Author's Note: Kudos to djkauf for betaing this for me. Pic Credit: Alice xz.

Chapter 2

The Mercedes handled like a dream. When I arrived in Austin, I filled up and went across the street to a restaurant to grab something to eat before I started the hunt for my salvation.

The menu had so many greasy things that I felt myself salivating over, but I ordered a chef salad instead. It was a compromise and you’ll see why in a second.

Pulling my cell phone out, I found Jennifer’s number in the menu and hit send.

“You made good time, sweetie.”

I tried to giggle like I thought a girl would. It came out okay, but I knew I could do better. “I kept it under eighty, Mom.”

“Have you started your search yet?” she asked.

“I wanted to get something to eat first so I wouldn’t be hungry if it lasts longer than expected.”

“And what are you having?” Her voice had a touch of wariness to it.

“I remembered you said to eat healthy, Mom, so I’m having a salad with olive oil and vinaigrette dressing.”

She sighed over the phone. “You know if you keep being this good that I’m going to have to reward you.”

Giving her another giggle I said, “I’m not doing it to get more stuff. I’m doing it because you said it’s the best for me and I’m doing it for you.”

“Okay, twist my arm,” she said while laughing that ugly laugh of hers. “Keep it up and the car is yours.”

“Really, Mom?! It’s so cool. Did you know it has five cup holders and only two seats? And the red is so pretty.”

Rolling my eyes, I thought I was laying it on a little thick.

“I’m happy that you like it.”

“Oh, what should I have for dinner? I’m just used to really bad stuff like pizza and burgers. I can’t believe I used to eat that.”

“Pick a nice restaurant tonight and call me before you order. I’ll walk you through it.”

Like I couldn’t figure out a menu. How stupid does she think I am?

“I’ll do that. I see the man with my salad, Mom. I better go.”

“Call me when you have any leads, Richelle.”

“I will, Mom. Love you.”

She sucked in a breath and I thought I’d blown everything.

“I love you too, Richelle. Stay sweet.”

~O~

The salad was somewhat filling, but I seriously wanted something with actual beef in the ingredients, that and Coke.

To keep my energy up I grabbed a Monster drink from the convenience store at the gas station I filled up at and then set to work. Taking the amulet in my hand I concentrated on my subject’s face.

“Ariel Chylde.”

While I continued to hold it, I drove around until it led me to an apartment building called The Monarch.

“Snazzy.”

I shouldered my purse and set the alarm on the Mercedes, before entering the building. It was really annoying to stop at every floor trying to get a read on the amulet, especially when it took twenty-nine floors to get it right. That was as high as it went.

After exiting the elevator I turned left and followed the hallway around until it came to a dead end at 2901.

Letting go of the amulet, I dropped it underneath the top of my dress and knocked on the door. Hopefully this would be quick. I’d tell her about how she needed to go home because her guardian said so and then we’d leave and I’d have my life back by tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest.

The door opened and there she was, just as beautiful as I remembered, wearing some really sexy shorts and a camisole.

She looked at me oddly for a second before her eyes widened. “Who are you?”

My lips perched. “You remember the guy you met at school named Dick?”

Her brows creased. “Uh…”

“Yeah, well Jennifer Kale kidnapped him and turned him into me. I’m Dick… or I used to be. Now I’m Richelle if you can believe that.”

Ariel’s mouth opened and closed then she looked like she was incredibly sorry. “Um… what was the superhero name you gave me?”

I started to say, what? But I figured she was trying to see if it was really me. “Lesbian-girl, because you wouldn’t tell me your name. Then you said you liked Darkchylde better.”

“Shit.” She pushed the door open. “Come in.”

Looking left I saw the hall bend and to the right I saw what looked to be a living room. Without waiting for an invitation I strode off down the hall to the open room there were four big windows along the north wall and a massive balcony outside. Of course, it was the penthouse apartment.

“So you and Jennifer are witches,” I said as an opening.

“Don’t let her hear you say that. She’s a Sorceress, I’m the problem child. Dick, how did…”

“It’s Richelle now, as you can see, I’ve got the full package upgrade. Gigantic breasts, no dick, firm ass.”

She winced, but I had a hard time feeling any pity for her. It was because of her that I was put through all of this.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “That’s why I ran away on the second day. I didn’t want to get you involved. That’s why I tried not to make any friends.”

“Well, it didn’t work. She tracked me down like minutes after you disappeared and turned me into a girl.”

Ariel seemed confused. “Why would she do that? That makes no sense.”

“Because she wants a daughter. That same night she took me home with her and did some fucked up ritual that made me her real daughter, by blood and everything.”

She dropped back on the seriously nice couch and sighed. “That’s why you look so much like her.”

“Yeah.” I approached the sliding glass door and looked over north Austin. “Now I have to be this perfect little teenaged daughter and call her Mom, and I can’t do anything about it because I have no idea what she’ll do if I rebel. I mean she’s a seriously powerful Sorceress.”

“I know. That’s why I ran. I’m so sorry that you got involved with it. Look, I’ll try my best to turn you ba…”

I looked over my shoulder at Ariel and she was staring off into space. “Ariel?”

Her eyes focused. “I know this is going to sound weird but someone wants to talk to you.”

What could be weird about that? “On a scale of one to ten someone wanting to talk to me rates about a negative three on the weird-o-meter.”

She shook her head, smiling a little. “What makes it strange is that someone is inside of me.”

“Pardon?” Was Ariel just as nuts as her cousin? I had many more questions for her but settled on that one.

“It’s why Jennifer wants me so bad. Look, her name is DC. Just talk to her. She has some questions for you about what Jennifer did.”

“Okaaay.”

There was something that was visibly different about Ariel in the next moment. Her body language changed. She seemed much more confident as she rose from the couch and crossed the floor.

“Hello, Richelle. I apologize about our role in your abduction and change.”

