Ethan finally starts going through puberty, but not quite as he expected. This story was originally written and posted in 2001.

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Ethan Loran stood in front of the mirror, staring intently, looking for something. For a sign. He frowned and bent forward, rubbing at his cheek and frowning. Then, Ethan stepped back slightly and started posing, flexing his muscles in every position that he could think of.

"Damn," Ethan sighed, ceasing his posing but continuing to stare at his reflection. "Why me?"

The reflection was that of a skinny 14 year old boy with black hair that nearly went to his shoulders. It was one that made him sigh in disappointment as he could see few signs of what he had been looking for. Puberty.

With another sigh of disappointment, Ethan turned from the mirror and threw himself the short distance across his room onto his bed, cursing his own body. As Ethan lay there, he thought about how things used to be for him, but weren't anymore.

Ethan loved playing sports and was always pretty good at them. However, when all of the other boys started developing faster than him, getting bigger than him, he was no longer able to keep up as well. Instead, he was slowly being pushed back, being teased, even becoming a laughingstock. Ethan knew that it was only a matter of time before he was kicked off the team unless he started to catch up.

As he leaned back on his bed and stared at the walls covered with posters of bikini clad woman and his sports heroes, Ethan thought about the last game. The only good thing about it was that his mom was up in the bleachers, cheering him on. Just as she was almost every game. Even when she was extremely busy at work she often managed to come, which always made Ethan feel proud.

His mom had told him to be patient, that it was normal for some guys to develop a little slower, but Ethan wasn't sure that he believed her. Guys that used to be the same size as him, or even smaller were now bigger than him. It seemed that all of his friends, especially the girls in his class were growing up...and leaving him behind.

After a short while, Ethan got up and put the rest of his clothes back on before heading to the living room, knowing that his mom should be home sometime soon. However, he knew very well that this was no guarantee that she'd actually be home anytime soon.

Ethan watched some TV while waiting for his mom, glancing at the clock and deciding to give her 10 more minutes before he got something to eat. His stomach growled slightly at the thought.

While sitting there, Ethan glanced up at the pictures on the wall, especially the one with him standing beside his mom during their trip to Disneyland. He smiled at the memory, then stood up and moved towards it, staring at the picture even more.

The woman standing next to a slightly younger Ethan in the picture was very beautiful, with long black hair. Ethan knew that other guys thought she was a real knockout, but to him she was just mom. She was the one who had raised him all alone since his dad had died before Ethan was even born and she never even talked about him, changing the subject whenever he asked.

Then turning towards the window that faced the street, Ethan grumbled, "When's she gonna get home? I'm starved."

With a sigh, Ethan knew that he couldn't count on his mom being back, not with her job. Ethan's mom was Evelyn Loran, PHD. She was a scientist and worked for some sort of genetics research company, though Ethan wasn't really sure of what it was that she did exactly. She never talked about her work at home.

A moment later, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway broke Ethan out of his thoughts. He jumped up excitedly and ran to the door yelling, "Dinner!"

When the door finally opened, Ethan's mom came in, looking rather tired. She was 5 foot 10, with long black hair and a figure that most women would kill for. She smiled weakly at Ethan as she closed the door behind her.

"Hi honey," she greeted Ethan gently, "How was school today?"

Ethan shrugged, "Same as always." Then he added, "How was work?"

"Same as always," his mom responded with a smile.

"What's for dinner?" Ethan asked eagerly.

His mom shrugged, "I don't know, how about pizza?" Ethan paused for a moment then nodded. "Good. I'll get it from the freezer and you get the plates."

Ethan just nodded, glad that he was finally going to get something to eat. For the moment his problems were forgotten.

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The game had just ended and Ethan shambled to the locker room to get changed. He looked around at his teammates, frowning as he did so. They'd won the game, but no thanks to him. After getting the ball and going for the run, another boy on the other team had taken him down, and then even worse...rubbed his nose in it. A boy who had been smaller than Ethan just a year earlier as well, but certainly no longer.

"Glad mom missed this one." Ethan mumbled to himself. He would have died of embarrassment had she been watching how easily he'd been taken out. And she was the one who'd encouraged him to play sports in the first place.

Suddenly another boy on the team was standing next to Ethan, putting his hand on Ethan's shoulder. The boy, Tommy Maxwell was several inches taller than Ethan and had been Ethan's best friend for as long as he could remember.

"Don't sweat it." Tommy told Ethan, "You've just had a bad game."

"A bad season is more like it." Sean called out, sneering at Ethan as he walked past.

Ethan glared at Sean, remembering how just the year before they'd been friends, even if they were competitive. However Sean had gotten a good growth spurt, even getting some hairs on his chin, while Ethan hadn't grown as much and certainly not as much muscle. Now Sean was the teams star player...and took every advantage to rub Ethan's nose in it.

"Ignore him," Tommy told Ethan, "You're just in slump." However, from the tone of Tommy's voice, Ethan knew that he didn't believe it either.

Ethan waited until most of the others had finished taking their showers before he took his turn, not wanting to deal with any joking comments at his expense. He already faced enough of those as it was.

Once it was finally Ethan's turn, he started to wash up as quickly as he could, eager to get home. However, after he started to wash himself, he stopped, realizing that there was something different. Then he realized what it was, there were several hairs underneath his arms.

"Yes," Ethan whispered to himself with a smile.

He paused for a moment and glanced around quickly, relieve to see that no one was watching him. Then with that, he continued his washing, noticing that his nipples felt a little tender at the same time. That just relieved him more as he was sure that it was another sign of his hormones finally doing their work.

In spite of the bad game and the occasional joking comment thrown his way, Ethan continued to remain in a good mood. Things were finally beginning to change for him.

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It was two days after the game and Ethan sat at the dinner table across from his mom, barely looking at her as he swirled the food around on his plate, thinking about his day in school. Wishing that he could have just skipped over it.

First Sean had insulted him in the halls...in front of everyone. And to make matters worse, everyone had laughed. Over a dozen people in the halls had seen it and joined in. Including Tommy. The one person that Ethan had thought would always be on his side. That had hurt even more than the insult.

