I think I can make it now the pain is gone,
And all of the bad feelings have disappeared,
Here is the rainbow I've been praying for.
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) sunshiny day.

Part 2

Heather went to school Thursday until 11:00 am when Linda picked her up to go to the hospital for the MRI and CT scans. DJ, Billy and Kylie were delighted to learn that the initial tests showed Heather was intersexed. Of course, Kylie had already known that from their astral chats.

The scans were quite boring The CT scan wasn't too bad, but the MRI was terrible. They told her that the full body scan would take between two and three hours. If she could endure inside the small tube, the scan would go faster. The hammering of the MRI nearly drove her to distraction and the closeness of the chamber was more than a little claustrophobic. After five minutes she shut down her physical body and slipped out to roam the hospital.

Remembering what Kylie had told her about her experiences, Heather had to see for herself. The x-ray, MRI and CT suites were located in the basement of the hospital. Heather astrally floated up diagonally through the floors until she reached the ICU. First she slipped into the files to see if she could read them. When she found she could, she promptly pulled out as she didn't want to violate anyone's privacy. Then she floated through the patient alcoves. The sight of several people made her want to cry.

In one room she found three sixtyish adults standing by the window looking out obviously ignoring the old woman. Behind them Heather saw an astral image of the unconscious frail old woman with an angry deep purple and angry red rippling aura. The out of body woman was fruitlessly kicking the three adults in the butt even though her foot simply passed right through them. Kylie did a quick mind probe of the adults and discovered the old woman was Doris Lizak, the oldest man was her son Morris, the younger man was her son Franklin, and the woman was her middle child Betty Harner

"She could die at any time," Betty said. "Did you find the will yet?"

"No," Morris replied. "She has it hidden someplace and the damned lawyer won't give me a copy until she's gone."

"We know how looney she was," Franklin added. "What will we do if she's cut us out?"

"We contest it," Morris smiled evilly. "Meanwhile we need to do is get into the house to get at those antiques she's been hoarding. We'll have to clean out whatever we want before the lawyer gets there to padlock the place. That way we'll get something without waiting for probate."

"It's the investments I'm interested in," Franklin scowled. "She's got all the papers locked in that old safe Dad put in the study. I think I remember the combination. That's what we need to get at before they padlock the place."

"Well, then we just keep her on the life support until we get out what we want," Betty snickered. "I'll bet the old bitch's ghost will try to kick our asses for hooking her up. It's a good thing we 'lost' her 'Do Not Resuscitate' order."

"I'm already trying to kick your asses you ungrateful whelps," Doris growled as she swung her foot.

Heather decided to slip away and began to float back through the wall but the old woman had turned a bit to kick another of her children and saw Heather.

"Well," Doris nodded. "A visitor. Are you a ghost like me?"

"No ma’am," Heather answered. "But you aren't a ghost either. We're both manifestations of our soul and we're tied to our bodies as long as they live."

"Well, I'm eighty eight and I WAS ready to die," she scowled at the three as they began to bicker of what each wanted to take. "But now I want to recover and live long enough to cut them out completely. But it doesn't look like that will happen."

Heather followed her gaze to the withered body hooked to numerous machines. A greyish black and sickly yellow aura was faintly emanating from the wizened body. "Maybe I can help. What's wrong with your body?"

"What's NOT wrong would be easier to answer," Doris sighed. I'm old and cancer is ravaging my body. I heard the doctors say most of my major organs are failing. How can you help that?"

"I might be able to reach inside and kill the cancer," Heather said. "I've made some changes to my body so with your permission I can try to help you."

"Why not," Doris sighed. "The worst you could do would be to kill me, so sure, go ahead."

"Okay," Heather said. "But I need you to stay away from me. If our spirit bodies touch, all sorts of weird things happen."

"I like your spunk, girl. Okay, I'll just float around and watch," Doris laughed.

Heather smiled. Slowly she moved to hover over Doris' body. Then she reached out both hands and held them about three inches above the body's head. About a dozen green glowing tendrils emerged from her hands and entered the head. Heather could feel the cancer. The mutated cells were quite literally eating her body. Slowly at first, and then speeding up, Heather located the blood and nerve supply of each tumor.

"I think I can feel you inside of my body," Doris marveled. "It's making me tingly as you move about."

"That means you've still got strength in your body," Heather declared. After pinching each blood vessel or nerve shut she cauterized the flattened nerve or blood vessel so that when she released it, it stayed sealed. Some tumors had multiple nerve and blood supplies so she made sure to seal those too. Once the major tumors were sealed, she went after smaller ones, until she was attacking tumors only just beginning to grow. It took an hour to complete the task.

During that time Heather's physical body completed the MRI. As she emerged from the machine she faked a claustrophobic melt-down. The nurses and Linda insisted she sit in the waiting area until she felt better, otherwise the car trip home could make her physically ill. She bidded her time so she could finish her astral task.

As Heather worked, the woman's aura began to change. The dark grey began to lighten and the sickly yellow took on a tinge of green.

"I've cut off the blood supply to every tumor, even new ones just starting," Heather explained. "They'll simply starve to death and hopefully your body will absorb them. In the meantime, with them cut off, the food energy they were taking from you will now be able to revitalize the rest of yourself. I have no idea how effective this will be or even how much if any you'll recover."

