Belle's recovery begins

Chapter 5

Belle collapsed into tears. Kevin just held her, his eyes brimming as well. This made what he did worth the sacrifice.

An hour later, Belle was changed into pink sweatpants that she chose and a white tee. Kevin had given her a mild sedative that would help her sleep. She looked like an angel lying there, at peace for the first time in almost two years. The warehouse, better called a safe house was equipped for this type of rescue, with a limited supply of generic female clothing. It was just a halfway house. Belle was blind for who knows how long, so he wasn’t worried about her seeing something she shouldn’t.

He made his first call to the police. He asked for Detective Alex Larmer, the detective of record on the Kalisek kidnapping. Alex answered. “Larmer”

“Alex? Kevin Howard. I’ve got some good news. Cerberus broke the Kalisek case. I’ve got the child now”

“Cerberus? That crazy bastard? When will he learn to stay out of my cases! The department just got a call from someone claiming to be him about a massacre in South Dallas we’re checking out now”

“I guess he’ll quit when you learn to solve them without his help, Alex. Look, let’s just be thankful he’s back. This is bad, okay? The Kalisek kid is alive, but you need to get over here now. You’ll get the credit for finding the kid. I don’t care about that, but there’s been a complication. Meet me at my apartment, okay? And please, Alex. Just you, okay. I don’t know how to handle this”

Kevin was right about one thing, Alex thought. At least the kid was back. “Okay, Kev. I remember where you live. One hour?”

“Good enough. Thanks, Alex. This kid has been through hell”

Nearly an hour later, Alex was knocking at Kevin’s door. Kevin answered, holding a beer. He was watching the news, with the latest story a mass murder in a small abandoned building along the Trinity.

Thanks for meeting me like this, Alex. Beer?”

“No thanks, Kev. Still on duty. Where’s the kid”

“Sleeping. I want to show you something first. Just so you know I’m not nuts. Cerberus downloaded this at the home of Harris and Veronica Duncan this morning. About thirty minutes before he blew the whole mess straight to hell.

“The explosion in Highland Park?”

“Yep. Good luck proving he did it though. That and finding him”

Alex sighed. “You’re probably right. So, what am I supposed to be looking at?”

“Let me run the program. The first photo that came up was a picture of an unconscious Brian Kalisek. The program was a slideshow that showed Brian has he changed from the boy they recognized; to a girl they did not.

Alex whistled in disbelief. “What the hell was that, some kind of morphing program? Planning some plastic surgery?”

“Son, they changed the kid into a *girl*. No tricks, no bullshit. There’s more info that you can have. It’s all on this thumb drive. Take it. Cerberus wanted you to have it. They kept very good records. I wouldn’t be surprised if even the fingerprints are different.”

“You’re sure about this, Kevin?”

“Alex, I’d bet my life on it.” He shook his head. “There’s more, Alex. They messed with the kid’s head. The kid speaks French now. She can barely speak English. She doesn’t remember who she was. It’s a fucked up mess, Alex”

“Son of a bitch! I’ve heard of this happening before, back east. Turned kids into she males or something. Dammit! Why can’t these crazy fucks just die! Messing with kids is wrong.”

Well…now that you mention it, I don’t suppose either of the Duncans will be showing up on the hot sheets again.

“Well, he did us a favor after looking at this shit. Sexual abuse also, I suppose”

“The worst. I personally witnessed it at a “party” they gave”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“C’mon, Alex. You know me better than that. I was working undercover for Cerberus and Pluton Security. That’s how he got involved. If I had been carrying my piece though, I’d have killed every son of a bitch in the place. Alex, I’ll never get that out of my head. It was like throwing a kitten into a pack of wild dogs” Kevin choked on the last statement. Alex knew Kevin was telling the truth. “Somehow, she healed. I can’t explain how or why, but there’s not a mark on her. There’s a video showing it on the drive, but I’ll never watch it again. It’s yours, with my compliments. Evidence, for whatever good it will do. There won’t be a trial.”

Alex nodded grimly. “Well, I suppose I should see him”

“Her, Alex. One look and you’ll understand. And please, be quiet. Let her sleep for now”

Alex cracked the door. Lying on the bed was one of the most beautiful women he had seen in his life. She looked peaceful, and he couldn’t bear to wake her. He closed the door quietly and turned to Kevin. “Her. Definitely her. I need to call this in, Kev” He blew a loud sigh. “I’m off duty for the next ten. Do you have anything stronger than beer?”