Ethan grimaced as he thought about the other thing though. The one that made him nearly shake with frustration. He'd finally gotten his courage up to ask out Brandy Marks, the girl that he'd had a crush on for several months.

"I don't date kids," Brandy had told Ethan, sounding insulted that he'd dared to ask her.

He burned at the memory, glaring at his plate. Brandy was the same age as him too, but had brushed him off like he was still in elementary school. Like he wasn't even worth talking to. The thought filled him with a silent anger, especially since she hadn't even been one of the prettier or more popular girls in school. But still, Ethan had liked her...until she acted as if she was some stereotypical cheerleader. And she wasn't even on the squad.

"What's wrong honey?" Ethan's mom asked gently, interrupting his thoughts.

Without thinking, Ethan spat out the first thing that he thought, "Girls suck."

His mom blinked in surprise. "What?"

Ethan glared at her for a moment, almost as if it was her fault that he was so humiliated in school. Not just once, but twice. "Girls have it so easy," he snorted, "They don't get picked on and just wait for guys to ask them out, then laugh at them."

"Watch it!" she snapped back, looking annoyed, "You really don't think that."

"Why not!" Ethan spat back, lashing out with all of his pent up frustrations, "Girls have it easy!"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared at him. "You DON'T want to go there." she told him in a quiet...almost dangerous voice. "You have no idea how lucky you are to be a boy."

"Yeah, right," Ethan grumbled, getting up from the table and hurrying to his room.

Even before he reached the door and slammed it shut behind him, he felt guilty for what he'd said, but not enough to go back and apologize. Furiously, he threw himself on his bed and started to cry into the pillow, whispering "Why me?"

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The loud buzzing from his alarm woke Ethan up from a pleasant dream, making him grumpy as he slowly climbed out of bed. He sat with his legs dangling over the end of it for several minutes, taking several deep breaths before finally getting himself the rest of the way up.

"Another day in hell," Ethan sighed.

Ethan frowned, thinking back to the brief argument that he'd had with his mom two days earlier. He'd gone to bed without talking to her again that night, and in the morning she had been really quiet, making Ethan nervous. He was half afraid that she was going to ground him, but she didn't and by the time she got home from work she seemed to have forgotten all about it, much to Ethan's relief.

Then, Ethan stepped in front of his mirror and looked for any more signs that his body was finally changing like it should. He stared at himself for a moment, noticing that there was something different, though he couldn't quite place what.

"Alright," Ethan muttered, reaching down and rubbing at his nipples. They were tender and a little sore, having been so for several days. However, Ethan noticed for the first time that they looked sort of different too. Larger almost. And the rest of his chest felt a little different too. Sort of a little soft and puffy. "OK," Ethan sighed, wondering when the hair was going to start sprouting from his chest. Or when he could expect having to start shaving.

After a minute, Ethan shook his head then pulled back his underwear and looked down, trying to decide if THAT had gotten any bigger. Unfortunately though, Ethan saw that it hadn't. Still, several hairs had started to appear, surprising him a little at how quickly they seemed to be coming in.

"Oh well," Ethan sighed, letting go of his underwear and starting towards the bathroom for a shower. As he went, he quietly sang to himself, "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to hell I go..."

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Ethan stared across the hallway of the mall, keeping his eyes on a couple cute girls that were walking by. He nearly drooled as one of them bent over to pick up a dollar that she'd dropped, but unfortunately they were soon out of sight.

As he looked around for another girl to watch, Ethan absently scratched at his chest. It had been sort of tender and itchy for the last several days, though that hadn't been the only thing. His whole body had felt a little tingly and tender, especially his crotch. But as uncomfortable as it was, Ethan welcomed it, knowing that it was a sign that his hormones were finally starting to work right.

"Over there," Tommy whispered from beside Ethan, gesturing to another couple of girls that were heading in their direction.

"Nice," Ethan agreed smiling.

These ones were several years older than them and definitely very filled out. He could only dream of having a chance with one of them, especially since he couldn't even get a girl in his own grade. He frowned at that, trying to push down his frustration.

A minute later, Tommy suggested, "Let's go get some grub and scope some of the girls in the food court." Ethan eagerly nodded agreement and with that they started heading in that direction.

A short while later, Ethan and Tommy were standing in front of the Baskin and Robbins counter, paying for the ice cream cones that they'd just ordered. Ethan smiled faintly as he looked back over the selection, then handed his money to the guy at the register.

"And here's your cone miss," the ice cream guy said cheerfully as he gave Ethan his cone.

Ethan took the cone, then blinked in surprise. "Miss?"

Just as Ethan was about to snap back, Tommy suddenly burst in, "Well dude, with that long hair you do look sort of like a girl." He had a big grin on his face as he laughed, obviously finding Ethan's annoyance amusing.

Then, Ethan chuckled slightly himself, giving his hair a light tug. "I guess I could use a haircut."

After they sat down at one of the tables to eat their ice cream and watch the girls, Ethan quickly forgot about what the guy at the ice cream counter had said. Instead, his attention was entirely on a cute blonde who walked past.

When Ethan and Tommy had finally finished in the mall, they slowly started for the exit. Ethan just slumped slightly as he moved along Tommy, thinking about the upcoming game. Perhaps, he thought to himself, if he was able to do good enough he might even be able to get a date afterwards. That made him smile faintly.

Ethan looked up and towards one of the small sales carts in the middle of the hall, absently noticing that it was another one of the little jewelry stores filled with cheap necklaces, ear rings and the like. And since there was nothing to interest him, he started to turn away.

"Excuse me..." the guy next to the necklace cart called out, gesturing towards Ethan and Tommy.

"What?" Tommy asked, making Ethan groan. Even he knew better than to let those guys know that you saw them. They wouldn't rest until they gave some kind of sales pitch.

The man at the counter smiled and a quick gleam flashed over his eyes at a potential sale. "Why don't you two come over and get a better look. We've got some great stuff."

Tommy hesitated for a moment, looking caught between hurrying away or actually looking. Ethan just glanced at his watch, frowning.