"Child, you're an angel," Doris smiled a genuine smile. "Most of the pain is already gone and I think I can feel what's left of my body being nourished. Even if this doesn't work, I thank you for your effort. Is your body here in the ICU?"

"No ma’am, right now I'm down stairs sitting in the waiting room of the Nuclear Medicine," Heather explained. "I had a two hour MRI and couldn't stand that pounding so I floated out of my body to explore. I just happened to come in here."

"I hope it's nothing to serious," Doris replied.

"No, the doctors are just trying to verify that I'm really a girl," Heather smiled.

Doris was surprised. "You're not a girl?"

"I'm intersexed," Heather explained. "My gender chromosomes are XXY which means I'm sorta boy and girl at the same time. I was raised as a boy and hated it, then as puberty hit, I began developing like a girl. They checked me out and it turns out the boy parts that showed were non-functional and my girl bits inside are functional but have no opening to the outside. They're worried I might be ready to start menstruating and with no place for it to go I'd get blood poisoning and die. They needed the MRI and a CT scan to pinpoint where things are. Tomorrow I see the gynecological surgeon and if all goes well, they'll operate on Monday to fix the areas I'm deformed."

"Obviously you like being a girl," Doris smiled. "I wish you the best luck. Would you mind telling me your name?"

"No ma’am," Heather smiled. "Right now I'm Heath Davis, but my shrink and parents are working with a lawyer to get me changed to Heather."

"If your lawyer is as good as mine you shouldn't have any issues," Doris smiled. "If you do, contact Jeremy Michaels. He's the best around."

"That is who we're using," Heather smiled.

"Well, you've got wonderful parents then," Doris said. "I'm starting to feel tired so I think I'll go back into my body. Thank you, Heather."

"You're welcome," Heather smiled as she watched the old woman slip back into her body. Looking at her children, they were still bickering about who got what. Heather thought they were just terrible people. With that, she went back to her own body.

At home she told everyone how nasty the MRI was, but added it was worth it. That night she astrally contacted Kylie and told her about Doris Lizak. Kylie was surprised by Heather's daring exploration but pleased that she had avoided astral contact. They decided that once they were asleep they'd astrally meet up and pay Doris a visit.

Kylie opened a dimension door to Heather’s bedroom. After exchanging hugs, they opened a dimension door to the empty MRI room. Once in the hospital they were easily able to float their astral selves up to Doris' room. As the hovered at the ceiling they were pleased to see her vital signs had drastically improved. The grey and yellow of her aura had been replaced by a healthy pink and green. She'd improved to the point where it looked as if she was peacefully sleeping instead of in a coma. While they were there, a nurse and a doctor entered the room.

"I can hardly believe these readings," Dr. Camp declared. "Last night I would have bet she wouldn't make it through the day, yet these readings show she's improving."

"It looks like she's strong enough to breathe on her own," Nurse Grey added. "Should we remove the ventilator?"

"Let's give it a shot," Dr. Camp agreed. "The records indicate she's been improving since 2:00 pm with no backsliding. The old girl is a fighter, let's give her the chance."

Kylie and Heather watched as they shut off the ventilator and pulled the tube. After a bit of coughing, Doris opened her eyes and looked at the startled doctor and nurse.

"I'm awake," she smiled and croaked as her throat was sore from the tube.

"You most certainly are, Mrs. Lizak," Dr. Camp returned her smile. "Don't try to talk too much as your throat is raw from the breathing tube."

"Water," Doris whispered.

Nurse Grey quickly produced a cup and a straw.

"Thank you, but I need to speak," Doris insisted as she waved both closer so they could hear her whisper. "You will be my witnesses. I DO NOT want the ventilator replaced. I have a DNR but if you'll get me another I'll sign it now. Also, I DO NOT want to see my children. The only person I want to see is my lawyer, Jeremy Michaels. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could call him for me in the morning. Oh, there may be another person too. A young lady about twelve, Heather Davis is her name. If she stops by, I definitely want to see her."

"I'll take care of it," Dr. Camp nodded. "Anita, can you please get a DNR for Mrs. Lizak? Then put a NO VISITORS ALLOWED UNLESS STAFF APPROVED sign on her door."

Kylie and Heather smiled to see the woman was spunky and apparently recovering. They were even more surprised when she looked right at them, smiled and winked. They were startled when they heard the woman think, "Please wait, I want to talk to you." After exchanging looks of surprise, the mouthed OKAY. Doris smiled and nodded. They waited until the doctor and nurse had completed their ministrations and left.

"Don't try to talk," Kylie projected towards Doris. "Just think your conversation."

"This is simply fantastic. Come closer please," Doris smiled. "These old eyes don't see too well, especially ghosts. It's good to see you, Heather. Who's your friend?"

"I'm Kylie Warren, ma'am," Kylie answered. "Heather told me what she'd done after meeting you so we came to see how you're doing."

"Thank you for thinking about me," Doris smiled. "So how many of you can do this out of body thing?"

"As far as we know, we're the only ones who can do it at will," Heather replied. "Kylie did it first and then taught me."