“Scotch, and be my guest” He had to laugh at a pun that only he got. Belle was in his bed, and he just asked someone to be his guest.

“You need to get her up, Kev. The Captain will be here directly”

“Okay, I’ll wake her when he gets here”

Thirty minutes later, Kevin sat on the corner of the bed. He spoke to Belle gently in French. “Belle? Time to get up sweetheart”

Belle yawned, and then started awake. She sat bolt upright in the bed. “Mistress! Forgive me! I just overslept a little” she rubbed her eyes. “Why can’t I see?”

“Belle! It’s Kevin, remember? Mistress isn’t alive anymore!”

Belle relaxed somewhat. “Sorry, Kevin. I won’t be able to see anything for another few hours. I was just scared. I think I’m okay now”

“There is a police officer here to see you, Belle. He is going to make sure you get to your Mama and Daddy. Is that okay?”

Belle felt for Kevin’s hand. “You won’t leave me, will you? I’m too scared to go by myself. What if they try to take me back?”

“It’s all right, kid. I’ll stay with you until you are ready for me to go”

“Okay. Umm, I have to go to the toilet. Can you take me there?”

“Sure. When you’re done, I’ll point you to the shower if you want to take one”

“Ohh, that would be wonderful! Thank you, Kevin! I’d like that very much”

Kevin left the bathroom to get Belle one of his robes, a towel and one of his spare toothbrushes. He went back into the front room. “Alex, she’s going to get cleaned up. Your boss is going to have to wait”

“I wouldn’t have expected any different, Kev” Alex smiled. I told the Cap to give us an hour.

“Kevin?” Belle was standing at the door completely naked. “I need a towel, please”

Alex cleared his throat and turned around. “I don’t need to see this, Kev”

Kevin ran over to Belle and threw a robe around her. “Uhh, Belle, you need to keep your clothes on around here, kid”

“But I am not allowed to get dressed until I’m told what to wear”

“New rules, Belle. You need to be dressed for me to see you”

“But I didn’t know where my clothes were. Did I make a mistake?” She was starting to panic.

“No, kid, I did. I forgot you couldn’t see. I was looking for some stuff for you to put on after your shower. My fault entirely”

Belle didn’t look like she understood the concept of someone besides her making a mistake. She cocked her head to the side.“Okay?”

“Okay, kid. No problem. It’s just that it makes us uncomfortable to see you without your clothes on for reasons you may not understand right now, but will in the future”

Belle smiled, then turned and walked gingerly into the bathroom. The shower started not long after that. While she was in the shower, Kevin brought in her towel, toothbrush and clothes. Her sweatpants and sweatjacket were leftovers from yesterday, but he remembered a fresh pair of underwear and a sports bra.

“Belle, all of your clothes are on the counter. You should be able to get dressed without too much trouble. Your underwear is on top”

“Bon, Kevin, Merci”

Kevin thumped his head. “Oh, sorry. I know you have trouble with English”

‘C'est bien, Kevin. Je n'ai que mal á  parler, ne pas le comprendre’

Alex heard them talking. “What did she say?”

“Just that she didn’t have trouble understanding English, just speaking it”

“Good. That will make questioning go a lot faster. What the hell is up with her eyes? She looks like a zombie!”

“I don’t know, something temporary they did to keep her from seeing where they were going, and to keep her under control while they were out”

“By the way, how did you learn French, Kev?”

“I grew up in Quebec. You learn French there or else, they get really snippy. Francophones are really good at snippy”

Alex chuckled. “I guess that’s true”

Belle finished with her shower and found the items Kevin had laid out for her. When she came out of Kevin’s bedroom, her hair was brushed and in a braid. She was in her pink sweatpants and tee from last night. She did put on the bra, which Alex was thankful for. He didn’t need to be overly exposed to a sixteen year old sex bomb right now.

“How did you learn how to do that, Belle? Without being able to see?” asked Kevin.

Belle smiled. She replied slowly in English. “Oh Keveen, I did… learn…. how to… take care of…myself, you know!”

“Hey! That wasn’t half bad, kid. You’ll get the hang of this English in no time. Good job!”