"Come on..." the man grinned at Tommy, holding up a necklace, "I'm sure that your girlfriend there would love one of these."

Suddenly Ethan gasped in surprise while Tommy did the same before he burst out laughing. "Girlfriend..."

Ethan glared at him furiously, "Shut up! It ain't funny."

"Sure it is," Tommy continued to chuckle.

"I get the point already," Ethan grumbled as he quickly started away, completely ignoring the guy at the cart or Tommy who was following close behind.

And as they finally reached the mall exit, Ethan glanced back quickly, having already made up his mind to get a haircut the next day.

For the short bus ride home, Tommy kept looking at Ethan and chuckling, only to get glares and warnings of 'shut up' in response. However, he knew better than to say anything more about it, at least after he jokingly called Ethan 'Ethel' and got punched in the stomach as a result.

After getting off the bus, Ethan said a quick 'goodbye' to Tommy then hurried the rest of the way home. The thought of being mistaken for a girl not once, but twice, still left him feeling embarrassed and self-conscious.

Almost the instant that Ethan was home and saw that his mom wasn't, he hurried to his room, planning to play a few video games. However, once he was there, he stopped and turned to the mirror, wondering how the hell anyone could mistake him for a girl.

"It's not like I look like one," he grumbled to himself.

Then Ethan's eyes settled on his reflection and he gulped, suddenly realizing that he did look sort of like a girl. At least a little bit, though he didn't like to admit it. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but his face just seemed...softer. A little more girlish. And his near shoulder length hair certainly hadn't helped.

"Great," Ethan sighed, tugging at it. "Tomorrow, you are SO cut."

Ethan stared at his reflection for a moment with a frown, then absently scratched at his chest. He stopped, realizing suddenly that his chest felt sort of funny through his shirt, though he couldn't quite place why.

Curious, Ethan took his shirt off and gasped, "What the hell?"

Staring down at his chest, he couldn't help but noticing that his nipples were larger than before and that his chest was puffy and stuck out a little on both sides around his nipples. For a moment he just stared at them, then touched them.

"I ain't never heard of this," Ethan muttered, wondering when the hair was supposed to come in instead.

As it was, his chest was almost beginning to look like a real small pair of girls tits. A couple of the girls at school had ones around that size, just barely noticeable through their T-shirts, though most of the girls were a little larger.

On a sudden impulse, Ethan quickly stripped off the rest of his clothes, dropping them thoughtlessly to the floor. He stood there in only his socks and underwear for a moment, staring at his reflection and noticing that the rest of his body looked slightly off as well. Almost a little...girlish.

"Shit," Ethan whispered, staring in confusion for a moment more before dropping his underwear. Then his eyes went wide and he repeated, "SHIT," this time more forcefully.

Ethan's crotch had noticeably more hair around it than it did that morning, though it was still pretty thin. He knew that puberty was supposed to come kind of quick sometimes, but he was sure that this was a little too quick. However, what drew his attention the most was his penis. It was...smaller. Not too much so, but enough so that Ethan noticed it.

"I thought I was supposed to get bigger," Ethan exclaimed in surprise, reaching down and grabbing it.

However, even though Ethan gently tugged on his penis, it still didn't look any bigger. For several minutes he just stood there, feeling confused, then he finally stepped away from the mirror with a snort, telling himself that it was probably all normal. After all, the Sex Ed teacher had said that hormones sometimes did things to the body that seemed pretty strange.

With that, Ethan put his clothes back on and turned to his video game, feeling satisfied that everything was fine. However, as hard as he tried, he couldn't quite escape that nagging doubt in the back of his mind.

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Ethan scowled as he ran a hand through his wet hair, absently reminding himself to get it cut after school. His whole body was still damp from the shower that he'd just taken, as he did every morning before school. However, what he did at the moment was not the same as every other morning.

"Oh shit," he whispered, staring into the mirror yet again.

The strange things that he'd noticed the day before had only gotten worse during the night, not clearing like he had hoped. His chest was even more swollen than the day before, this time definitely resembling a pair of small breasts, though Ethan had never actually seen a fully exposed pair. Then there was his penis which he thought was a tiny bit smaller, though he wasn't really sure.

Ethan gulped, "Oh," seeing that his face definitely looked a little girlish now. Then he looked back and frowned, not sure but thinking that his but looked a little different too. A little bigger. His hips as well.

Shivering, though not from the cold, Ethan turned away from the mirror and reached for his clothes. He felt confused and even scared, not sure what was happening to him or why. Somehow, he knew that this was not normal. Not normal at all.

Suddenly Ethan heard his mom calling, "Are you coming out for breakfast?"

"Just a minute!" he called back, gulping nervously.

Ethan couldn't let his mom see him like that. He was too embarrassed about the strange things that were happening to him and knew that he would DIE if anyone else saw. So with that, he finished dressing, making sure to put on a sweater to hide the growing bumps on his chest.

A moment later, Ethan rushed out of the house with barely a 'goodbye' for his mom, not even bothering to eat breakfast. He hadn't wanted her to get too good a look at him in case she noticed something odd. At least in school people tended to ignore him, which nearly made him smile at the irony since he was usually tired of being ignored.

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School was a living nightmare for Ethan. Throughout the entire day, he hunched over, hoping...praying that no one would notice him. That no one would look twice at him or see the alien mounds on his chest. Ethan even shrunk back in class, trying as hard as he could not to be noticed or called on by one of the teachers, however, this odd behavior drew even more attention...and odd looks.

When it was time for gym class, Ethan skipped it entirely, deciding that it would definitely be a bad idea to show up in a class where he'd have to wear shorts and a T-shirt. At least until he could figure out why he was getting swollen in the wrong places.

It was towards the end of the day and Ethan stood in the hallway between classes, leaning up near a wall and glancing around nervously. He forced himself to breathe a little slower, but that didn't help the paranoia that was beginning to form.

"Why me?" Ethan asked himself in a quiet but pained voice. He refused to look down at himself as he did so, in spite of the strong urge to do just that.