Her eyes traveled my body with appreciation. “Though I must say you’ve turned out fabulous. If you going to get stuck in a different gender then this is a good form to have.”

I frowned at her. “I’m getting changed back.”

“Hmm, about that… I assume when Jennifer first changed you it was against your will?”

I nodded. “Yeah. She popped up in my bedroom and zapped me. Poof, instant girl.”

“Good, that makes things easier. How about the second time when she made you her daughter and you took on features similar to hers?”

Shaking my head I said. “I don’t understand. What are you asking?”

“I’m sorry. Was it against your will, or did you agree to the transformation?”

My mouth opened to protest that of course I didn’t agree to it, but my thoughts ran to exactly what Jennifer said and then what I said. “I… sort of. The way she phrased the ritual…”

DC stopped me. “It was a ritual? Describe it.”

“Uh… magical circle, a drink from a goblet, then she asked me some questions and I said yes.”

DC’s face fell and I immediately amended what I said. “The way she phrased it, it was like she was testing to see if I was her daughter. I didn’t think it would work. I thought I’d be changed back to Dick Grayson.”

She stepped forward and took my hands in hers, looking at me with intense sadness. “Richelle, I’m afraid there is no going back from that particular ritual. This is your body, for good or ill until you die.”

My knees felt weak and my chest tightened. I couldn’t breathe. “No…”

“Richelle, come, sit down. Hurry before you fall down.”

I dropped into a chair and DC spread my legs and then pulled me until I was bent over. “Take short even breaths. You’re hyperventilating.”

“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I said over and over.

~O~

The sound of the air conditioning kicking on woke me. I quickly sat up and looked around. It was a pretty nice semi rectangular room, maybe about sixteen by twelve feet big. The bed was very comfortable and there was a dresser and an armoire, both in cherrywood. There was an attached bathroom and the door to the main room was open.

Footsteps sounded like they were coming upstairs, so those had to be pretty close. Ariel’s head poked around the corner.

“Hey, you feeling better?” she said with more than a little concern.

I nodded. “Sorry, I normally don’t pass out like that.”

She shrugged. “It was some awful news. I’m just glad DC was there. I wouldn’t have known what to do. I wish I could help you in some way.”

The information DC gave me washed over my brain for a second time, and tears started forming at my eyes. Ariel sat herself down right up against me and put her arm around my shoulder.

“Hey, hey, it’s going to be okay. We’ll work through this.”

“My dad and step-mom are going to come back from their trip on Sunday and I’m going to be missing. How exactly is this going to be okay?”

Ariel was quiet for a few moments while I silently cried. “I’ll make it right. It won’t be perfect, but I’ll do my best to make it right.”

I sniffed, pathetically. “What about Jennifer?”

“We’ll go back together and we’ll sit down and hash something out. Maybe there’s a way for you to look like Dick until graduation and then you can move out.”

I shook my head. “No, she’s already dead set on me being her daughter. You don’t see her when I act all sweet and caring. If I even mention going back to Dad there’s no telling what she’ll do.”

Ariel stood and faced me. “Then I’ll bring it up. Insist that we work something out to where your parents can be a part of your life in some way. Believe me, when I actually try to get along with someone I can be pretty persuasive. Then we can work out a sane way to cohabitate.”

“She’s got to get some counseling or something,” I said.

“Yeah, I talked to DC about that. Her problem is the magic. We did some scrying into her past to try and find something to hold over her and we found out she wasn’t always like this. She was actually pretty nice once upon a time.”

Ariel saw the look of disbelief on my face.

“It’s true. She’s been fighting evil, demons, Dormammu, you name it for decades. Get this, she’s in her fifties.”

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “Yeah. DC thinks that she can help her but it has to be voluntary or she has to be unconscious. I just haven’t figured out a way to get her to accept it. That’s where you come in. With you there I think we might have a chance.”

“Okay. Maybe if we can get her into a sane place we can get more done. Maybe we can tell my parents.”

Ariel smiled. “That’s what I’m thinking. Okay, I’m going to go start making dinner for us. I found your keys and got your suitcase; it’s in front of your bed. While you’re here, you’re family. This is your room. Why don’t you give her a call and check in. Tell her you found me and we’ll be back tomorrow.”

Looking up at her I asked, “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “If we can help her not slide any further into the pit of insanity, don’t you think she deserves a chance?”

I wasn’t so sure. She’d destroyed my life and altered my sex. That’s kind of hard to forgive in the course of one revelation. “Yeah, I guess.”

~O~

“Hi sweetie. Dinner time already?”

“I found her.”

Her breath caught. “Really. I haven’t sensed anything, but she’s under that damn cloak.”

“Mom, I’m in her apartment right now and she’s making me dinner.”

This time she sounded really surprised. “How did you manage that? That’s incredible.”

I inhaled and then let it go. “I took a page from the first rule you taught me. Don’t lie. I’ve told her everything, from the moment you and I met.”

“Everything?”

“Well, not everything. Some things are private like between you and me, but I covered the high points, told her you made me your daughter, who I was before that, and that you want her to come home.”

Jennifer snorted. “I bet she loved that idea. What’d she say?”

“Actually it was her idea to come home with me tomorrow. She said that she doesn’t want to fight and all three of us should come to an understanding about how we should live our lives, an agreement that is understood so there won’t be any miscommunication in the future.”

There was a long silence from the other end of the line. “Richelle, are you telling the truth?”

“Yes, ma’am. Not everything. It’s like what I’m doing with you; I’m doing the same with her. Those are the high points and some things are personal, between Ariel and me.”

“Okay,” she said. “I understand.”

“Mom, you gotta be cool with her, okay? She didn’t tell me what went on between the two of you, but she’s making an effort here. I can tell.”