Belle loved the compliment. Her blush betrayed her feelings. It had been so long since anyone had been nice to her. She liked the feeling.

“Thank you, Kevin. It is sooo difficult right now. I am much more comfortable speaking French right now. They did something to my mind, I’m sure of it”

“I understand. I’ll keep speaking in English and you can keep speaking French if that’s more comfortable for you”

“Merci”

Kevin helped belle to a seat in his La-z-Boy. “Belle, There is a man with me. He’s a detective with the Dallas police department. His name is Alex. He’ll be asking you a few questions.

Belle’s eyes began to tear up. Kevin rushed to her side. “Is everything okay, Belle?”

“You mean I never left Dallas? I didn’t know. I thought I was in France or something. They never left Dallas?”

“No, they didn’t. I’m sorry, I should have told you. I never realized that you didn’t know”

“I’m sorry Kevin, It’s all a bit much right now.” She began to break down. “Please, I need to see my parents”

Kevin held her. “Belle. Please understand. I want that for you more than anything. But you need to understand something. You have changed. You parents need to be prepared for you too. They love you, and they will need to deal with what has happened to you as well. I promise that you will be with them as soon as is humanly possible”

“You promise?”

“On my life”

He handed her a tissue, which she used to dab at her eyes. “Okay, Kevin. I trust you”

“What was that all about, Kev?”

“She’s feeling a bit vulnerable, Alex. She wants to see her mom and dad. I promised her that we’d get her to them as soon as was humanly possible. She also didn’t know she never left Dallas”

Alex shook his head. “Wow. I need to learn another language”

Alex’s Captain knocked on the door. He was all business, and very terse. “All right Larmer, Where’s the kid?”

“Right here, boss” He pointed to the small, pretty girl sitting next to Kevin Howard. She looked like she was holding on to Kevin for dear life.

Franklin rolled his eyes. “All right Alex. Cut the shit. Where’s the boy?”

“Right there, boss. I told you there was a problem”

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Ahhh, fuck! Why did this happen on my shift?”

Chapter 6

Kevin spoke up. “Hey Cap. You’re scaring the poor kid to death. Can’t you see that?” Belle was hanging on to Kevin and her head was buried in his shoulder.

Suddenly Captain Franklin felt like an ass. In a softer voice, he looked at Alex. “Sorry. I didn’t realize what I was doing. This is way outside my pay grade, guys. We need to get some specialists involved. And we need to get the kid’s folks notified. They’ve been wearing me out ever since this went down. I can’t blame them. I’d have been all over it if he was my kid too”

He kneeled down front of Belle. She looked at him with fear and a few tears in her eyes. Franklin now REALLY felt like an ass.

“Brian? I’m Captain Franklin. Sorry about all the yelling earlier, okay?”

‘Je m'appelle n'est pas Brian, monsieur. C'est Belle’

Captain Franklin’s eyes widened. He looked at Alex and quietly said. “Is this a joke?”

Alex shook his head. “No sir, it isn’t”

Franklin hooked his thumb towards the door. “In the hall, Alex. We need to talk”

“I agree, sir”

The two officers were in the hall for several minutes, discussing what they should do, and who should be called in to confer on this case. The Duncans would not be standing trial, and their house was scattered over the better part of an acre. There was nothing to prosecute. There was the issue of a very scared and damaged young lady to reunite with her parents.

The Captain was sure why Cerberus did what he did. First of all, the Duncans had violated his first rule. Don’t fuck with kids. Second, and only slightly less important, don’t fuck with kids where he can get to you. No trial, to evidence to drag the poor girl through. No defense attorneys saying she asked to be brainwashed and raped. Asking her to relive the torture.

Franklin had to hand it to him, whoever he was, he left things clean. He also did the city a big favor. No trial expense.

“Cap, the kid is very attached to Howard. He’s keeping her calm, and I don’t know how. I really think it’s better that he stays with her for now”

The two officers walked back in to Kevin’s apartment. “Okay, Kev” announced Alex. You’re with us for the time being”

Franklin added, “DCFS is going to want to stick their fat nose into this, which will probably screw this mess to the ceiling, but the kid trusts you, and with you she shall stay until we can bring her folks up to speed. Copy?”

“Copy, Cap”

‘Je reste avec vous, Kevin?’(I can stay with you ?)