"You're the first person who can see us," Kylie explained. "I guess it's because you met Heather during your out of body time and the fact she entered your body to kill the cancer. It apparently gave you some sort of ability to see into the astral plane."

"That sounds plausible," Doris agreed. "So how did you develop the ability to ghost?"

Kylie explained her tortured life and her escape into her safe place in her mind. That it wasn't until her ankle was almost torn off that she had her first out of body trip.

Doris was surprised as she'd seen the film clips of Kyle's horrific injury on the news and asked, "Kylie, are you intersexed also?"

"Yes ma'am," Kylie smiled then went on to explain her encounters in the ICU and how her ability grew. Then how Heather's increased awareness had twigged her to the astral intrusion to help her on Christmas Eve.

"So these colors I can see around people's heads are their auras," Doris mused. "Mine is doing much better since you shut down the tumors. Thank you so much. I realize now I was being selfish by wanting to live just to get back at my ungrateful children. I've spent the last forty years helping other people, and now that I've been close to death, I have a different perspective. I want to get better so I can continue to help others."

"We hope you can," Heather smiled. "But your aura is fading a bit. You need to rest."

"I am tired, but I feel wonderful," Doris smiled. "I think I can make it now the pain is gone and all of the bad feelings have disappeared. You’ve been the rainbow I've been praying for. I think tomorrows gonna be a bright sunshiny day! Thank you." Doris closed her eyes and was asleep almost at once. In an intense dream

Heather and Kylie smiled and headed home to their bodies.

*****

The next morning Heather had the chance to sleep in until nine. Then she dressed in a cute skirt and sweater set to head back to the hospital to see Dr. Julie Grayson for a 10:30 appointment. Linda looked a little askance upon seeing Heather's flute case.

"I have a feeling I might need it," was Heather's cryptic response to her mother's raised eyebrows.

The four story doctor's office building was attached to the hospital by a ground level corridor. Linda reviewed and completed the new patient documents just as Heather was called into the back.

"Good morning, young lady," Dr Grayson smiled as a nurse showed them into the doctor's office. "I want to make our talk quick so I can give you a thorough exam so I'll get right down to business. First and most important is I need to confirm that you indeed do want to be girl. Although that seems obvious by the way you're dressed I still need to ask."

"Yes, I want to be a girl," Heather enthused. "I've never wanted anything more than to be a normal girl."

"Wonderful," Dr. Grayson smiled. "I've been reviewing your tests and scans. There is no doubt that you are intersexed. The male organs you appear to have are incomplete and sexually non functional. The female organs you have appear to be mostly complete and I would predict to be fully functional. The only issue is your vagina is merged into what would have been your scrotal sack if you had testicles. Now, lets go next door so I can give you an exam."

Linda helped Heather slip out of her clothes and into one of the dreaded gowns. Then she hopped up on the exam table and placed her feet in the stirrups. Dr. Grayson sat between Heather's outstretched legs and poked and prodded and poked some more. When she was finished there, she examined her budding breasts and palpitated her tummy.

"Everything seems good," Dr. Grayson stated when she'd finished. "Get dressed and come back to my office. I'm going to make a few notes."

A few minutes later Linda and Heather were once more seated in the doctor's office.

"I just confirmed our operating theater for 10 on Monday morning," Dr. Grayson began. "Opening the vagina should be simple as the MRI and CT scans show it's right inside the scrotal tissue. When I was prodding, I was able to feel the entry. I've already asked a colleague of mine, Dr. Mason, to assist in your surgery. He's an excellent plastic surgeon and will be able to sculpt you scrotal tissue into labia. Together, we'll remove most the penis and relocate the urethra to the proper girls spot. We'll also use some of the penis to create a clitoris with abundant nerve buds. If everything goes smoothly, the surgery should take about an hour to an hour and a half. The most difficult part will be to create a functional clitoris as we'll have to reroute nerves. Do you have any questions?"

"I've done some research on the net," Heather began. "Will I have to do that dilation?"

"I'm glad to see you've been educating yourself," Dr. Grayson smiled. "You'll have to do some partial dilation. Normal dilation is when we have to create a vagina. The tissue needs to be separated and stretched so it doesn't grow together. In your case you already have a vagina, so we need to keel the labia separated and stretched a bit to remain open and scar free. What you'll need to do is far less invasive and really quite easy. I'd like to keep you in the hospital at least through Thursday so we can be sure everything is healing properly and the nurses can show how to take care of your new equipment. You should be able to return to school the following week as the girl you truly are."

Heather was almost floating on air as they left the doctor's office. She quickly settled down as she remembered Mrs. Lizak and what she had told the doctor the night before.

"Mom, I know this sounds weird," Heather asked. "But can we go to ICU and see a patient?"

Linda was totally unprepared for such a request. "Why?"

"I zoned out yesterday when I was in the MRI," Heather explained. "I had an out of body experience where I floated up to the ICU and I met a woman who was out of her body, a Mrs. Lizak. She was upset by her kids who were brazenly in her room arguing over her estate and she was super angry. When she saw me we talked for a bit. That's why I was so out of it after I came out of the MRI."