She giggled. “Of course you can, honey, you’re a Kale. What time can I expect you tomorrow?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll call when we leave, okay?”

“Sounds good. I’m very proud of you, Richelle. You’ve performed beyond my wildest dreams.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’m going to go help Ariel with dinner now, okay.”

“Okay sweetie. I love you.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Love you too.”

After dumping the cell in my purse I went to splash a little cold water on my face. Looking at myself in the mirror I still couldn’t accept that I’d be seeing that face for the rest of my life. I was a girl, forever.

I ran a towel over that thin nose and wide cheekbones, over the tall forehead and rounded chin, nothing like I’d known for the last sixteen years of my life. It was a very pretty face, strong and passionate looking, but I also knew that it could look very mean and somewhat crazy.

It wasn’t a death sentence, I knew that. Someday I might even enjoy being a girl, but for right then it seemed like it was impossibly far off.

Straightening out my dress, I ran my fingers through my hair and started my way downstairs. When I reached the kitchen, Ariel’s back was too me and I saw the most amazingly intricate tattoo on her back. It went high up on her shoulders and dropped below her shorts down to her ankles; a pair of black angel’s wings.

“Wow, that tat is awesome.”

She turned around and smiled at me. “Thanks. Hurt like a bitch when they came through. They’re real wings, but when they’re pulled back inside me they look like a tattoo.”

“You have wings? You’re a metahuman?”

“Kind of.” She crossed the kitchen and set a wineglass in front of me before pouring me a healthy portion of some white wine. “It’s a Sauvignon Blanc. We’re having Shrimp Scampi or Crawfish Etouffee, or both.”

I picked up the glass and looked at it like I knew what I was doing. “I don’t normally drink wine.”

“Beer?”

I shook my head. “My dad is a cop. If I ever got drunk he’d kick my butt.”

Ariel smiled evilly. “So I’m popping your cherry?”

I laughed at the insinuation. “That’s what I hoped you would be able to do when I first met you as Dick, but that plan is all shot to hell.”

“Plus the whole lesbian thing I’ve got going on. I would have never been interested in you as a guy. Sorry, but thems the breaks.”

Taking a little sip of wine I was surprised it didn’t suck. I mean wine is supposed to be alcoholic grape juice, and I really hate grape juice. But this stuff was pretty good.

“Does that mean I stand a chance now?”

Ariel’s mouth opened for a second and then closed with a smile. “I think I better check on the Etouffee.”

“That wasn’t an answer.”

No matter what body I was in, I was still intensely attracted to her. Every move she made was just gorgeous. “There are things you don’t know about me, Richelle.”

I looked at the clock which was edging on five. “We’ve got all night and tomorrow morning. We’re all alone in your amazing penthouse apartment.”

“Our apartment; as long as you are here it’s yours too.”

“You’re changing the subject.”

“I’m a guy.”

I almost dropped my glass. “What?”

“Ariel was originally a guy’s name before girls stole it. I was born Ariel Raymond Chylde.”

Looking at her body and face, there was absolutely no possible way that could be true.

“Two weeks ago I was just an average guy in an average Mississippi town. Through things I don’t want to get into at the moment, I met Dormammu, a demon, or more like the head demon. He activated my metagene and was in the process of forcing demons out of my body. That’s my power. I’m kind of like a portal to the supernatural world. Through me they can come through.”

“Ugh. That sucks as a power,” I said.

She nodded. “Pretty much. The thing is during all this, I came upon this thing called the Book of Zhered-Na, it’s also known as The Obsidian Stone. I absorbed it into me and that’s how DC came to life. That’s also how I met Jennifer.”

Ariel seemed put off by talking about it. She sipped at her wine and then set it down. “Basically she saved my town from being a portal to hell by separating the magical and Meta me from the old me, making two of us. The old me stayed with my father and the one you’re seeing now moved in with her. We were like fire and gasoline, well, that and her insanity. Then I ran away.”

“How does this make you a guy?”

She giggled. “Sorry, I kind of skipped that part, didn’t I? When DC came into being it created a female side of me that I can control. So whenever I want, I can switch back to being a guy.”

Maybe it was the look on my face. Ariel unbuttoned the top of the shorts.

“Okay, don’t freak out.”

In the span of five seconds I watched as that insanely beautiful girl turned into an average looking guy before my eyes.

“Weird, huh?”

My hands started shaking and I downed the rest of my wine in one gulp.

~O~

Conversation through dinner was mostly about the food or benign subjects while Ariel was letting me process the thought of being attracted to a girl that I found out was actually a guy, even though when he was a girl she was completely a girl. I was so confused.

I’m not a homophobe, really. I mean I don’t really care one way or another what someone does. As long as they don’t hurt other people then more power to them.

When Ariel reached the end of her meal she took her plate to the kitchen and refilled her wineglass and mine as well. The food helped me even out a little after that entire first glass started hitting me, but I was still pleasantly tipsy. Apparently I’m a lightweight.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked.

I wiped my mouth and set the plate aside. “It’s messed up.”

She smiled serenely. “Any particular thing or life in general?”

I shrugged. “Well my life at the moment. That’s seriously messed up. I was referring to the thing between us.”

“Ah.” Ariel left it at that and sipped some more wine.

“I’m not really attracted to guys but I’m seriously attracted to you. And you’re only a guy some of the time. So if we hooked up and you wanted to be a guy sometime, would that mean that I was your girlfriend and you’d want to… you know.”

“Richelle, there a question you need to ask first. You’ve forgotten something.”

My brain was addled. I couldn’t concentrate and when I could all I could think about was how much I wanted her. “What’d I miss?”

“The question you need to ask is if I’m attracted to you.”

“Oh.” Duh. “I think I’m drunk.”

Ariel giggled. “I think so too. Why don’t we table this conversation until you aren’t.”