‘Oui, mademoiselle’

She smiled. “Bon!”

Marta Kalisek was taking care of the vacuuming when the phone rang. Since Brian had disappeared, housework was her way of coping. The house was spotless. Marta wanted it to be perfect when Brian came back. And he would come back. He had to come back. It was late, and the work took her mind off things before bed, wher she might sleep three hours. The grey starting to streak her dark brown hair was testament to the stress she had endured for the last twenty two months.

“Hello, Mrs. Kalisek?”

“Yes? Can I help you?”

“This is Captain Ted Franklin from DPD. Is your husband there also?”

“No, he’s at work right now. He’s taking care of a few things”

“Call him. We have some news about Brian. Good news”

Marta burst into tears. “What! Oh my god! You’ve found him? Is he okay? Where is he” We need to see him”

“Mrs. Kalisek, it’s not that simple. He’s been through a lot. We need to get together with you and your husband and talk”

“I’ll get right on that, as soon as I get off the phone with you. Can I at least talk to him?”

“He’s not really up to that now, ma’am. He’s in the hospital”

“I thought you said he was okay?”

“He is. This is just precautionary, and standard procedure. I can say he’s a little malnourished”

Marta could barely speak. “Oh, thank you Captain” she managed to choke out. “Thank you! I know we’ve been a pain, but Brian is our only child and…”

“It was no bother, ma’am. No apologies needed. But we do need to talk. Call your husband, and get to Children’s Hospital. There are some things we need to discuss”

“I don’t understand, Captain. Is everything else okay?”

“Your child is reasonably healthy as far as I can tell . But we need to go over some things related to long term kidnappings”

“Oh. You mean mental problems?”

“Something like that. We will meet you at the hospital. Call your husband, your child needs you more than ever”

“Okay, Captain, and thank you”

Marta called her husband Bob at his plant. She gave him the good news and he was on his way home within thirty seconds of her call to pick her up and head to the hospital.

They were met at the main entrance by three people. Two were obviously detectives and the third was a woman in a lab coat.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Kalisek. I’m Ted Franklin, and this is Detective Larmer, who broke the case. This is Dr. Samantha Brooks, who is consulting on this case. She’ll fill you in on the particulars”

“What do you mean?” asked Marta. “Is Brian okay? Please. I want to see my son!”

Samantha was carrying an iPod. “Please, Mr. and Mrs. Kalisek, come with me to someplace a little more private. I have an office reserved for us on the third floor.

After a trip up the elevator, they settled in to the office. Samantha was careful to sit on the sofa with Marta and Bob. She turned on the tablet. “This data was recovered where Brian was being held. You need to watch this, and we need to talk after you see it. Brian’s very survival depends on your reaction. It is that critical”

Bob raised an eyebrow as he exchanged glances with his wife. “Okay, Doc. We’re on board. What’s the big deal?”

Samantha continued. “No matter what you see, rest assured this is NOT a joke. This was recovered in a special operation of the DPD, and is for your eyes only. Is this clear?”

Marta squeezed her husband’s had tighter. “You’re scaring us, Doctor. What is going on?”

“Watch the screen”

For the next five minutes, the Kalisek’s watched pictures of their son slowly being changed into a girl they didn’t recognize. Marta was beside herself, crying into her husband’s shoulder. Bob was seething.

Bob pounded his fist into the table. “This can’t be true! It can’t! That isn’t my son!”

Samantha replied sympathetically. “In a way you’re right, Mr. Kalisek. Brian was changed, body and mind. He was brainwashed and abused almost beyond description. I have seen the recordings, and I was shocked. I have spoken with her. She is a very intelligent lovely young woman. She goes by Belle now. It was the name her kidnappers gave her. I asked her if she wants to change it, and she said ‘it’s not allowed’, so, it’s Belle Marie until we can figure out a way to get her to change it. I asked her what kept her going, and she said she remembered her mama. She described you, Mrs. Kalisek. She remembered you. Even after the torture, the brainwashing, the assaults. She held on to her sanity by thinking of you and her father”

“Oh, God. What did they do to my baby?” She paused, collecting herself. “And please, call me Marta”

“Plenty, Marta. There’s much more. The change your daughter is going through is not purely cosmetic. Somehow they have managed to change her down to her DNA. The tests are not complete yet, and won’t be for about forty eight hours, but we suspect she is in the process, nearly complete of changing into a genetic, fully functioning female”

Marta gasped “She is fully female? But how? That’s not possible. Is it?”