Just then, Ethan realized that Tommy was coming towards him. He gulped uncomfortably, having avoided his friend all day so far. His first impulse was to look for an escape, but it was too late, Tommy had already seen him.

"Yo, Ethan," Tommy greeted him, looking at Ethan oddly. He was quiet for a moment before hesitantly asking, "Are you all right? You look..."

"I'm fine..." Ethan snapped back, though his voice cracked slightly at the 'fine'. That only made him gulp again, blushing in humiliation. He looked around, feeling scared but trying not to show it, even to his best friend.

Tommy shook his head, obviously doubtful. "You're looking kinda weird. And what's with the sweater?"

Suddenly another voice exclaimed, "What's with this garbage?" Ethan turned and glared at Sean, who was walking up with a slight sneer, "The coach heard about your ditching gym and said that if you miss practice like that, then you're off the team."

"He's sick," Tommy spat at Sean in Ethan's defense. "The flu or something."

Sean just looked at Ethan skeptically, then his eyes went a little wider. "What the fuck? First you play like a girl and now you're looking like one."

"WHAT?" Ethan gasped, staring at Sean in horror. He looked down at himself, gulping to see two slight bumps through his sweatshirt.

"Dude," Tommy gasped, "You do look like a girl. What's up with that?"

"I do not!" Ethan spat out defensively, feeling a mixture of fear, confusion and anger.

Then Sean laughed, "And now you're throwing a tantrum like a girl."

"Watch it," Tommy warned, a faint threat in his voice.

Ethan however stepped towards Sean with his hands clenched into fists and nearly yelled, "I do not look like a girl!" His voice was louder than he'd intended, drawing the attention of everyone in the hallway. But even worse, his voice had cracked halfway through the statement, finishing in a tone that almost sounded like a girl's.

Tommy stared at Ethan in surprise, as did Sean. Ethan was horrified and looked back and forth between them in shock, then realized that everyone else in the hall was staring at him. The horror only increased, as did the humiliation. It threatened to overwhelm him completely when Ethan turned and ran...having to get away from there as fast as possible.

Ethan barely heard Tommy call out, "Wait...," as he fled, but he didn't slow down in the least.

A short while later, Ethan burst through the door of his house, gasping for breath. He'd nearly run the entire distance home, not even thinking about catching a bus until he was through the door. However, he didn't spare any time for that as he looked around frantically, terrified and confused.

"Oh God," Ethan cried out, having hurried to his room and stopping in front of the mirror. "No fucking way."

Ethan stared at the reflection in horror, seeing what looked more like a 14 year old girl than a 14 year old boy. It was still his face, though softer...more feminine. Almost looking like a younger version of his mom, much to his horror.

After a moment of staring, Ethan quickly stripped out of his clothes, relieved to see that his penis was still there, though no bigger than a little kids. However, the small breasts on his chest, for that was what they now obviously were, were noticeably bigger, though nowhere near the size of his mom's D cups.

"Why me?" Ethan cried out in tears, his hands frantically grabbing at his body. He'd prayed for puberty to come, but not like that. Even his butt and hips were a bit bigger, just like some of the girls at school. "Why me?"

For several minutes, Ethan just stood there in silent shock, trying to figure out what was going on. Then suddenly it dawned on him.

"Oh no...," he whispered in horror, realizing why he was changing...and who was responsible. "Mom...."

Ethan's mind raced as he remembered the argument that he'd had with his mom several nights before. Just before everything started to go screwy. She'd been furious, and he couldn't forget the way she'd told him that he was lucky to be a boy. That only made him remember several similar comments that she'd made before.

She was a scientist too. A genetic researcher. Ethan shuddered at that thought, knowing without a doubt that she was the one responsible for his changes. Obviously to teach him a lesson of some sort and probably with some top secret experiment.

"Oh no..." Ethan cried, tears streaming down his cheeks as he stared at his reflection in horror. But even worse than the fact that he was obviously changing into a girl was the realization that he'd been betrayed. That his own mom, the one person that he'd always loved and trusted had done that to him. "No..."

For several minutes, Ethan just sat on his bed and cried at the betrayal. That his own mother could hurt him like that and destroy his life. His entire world was crashing down around his shoulders and there was nothing that he could do. Nothing.

Finally, Ethan sat up and glared at the door furiously. As if he could see his mom through it. She was the one who'd done that to him. He didn't know if she ever had any intention of changing him back, but he doubted it. He'd heard more than enough stories about mad scientists, and it was obvious that his own mom had become one.

Ethan didn't know what she had planned for him, but he knew that it couldn't be good. Maybe she wanted to humiliate him. Or use him as a test subject for even more experiments. The thought made him sick. Perhaps she had just wanted a daughter and was going to make him wear dresses. That thought made him sicker still.

"No way," Ethan exclaimed stubbornly. There was no way that he could ever trust her again, nor was there any way that he was just going to sit around, waiting for her to come back and do something more to him. "Bitch," he spat, hurt more than he admitted.

Then with that, Ethan grabbed for his clothes and quickly got dressed again, just before taking his backpack and throwing more clothes in that. He glared at the door furiously, his mind made up. And after adding some food from the kitchen, Ethan was out the door...knowing that he was never coming back.

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Ethan looked around nervously, pulling his coat tighter around him as he watched the busy sidewalks around him. The sun had already set so everything was lit by street lights, making it nearly as bright as day. Just bright enough for Ethan to see his surroundings, though that didn't mean that he liked them.

After running away from home, Ethan hadn't known where to go or who he could possibly turn to. All he knew was that he had to get away from the person who'd hurt him so badly...stealing his very body from him. He'd briefly considered going to Tommy's, but quickly decided that it was a bad idea. Not only would it be the first place that his mom would look for him, but Ethan shuddered at how humiliated he'd be. It had been bad enough that Tommy had seen so much at school and he couldn't face any more of that.

In the end, Ethan had ended up walking around, trying uselessly to find a place to stay for the night. And as he wandered, he found himself heading into the middle of town, thinking that perhaps he could lose himself in the crowd...or at least figure out what he was going to do next.