She helped me upstairs and found my ultra-girlie sleepwear. “Let me guess, Jennifer bought this for you?”

“Just give me my frilly panties and… what is this thing called?”

I could tell she was hiding a smirk under the hand that was covering her face. “It’s a babydoll nightgown. We’ll get you something a little more age appropriate when we get back, okay? Go get changed and I’ll stick around to make sure you make it to your bed.”

My legs didn’t seem to want to work very well as I pulled my dress over my head and tossed my panties aside. I peed for quite a long time not realizing how long it had been since I’d visited a bathroom. And what is it with having to sit down to do this? Some things about girls I just didn’t understand.

With my ruffled panties on and my babydoll still not quite making it past my butt so it showed off the ruffles, I washed my face and stumbled to bed.

Ariel tucked me in and smiled. “I think your nightgown is very cute, Richelle.”

I reached out and grabbed her wrist before she left. “I don’t want you to be my sister.”

She patted my hand. “Good, that would make the whole being attracted to one another a lot less taboo.”

I smiled at her joke then realized what she said. “Do you think I’m pretty, Ariel?”

The bed moved a little, but I could barely keep my eyes open to see her face.

“I think you’re beautiful. I’m sorry that Jennifer did this to you, but I’m kind of glad I have someone to share it with. Does that make me a bad person?”

No was on my lips but it wouldn’t come out because I was already asleep.

~O~

The next morning was gloomy. Storm clouds were heading up from the Gulf of Mexico. Houston was probably under water. Flooding has always been a problem in certain areas of town. That made the trip back a problem. The Mercedes sat kind of low to the ground. Going through any depth of water might not be too good for the car and since it was mine now I really didn’t want to take any chances with it.

My head hurt a little, I guess from the alcohol, but I still had my wits about me. That’s why I called Jennifer.

“Good morning sunshine. Did you sleep well?”

“Morning, Mom. Yeah I slept find. I called about the weather. Is it flooding there?”

Her voice didn’t sound too pleased. “Tropical storm is rolling in. I won’t be able to send a portal to you either. Sometimes bad storms mess up the spell. Do you mind staying with Ariel until it passes?”

I grinned. “I was hoping that would be okay with you. We’re getting on pretty well.”

“Hmm, she’s not trying to get you into her grungy clothes is she?”

“No, Mom. I wore my babydoll last night and I’m looking at this sparkly dress thing right now.”

“Is it the black sequin chiffon dress?”

Honestly I didn’t have a clue. “It’s sleeveless and the top part is sparkly and the skirt part has roses on it, but it’s mostly black.”

Jennifer giggled. “That top part is called a bodice, sweetie. You won’t need a bra with that. The Dior patent leather slides are the shoes that go with it.”

Digging in the suitcase I pulled out a pair of Christian Dior shoes that I hoped weren’t the ones she was talking about.

“Um… are you talking about the high heels?”

“They’re only four inch heels, Richelle and a half inch of that is platform, so it’s only like three inches. You’ll get used to them. Trust your mother.”

I wasn’t so sure, but I didn’t want her freaking out about something like this. “Okay. The dress is really pretty, Mom. I can’t wait to see what it looks like.”

A relieved sigh sounded on the other end. “I’m sure you’ll look precious sweetheart.”

After taking a shower I dried my hair and put some goop in my hair. The bottle was accompanied by a note that told me what to do. It was annoying to dry my hair on the low setting with this big attachment called a diffuser on the end. Jennifer wrote that it would prevent my hair from frizzing. I didn’t even know what that meant, but took her advice all the same.

The P.S. I Love You lotion was next. My hands just seemed to go on automatic with all of these things. My thinking was that this was what every girl out there had to do look nice, and I wanted to look nice for Ariel. Don’t ask me why.

It’s one thing to look decent as a guy, and a whole other to do it as a girl. I wanted her to be attracted to me, to want me. Even if I always would be a girl from the day Jennifer changed me, I was still conflicted in my heart. However, it didn’t change the desire I held for the girl that was downstairs.

Stepping into the dress, I pulled it up and settled my breasts in the provided cups before doing up the small zip at the back. Tiny strings went over my shoulders again. At least the skirt on this one reached to mid-thigh.

Eyeing the high heels, I slipped my feet, one after the other into them and stood there trying to get comfortable with the added height. The pull at the front of my thighs wasn’t bad and they felt comfortable enough on my feet, just not very secure since there wasn’t a strap or anything to hold them on.

I practiced waking around for a good fifteen minutes until I felt confident enough not to twist an ankle. Looking at myself in the mirror, I frown at my face. It was pretty, but it was plain.

I wound up calling Jennifer back and with the aid of the camera on the phone she walked me through the basics. I think she was having a lot more fun than I was. Basically I shaped my eyebrows with a pencil, outlined the outer edged of my eyes with a different pencil, added mascara, and lipstick. The rest was too complicated to do without her there to show me. At the end I was a lot happier with the results.

“Thanks, Mom. That’s so much better.”

~O~

Not wanting to take the chance of falling, I took off my heels as I descended the stair and then slipped them on at the bottom before finding Ariel on a chair in the living room surfing on her laptop.

I guess she heard me coming from the clicking of the heels on the tiled hall floor. When she saw me, I could swear she did a double-take.

As the night before, Ariel was dressed in shorts and a cami, just different ones.

“Wow, you look great,” she said.

On instinct I spun around. “Do you like it?”

The skirt flared around my hips and I knew I’d given Ariel a brief glimpse of the French cut panties I was wearing. She didn’t say anything at first and her face looked a little flushed.

“Yeah. You’re beautiful and your face. Your makeup looks really… um. I’ll be right back. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen.”

Ariel didn’t run but her pace was pretty quick. “Shit, I hope I didn’t scare her off.”