“It is, apparently. I wish we knew how, Marta, and further testing I suspect will confirm our diagnosis. She is healthy, which is surprising, but she is a little malnourished she’s not quite 20 pounds under what we would consider healthy for a girl her age.”

“I don’t care. Boy or girl, She’s my child!”

Bob was silent. He was taking it all in.

“Yes and no, Marta. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I want to give you all the information I have. We are going to be doing DNA testing on you, your husband and your daughter. I wouldn’t be surprised if, genetically speaking, Belle turned out to be nothing more than a distant cousin, genetically. But that’s a worst case scenario. Emotionally, she is as dependent on you as ever. More so, in fact”

Bob looked down at the floor, clenching and unclenching his fists. Marta just gasped. “What else?” she asked.

Belle was subjected to some very advanced mind programming. She was due to be sold to a man in India to be a sex slave. He paid for them to program her to speak French as her first language. She understands English, but it is very difficult right now for her to speak it. This bit of programming was particularly cruel. Changing her language changed the way she thinks at some level. She will probably never be fluent in English again” Samantha sighed a little. “We did a cat scan and will be doing a pet scan. What we are seeing is not dissimilar to a condition called aphasia. Her brain seems to misfire when she tries to speak English.

Bob spoke softly. “My God. That poor child. What is going right for her?”

Samantha brightened. “I’m glad you asked. I wasn’t lying before. She is bright, intelligent, and a very sweet girl. She is very polite. She is a bit high strung after all of the abuse she suffered. I don’t think it’s a good idea for her to live at home after all of this, but that’s just a preliminary opinion. She is very strong but is also very damaged. There is a very good school for girls like her back east, but that’s a decision you’ll have to make”

Marta’s face was set. She looked at Bob, and he agreed. They wanted their child, boy or girl. This was a test of their love, nothing more. “We are NOT sending Brian away. We just got him…her back. She is, Brian or Belle, OUR child”

Bob spoke quietly. “Let’s go see our daughter”

Kevin was in the hospital room with Belle. They allowed her a nightgown instead of the standard issue hospital gown. Kevin had bought it with some help from one of the nurses. Belle loved pink, and the gown was pink. She spent her time chatting with Kevin when they weren’t poking and prodding her. Her genitals were almost completely rearranged, and she giggled when the doctors couldn’t tell her why it was happening. They looked so silly stumbling and stuttering. English was such a funny language, she thought.

Belle had been controlled for so long that she wanted to talk all of the time. What had happened while she was gone, what the latest fashions were, who was dating who. She chattered to herself when no one was around. She spent all her time on E! or Lifetime or some other estrogen soaked channel.

Kevin knew this was programmed in to her. She was programmed to be a girl. He also knew that there would be a crash. He just hoped she survived it.

Marta and Bob met with Kevin and Sam in a conference room. They needed to talk before Meeting Belle for the first time. Kevin introduced himself.

“Bob, Marta” Kevin began. “Belle is looking forward to seeing you very much. I haven’t said anything to her, as I wanted it to be a surprise. She will probably be very difficult to communicate with at first. When she is emotional, she really can’t speak English at all. She can speak a little when she’s calm. I hope that will get better, regardless of what the Docs think. She’s tough, way tougher than the bastards who did this to her thought. Hang on to that. There will be ups and downs. Remember her love for her parents carried her through torture that would have killed the toughest soldier on earth. Are you ready? Let’s go see her”

Kevin knocked on Belles, door. “Oui?” came the reply.

As Kevin entered, he told belle he had a surprise for her. “Come in” He called.

Chapter 7

Bob and Marta entered her room. Belle’s hands flew up to her mouth, and tears began to fall. “M-mama? Daddy?” They rushed to Belle’s bedside in a crushing hug. Samantha and Kevin left the room and quietly closed the door.

Sam looked at Kevin, who was wiping his eyes with his hands. She smiled, because she was doing the same thing. “Why are you crying, tough guy?”

Kevin looked down at the floor. “You saw the recording of the ‘party’?” she nodded. “I was there. That kid deserves a happy life after what I saw” he smiled sadly “And I ain’t that tough”

Sam leaned over to Kevin and hugged him. The big man just cried.