"I think you had a dream, sweetheart," Linda smiled. "Things like that just don't happen."

"But it did, mommy," Heather insisted. "Look, can we at least go to the reception desk and ask them if they have a Mrs. Lizak in the ICU? Please?"

"Well, I guess that won't hurt," Linda conceded hoping to pacify Heather.

Linda was stunned when the receptionist verified there was indeed a Mrs. Lizak in the ICU.

"Yes," Heather exclaimed. "Can you call the nurse's station and ask if Heather Davis is on her visitor's list?

"Heather," Linda chided but the receptionist had already called. "Yes, I have a young girl and her mother here who asked after Mrs. Lizak and are wondering if she's on the visitor list... Heather Davis... she is, all right, thank you. Do you know how to get to ICU?"

"Yes, thank you," Heather smiled to the receptionist as she tugged Linda down the hall towards the bank of elevators.

"This can't be happening," Linda shook her head as she allowed Heather to lead her onward. "How do you know the way to ICU?"

"I told you, I floated up there yesterday and met her," Heather said.

In a few moments they approached the nurses station in the ICU. Three angry adults stood there arguing with the nurse. Heather recognized them and held back, stepping away from the elevator and the nurses station. "That's Mrs. Lizak's children," she whispered. "They were in her room arguing about what they wanted from her estate once she died when I was there. Mrs. Lizak was really upset."

"We demand to see our mother," the oldest man stormed. "You have no right to keep us out!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but she's awake and has expressly said she does not want to see her children."

"That's a load of crap," the younger man hotly replied. "She's in a coma and has a breathing tube down her throat!"

"She woke up last night breathing on her own so the doctor ordered the tube removed," the nurse answered. "It was then she told us she has a DNR that you, her children, ignored. She signed a new DNR and forbade you entry. Now, I'll have to ask you to leave. You're creating a disturbance.

"We're not going to leave," screeched the woman. "Our mother would never do anything like that!"

Just then a man came out of Mr's Lizak's room and approached the three upset adults. "Your mother can hear you out here, and I quote her 'making asses of yourselves'," the man said. "I'm Jeremy Michaels, your mother's lawyer, and she's revising her will. I've already contacted a security service and they're sending a guard to her home. There will be guards there 24/7. I'd advise you to leave quietly before you upset her even more."

At that point the elevator doors opened and two security guards stepped off.

"Will you please escort these three people out of the hospital," the nurse asked the guards as they approached the desk.

"Please let's not make a scene," one guard stated. "If you don't fully cooperate, we'll have you arrested for disturbing the peace and trespassing."

"FINE," the older man huffed. "We're leaving. But we'll have our own lawyer on this! You're nothing but a shyster trying to get our mother's estate for yourself!"

Once the three and the guards got on the elevator, Heather and Linda went up to the nurse's station. "I'm Heather Davis," she smiled.

"You're Heather Davis," Mr. Michaels looked at Heather in shocked amazement. "You're the one who re-energized Mrs. Lizak."

"Yes sir," Heather replied. "This is my mother, Linda Davis."

"Yes, I know, she and your dad are clients and I'm preparing legal petitions for you," Mr. Michaels smiled then shook hands with Linda. "Do you know about this?"

"The first I heard about this was a few moments ago when Heather asked to come here to see Mrs. Lizak," Linda replied.

"Nurse, I'm authorizing Linda to accompany her daughter in to see Mrs. Lizak," Mr. Michaels stated.

The nurse smiled and nodded so he led them into the room.

Mrs. Lizak smiled and opened her arms to Heather before anything was said. Heather rushed into the embrace. Heather noted the angry aura of the previous day was still a pleasant shimmering green and pink signifying excitement and vigor. While still weak and emaciated, the color had returned to her flesh and she'd managed to consume a soft breakfast and lunch. She was only hooked up to a heart monitor and a single IV.

Together, Heather and Doris retold of their astral meeting. Neither mentioned the middle of the night visit with Kylie.

"I still find it hard to believe," Mr. Michaels shook his head. "I always thought out of body experiences were some sort of hallucination. But it's obvious the two of you had never met yet you shared out of body experiences."

"What I find hard to believe is that anyone ever thought this delightful young lady was ever a boy," Doris smiled. "I was ready to die until my ungrateful children started arguing right here about how to get my estate. Then I wanted to live long enough to foil their plotting. Then this young lady appeared and saved me. She held her hands above my body and some sort of energy flowed from her into me. If I hadn't seen it I wouldn't believe it. Thank you, Heather."

"You're welcome, ma'am," Heather smiled. "But I don't think it would be safe to tell too many people what happened. I don't know how I left my body and I don't know what I did to make you feel better. I just don't want to end up some sort of weird science experiment."

"I understand," Doris smiled. "I agree with your sentiments. I just wanted Jeremy to know I wasn't insane."

It was obvious Doris was tiring so Heather assembled her flute. As Heather placed it to her lips, the sweet sound of 'Greensleeves/What Child is This' floated on the air. Heather sent out astral tendrils to touch everyone on the floor to share her aura of gold (spirituality), pink (happiness), and green (renewal). All movement in the ICU came to a halt. Mr. Michael's face took on an aspect of awe. Mrs. Lizak beamed as she saw heather's aura expand and flow to touch everyone in the room. It was quite evident the music coupled with their mingled auras was improving her spirit and body. When Heather finished the song, she meekly accepted the praise of Doris and Jeremy. Heather explained that her friends had formed NGender and were performing a relief concert for Tsunami relief Sunday evening.