Finding some apples and a pear, I made myself a fruit salad and sat at the breakfast table waiting for her to come back. It took forever, or at least until I finished breakfast, but when she did, I nearly dropped my bowl. There was the Ariel I remembered.

She had on some severely skinny jeans that were ripped all up the front and a light blue really feminine top that looked like a tank, but it was trimmed with lace and billowed at the bottom to look a little flirty. Her face was made up and her hair back in a French braid that looked like it stretched all the way to her butt. The final touch was the flat-heeled sandals.

“Is this okay? I’m not really a dress type when I’m a girl.”

“You look great, Ariel. You didn’t have to get dressed up for me.”

She shook her head like she’d been caught out or something. “No, I’m not… I’m just… I mean… It looks like it’s going to rain later and I thought I’d show you a little of Austin while we’re here. I’ll call Jennifer and tell her we’re not coming today, with that storm and all.”

I smiled at her uneasiness. “I’ve already called her. It’s flooding in Houston and she suggested for us to stay here until it passes.”

Ariel blinked. “She did?”

After rinsing the bowl I opened the dishwasher and set it inside. “Uh-huh. She’s playing the concerned mother thing at the moment. I suggest we take advantage of it.”

From the look on her face I knew her thoughts were elsewhere and not on me where I wanted them, so I performed a trick that I had seen played on numerous others. I accidently knocked a hand-towel to the floor in front of her and bent down to retrieve it, thus displaying the enormous amount of cleavage I currently displayed.

When I stood back up, Ariel turned away and I saw, with much pleasure on my part, her face was reddening again.

“So what’s there to do at ten in the morning in the middle of the week in Austin?”

Ariel licked her lips, which I followed with my eyes. She had seriously nice thick lips that were right on the edge of being too big, but not for me. All I could imagine was kissing them and seeing what they felt like going down on…

That sobered me right up. It’s kind of hard imagining a girl giving you a blow job only to realize you didn’t possess the right equipment. Switching over to what it would feel like with the other equipment was a mystery. Hell, I hadn’t even masturbated with the new stuff yet. What did I know?

“Does that sound good to you?”

I was so caught up in my own problems that I’d totally ignored what Ariel was saying. “Uh-huh.”

“Did you want to drive or we could walk? It’s not far.”

“Whatever you think.”

“Okay, well, grab your purse and we’ll head out.”

The trip up to the room was easy in heels, or maybe it was because I wasn’t even concentrating and distracting myself about falling. When I got up there I had an urge to check and make sure I still looked as good as I did when I went down.

A grimace fell when I saw my lipstick was gone. “Damn.”

The only chance I had to attract Ariel and I’d forgotten to be extra careful when I ate. Quickly, I reapplied a coat and checked to make sure there wasn’t anything between my teeth before tossing the lipstick and other makeup in my purse. There was no telling if I’d have to touch up during the course of the day.

Shouldering the purse I closed my eyes and said a silent mantra to myself. Be very feminine today. Be very feminine today. Don’t give her any reason to think you were a guy. She can’t think about that if she’s attracted to girls. Be a girl. Be a girl. You can do it, Richelle.

When I opened my eyes I realized that it was the first time I’d thought of myself as Richelle and not Dick.

Crap! Don’t do that. You’re Richelle. You’ve always been her and you love being a girl. Don’t get depressed about your old life. Take your new life and be the best girl you can be. It’s the only way you’ll win her.

Before you ask, that was my version of a Be the Ball speech.

Before I walked out of my room, I put on a brilliant smile and shoved aside anything that I thought of when I was a guy. I didn’t look down at my feet as I descended the stairs. I just made sure I had a firm grip on the bannister and walked confidently.

A shaky breath left my lungs when I hit the bottom. Mission accomplished. Remember your goals, Richelle.

Ariel was by the door with a tall umbrella grasped with one hand. I gave her the full effect of my smile.

“Got everything?”

I nodded. “I’m all yours for the day.” And you can take that any way you want.

We took the elevator down and out the door after that. My stride was shorter because of the heels, and Ariel’s were longer because of her impossibly long legs, but she kept at a slow pace for me. We weren’t even a block away from the apartment when I heard running footsteps from behind me and a sudden jerk from my purse.

“Hey!” I yelled.

A kid ripped it right off my arm. The look on Ariel’s face was telling. She was livid. But it was all for naught, because the kid didn’t get but five more steps away before he tripped and went headlong into the side of a building and its brick wall, face first.

We heard a loud crack and the guy dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

Ariel ran up and got my purse back as I caught up. “Oh… eww.”

The front of the guys face was almost mashed flat. His nose was obviously broken and leaking blood at a rapid pace and his jaw didn’t look right as the bottom portion was offset by at least two inches to the side.

She looked up at me with shock. “Did…?”

I raised my hands. “I don’t know any magic. Maybe Jennifer spelled the purse.”

Ariel rolled her eyes. “It sounds like something she’d do. Well, I think that’s more than enough punishment for him unless you want to call the cops?”

I shrugged. “I’d rather spend my day with you.”

See how I snuck that in there? Then I purposely slipped my hand in hers and started back down the street. It might have been my imagination, but Ariel seemed to have a little more pep in her step. Either way, I was holding her hand and enjoying every moment I could.

We window shopped for a little while and then entered a music store. I didn’t know what to do seeing as I was supposed to act more feminine. Should I look at the boy bands or the solo girls? Not wanting her to get the wrong idea, I stayed with the female artists and chose three CDs to add to my iPod shuffle.

When we reached the cashier, Ariel paid for everything and I lifted up a little in my heels to kiss her cheek. “Thank you.”

There, if that wasn’t girly then I don’t know what was.

The cashier looked at the two of us for a moment before finishing the sale. Austin was known for having a heavy alternative lifestyle population. With strongly liberal UT only five minutes away and the fact that we were on 6th Street, it shouldn’t be odd at all to see same sex couple all over the place.

Sorry, 6th Street is notorious for its party atmosphere, kind of like New Orleans Bourbon Street. There were lots of bars, tattoo parlors, smoke shops, music stores, you name it. Granted, it was the middle of the day, during the middle of the week, but I could still imagine what it would look like at night.

Speaking of tattoo parlors, I was almost tempted to go into one and get some black angel’s wings inked on my butt or maybe low on my waist, but that was something for later, plus it seemed a little stalkerish considering I hadn’t even received a kiss from her.

Tone it down, Richelle. God, I hope insanity isn’t genetic. With Jennifer’s blood in me now, I had to consider the possibility.

We stopped for lunch and to let my feet rest. Walking for a couple hours in heels wasn’t really a smart idea. Regrettably, I ordered a medium grilled chicken salad, and Ariel had a scrumptious cheeseburger. How did she eat like that and not gain a pound? I’d seen her waist and it was perfectly toned. There was just a hint of defined muscle underneath and I looked all soft.

When I’d inspected my body for the first time I didn’t notice any muscle anywhere. It was all smooth and soft. There was no doubt I’d be the girl in our relationship if it ever happened. I’d be the lipstick lesbian and Ariel would be the butch girlfriend, except she wasn’t butch at all except for her clothes. There I was in a dress and high heels.

My eyes drifted to my hands. Maybe I should get my nails done. Girls had long painted nails, didn’t they?

I couldn’t remember. Was it in style? Damn, now I have to keep up with what’s in style! That meant magazines and more shopping.

Letting my eyes drift while we sat there in an outdoor café, I spotted a small bookstore at the next corner.

Score! Shit, girls don’t say, Score! They say… um, Yay!

“What are you thinking about?” asked Ariel as she’d swallowed the last of her burger.

I tried to be flirty. “I can’t tell you.”

It looked like she was tonguing her teeth to loosen a piece of gristle. As odd as it sounds, it was sexy. I know; I’m hopeless.

“Can we go over to that bookstore?”

She turned and looked over her shoulder. “Sure. You finished?”

I looked down at my half-eaten salad and nodded. Ariel took care of the check while I freshened up in the restroom. Lack of lipstick wasn’t going to be a problem this time.

We crossed the street and entered the bookstore. It wasn’t exactly Barnes & Noble, but it had a pretty decent selection of fashion magazines. I grabbed a tote and shooed Ariel off to the Fantasy-Science Fiction section.

Picking out at least a dozen of the current issues I loaded the tote up and moved to the Alternative Lifestyles section which was pretty big. My eyes found two books immediately. The Whole Lesbian Sex Book and How to Be a Happy Lesbian.

If I was going to go about this correctly, I wanted to know exactly how to make Ariel happy in bed from a girl’s perspective. Then I thought about what would happen if she wanted to do it in her guy body. I licked my lips at the thought, trying to steel myself at making love with a guy. Just to round out my education, I picked up 50 Way to Please Your Man. That way I could make an informed decision instead of just going off of a gut reaction.

My face burned with embarrassment as I set the whole batch on the counter to check out.

There was an older lady there who perused my selection. This is something I just didn’t get. Why do sales people even care about what people bought? They always had to offer their opinion. Why couldn’t they just take the money and bag up the selections?

I threw a look back to make sure Ariel was still occupied and she was.

“Exploring a few possibilities?”

My head snapped around. “What?”

“Your choice of books. I’m really not supposed to sell these to anyone under eighteen.”

My face dropped. “You’re kidding.”

Reaching into my purse I pulled my wallet out and fished out a fresh hundred dollar bill. “That’s yours if you just ring it up and forget about my age.”

Her hand snatched it up and I didn’t hear a single word after. Two bags were full when Ariel popped up.

“You bought all of this? I could have gotten it for you.”

I shook my head and smiled. “That’s sweet of you, but I’ve got it. Mom gave me some mad money.”

It was then that my jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe I’d called Jennifer Mom. “I mean Jennifer. God, I can’t believe I just said that.”

Ariel took the heavier of the two bags, the magazines. “It’s habit forming. You’re saying it so much to her that it just comes out of your mouth naturally. Don’t worry about it. I understand.”

My eyes were starting to burn and before I knew it Ariel had her hands around me as I buried my face on her shoulder. It took her about two minutes of repeating a few It’s okay’s and a dozen or so I understand’s before I noticed how she smelled like melon and how much I liked it.

Pulling away, I wiped at my eyes and noticed a big black mark on my hand. “Oh no…” I turned around.

Ariel immediately asked what was wrong.

“Don’t look at me. All my makeup is running. Shit!”

I heard her make a sound in her throat. “Richelle, it’s okay. I won’t think anything less of you because your mascara ran. Here, come on. I’m sure there’s a bathroom in here that you can use.”

She shuffled me through a door and led me to the girl’s restroom then said she’d be out front.

The horror in the mirror stared back at me. I hurriedly washed my face as best as I could with the provided soap and then started over at the beginning, trying my best to reapply my makeup. The eyes took a couple of tries to get right, but I was out of there in about fifteen minutes. The whites of my eyes were still red, but I looked a lot better leaving than I did on the way in.

When I stepped out of the door I saw that we were in a bar, and Ariel was sitting at a table with two drinks in front of her. Setting my purse down, I saw that she had collected my bags of books on the chair next to us. I hoped that she hadn’t gone through the bag. How embarrassing would it have been if she knew what I was up to?

“I got you a drink. I thought you could use it.”

I looked over at the bar. “Do you have a fake ID or something?”

She smiled. “Or something. DC is teaching me a few tricks. Right now nobody can really focus on us for any length of time. So they can’t estimate how old we are.”

I pointed to the red icy thing in front of me. “What is this?”

“It’s a strawberry margarita. I have a Long Island Iced Tea. Considering your tolerance to alcohol we should be evenly matched.”

There was a small straw already dipped inside. When I sipped it there was this tart and sweet taste that awakened my senses. “This is really good. It has alcohol in it?”

She smiled. “That’s what makes it a dangerous drink. No more than one for you.”

I stuck my tongue out at her and sipped some more.

“I’m sorry I broke down. I don’t know what happened. I’ve never done anything like that before.”

Ariel reached over and set her hand on mine. “It’s a girl thing. I don’t know how many times I’ve cried since I was taken from my father.”

Not wanting to bring everything even more downhill than it already was, I tried to change the subject. “Well, I promise not to be a crybaby type of girlfriend.”

I cringed and closed my eyes, almost facepalming, but remembering I’d just repaired my makeup. “I’m such a freak. It has to be the genes. Jennifer did something to make me as crazy as her.”

“Well, I’d have liked to be the one to ask you, maybe after our first date, but I guess now’s as good of a time as any.”

Maybe I was mishearing her. My fingers spread apart a little to look up through them and see if I was in my own little fantasy world. “What?”

Ariel’s face was a little pink. “I’ve been thinking about our situation. It kind of makes sense doesn’t it?”

My hands slowly fell away from my face. “I don’t understand.”

“We’re both in similar situations. Jennifer has screwed with our lives; we have common ground to share. All ego aside, I know you’re attracted to me, since you pretty much admitted it at school and all the flirting you’re doing since coming here.”

I really am a freak. Was I that transparent?

“And I have to admit, I’m very attracted to you. You’re funny, and very pretty. It doesn’t seem to matter to you about the whole lesbian thing especially considering your choice of reading material.”

Back in my palm my face went. “I knew you looked.”

Ariel giggled. “I didn’t look. I saw you pick them from the shelf. I was watching you the whole time.”

Peeking through my fingers again I said, “You were?”

Her thumb shifted until it was underneath my hand and she gripped it. “You’re hard to ignore, Richelle.”

Something inside me melted a little when she said that. “Really?”

Ariel nodded with a pretty smile. “Plus there was something that sealed the deal for me.”

Coming out of hiding for a second time, I looked at her with intent. “What was it?”

“The last book you chose. It told me that you’d at least consider being with me if I was in guy form. That’s a big leap that I know I wouldn’t be able to do.”

I took a big sip from the glass for courage. “I’m trying to accept that I’ll never be able to turn back. It’s hard, but I’m trying to move forward. Like it or not I’m a girl now, so I’m choosing to do my best to like it.”

Her seat moved back, but she didn’t let go of my hand as she moved to a closer seat, closer to me. “You’re an amazing person, Richelle. I don’t know if I could move on like that. I’ve been fighting it from day one and I’m still fighting for a way to get my life back.”

My lips twisted a little. “Well you still have hope. I really don’t. I’m not even a girl version of my old self. Genetically, I’m Jennifer’s daughter now. If I was my dad, I don’t know if I’d want me anymore.”

“That’s nuts. You were his son, just because you look different doesn’t make any difference. He still raised you. Even the great Jennifer Kale can’t take that away.”

I couldn’t help it. Looking into her eyes, the conviction she had in her heart and the way she was trying her best to give me some of her hope, I just leaned in and pressed my lips against hers.

Ariel froze for a second and I thought that I’d made a big mistake then she responded. I was right; her lips were perfect. We deepened the kiss for a small lifetime of sensations and then I pulled away.

Her eyes were kind of glassy and unfocused, but then they sharpened and a smile rose on her face. “You know, if you’re dressed up like that and I’m dressed up like this, I should be the one to initiate things.”

Heat filled my face, but it wasn’t embarrassment, it was desire. “I got tired of waiting.”

“Okay, that’s a good enough reason.”

My lips twisted to the side a little in amusement. “I really am the girl here aren’t I?”

“We can take turns if you want.”

I considered it for a few moments. “I’ll think about it. Believe it or not, I kind of like it… well certain portions of it anyway. Being a girly-girl is a lot of work.”

Ariel sighed and took both my hands in her. “I really like it though. You make a perfect girl.” She winced. “Don’t take that as an insult.”

“I don’t. I’ve been trying very hard since I woke up to be a feminine as I can be.”

“Well, you’ve succeeded.”

The made me very happy to hear her say that.

“But don’t do it on my account. Do it for you if that’s what you want.”

Again, I thought about what I really wanted. “I’ll think about that too.”

Thunder interrupted our conversation and we looked at each other. Chugging the rest of our drinks took about thirty seconds, before we exited the bar and made out way back to the apartment. Luckily we’d made a big U-turn at one point so we weren’t that far away, maybe a block or so.

It started raining right before we made it through the front door and I was surprised at my ability to almost run in high heels. Almost being the operative word. I could walk quickly. Even with all the practice I’m not a pro quite yet.

~O~

I called Jennifer and checked in before making myself comfortable on the couch reading Allure, a magazine devoted mostly to beauty tips. Lord knows I needed all the help I could get in that department. Ariel insisted I have some time to myself so I could decompress while she made dinner. My brain was going a hundred miles an hour with the subjects we talked about.

Being confused about how you want to lead your life at sixteen in a new body of the opposite sex was hard enough. So I decided I’d try out different aspect of being a girl. There were enough examples of really butch girls and ultra-feminine ones plus everywhere in between. I need to find out which one worked for me. So I started at the ultra-fem side and started working my way over. Hence the beauty tips magazine.

My plan was to immerse myself into the lifestyle and see if it was what I wanted. If it wasn’t, then I’d move over to the practical girl type. That’s the kind of girl who was feminine, but occasionally wore jeans or slacks as the occasion arose. Then Ariel’s type was next, feminine with more of a devotion to anything that didn’t involve a dress, and ultimately butch was last.

The butch style didn’t appeal to me at all for some reason and I figured I’d wind up somewhere between practical girl and traditional girl. Sorry, but I seem to like the dresses more.

I know, I’m insane.

“Learn anything yet?”

I looked up from the magazine. “I’m in the middle of a fascinating article about skin care,” I said with a lack of enthusiasm. “I never knew there were so many different ways of cleaning my face, and regular soap is just about the worst way to do it. I have so much to learn.”

Ariel closed in and leaned over giving me a toe-curling kiss before pulling back. “You don’t have to learn it all in one day, Chelle, but if you want makeup tips, DC apparently is a wiz with mine.”

“Oh, you cheat!” I swatted at her with the magazine. “No wonder you’re always perfect!”

Dinner was lite, even though I craved something more filling, I wanted to make sure I stayed thin and pretty for Ariel. Yes, I know I should be doing this all for myself, but it’s a lot easier to explain to my stomach that I’m doing it for love and not just to diet.

That night I took a bath with all the extras that Jennifer packed for me, then lotioned up and dried my hair. This time I did use the eau de toilette because I wanted to be extra feminine for Ariel, then I snuck downstairs and saw her on the couch in her shorts and tank.

She looked up at me and I saw her eyes go glassy and unfocused. We didn’t say a word to each other, but I smiled shyly and turned around. I heard light footsteps behind me as I approached her bedroom door and went inside without turning on the light.

A crack of thunder made the lights flicker but they stayed on in the hall. When I approached her bed I turned around and Ariel was right behind me. Without my heels I was a lot shorter, coming up to where my eyes met her chin.

“I want to take it a little slow, but since this might be the last time we’re alone for a while…”

Her hands rose up to hold my face. “I understand. Just let me know if I’m going too fast, okay?”

~O~

The next morning the storm still hadn’t gone away. The rain was pounding hard on the balcony attached to Ariel’s bedroom. Yes, I spent the night, and it was the most incredible night. We didn’t have sex, well not really. It’s hard to explain with girl/girl sex. Let me put it this way: neither of us saw the main equipment, but we definitely felt it.

I also experienced my first real orgasm. I’m so happy it was with her. She treated me like it was a storybook romance, saying things to me that made me feel like such a girl. Who would have thought that Dick Grayson, onetime minor league horndog would have fallen so far to the girl-side?

Being curled up at her shoulder smelling her distinctive melon scent was near heaven for me as I watched the rain pour down outside.

“Looks like were stuck here for another day,” Ariel whispered.

I jumped just a little and ran my hand across her abdomen. “I thought you were asleep.”

“I’ve been listening to the rain.”

“Mmmm.” Snuggling in tighter, I felt her hand on my back pulling me closer. “Can we stay here all day, just like this?”

“That might be a problem, ‘cause I really have to pee right now.”

Reaching up, I pecked her lips. “Go pee, I’m going upstairs and brush my teeth. I’ll be right back though, so no getting dressed.”

I watched as she walked across the floor with no shame at all. It wasn’t like she had anything to be ashamed of in the first place. Ariel was perfect. When the door closed I slid my babydoll on and almost ran up the stairs.

After taking care of the necessities I ran my fingers though my hair and then almost ran back down. When I got there I nearly yelped. There was a guy in our bed.

He flinched. “If it bothers you I’ll switch back.”

Oh, duh! It was Ariel in boy form. “No… don’t. This is a good time. You just caught me off guard.”

I took a deep breath, knowing this had to be an issue at some point. Luckily it was still pretty dark considering the cloud cover and lack of lights. I slid off my babydoll and set it aside.

He watched my every move like he didn’t want to scare me off.

“Scoot down a little,” I said since he was almost sitting up. “Let’s take it from where we were and see how it goes.”

He nodded while I pulled the covers back and slid up next to him trying to find the same position I was in before.

Sorry, but there was a definite change. Girl Ariel was really soft and thin. Guy Ariel was firm and wider in places. The nice thing was he was just as smooth, so he had that going for him.

I snuggled in as I felt his heavier arm encircle me. As I hiked a leg up over his I noticed that it was thicker and more muscled. That was pretty much all I noticed until my thigh encountered his morning visitor.

“Whoops, sorry,” I said pulling my leg away.

He chuckled and it felt funny against the side of my face. “It’s okay. Whatever you want to do it’s okay. I know this is a lot to…”

“Ariel… shh. I’m okay. It’s just different. I’m not freaking out. Let’s just enjoy the rain.”

A breath escaped his chest and I felt the tight muscles of his body release their tension. Strangely enough he felt a lot better after that, his body I mean. I squirmed a little and found a comfortable position then we both looked out the sliding glass door.

Over the next hour I slowly searched his body with my free hand. It was nothing sexual, but I wanted to know if I could feel myself being attracted to Ariel’s other self. Even in male form he was well put together. I remember his face being average for a guy; it was nothing chiseled or inherently á¼ber-masculine or anything, which I was kind of happy for. I didn’t exactly take a trip down south if you get my meaning. That was a little advanced for our relationship at that point, but I knew from my exploration that he was reacting in typical male fashion.

After I’d taken in everything I could, I rose up and looked at him. “I know I’ve probably been teasing you into insanity. I’m sorry. I just… I just need to… I don’t know.”

“Shh.” Ariel put his finger to my lips. “My girl side had a chance to be with you. That’s enough for now. I was just hoping you’d give my guy side a chance as well. Like during the day. Do you think you can do that?”

I nodded without even thinking. For Ariel, the person, I’d do a lot, and I told him so.

With that said he leaned up and kissed me. It was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. The method of his kiss was the exact same as his girl self, but the lips were different and the hands that were holding were different. I hoped I could get through this and accept him. If I couldn’t I don’t think I could bear rejecting him and in doing so reject the girl I fell in love with.

TBC...