The door opened and Bob called out with a smile on his face. Our girl wants to tell us something, but I can’t understand a word she says. Help!

Kevin entered the room, and saw Belle just hammering her folks in French. She was clearly frustrated.

Kevin! Dieu merci, vous áªtes ici! Je ne peux pas penser en anglais dá¨s maintenant! Dis maman et papa que je suis si heureux de les voir! She was speaking almost faster than Kevin could understand.

“She says she is too excited to think in English right now, but she is very happy to see you”

Belle was on her knees in her bed, bouncing with excitement.

"Dites leur qu'ils ne m'a pas lá¢ché quand j'ai pensé que j'allais mourir"

“She said you kept her going when she thought she was going to die”

"Dites-leur que je suis reconnaissante qu'ils m'aiment máªme si je ne suis pas leur petit garçon pas plus"

“She also says that she is thankful you love her as a girl, not as a boy”

Marta was in tears again. “She is my daughter no matter what”

Kevin smiled “Marta, She understands you”

Marta looked at Belle and she was holding up “I love you” in sign language. Marta and Bob hugged their child again. They had taught Brian that as a little boy.

"Kevin, leur dire que je ne peux pas attendre de rentrer chez eux! S'il vous plaá®t dites-leur de redécorer, et que j'aime le rose!"

“She also can’t wait to go home. She also said you need to plan on redecorating, and that she loves pink!”

They all laughed at that.

Belle acted as if she remembered something. “Mama et Daddy, vous avez besoin pour un français de réserver l'anglais! Kevin ne peut pas vivre avec nous, mais il est trá¨s mignon!" Belle giggled and blushed.

Her parents looked to Kevin for the translation. He didn’t know what to say. She uh says that you need to get a book to translate French to English so you can understand what she is saying. And I can’t live with you.

Belle smiled and looked at Kevin. “This…is not all…I say to Kevin. I say he…not stay but he is…cute!”

Kevin was stunned. “Hey! Wait a minute! What do you need me for!

That brought the room down. Bob wasn’t quite sure what to say, but Marta told Belle she was terrible! Belle held her hands to her mouth in a feminine gesture of glee mixed with embarrassment. She laughed, a wonderful, musical laugh. Kevin thought she might be okay after all.

Kevin smiled. “Well, I think our girl might be okay to talk now. I’m sure y’all would like some time alone” Sam and I will go now. I’ll be back in the morning, Belle, if you want me to”

“Yes, Kevin, I…want. Come, please? I have…somesing tell you”

Kevin strode over to Belle’s bedside. She hugged him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and whispered in his ear. “Je t’aime, Kevin. And thank you!”

Kevin was shocked. Did she just say what he thought she said? She just said she loved him! She was ten years younger than he was, no matter what she looked like. His life just got more complicated.

Marta was sitting by Belle’s bed reading. She had the television on at low volume. One of the things that hadn’t changed from when Brian was a baby was that Belle seemed to sleep better when there was a little noise in the room. Her ears perked up a little when she happened to notice a reporter standing in front of the hospital. In the corner of the screen, an old picture of Brian, released shortly after the kidnapping appeared. She listened closer to the broadcast.

“…sources inside the police have indicated that Brian Kalisek, kidnapped nearly two years ago, has been recovered. There are rumors, unconfirmed, that the kidnappers, alleged to be Veronica and Harris Duncan of Highland Park, submitted the boy to experiments of some sort. Confidential sources in the hospital have indicated that the boy seems has been feminized to a certain degree. More on this story as it develops. For Newschannel 3, this is Gary King reporting”

Marta was furious. How dare someone at the hospital release information about Belle. She stepped out of the room. Not knowing where to go or what to do, she paced back and forth. She didn’t want to leave her daughter to wake up in an empty room. She turned and walked back in, frustrated.

She stood over her sleeping child. “I’m sorry, honey. I had hoped this wouldn’t happen”

“I knew it would” the low, rough voice echoed in the room. “It was bound to. No one can keep a secret like this. If it’s any consolation, I dealt with the source of the leak”

Marta whirled about. Behind her, with his back turned to her, looking out the window was a figure dressed in what looked like black leather, a sword on his back, and two large handguns on either hip. Marta was frightened, but not panicky. She somehow knew that this man meant no harm.