"The entire floor has been asking where the angel is," a nurse said as she popped her head in the room. "I've never seen such a positive response. Would it be possible to play more"

Linda could only smile and nod as Heather looked at her. Putting the flute to her lips, she began to play 'The Gypsy Rover' as she walked from the room to wander up and down the ICU hall. She played for half an hour, stepping into each room to smile and nod to the patients. The entire ICU scintillated with gold, pink and green. Heather's ethereal music had banished all despair.

The ICU staff thanked Heather as she and Linda left, promising to keep in touch and possibly bring in NGender.

It was 1:30 pm when they left the hospital and they still hadn't had lunch. They stopped for a snack and headed home. They decided it wasn't worth Heather trying to change back to Heath and return for the last class of the day. Heather let Kylie know what had happened. Kylie was concerned about more people knowing of their ability to go astral, but Heather reassured her everyone who knew thought it was a weird one-off coincidence between her and Mrs. Lizak. She'd used the astral monitoring and tweaked the thoughts of those in the know to fully believe it was a once and done occurrence.

Heather was delighted to be rid of Heath. Pastor Kline stopped by after supper to speak with the family about Heather's emergence. After meeting Heather, he had no doubts that she was really a girl. He promised to introduce her to the congregation Sunday morning.

*****

Saturday the kids met at the Dawson home to practice for the concert. Bobby had his drums set up in the basement which was somewhat sound-proofed from the rest of the house. Everyone congratulated Heather on officially being a girl. and DJ kissed her which made her heart flutter. They all thought playing in the hospital sounded really neat and wanted to give it a go.

The kids jammed for a few minutes, then began practicing their songs for the concert. With Kylie and Heather monitoring and tweaking everyone, tempers never became ruffled and their efforts merged seamlessly. All suggestions were heard and discussed, many were tried, several were incorporated. They broke for lunch and resumed afterwards. They finally broke to head home for supper, tired but delighted with what they had accomplished.

*****

Each evening Kylie and Heather astrally experimented with ways to attach the positive green vitality of life aura to broadcasts and recordings of their music. They quickly discovered it was easy to link the aura to real time broadcasts by experimenting at the local TV and radio stations during news casts. Since the aura extended into the astral plain, where physical distance means nothing, when the broadcast came out of receivers (whether radios, TVs, computers, cell phones, Blackberry's or whatever) it acted as an astral alert to draw the aura to relink with the performance.

Recordings/rebroadcasts of performances proved more problematic. After a bit of trial and error, they discovered a solution. They could astrally create a harmonic tag to insert into their music that would be invisible to physical examination. The harmonic tag would be throughout the recording so even if only a portion was played, it would be present. When the recording was played back, the harmonic tag would create a resonance that created a pinprick opening into the astral plane. On their Celtic five fold armor they placed a pick-up point that would instantly and simultaneously pick up every pinprick from the physical world into the astral. An automatic feedback would pump the positive green vitality of life aura back through the pinprick as long as the recording was played to flood the viewing/listening area.

*****

Kylie, Heather, Kathy, DJ, Billy, and Bobby again sat in the balcony. This time they had their instruments with them. They're skills had far surpassed everyone's expectations. This would be Heather's public debut. Dr. Alterson sat in the front row with the sextet's parents. Pastor Kline and Ralph Johnson had been briefed about Heather's change and had spoken to Dr. Alterson.

"Those of you who were here on Christmas Eve were blessed by the outstanding performance of one of our youth," Pastor Kline began as he stood to announce the offering. "Last week we were blessed when that young person recruited five other youth to form a group they've named NGender. Tonight they will be putting on a Tsunami Relief concert here at 7. These remarkable youth have spent the week learning how to play musical instruments to augment their singing. What is even more inspiring is that four of them had no prior experience with instruments. They have agreed to play and sing during the offertory today to give you a hint of what to expect tonight."

"These young people are enthusiastic and likeable," Pastor Kline continued. "I'm sure you all know Klyie Warren's tale of horror. A birth defect had made her life a living hell until the tragic accident on the football field revealed the truth. The person everyone thought to be a tough boy was in reality a girl nearly going insane trying to live to the expectations of a boy while repressing and denying her girlishness. Finally freed from her birth defect, Kylie has blossomed these last weeks and she and her brother DJ are part of NGender. Most of us have greeted her with open arms and hearts just as she has opened her arms and heart to us."