Shivering from the chill in the air, Ethan reached into his coat pocked for the rest of the sandwich he'd started eating a short while earlier. He hesitated only a moment before he started eating again, worried slightly about what would happen when he ran out of food and money, but quickly putting that thought aside.

"Later," Ethan muttered, biting into the sandwich.

Once he had finished his sandwich, Ethan started to slowly walk down the sidewalk again, well aware of the odd looks that he occasionally got. That only made him smile bitterly since half the people he saw looked like complete freaks. He must have seen hair of every color in the rainbow in just the previous hour. However, apparently boys...or girls of his age didn't tend to hang out around there too much at that time of night.

Pausing for a moment to look around for his mom, Ethan sighed in relief then bundled himself tighter in his jacket before continuing on. He had to get further away, he knew that for a fact. If he stayed that close, sooner or later his mom might find him again. He shuddered at the very thought, becoming even more determined to keep that from happening.

Suddenly Ethan was hit from behind and flew forward, landing face first on the sidewalk. And at the same time, he felt something torn from his back.

"What...?" Ethan gasped, looking up, only to see some guy running away...with his backpack in hand. "No!" Ethan blurted, jumping to his feet and starting after the thief. All of his clothes and food were in that bag. "STOP!" he screamed to no effect.

Ethan chased the man for several minutes before losing sight of him entirely. Finally, Ethan stopped, nearly screaming in frustration as he leaned up against the wall, gasping for breath.

Several minutes later, Ethan had calmed down and looked around him nervously, afraid that it might happen again. He scowled at the people around him, angry that not a single one of them had tried to help him. They'd just watched the bastard run away with his backpack.

Then, looking down at himself with a frown, Ethan shook his head, hardly able to believe how strange he felt. His chest was even beginning to jiggle a little when he walked.

"Why me?" he asked himself quietly as the tears came, "Why me?"

A short while later, Ethan stood in the middle of Brisbane Park, a fairly popular place for picnics. He looked around carefully, afraid that someone might be watching him. But that wasn't new as he had been afraid almost from the moment that he'd run away. He hated having to do it but didn't seem to have many other options at the moment.

"Oh God," Ethan whispered, climbing into some bushes and lying down, trying to get comfortable.

He shivered slightly from the chill, curling up tighter to try fighting it off. And with that, he closed his eyes and tried going to sleep. Somehow though, he strongly doubted that he'd be able to. But some time later, Ethan proved himself wrong as unconsciousness finally overcame him.

Ethan awoke in the morning to confusion, finding himself lying on the hard ground. He grunted as he sat up, stiff and aching from his harsh bed. The cold seemed to fill his body and his skin was damp from the morning dew. It took him several seconds before memories came crashing in, reminding him why he was there.

With a pained grunt, Ethan stood up, realizing in the morning light that his resting place in the bushes hadn't been quite as hidden as he thought. He grimaced and staggered out of them, reaching back for his wallet in the hopes that there was someplace cheap nearby that he could get breakfast from.

However, Ethan's hand found nothing in his pocket and he frantically grabbed at his other pockets, crying, "My wallet..." But there was no sign of it on him, nor in the bushes where he'd slept for the night.

He stood back in horror, not knowing whether he'd lost it when his backpack was stolen or if he'd been robbed during the night. All he knew was that he was all alone in the world, without food, money or even a place to sleep. At that moment, the full depth of his circumstances came crashing in and Ethan collapsed to the ground in tears, feeling more terrified and helpless than he could ever have imagined.

When Ethan finally stood back up, he wiped the tears from his cheeks and looked around in embarrassment. "Just like a girl," he spat, glaring at his hands. Even they seemed different now. Just like a girls.

A minute later, Ethan went inside the small, cramped and smelly park restrooms to relieve himself. He grimaced at the sight of them, wishing that he'd seen them the night before. Then at least he wouldn't have had to be quite so cold. As it was, he was still shivering slightly but had started moving around to warm up.

Ethan froze as he passed in front of the mirror, slowly turning to stare at himself. His eyes went wide and he couldn't resist gulping at the sight. The reflection in the mirror was obviously that of a girl, though a girl that was dirty and badly in need of a shower. But it was also a very familiar reflection. A slightly twisted version of his own, and for the first time, Ethan realized that she looked amazingly like a younger version of his mom.

With a gulp, Ethan whispered, "Oh shit."

He blinked several times then glanced at the door before jumping into one of the stalls, just to be safe. He pulled his shirt up and stared at his breasts in amazement. They had grown even more since he'd last looked at them in the mirror the day before, but he'd already suspected that when he felt them start to jiggle. They were still nowhere near as large as his mom's, but they felt almost huge on him.

Ethan grimaced and tugged at his pants which felt uncomfortable on him. They were pinching at his hips, no longer fitting him very well at all. He scowled though, knowing that there wasn't much he could do about that at the moment. Not when he didn't even have any more clothes. The only good thing that he could think of was that his pants had been somewhat loose in the first place so they weren't nearly as bad as they would have been otherwise.

Finally, Ethan gathered his courage and slowly pulled his pants down, nearly screaming at the sight of his crotch. His testicles were gone entirely and his penis was barely there at all. He didn't even bother to touch it before pulling his pants back up, knowing without a doubt that he'd be a girl down there too by the end of the day. Perhaps even by lunch.

After Ethan had completed his business in the restroom, feeling a sense of stunned horror the whole time, he left in a hurry, still lost and confused.

For most of the day, Ethan wandered around, his stomach grumbling from hunger while he looked for something to eat. Or at least for spare change so that he could buy some food. But as hungry as he was becoming, he still couldn't bring himself to beg. At least not yet. Fortunately though, by nearly dinner time he'd found enough change to buy a candy bar, though it did little to satisfy the growing emptiness in his stomach.

"Great," Ethan sighed, rubbing at his stomach with one hand then licking the last traces of his 'dinner' off the other hands fingers. "I'm still hungry," he whined to himself. As if it wasn't enough that he was tired and achy as well.

Then, Ethan looked down at himself with a scowl, as he had been doing all day. He'd avoided it for a long time but knew that he couldn't anymore. He had to know. And with that, he started for the Dairy Queen just a short distance away, knowing that there was a restroom inside that he could use.

"Wrong door girl," a man told Ethan when he started for the boys restroom.

Ethan gulped, then looked down in embarrassment. "Sorry."

He turned and quickly went into the girls restroom, feeling strange as he did so. Ethan had never been in a girls restroom before but nobody gave him a second look. Not even the middle aged woman that he passed going in.

Ethan waited inside for a minute, staring at his reflection in the mirror again, though it hadn't really changed since that morning. He was still a very pretty...and dirty looking girl. After waiting until he was certain that he was alone, then he went into the handicapped stall. He stood there for a few seconds then slowly started lowering his pants again.

"Oh God," Ethan whispered, staring at his crotch in disbelief.

There was no longer any sign there that he had ever been a guy. Instead of his penis and testicles, he had a soft looking mound with a slit in it. He slowly reached out his finger to touch himself, amazed at just how sensitive he felt.

And in a quiet voice, Ethan whispered, "I'm...I'm a girl." That simple statement sent a shock through him. A shock as he realized that he would probably be a girl for the rest of his life...all because of his mom.

In a surge of anger, Ethan pulled his pants back on and took one more glance at the mirror. The girl that looked so much like his gorgeous mom only made him angrier. Then Ethan screamed and spat at his reflection before storming out.

Some hours later, Ethan slowly walked down the sidewalk, nervously glancing up at the dark sky then at the brightly lit sidewalks. It was just like the night before, though this time Ethan didn't even have a backpack to steal. And though he refused to admit it to himself, he was even more scared, but kept walking out of sheer stubbornness.

Pausing for a moment, Ethan rubbed at his empty stomach, wondering where he was going to get something to eat...and where he was going to spend the night. The park wasn't a very appealing prospect, but if he didn't have any other choices...

Suddenly Ethan realized that there was someone standing in front of him. A twenty something man with dark hair and a goatee, looking a little bit Hispanic though Ethan couldn't tell for sure.

"You look hungry," the man said with an easy smile. However, Ethan noticed that his eyes didn't match the smile. Instead, they looked...hungry. "You've just ran away from home." It wasn't a question.

Ethan felt uncomfortable but nodded faintly, keeping his eyes on the strange man. "Yeah."

"Your family doesn't understand you," the man said sympathetically. "You couldn't bear being there anymore..." Ethan nodded again while the man put his arm against the wall, still smiling gently. "I've got a place you can stay if you're interested," he offered, "And I can get you something to eat."

Ethan stared at the man, his interest suddenly fully drawn. The growling in his stomach made the offer extremely tempting. "What'll it cost me?" Ethan quietly asked, half afraid and half hopeful.

The stranger's eyes sparkled slightly. "Direct. I like that cute thing." He paused, still smiling. "Not much. You just have to...help out." The hungry look was even more intense in his eyes.

A sudden warning went through Ethan's head, though he wasn't completely sure why. Still, he knew that there was something wrong with what this guy was offering, even if he couldn't quite tell what it was.

"Um...no thanks," Ethan responded, pulling himself a little away from the man. "I'm fine."

The man sneered, no longer looking friendly. "Suit yourself bitch." The man took a step towards Ethan while he took two steps back. "I was only trying to help your ungrateful ass out. But you'll end up doing tricks anyway, just for someone who isn't as nice as me."

Ethan just turned and ran, determined to put some distance between himself and the freaky man. He didn't stop running until he was two blocks away and sure that there was no one following him.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," Ethan gasped when he finally stopped running, giving another, "Oh shit," when he saw that he wasn't surrounded by so many people.

It was darker in the area that he was in, with fewer people. Somehow, that didn't make him feel any less safe though. Instead, it only brought back childhood fears of the dark and monsters under the bed. Fears that Ethan struggled to push away, to little effect.

Then, as if to make matters worse, Ethan felt something wet hit against his cheek, followed by several more. He winced as the rain drops started to splash against his shoulders, light at first but quickly building up force.

Ethan started cursing under his breath as he hurried on, looking for some place to get out of the rain. However, just as he saw a large overhang from a dimly lit building, he also noticed several young men stepping out a door nearby.

"Look at that," a tall skinny guy with long blonde hair called out, gesturing straight at Ethan, "What a fine piece of ass."

"What's a pretty thing like you doing around here?" a somewhat short stocky guy in his late teens or early twenties yelled at Ethan, a grin on his face.

Ethan gulped and started to step away, glancing down at himself with a grimace, once again confronted with what he now looked like. He knew that he was probably just as hot...if not hotter than any girl in his school, so quickly started to get some idea of what those men wanted with him.

His fears were confirmed as a third boy in the group, a somewhat chubby black guy yelled, "I bet she's here looking for some cock!" The other boy's started to loudly agree, advancing towards Ethan rapidly.

Without waiting, Ethan turned and started running, glancing back just quickly enough to see that they were chasing after him. Some of the boys were yelling and screaming for him to stop, while the others were just chasing after him with hungry looks in their eyes.

Terrified beyond what he'd believed possible, Ethan ran as fast and as hard as he could. Faster than he'd ever ran on the football field, knowing that he would have rather had a whole team trying to tackle him than just these guys. He knew without a doubt that he'd rather die than let them catch him.

One of his pursuers suddenly caught up to Ethan, grabbing at Ethan's jacket. Ethan screamed in panic and kicked at the boy, managing to catch him in the side of his knee. When the guy let go in a howl of pain, Ethan returned to running, this time doubling his efforts.

A minute later, Ethan dodged around a corner, his heart racing wildly and his lungs grasping for breath. He looked around frantically for something...anything. There was no way that he could keep that up. Then he saw it...his chance.

Without any hesitation, Ethan jumped into an open dumpster, quickly burying himself beneath the horribly smelly garbage bags. He waited there, forcing himself to be as silent as possible, fighting back the unbelievable urge to gag from the smell. Sounds came from outside, noises of people moving past, talking loudly to themselves. Ethan just stayed where he was, silently praying that they'd keep going. That they'd keep looking.

"Check the dumpster," one man's voice ordered, making Ethan's heart freeze in panic. Still, he forced himself to remain motionless, not even daring to breathe.

A minute later, another boy's voice responded, "Nothing in there."

Ethan still didn't dare to breathe. Not for another few seconds. Still, he waited in the dumpster for another fifteen minutes until he was positive that they were indeed gone. He slowly poked his head out, fearfully looking for any sign of his pursuers and relieved to find none. Then, Ethan snuck away as quickly and silently as he could.

A short while later, Ethan was huddling underneath a bridge, cold, wet and shivering. Still, he was out of the rain...and out of sight. It was there that he curled up into a hole to spend the night...miserable, scared and lonely.

--------------------

It was nearly noon of the following day and Ethan sat at the bus station, warily watching the busses coming and going. He tried to ignore the hunger that gnawed at his belly, looking around instead for some chance. A chance of what he still wasn't sure of.

Perhaps loose change on the ground, or an opening to sneak onto one of the busses and get further away. Perhaps even a purse that wasn't being watched as closely as it should be. Even that act was starting to be considered, though Ethan still hated the idea of stealing like that.

Ethan sat where he was, almost feeling numb from the constant fear over the last few days. Almost, but not quite. His whole body was aching and tired, not to mention hungry, though Ethan knew that he couldn't take care of any of those at the moment. But at least there were no more tears coming at the moment.

Suddenly Ethan felt a presence and looked up, shocked to see his mom standing there several feet in front of him, staring at him with her mouth open and a look of surprised confusion on her face. She blinked several times.

"Ethan?" she gasped, "Is...is that you?" She quickly went on, "What's happened to you?" With that, she came at Ethan before he even realized what was happening and put her hand on his cheek, staring at him in stunned disbelief.

"You know what happened!" Ethan spat out, scared and hurt, trying to pull himself away but there was nowhere to go. He was trapped on the bench with his mom standing in front of him, blocking his escape. "YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

"Me...?" she gasped in surprise, stepping back and looking hurt and confused. "Dear lord, Tommy said you were...." She paused and whispered, "I thought he was exaggerating... And when you ran away..."

Ethan just stared at her in confusion, surprised by her reaction. He was sure that if he'd ever seen her again she'd be acting like a monster or telling him that it was for his own good or something. Instead, she seemed just as shocked at his change as he was.

Slowly grabbing at his breasts, Ethan cried out, "Why did you do this to me?"

His mom gasped, "I didn't..." Then she froze and a strange look came over her face. "Oh no." She quickly recovered and grabbed Ethan in a hug, "I'd never do anything to hurt you Ethan. NEVER. You must believe me. I was scared to death when you disappeared and looked everywhere trying to find you."

Ethan just sat there with his mom's arms wrapped around him not sure whether to pull back and run away or even hug back. He was filled with confusion at her reaction, then, to his own amazement, he stared into her face and realized that he believed her.

"How did this happen?" Ethan cried, tears beginning to come down his cheeks, "Why me?"

His mom said nothing as she bent back down to him, gently wiping the tears from his cheeks. "Let's get home." she told him quietly. "We can talk about this there."

Ethan nodded weakly and stood up with his mom's help, feeling amazingly relieved at her being there for him. As if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He wasn't alone anymore and felt horrible that he'd ever thought that she could do such a thing to him.

Sometime later, Ethan was back home, still gulping down the lunch that his mom had set before him, barely taking time to breathe between bites. Somehow though, he managed to tell her nearly everything that had happened to him over the previous week between bites while she stared in silent amazement...and sympathy.

"Oh dear," she whispered when Ethan was through, "No wonder you thought..." She put her hand on his and looked Ethan in the eyes. "But I'd never hurt you like that. You have to believe me."

Ethan gulped and wiped at the tears that were threatening to come back. "I do."

As soon as Ethan had finished eating, his mom left the room, then came back with something in her hand. "Please show me your...changes."

For a moment, Ethan just stared at her, blushing a brilliant red, feeling humiliated at the thought. However, he quickly reminded himself that if anyone could help him, she could. So with that, he slowly took off the filthy clothes that he'd been wearing since he ran away, revealing his female body underneath.

"Oh..." his mom whispered, her eyes going wide as she looked him over. "You look just like I did at your age." She gulped and had a strange look on her face for a moment before holding her hand out and revealing the syringe that she held in it. "Let me take a blood sample. And while you take a shower..." She gave Ethan a very firm look at that, "I'll examine it."

"All right," Ethan nodded, biting his lips when the needle went in.

A minute later, his mom gave him serious look, holding the blood filled syringe in her hand. "As filthy as you are, you'd better make that a bath."

Ethan nodded and went to the bathroom, feeling embarrassed at being naked in front of his mom, not to mention doing so as a girl. His breasts jiggled a little with every step, making him blush even deeper.

Once Ethan had climbed into the hot bath water, he let out a long sigh, amazed at how great it felt. All the aches immediately started to fade away. He just stayed motionless, soaking in the hot water for some time, nearly falling asleep but somehow managing not to.

"I guess I'd better wash up," Ethan finally muttered, sitting up and reaching for the wash cloth and soap.

He winced again as he stared down at his body through the water, then after taking a deep breath, he started to scrub himself clean. His hands traced the new shape of his body, slower than he normally would have, amazed at the strangeness of it all. And the normalcy of it at the same time.

Once he was done with the scrubbing, Ethan rested one of his hands on his crotch and the strange emptiness that was now there, while the other hand traced his now larger nipples and rubbed at his smooth breasts.

"I wanted puberty," he muttered, "but not this." Then he almost smiled as he remembered the old saying, 'be careful what you wish for'. Almost.

A short while later, Ethan had finished with his bath and was drying himself off with a large pink towel, thinking it appropriate when he'd pulled it from the cupboard. As he dried himself off, he did so slowly, watching every motion in the mirror and beginning to get turned on. The girl in the mirror was pretty hot looking.