“W-who are you?”

He spoke quietly, without turning around. “A friend”

“Do I know you?”

“No. I found Belle and got her out of her…situation”

“But I thought the Police…”

She heard him chuckle. “That’s not surprising. But it’s all right with me. They can have all of the credit they want. I don’t do this for credit. The people who do these things know me, and what I do, and that’s all that matters”

“Thank you for what you did” she eased closer to the figure and touched him on the shoulder. “You brought my baby back”

“Not soon enough. I wasn’t able to save your son” He turned to face her. She gasped, as she saw he was masked. Two mirrored lenses, and that was it. The rest was covered. “You don’t need to be afraid of me. I just came to give you this”

He handed her a thumb drive and some paperwork in a sealed manila envelope. “This will help with expenses you will encounter in the future. It’s a bank account that has been set up for your family. I know you are good people who will take care of Belle. There’s enough there to give you a good start, and then some. Don’t worry about the taxes. I’ve got someone taking care of that too. You take that paperwork to the address on the envelope. Everything will be explained to you then”

“I-I can’t thank you enough, Mr…”

He shook his head “Not necessary. My name, if you need one, is Cerberus. Belle has already met me. Things are going to get complicated in the next few days. My advice is to hit it head on. Don’t hide from it. You have done nothing wrong. Just make sure they report the truth”

“What do you mean?”

“That reporter was only the beginning. There’ll be others, who won’t be content to just report from the steps. Do yourself a favor. Hire a PR person to handle the mess that’s coming”

“We don’t have the money for that!”

“Yes you do. Trust me”

A small voice spoke “Monsieur Cerberus?”

“Oui, chere”

“Thank you for coming to visit me. Wow! You’re really cool looking! I can see you now.”

“Thank you” he spoke gently. “You know, chere, I was talking to your mother, you know. It’s not polite to listen in on other people’s conversations”

Belle yawned. “I know…It’s none of my business”

Marta, her head cocked, was trying to understand the French dialogue. “Um, guys, I can’t understand you, you know”

Belle smiled at her mother. “Is…okay, mama. He…is…good man. He…ummm…help me”

Marta smiled and sat down next to Belle, stroking her hair. “I know, honey. He’s been here for a little bit”

“Okay, mama. Good bye, my friend. I-I soo sleepy” She was out again in moments.

“They gave her some sedatives to help her sleep. I’m surprised she was able to wake up at all”

“She’ll be okay. I have to go now. Have a good life…you deserve it”

Marta turned briefly to Belle to move the hair out of her face. When she turned around, Cerberus was gone. She looked in the envelope. There were a bunch of legal papers. One, however, caught her eye. It was a bank statement. There, in Belle’s name, with her parents as executors, was a bank account in the amount of eight million dollars. She began to shake, and she dropped the envelope.

Later, Bob entered the room and saw Marta crying. “What’s the problem, honey?”

She handed the envelope to her husband. He read it, going through all of the contents and his eyes got big. “Is this a joke?”

Dabbing her eyes, she responded “No, it isn’t”

She told Bob the story of the day’s events. “I called the person on the card that was included in the envelope. It’s genuine”

The next couple of days were hectic. Marta and Bob found out about the account and how to manage it. The financial advisor that was working with them was selected by Cerberus himself. A man of impeccable credentials, he had already set up several accounts, and hired a public relations firm to handle any media requests that arose.

More information leaks made it out of the hospital. More and more media outlets were picking up on the story. The boy had been found, but had been changed into a girl. The boy was a she male. Other more ridiculous stories popped up in the supermarket tabloids.

The public relations person they hired was Gloria Morton, who had twenty five years of experience in the business, and was well known for the protection of her clients. She was also fluent in French, which was a necessity.

Her first visit with Belle was three days after the first story broke. Belle was still in her bed, as the doctors were still waiting for her final changes to manifest. She was effectively sexless now, at least externally. Belle had been complaining of sharp pains between her legs, so the change, doctors surmised couldn’t be far away.

It was ten o’clock am when Gloria first greeted the Kaliseks. “Hello, folks. I hope I’m not intruding. I wanted to get an early start”

“Not at all, Gloria, we’ve been expecting you”