"This week I was surprised to learn Kylie wasn't the only member of our congregation to have a birth defect," Pastor Kline continued. "Our own musician, Heath Davis, was diagnosed as intersexed. While similar to the condition Kylie had, Heath is a bit different. Intersexed is a person who chromosomally has three gender chromosomes. In this case, XXY. This means the person has both male and female attributes. Sometimes neither gender is dominate and the person remains sexless like a child. Sometimes both are dominant and the person is truly dual gendered. Fully functional dual gendered people are extremely rare. Heather is predominantly female. The male organs that caused her intersexed condition to be hidden at birth are incomplete and non functional. Hidden inside are fully functional female organs. Tomorrow morning Heather will have surgery to remove the useless male bits. Heather is under the care of Dr. Alterson who has also been dealing with Kylie. The doctors treating Kylie and Heather are surprised that two children the same age living so closely are both not the gender they seemed to be. There are scientists trying to find if there might be a common link between the two girls.”

There was a lot of hushed comments among the congregation.

“Remember, it is better to give than receive,” Pastor Kline smiled.

The ushers came forward to pick-up the offering plates. As they began to collect the offering, Pastor Kline spoke up. “I have the distinct pleasure of presenting NGender.”

Everyone turned to look up to the balcony.

“We’d like to do a number from the movie ‘Sister Act’,” DJ announced.

Bobby began a tapping out a beat, then DJ picked up the bass line. Kathy and Billy jumped in with fiddle and lead guitar followed by Kylie on keyboard. Then Heather began to sing with the rest providing back up vocals.

Nothing you could say
Could tear me away
From my God (my God)
Nothing you could do
'Cause I'm stuck like glue
To my God (my God, my God)
I'm stickin' to my God like a stamp to a letter
Like birds of a feather, we stick together
I'm tellin' you from the start
I can't be torn apart
From my God

Nothing you could do
Could make me untrue
To my God (my God)
Nothing you could buy
Could make me tell a lie
To my God (my God, my God)
I gave my God my word of honor
To be faithful, and I'm gonnaYou best be believing
I won't be deceiving
My God

As a matter of opinion, I think he's tops
My opinion is, he's the cream of the crop
As a matter of taste, to be exact
He's my ideal, as a matter of fact.
No muscle bound man
Could take my hand
From my God (my God)
No handsome face
Could ever take the place
Of my God (my God, my God)
He may not be a movie star
But when it comes to bein' happy, we are
There's not a man today
Who could take me away
From my God

There’s not a man today
Who could take me away from my God
There's not a man today
Who could take me away from my God

NGender rocked out the song. The green aura flowed from NGender down to the congregation and touched everyone. The congregation was blown away by the performance and enthusiastically applauded the group.

“Thank you. Please join us this evening at seven for the Tsunami Relief Concert,” DJ concluded.

At the end of the service, NGender lined up by the pastor to greet the parishioners. Kathy, Kylie and Heather stood side by side. All were pleasantly surprised to see that Heather was unquestioningly a girl.

*****

Word of mouth about the acappella performance the previous Sunday had already ensured a good turn out for the relief concert. With the added instrumentation, those who had been waffling decided to attend. The local TV station had learned about NGender and that Kylie Warren was a member. Now they suddenly found that Heather, a classmate’s of Kylie, was also transgendered. This upped the newsworthiness considerably.

By four it became obvious the church wouldn’t be able to hold all who expressed an interest in attending. Junior High Principal Forrest was a member of the church board and when Pastor Kline and board president Ralph Johnson contacted him to see if it would be possible to move the concert to the Junior High Auditorium. The logistics would not be difficult as the church and school were only five blocks apart. Principal Forrest contacted the School Superintendent and Chairman of the School Board to get permission. Both had been aware that Heather was intersexed and would be having surgery the next day. To find that Heather and Kylie were in NGender and that the response to their Tsunami Relief Concert was going to be more than the church could hold, they decided to open the Junior High Auditorium once they were assured it was not a religious program. It would be good publicity for the school and showcase their students.

Signs were posted at the church and direction signs hung along the route directing the audience to the school. The local radio and TV stations broadcast public service announcements about the switch in locations.

NGender set up on the auditorium stage. Kylie and Heather astrally scanned the people coming in and saw they were excited projecting a warm green aura. Together the girls projected a vibrant green aura of confidence that infected the rest of the band and reduced their nervousness about the unexpected overwhelming response. Once set up the band members took turns peeking through the curtains at the side of the stage. They saw the twelve hundred seat auditorium was rapidly filling. The reporter and cameraman from the TV station were present.

Promptly at seven the curtains opened.

NGender had decided that since DJ was the oldest and largest, and his voice projected well, that he'd be their designated announcer. “We’d like to thank the school district for allowing us the last minute use of the auditorium. We’d also like to thank everyone who has come out to support this Tsunami Relief Concert. We humbly ask that you show your appreciation of our performance by filling the free will offering baskets that are located at the exits. Now I’d like to introduce NGender. On drums is Bobby Dawson. On lead guitar is his brother Billy Dawson. On fiddle is Kathy Davis. On Flute and Sax is her sister Heather Davis. On keyboards is my sister, Kylie Warren. I’m DJ Warren and I play bass guitar. Now, Ladies and gentlemen, NGender!”

Bobby began with a beat, then the others joined in as they opened with a rousing rock version of ‘It’s a Small World.” Their voices blended in perfect harmony as their instruments integrated flawlessly.