But to his embarrassment, Ethan had to admit that his mom was right. Now that he was cleaned up, he could see that he really did look a lot like her. Not as old of course, nor as well developed, but he definitely had an even stronger resemblance to her than before. And people had always told him how much he'd looked like her.

With a sigh, Ethan turned and looked at the bathtub, noticing the heavy ring around it. He had known that he was dirty, but hadn't realized that he was as filthy as that. That only made him smile faintly, feeling very happy to be clean again.

"I'll never complain about having to take a bath again," Ethan promised himself.

Then with that, Ethan wrapped the town around his body like he'd seen women doing in movies, covering up his new breasts as well as his new genitals. He glanced in the mirror and frowned slightly, having to admit that he did look rather nice that way, with his cleavage showing and all.

"Just great," he grumbled as he left the bathroom.

When Ethan stepped into the dining room, where his mom was waiting at the table, Ethan coughed, "Um...mom, I think...I mean..." Ethan blushed, "My clothes..."

"Oh," she sighed, standing up, "Wait here." With that, she hurried from the room, coming back a minute later with her bathrobe and handing it to Ethan. "You can wear this for now."

"Um..." he looked down at himself and started towards the bathroom to change into the robe.

"Don't worry about it," his mom told him, "it's nothing that I haven't seen before."

Then with a faint but embarrassed nod, Ethan turned his back to her and dropped the down, quickly putting the bathrobe on at the same time. Once he had it shut and tied, he turned back towards her, feeling a little better.

"You'd better sit down," Ethan's mom told him, already having sat back down at the table herself. She gave him a steady look, adding, "This isn't going to be easy."

Ethan sat down, having a sinking feeling about what he was going to hear. He already suspected though that it was going to be permanent. He'd thought as much for awhile.

"I know why..." she started, then paused nervously. "Remember what I told you about your father?" she started again. When Ethan nodded hesitantly, she continued, "It wasn't exactly...true."

Ethan gasped, "You mean my dad's alive?"

She shook her head, "No. I mean..." She sighed, looking rather sad, "You don't have a father."

"So he is dead?" Ethan said slowly, feeling rather confused.

"No," his mom told him quietly, "You never had a father." Ethan just gave her a look of blank confusion.

His mom stood up at that and ran a hand absently through her black hair, then she paced back and forth for a moment before sitting back down and staring across at Ethan.

"I've never told you this before," she started quietly, "but I always wished that I'd been born a man." She paused for a moment, then continued, "When I was young, I envied the boys being able to play sports. And when I was older, I wasn't taken as seriously as a scientist because I was a woman. It's not as bad now as it used to be, but it's still there somewhat in our society."

Ethan nodded, not sure where this was going. "OK."

She looked up at the ceiling for a moment before returning her gaze to Ethan. "Some years ago, I wanted to have a child...but I wasn't married and didn't want to deal with a father. So..." she gulped, her eyes looking down with a feeling of guilt, "I decided to create one anyway. And at the same time, I...I decided to fulfill my wishes to have been born a boy."

"I don't understand," Ethan said, feeling confused with where it was all going. "What's that have to do with...?" He gestured down at himself.

His mom stared at him for a moment. "I artificially impregnated myself," she told him quietly, "I used my own DNA, but added a Y chromosome." She stared straight at Ethan and announced, "You're my clone Ethan. I made sure that you were born male instead, but genetically you are still an exact copy of myself."

Ethan nearly gagged and stared at his mom in shock. "Clone..." he gasped out.

"You have no father," she admitted quietly. "You never did."

For a minute all Ethan could do was stare at her in disbelief, then down at himself. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be. That kind of stuff only happened in science fiction books and stuff. They couldn't even clone people yet...or could they?

"I'm sorry that I lied to you," his mom whispered, tears beginning to run down her cheeks, "But I didn't have much choice. I knew that you wouldn't understand. I just wanted to give you the advantage that I never had." She smiled faintly, "I guess I was partly living my own fantasy life through you. And for that I am sorry as well."

"A clone..." Ethan repeated one more time, "I'm...I'm not a real person..."

Suddenly his mom's hand grabbed his own and she looked him straight in the eyes. "Don't think that. Never think that. You are just as real as anybody else. Just as human. Every strand of your DNA is human. Every fiber of your being. The only difference is, I am not only your mother...I am your identical twin as well."

Ethan gulped and nodded faintly. "But..." he gestured down at himself, "Why...?"

His mom's hand grew firmer on his own. "I examined your blood in my lab downstairs..." She took a deep breath and told Ethan, "I'm sorry, but there is no longer any trace of a Y chromosome ever being in your body. You...you came from my DNA and the Y chromosome to make you male was added artificially."

"But..." Ethan started.

"But it was rejected." she finished quietly. "For some reason, the stress of puberty caused your body to finally reject your Y chromosomes." She gently squeezed Ethan's hand as she said, "You are completely female now...and there is no way of changing you back. I can't graft a Y chromosome into a complete body."

For some time, Ethan just stared at his mom in stunned silence, trying to absorb everything that she'd just told him. His entire life had been a lie. He wasn't even who he thought he was. He was a...a clone. His mom's clone at that. Compared to that, being a girl for the rest of his life seemed almost trivial.

Finally, Ethan forced a smile and asked, "Does that mean I'll look like you when I get older?"

His mom nodded, smiling faintly herself. "Yes it does." Then she chuckled slightly, adding, "And I had a bit of a growth spurt when I was 15 so you'll get to experience that as well."

Ethan could only answer with an, "Oh."

But as he thought about it, he had to admit that if he was going to be a girl for the rest of his life, at least he was going to be a gorgeous one. And he certainly didn't need to wait to find out exactly how he was going to look either since his mom was the most beautiful woman he knew. There was almost a faint tinge of anticipation beginning to form in the back of Ethan's mind.

"I know some people who can help with your ID." Ethan's mom said, interrupting his thoughts. "Of course we'll need to get you a new name first, but you have a few days to think about that." