had been hungrier than usual and had decided to get a mug of tea and a plate of bacon sandwiches. When the waitress, who he hadn't seen before, had brought them to his table she had drawn a conclusion Luke hadn't expected.

He had been dressed in his usual light grey tracksuit top and trousers, with his now-long hair pushed up under his baseball cap. Except that it had been warm in the cafe and he had taken the cap off. His eyes had flicked involuntarily to his chest before turning to the waitress's face. He remembered he had smiled at her and said thanks. After that, he had avoided eye contact with anyone else in the cafe as he ate his snack.

Afterwards he had gone for a walk along the beach to keep away from other people, feeling highly self-conscious the whole time. His chest still looked reasonably flat to his own eyes, but he wondered if other people's perception of him was coloured by what the rest of his figure suggested. In the end he had abandoned his routine, struggled up the coast path and back to the guest house, and made himself lunch from the contents of the fridge.

"Miss? Your bacon sandwiches."

He stood back from the mirror and inspected his whole body. His hips were still narrower, just, than his shoulders, and he didn't think his gait had changed that much. His tracksuit, which he still wore, was suitably androgynous. Perhaps that was the problem, his clothes were not obviously and categorically masculine. Luke turned to look at his profile, and recognised reluctantly that a turning point had been reached.

As a young man, he had been looking forward to the new experiences that the next part of his life would bring, but part of him unexpectedly mourned for the passing of the old. He understood, intellectually, that he would still have the memories of his youth, would still savour his trip round Europe and his time amongst the People, but from now on a different person would be reliving the memories. A tear escaped from each eye and ran down his cheek.

"Miss? Your bacon sandwiches."

There was a knock at his bedroom door. Luke managed to compose himself, although his insides churned in a way he'd never experienced before.

"Come in!"

Annette entered, closing the door behind her. She took one look at the expression on Luke's face and came quickly to him, enfolding him in her embrace.

"What happened?" she asked softly. "I noticed you came back early. What's wrong?"

"I got mistaken for a girl in the cafe I usually go to," Luke said in a barely-audible voice. He looked at Annette. "It's over, isn't it? Luke Renshaw has left the building."

She looked at his face. "Well, you don't look that much different, not yet. I can't deny, though, that you're not as obviously male-looking as you were when you came to us. There are lots of normals who can get mistaken for the other sort from time to time, just chalk it down to experience."

"It doesn't feel that way. I don't know if I'm a man pretending to be a woman, or a woman pretending to be a man any more. What's happening to me? I feel terrible." Fresh tears erupted.

Annette hugged him again and said, "Welcome to the wonderful world of female emotions. You've got a devil's brew of hormones making whoopee inside you, I'm not surprised you're feeling peculiar, I'm more surprised it's taken you so long. Come and sit here, I'll get some tissues."

Luke dried his eyes while Annette sat on the bed facing him.

"I think perhaps it's time we moved you on to the next phase," she said after some consideration. "If you're getting taken for female now, it can only get worse, worse that is for Luke. I take it that's what's happened, you've realised you can't go back?"

Luke nodded numbly. "Luke Renshaw is history, Annette. Perhaps it's time to make him so."

"Well, it's a little earlier than I would have normally suggested, but in this case I think I agree with you. So, tomorrow morning, I'll check you out after breakfast. Don't worry, you don't have to pack or anything, it's just paperwork in this case. I'll book you in again under your new name. What I suggest you do is stay in here for the next three or four days, don't come over to the main building after breakfast tomorrow. If anyone asks, the new girl guest has gone down with a virus. I'll get Patricia and Angela to look after you when they can. If you do need to go out, you can sneak out the back way."

He gave a weak smile. "Thank you, Annette. Is it always going to be like this?"

"No," she reassured him, "once the oestrogen comes properly on tap and the testosterone slackens off you'll settle down and be fine. Do you think I might have a look at your chest while I'm here? I want to see how much your breasts have developed."

He pulled off the tracksuit top and unpeeled the thick elastic tube which had been holding his breasts in check.

"Oh, you're further along than I realised. Yes, I think it's time. What's happening down below, are things developing there as well?"

"Yes. My penis is much smaller, and I've got a complicated arrangement appearing behind which I suppose will be my vagina. Do you want to see?"

"Not now, I'll ask one of the girls to give you a good examination tomorrow. You're a bit fragile to be doing that now. Are you feeling tired?"

"Yes, I am, actually. I think it's just from the walk though."

Annette shook her head. "No, there's more to it than that. For two weeks, you'll sleep and eat and not do much else. And at the end of that," she smiled, "my handsome duckling will be turning into a beautiful swan."

*****

Clare Bennett entered the guest house dining room and waited to be seated. She was dressed in an olive green short-sleeved t-shirt under a thin khaki jacket, with a short straight denim skirt and a pair of white trainers with pink trim. Her mid-length hair was held out of her face by a clip, and she held a shoulder bag awkwardly between her side and one elbow.

"This way, my dear," said Annette as she bustled up, "I've put you by the window. I'm glad you're feeling better now, you can start to enjoy your stay by the seaside."

"Thank you, Mrs -"

"Just call me Annette, dear. Now, what can I get for you?"

Clare ate her carefully chosen breakfast enveloped in a haze of unreality. Annette had placed her in such a way that most of the guests could only see her back or part of her face, which meant that she didn't have to try and meet anyone's gaze. Even so, she became aware that several of the other guests were giving her glances, curious about their new associate.

It was the first time she had been out in public, and the first time she had worn female clothing in public. She had got used to the various things she had tried on previously, but wearing them for public approval was something else. Patricia had given her outfit and make-up clearance before she had descended the stairs, but she knew that there were far sterner critics in the wider world. There was a certain amount of apprehension as she drank her tea and carefully dabbed her lips before leaving.

As she stood and turned, everyone else in the room looked at her. They couldn't help it, it was human nature. She gave a faint smile at them and tried to walk out of the room without falling on her face. The shift in her hips had made her clumsy. She knew it would go in time, Annette had said that the same thing happened to a lot of women during their first pregnancy, but she wasn't pregnant, and if she had been a normal woman her teenage clumsiness would have faded long before now.

She gained the safety of the hall, closed her eyes and gave a big sigh of relief.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Angela, the third of the three who knew the secret, comforted her quietly. "How do you feel?"

"Wired," replied Clare. "I expected to be able to pull it off smoothly, but it's not that simple, is it?"

"My dear, it's never that simple. Now, do you still think you can manage that walk?"

Clare gave her thin smile. "Yes thank you, Angela. I've been cooped up for too long, I need to stretch my legs."

Angela nodded. "Good. I'll have to help with the breakfasts for a while, so if you want to go and sit in the lounge, I'll come and find you in a few minutes."

They had walked out of the front door, crossed the road and the grass, and turned left onto the coast path, heading for Redcliffe. Although it was cloudy it was still bright, and the breeze that blew was quite warm. The air was clear and they could see for miles in every direction.

"Tell me when you've had enough, won't you," reminded Angela, walking beside her. "Don't forget, we have to climb back up the hill to get back to the house."

"I'm all right at the moment, thanks."

Two young men in their late teens or early twenties passed them from behind, striding strongly through the short grass which comprised the path. They wore backpacks and carried hiking sticks, and were both listening to music players. Clare watched them thoughtfully as they receded into the distance.

This is really strange. I'm not sure how I feel about men yet. They don't repel me as they might once have, but then of course my body is different now. We haven't seen many women yet, I wonder how I'll feel about them. I didn't have a problem once, they attracted me and I attracted them. I married one of them. I wonder what Atiya would think if she could see me now. No, she'd be okay with it, she's one of the People so she understands. But I wonder whether I'd react to her the same way I did then.

"Wondering about the male of the species, then?"

"Eh? Oh, yes, I was. Even though I was one of them two months ago, I find I have mixed feelings now. I don't know what I think."

"I'm told that's a very common feeling at this stage of the process. You wait, suddenly one day it will all become clear."

"It all seems a bit odd now. Did you know I had a wife?"

"Really? I didn't know that, no. Does she know what's going on, or did you have to abandon her?"

"She's -" Clare stopped. She had just been about to explain who Atiya was, and then realised that she might give away information that might be better off kept quiet.

"She's like you, she's a normal daughter of a Z-person," she said instead. "I'm not in contact with her much at the moment."

"Oh. Any children?"

"Yes, a son. But I shouldn't really talk about it, if you don't mind. Can we sit down on that seat for a moment?"

They sat and watched the birds wheel over the sea in front of the cliff.

"How are you getting on with those clothes?" Angela asked. Clare had been clothed entirely out of the store-cupboard, and her outfit had been whatever had fitted.

"They seem to be all right, thanks, although this skirt is a bit loose on the waist."

"It's going to be tricky for a month or so, until your figure stabilises. What about the bra?"

"It's quite tight, actually, but I thought that the chest band was supposed to be?"

"Up to a point. Until your breasts fill out and we can go and get you properly fitted you're going to have to make do with what we have in the cupboard, plus the inserts. Are you getting on with those?"

"They get a bit sticky when the weather is warmer. At least they make me look as though I've a proper figure while I'm waiting."

"It should only be for a couple of months, although I'm told you can continue changing for up to a year afterwards."

"Nobody mentioned that to me."

Angela shrugged. "That's just normal female variation. You get to have all the random small size changes the rest of us have to put up with. Just you wait till your first period!"

"I'm not sure I care for the period part, Angela. I've heard lurid stories."

"You should be fine. Don't forget, it's your body's way of letting you know that your reproductive system is functioning properly. You'll come to expect it as a sign that everything's working as intended. I understand that Z-women don't get the worst excesses of period pains and such, but you'll have to accept that there will be some side effects, such as swollen breasts."

"Oh. Nobody said anything about that, either."

"That's what we are here for, to fill in gaps like that. Normal girls get all of this from their mothers as they grow up. Now, another thing mothers do with daughters is take them shopping. I don't think you're quite ready for that yet, but I know Annette wants to take you to Anchester to get some basics in the next few days. How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know. If I can come out and have a walk up and down like this for a couple of days, I think I'll be ready. Physically, that is. Mentally I won't have a clue, but I accept that. I'm beginning to think I need one or two things, so an outing is inevitable. If it's going to be this bright out here, I want some sunglasses. Tights. Proper shoes, a bag perhaps. I could look at some hats. I don't think Luke's old baseball caps suit me any more, somehow."

Angela smiled. "Looks like the shopping gene has kicked in. I'll organise a discreet outing for you when we get back to the house. Now, do you want to go any further, or shall we go back? We've plenty of time before lunch."

*****

Although Clare bought all that she had been expecting to, the shopping trip turned out to be a terrifying experience. This was mainly because everyone assumed that she had always been what she appeared to be, and therefore knew automatically what to do in any situation. Only some fast talking by Annette and Patricia stopped certain incidents from being very embarrassing.

One of the problems they faced was that both her chaperones were older, and therefore were not up to date with the fashions that a twenty-five year old might be wearing at the moment. This was partly solved by spending some time sitting at a table at a pavement cafe and quietly discussing the outfits of all the passers-by.

Purchases consisted mostly of the accessories which Clare wanted, including hats and three pairs of shoes. Certain loose items of clothing were deemed to be acceptable so she also got two nightdresses, some wrapover tops and skirts and a large chunky cardigan. A whole new palette of cosmetics was also assembled from several different shops so that she could develop some kind of look for herself.

A final visit was to a hairdresser who cut and shaped her hair into something more obviously feminine. Clare found it difficult to deflect the continuous stream of friendly questions and comments the stylist kept sending her way without appearing to be rude. In the end she just pretended tiredness, which wasn't so far from the truth by that time, and the woman left her alone.

On the way home in the car she kept yawning, and removing her new sunglasses to rub her eyes. Three weeks of enforced idleness had sapped her fitness, and she knew that even when she fully recovered it was likely to be different to what it had been before. Her muscles had softened since she had come to the guest house, and only a certain amount of what had once been there could be restored. This was one of the changes she had not allowed for, the fact that her strength would now be much less than Luke's had been.

*****

"Clare dear, you have a visitor."

Annette had knocked on the door while Clare was reading one afternoon. The person she ushered into Clare's room surprised her.

"Dad! Dad? Is that really you?"

She got up and walked towards the newcomer. He certainly looked like her Dad once did, although there were differences. She was uncertain how to handle the situation until he spoke.

"Well, I can see you're not Luke any more. Yes, I'm your father, although not for much longer, as you can see. Do I get a hug?"

He sounded more or less the same, so she went to him and they hugged, but in the way two friends might. They took seats, while Annette stood by the door, smiling.

"But, I thought you weren't going to be changing for another six months or so. How did this happen, then?"

"It's thanks to those patches of yours. As I was due to change anyway, I got asked to test out one of the edge cases and I'm pleased to say it's worked. I'm only about three weeks behind you now, I think. So the Institute sent me out here to join you. Hope you don't mind."

"Mind? It's brilliant! With all due respect to Annette and her team, I think there's nothing like having your parent with you when it happens." Annette nodded agreement. "So you're going to be staying here, then? That's great!"

"I am, but I don't think you're going to see much of me for a week or two." He yawned. "I'm into the eat and sleep phase, and I'm probably going to be spending a lot of time in my room." He yawned again. "I nearly cleaned out the contents of the buffet car on my way down here."

"Who are you at the moment, then? Are you still Daniel Renshaw?"

"I will be for about a week, and then I will become Shelley Madden, as we discussed. I probably won't show my face outside this building while I'm Daniel, though. I'll be heartily glad to get this chest strapping off, its getting very uncomfortable. Annette here says there are things in store I can wear till I get my wardrobe started. How are you getting on? You look quite the perfect young lady."

"We went shopping a couple of days ago, and got most of this stuff. It was hard going, but I'm getting used to it. We were planning to go into Redcliffe tomorrow, I don't suppose you'll be able to come."

Daniel yawned. "I don't think so, although I should try and get some fresh air once or twice. We can arrange that?" he asked Annette.

"Yes, that's no problem. Clare here knows how it all works, she can take you out for a walk when you need it."

"Hmm. Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll go and lie down now. We'll talk again, I'm sure."

*****

It was the first chance Clare had had to have a proper conversation with her parent. They had passed in the Annexe's corridor on occasion, it is true, but there was never time for more than a mumbled reassurance that each other was doing fine before they went their separate ways. Now, a fortnight later, Clare had returned from breakfast accompanied by Patricia to get ready for a trip into Redcliffe and discovered Shelley in the kitchen consuming the best part of a box of cornflakes. At her parent's suggestion, they all adjourned to the small lounge to catch up properly while Shelley was feeling more or less awake.

"You're turning into a gorgeous young lady," Shelley said.

"You're not so bad looking yourself," Clare replied. "Before, I used to look at you and wonder how you could possibly pass as a woman, but it doesn't seem so difficult now."

"It's in the genes, of course," said Shelley with a smile. "Which I have of course passed on to you."

"Ah, thank you, although I hope I don't end up with those dark rings under my eyes. I didn't realise you had panda blood in you."

"Ouch. You really know how to wound - and you didn't learn that from me. No, I'm afraid the change is taking more out of me than it did from you because I'm older this time. Except for the first time, the man-to-woman transition really is a rejuvenation because our bodies get reset to the age we were when we first changed. That's how it goes. If we manage to leave the man-to-woman change long enough, like I did the first time, it can end up being quite seriously debilitating. Don't worry, though, I'll soon get over this."

"The first time? Why, what happened?"

Shelley turned to Patricia. "Is this your first time, or have you been round the block like me?"

"No, this is my first go. I've been a woman for ten years, and loving every minute of it."

Shelley nodded. "I don't think you'll find any Z-person who'd disagree with you on that score! What happened to me? The usual thing, timing and bad luck. I was born in 1900, managed to be in a reserved occupation during the Great War, ended up as an under-manager in a draper's shop when the first change came. Fortunately there were a lot of people swilling about at that time and I was able to cover my tracks. I met and married a nice young man who worked on the railways, and that's when my problems began, because he could only give me daughters. I had seven."

"Seven! That must have been - wait a minute. I guess at that time you didn't know you'd be changing back if you had a son."

"Exactly. I had a happy family life till the next war started. Bert was killed in an air raid in 1942 so I continued bringing the girls up on my own, like a lot of other women had to. At that time, of course, I didn't know if any of my girls were going to change either. I knew nothing about the mechanics of what happened to Z-people. Like most, I was just blundering about in the dark and hoping nothing would disturb my peace and happiness."

"So, after the war..?"

"Most of the girls got married and left home. I eventually fell in love with a soldier returning from the Korean war, and he gave me a son in 1955. I realised straight away what was happening and had to go. It was very distressing, I'd been a woman for thirty years, had a good solid family life, and didn't want to change. Nevertheless, I engineered an accident and abandoned them."

Shelley paused while her memories of that event came sharply back. She wiped her eyes with her fingers.

"You'll have to excuse me. Becoming female again means the memories hit me harder. I'm sorry, where was I? Oh, yes, that meant that by the time I changed again, in 1980, it had been 55 years since the last male-to-female change, and that one was tough. It's quite difficult pushing a full supermarket trolley to the checkout when you are dog-tired and look like nothing on earth. I'm so glad the Institute has sorted out places like these." Shelley waved her hand round, to indicate the Annexe.

"I must admit," Patricia remarked, "that I wondered why so much emphasis was put on places like these. My own parents stood by me and supported me when I changed, so it's hard for me to realise just how difficult things must have been beforehand. I'm amazed you found the strength from somewhere."

"It wasn't easy, no. I've talked to some of the others and they have similar horror stories. I earnestly hope we never, ever, have to go back to that again. So, to briefly conclude my story, I met a smooth talker who conned me into having sex with him before vanishing." Shelley looked at Clare. "He was your real father, Clare. I never did manage to trace him, but the fact that he vanished left just you and me, and it made the process of relocating that much easier, and I could become your father with a little bit of generous hand-waving at the authorities. The down side was that I had barely four years as a woman, and I felt distinctly cheated."

Clare did sums in her head. "That means, you've actually been a man longer than you've been a woman. Doesn't sound fair to me."

Shelley shrugged. "Some prefer being men, others - like me - prefer the women's side. A few don't mind which they are. I do know that the new patch therapy is going to make a big difference, as will use of modern contraceptives. Before the Pill came in, it was basically a lottery once you became a woman. I got unlucky both times, once I got stuck as a woman and couldn't change back for ages, the second time I had barely changed before I got changed back. Having control over that is going to be a godsend."

"It's only partial control so far."

"I know, and the crucial point is that only the male-to-female transition gives you rejuvenation, so you have to become male at some point in the cycle. Still, it's a start."

"It's quite funny looking at you, sitting here. You've still got some of Daniel's characteristics in your face, but it's not a male face any longer. Has your nose shrunk, or am I imagining that?"

"It's the same length it always was, but I believe some of the soft tissue moves around a bit to soften the outline. Have you looked at yourself lately? Your own nose looks quite cute now, and your lips are just meant to have lipstick on them."

"I haven't noticed, but then I look at my face many times a day, so it always looks the same to me. I have noticed that my hands look much more dainty."

"You've got a good figure, too, I've watched you sashaying down the corridor. Are you beating off men yet?"

Clare blushed. "No, D-, ah, Shelley. I'm not sure I have the social skills yet for that sort of thing. That's why I'm still going places with Patricia, Angela or Annette. Presumably, since you've 'been around the block', as you say, you won't have that problem."

"Ah, but I may. You see, it's been twenty-five years since I was last a woman, and a lot has changed in that time. Aside from the fashions, which I can't wait to try, a lot of customs and practices have evolved since then and it's going to take a while to fit in again. Still, I'll be happy to help bring you up to speed once my metabolism has settled down. Doubtless the staff here will assist?" She raised an eyebrow at Patricia.

"That's what we're here for," she replied. "In return, I hope that you'll pass on some of your own learned wisdom."

Shelley gave a short laugh. "Wisdom! History lessons, more like. You don't want to hear me boring you with 'In my day' all the time." She grew more serious. "I'm glad we don't have to squeeze ourselves into corsets and cone bras any more, but I do miss the New Look dresses. Hah, you've started me off now, I sound like someone in a home for the elderly. Were you two supposed to be going out? I don't want to delay you."

"We were, but we don't mind talking," said Clare. "Can I get you to come out for a walk this afternoon? Apart from the eyes, you're looking much better today."

Shelley nodded. "I'd like that. Just hammer on my door when you're ready."

*****

The three women sat at a table on the pavement in front of a cafe in the main shopping street of Redcliffe, coffees and light snacks in front of them. The fourth chair at their table was piled high with carrier bags, some emblazoned with designer names. The sun shone brightly down, shielded from them by the awning above, but they still wore their designer sunglasses on their carefully made up faces, framed by artfully arranged hair styles.

"A good morning's plunder," commented Shelley. "Even though this town is quite small, it has some excellent local shops."

"We have a few posh folks living nearby, mostly in the countryside," explained Annette. "It's made some of the shops quite expensive for the likes of us, though."

"It's all right for you," said Clare to Shelley, "you're still bending the Institute's plastic."

"Actually, it's my money I'm spending now. The Institute is just funding the meals and accommodation for us." Shelley watched as Clare's attention became distracted by two young men walking past on the other side of the street. "Discovered boys now, have we?"

"Uh, what? Oh, just curious. I was thinking, I was one of them not so long ago. I don't have any gay tendencies, leastways I didn't have, and the thought of snogging a boy would have made me throw up, if not get violent. Now, though, I'm wondering what it's going to feel like."

Shelley looked at Clare with interest. "So you think you might get interested in a man sometime?"

"Well, why not? It's not as if I've got the wrong plumbing now. Besides, I've seen how the other women have fun in the evenings down here, and I think I want to have some of that as well. If one thing leads to another, what's wrong with that?"

"I agree. But, you have to be really really careful to start with. If you were to get pregnant now, you'd turn back into Luke and you'd have had no experience of womanhood." Shelley thought. "Actually, if the gap was that short, you probably could go back to being Luke, but I don't think you want that, do you?"

"Absolutely not. This is much too enjoyable an experience to waste. Anyway, what about... precautions?"

"You know as well as I do that the Institute recommends that you don't start taking contraceptives until a year after your first period. And are you going to trust a boy and his condom, knowing what might happen?"

Clare's face fell. "No. You're right, as usual. But we can still have some fun, can't we?"

"There's plenty of fun to be had without getting into that kind of trouble," commented Annette. "It's just a shame you've had to start at the age you did. A lot of the fun girls have is when they're growing up."

"Yes, that's the one thing that makes us different from you," said Shelley. "It's both a disappointment and a blessing. A disappointment because, as you say, we miss all the good times a daughter gets with her mother and father. A blessing because we avoid all the mistakes and embarrassments young girls can have while growing up."

Clare reached out and put her perfectly-manicured hand over Shelley's. "I had good times growing up with my father. Thinking about it, my mother was there too, wasn't she?"

No-one could see the glint of a tear in Shelley's eye behind her glasses as she said, "Yes, dear, yes she was. She could never tell you how much she loved you, though. And she was frightened for the future, before the Institute found us."

"I remember the fear in my own father's eyes," said Annette. "We still have to be careful, but things are so much better now."

They each took sips of coffee, busy with their own thoughts.

"Have you two decided what you're going to do when you leave us?" Annette asked, munching a biscuit.

"The Institute still has a job waiting for me," replied Clare. "I'll have to see if I still want to do it, or if there's something else I might do. I've got about another month here, right?"

"Yes, we prefer you to stay until your second period, just to make sure everything's functioning correctly."

"I hope the second period is better than the first was," muttered Clare.

"I'm sorry about that," Annette responded. "You took us somewhat by surprise. Now we all know what's going on, you should find that you recognise what's happening and prepare yourself. Tampon and a pad in your bag?" Clare nodded. "Good. You never know when you might need them." She turned to the other woman. "What about you, Shelley? Are you going to live with your cousin?"

"I could do, I suppose, although I quite like it here by the seaside, actually. I wondered if I could get a job locally, perhaps. What's the employment situation like around here?"

"You could come and work for us if you like," replied Annette. "Another Z-person on the staff would reduce pressure on Patricia and Angela." She smiled. "The hours are appalling, the work's hard, the food's terrible and the manager is a slave-driver, but I think I might be able to talk her into giving you a try. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me. Let me think about it will you? I'll have to see if someone else has need of me first, but I appreciate the offer."

*****

Annette banged open the door to the lounge in the Annexe and stood there breathless, the fear plain on her face. The two women, who were reading magazines after lunch before going out, looked up at her with alarm.

"We have trouble. There's a foreign man in reception, he's asking for the Renshaw sisters."

Both Clare and Shelley stood immediately, feeling fear inside. Had they been compromised somehow?

"Wait a minute," said Clare. "You said a foreign man?" Annette nodded. "Did he give a name?"

"Oh. Yes," said Annette, flustered. She looked at a small scrap of paper in her hand. "Costas Anistonis."

Clare and Shelley looked at each other and simultaneously said, "Stefan!"

Shelley breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. "It's all right, Annette, he's one of us. The Institute must have told him where to find us."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, he's an old friend."

Clare immediately made for the door.

"Wait!" called Shelley. "Perhaps it would be better if he came over here. Then we can talk to him freely."

"You're right," said Clare, stopping in her tracks. "Bring him over, Annette. He's really safe with us. He's got more reason to be concerned over privacy than we have."

The two women waited with mounting anticipation while the mystified Annette fetched Stefan from the main building. When he entered the lounge they hesitated briefly before throwing themselves on him, to his surprise and consternation.

"Stefan! This is most unexpected," said Clare. "Are you staying long?"

"Glad you could come," said Shelley. "As you can see, we're happy to see you."

Stefan eased himself away from the women and examined them from head to toe.

"I see two beautiful women," he said. "I don't think we've met before, yet you embrace me as though you have. Are you sisters?"

"No, we're cousins," replied Clare. "I'm Clare Bennett. That's Clare with an L," she clarified.

Shelley caught on quick. "And I'm Shelley Madden," she added. "That's Madden with two D's."

Stefan tried to think it through, but looked puzzled. While his English was now quite good the spelling detail eluded him for the moment. Clare switched to Harse.

"Of course, this is one way you can tell us apart. How is my beautiful sister Atiya and her son?"

Stefan gave a broad smile. "Both mother and child are doing well. As are Niyaan and my son."

"Oh, I'm so pleased for you!" said Clare. "Is Niyaan..?"

"Niyaan is no more. He is Vladek now. Atiya cares for my son as his mother, while Vladek becomes father. Both are content with the arrangement. Little Luka now has Stilyan for a brother."

"Come and sit down! Sit down, do," said Shelley. Annette, who was hovering in the doorway worried about their unexpected visitor, came in and stood on the threshold. "You too, Annette."

"This man we know as Stefan," Clare explained to Annette, "despite the name on his passport. He is a Z-person from Europe, from a different group. Have you heard of the 'Daughters of Time'?"

When Annette nodded, wide-eyed, Clare continued, "I got shot while on a backpacking trip and he was amongst the group that helped me. He is a 'Daughter of Time'. I stayed with them for a year, and when I returned to this country Stefan came with me, to try and make some links between our groups. We were broadly successful. I probably shouldn't say too much more than that."

"There are more of us?" she asked. "The stories are true?"

"They are, indeed there are more, and we learn of more all the time."

"I can't get over how beautiful you both have become," said Stefan. "Even when I know what happens, and when I have seen the change with my own eyes, I still find it astonishing. You could almost be sisters."

"We decided to become cousins," Shelley said. "We thought that it would cause less problems later on."

"So, you are Clare, and you are..?"

"Shelley."

Annette stood. "I can see you three have a lot to talk about. Shall I go and make a pot of tea?"

"Thank you, Annette."

*****

Stefan had been persuaded to stay, and his bags had been brought up and put in the guest bedroom. After they had all refreshed themselves and changed, they marched out of the front gate, Clare and Shelley each with an arm linked through one of Stefan's.

"We can't wait to show you around -"

"- and we'll have such a good time -"

"- and you'll love the sea-side -"

- and we've such a lot to talk about!"

Stefan smiled as they walked down the hill towards Redcliffe.

"The sun is shining and I have two beautiful ladies escorting me," he said. "Who could ask for anything more?"

"Well, I know a shop where you can get excellent bacon sandwiches," said Clare.