Kylie and Heather noted NGender's green aura was pulsating to the rock beat and easily flowed off the stage into the audience where it quickly merged with the green emanating from the listeners. By the end of the song, the auditorium was filled with shimmering vibrant green. Sending their astral eyes outside, the girls could see the green flooding out of the open exits into the lobby until the lobby looked like a lighthouse beacon.

When NGender finished there was about ten seconds of silence before the audience found their voice. Applause, cheers, and whistles exploded in a frenzy. NGender blushed and flushed with success bowed. By this time, every seat was filled and the rear aisle was filled with standing room only which overflowed into the lobby with people clustered about the exit doors.

When the audience quieted down, NGender launched into ‘Dreamweaver’, ‘Everything is Beautiful’, ‘Imagine’, ‘Help’, ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’, 'We've Only Just Begun', 'Don't Stop', 'Put Your Hand In The Hand', 'I Can See Clearly Now' and ‘We Are The World’. The applause between each song never slackened. If anything, it increased. The green aura was so intense it infused everyone's flesh so they looked liked the proverbial green men from Mars.

For their final song NGender launched into 'I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing’. The entire audience rose to their feet. Many placed their arms over their neighbors shoulders and swayed to the beat. As they reached the end Kylie called out. “ONE MORE TIME, EVERYONE JOIN IN!”

And they did. The walls vibrated with the volume. The cameraman scanned the audience which to a person was singing along and beaming with love and compassion.

The they finished, the applause was almost deafening. When it settled down DJ spoke. "I hope you enjoyed listening to us tonight because we certainly enjoyed playing for you. Please, remember why we gathered here. Let's fill the collection baskets to aid the Tsunami Relief. Thank you!"

The standing room only audience was later estimated to be fourteen hundred people. The cheers and applause resounded throughout the auditorium once more along with "ENCORE" calls. The calls for encore grew into a chant.

Kylie and Heather giggled as they decided on a song. "ON ME," Kylie urged the others as she played and held a single chord on the keyboard for fifteen seconds. The audience expectantly quieted down as Kylie astrally plugged the rest of NGender into the Isley Brother's classic 'Shout'.

Kylie wailed out, "We-eee-eeel...." The band joined in. By the second 'shout' the audience was joining in. By the fifth everyone had joined in.

You know you make me wanna (Shout!)
Kick my heels up and (Shout!)
Throw my hands up and (Shout!)
Throw my head back and (Shout!)
Come on now (Shout!)
Don't forget to say you will
Don't forget to say, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Say you will)
Say it right now bab-ay
(Say you will)
Come on, come on
(Say you will)
Say it, will-a you-ooooo!
(Say you will)
You got it, now!
(Say) say that you love me
(Say) say that you need me
(Say) say that you want me
(Say) you wanna please me
(Say) come on now
(Say) come on now
(Say) come on now
(Say) come on now
(Say) I still remember
(Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop)
When you used to be nine years old
(Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop)
Yeah-yeah!
I was a fool for you, from the bottom of my soul, yeah!
(Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop)
Now that you've grown, up
(Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop)
Enough to know, yeah yeah
(Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop)
You wanna leave me, you wanna, let me go
(Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop)

I want you to know
I said I want you to know right now, yeah!
You been good to me baby
Better than I been to myself, hey! hey!
An if you ever leave me
I don't want nobody else, hey! hey!
I said I want you to know-ho-ho-hey!
I said I want you to know right now, hey! hey!

You know you make me wanna
(Shout-wooo) hey-yeah
(Shout-wooo) yeah-yeah-yeah
(Shout-wooo) aaaalll-right
(Shout-wooo) aaaalll-right
(Shout-wooo) come on now!
(Shout) come on now!
(Shout) yeah, yeah, yeah
(Shout) yeah, yeah, yeah (good sound)
(Shout) yeah, yeah, yeah (good sound)
(Shout) yeah, yeah, yeah (good sound)
(Shout) all-alright (good sound)
(Shout) it's all-alright (good sound)
(Shout) all-alright (good sound)
(Shout) all-alright (aah)

Now wai-a-ait a minute!
I feel aaaaaaallllllright!
(Yeah-Yeah, Yeah-Yeah!)
(OOOOOOOOW)
Now that I got my woman
I feel aaaaaaaalllllright!
(Yeah-Yeah, Yeah-Yeah, Yeah-Yeah)
Every time I think about you
You been so good to me
You know you make me wanna
(Shout-wooo) lift my heels up and
(Shout-wooo) throw my head back and
(Shout-wooo) kick my heels up and
(Shout-wooo) come on now
(Shout-wooo) take it easy
(Shout-wooo) take it easy
(Shout-wooo) take it easy (higher)
(Shout) a little bit softer now (wooo)
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now
(Shout) a little bit softer now

(Shout) a little bit louder now
(Shout) a little bit louder now
(Shout) a little bit louder now (ooo)
(Shout) a little bit louder now
(Shout) a little bit louder now
(Shout) a little bit louder now

(Shout) a little bit louder now (wooo)
(Shout) a little bit louder now (wooo)
(Shout) a little bit louder now (wooo)
(Shout) a little bit louder now (wooo)
(Shout) a little bit louder now (wooo)
(Shout) a little bit louder now
(Shout)
Hey-Hey-A-Hey
(Hey-Hey-A-Hey)
Hey-A-Hey-A
(Hey-A-Hey-A)
Hey-A-Hey-A)
(Hey-A-Hey-A)
Hey-A-A-Hey)
(Hey-A-A-Hey)

JUMP NOW!
Jump up and shout now (wooo)
Jump up and shout now (wooo)
Jump up and shout now (wooo)
Jump up and shout now (wooo)
Jump up and shout now (wooo)
Everybody shout now
Everybody shout now
Everybody, shout, shout
Shout, shout, shout
Shout, shout, shou-out
Shout, shout, shou-out
Shout, shout, shout, shout (oh-whoa-yeah)
Shout, shout, shout, shout (oh yeah)
Shout, shout, shout, shout
Everybody shout now (ooo)

They vamped the rousing song for tem minutes with the enthusiastic audience with them for every note. The audience was dancing in the aisles and at their seats. People in wheelchairs had their hands raised shaking in the air. Elderly with walkers and canes were so imbued with the healing invigorating green aura they were able to stand up and bop to the infectious beat. The entire auditorium was literally vibrating. The large glass windows in the lobby were visibly pulsing to the driving beat.

The audience didn't want to leave, finally, NGender came down from the stage to shake hands and hug their admirers. As the crowd slowly dispersed, many people could be seen dancing down the aisles in small groups as they sang 'Shout'. It was evident those passing the offering baskets were quite willingly opening their wallets and purses.

A half hour after leaving the stage, the well-wishers had left NGender with their family, church, and school supporters. At that point an elderly woman was rolled forward by an attendant with a nurse on standby.

"Mrs. Lizak," Heather exclaimed as she recognized the smiling woman and scurried forward to give her a hug.

Linda came forward to greet the woman. She was struck by the gaunt woman's almost vibrant appearance. It was hard to believe that she was on death's door just three days ago.

"You children are simply phenomenal," Mrs. Lizak enthused. "In all my eighty eight years, I've never seen a performance that so enthralled the audience. When I was a young woman in the late thirties and early forties I heard fantastic bands like Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Shep Fields and Glenn Miller. I never thought I'd hear anything better. Tonight I have. Not only does your small group play the music, you can sing as well as you play!"

"Heather, you and your friends have saved my life," Mrs. Lizak said. "Despite my doctor's orders I insisted I come to hear your group, but by the time we arrived I was so drained and pretty well worn out that I doubted I'd make it through the first song. That is until you began to play. I could feel your energy pouring from the stage into the audience. I felt your pure unfettered love and compassion for mankind sweep the audience. I'd swear I could see a pulsating green vitality of life surround everyone. I could feel the vitality seeping into my pores and permeating my body. I feel stronger and more alive now than I have in the last twenty years."

"I overheard some people talking about you and your friend Kylie," Mrs. Lizak said. "I'm glad you've discovered the truth about your bodies and if there is anything I can do to assist you, don't hesitate to let me know. Now, I have something I'd like to tell you and your parents."

It only took a few moments to gather the parents.

"I met Heather and Linda in the hospital on Friday," Mrs. Lizak began. "Other than my husband, no one has ever had a greater effect on me that Heather. You may think I'm looney, but here goes. On Thursday I was in a coma dying from the cancer that riddled my body. I was so close to death I had an out of body experience. My three children were in the room arguing about how to get complete control of my estate. Needless to say I was rather angry by their callousness. I lost my lady-like composure and was kicking them in the but to no effect. Suddenly I saw another out of body person watching. It was Heather. Apparently while undergoing her MRI the incessant pounding put her in some sort of trance and she had an out of body experience. We talked and she helped me regain my composure and restored my will to live."

"Whether you believe what I just told you is irrelevant because I DO believe it," Mrs. Lizak declared. "Now, I have connections. I'd like to sponsor NGender. I'll have my lawyer arrange for a trustworthy and dependable business manager and get you a recording contract that lets you retain full artistic control. Included will be trust funds for each child, a living expense stipend for the parents, and when, not if, but when NGender takes off, hiring tutors to make sure they keep up with their education. Of course, you'll be kept abreast of everything and will have final approval of all arrangements. But I'll tell you right now, if they made everyone feel as good as their performance has made me feel, which I think it did, they could be the best thing for public health since penicillin."

"Thank you, Mrs. Lizak," Kylie beamed. "I hope our parents will agree to your suggestions. I think we could all feel the escalating back and forth feedback between us and the audience. The entire experience was tremendous!"

All the parents agreed, and after getting their phone numbers, Mrs. Lizak left.

Pastor Kline joined them once she was wheeled out. "Do you know who that is?"

"Mrs. Lizak," Heather replied.

"Yes," Pastor Kline smiled. "She's also one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in the state. She stays out of the spotlight, but is one of the areas biggest philanthropists."

The concert lasted ninety minutes. The collection totaled a bit over $30,000.00, an average of over $20.00 per person attending. In addition, there was a blank check signed by Mrs. Lizak with the stipulation the check be made out for the equivalent amount of the collection. The money was sent to the UNICEF relief program.

The ten pm news devoted five minutes to the concert and the overwhelming response of the audience including the rousing encore. The national news media picked up the report.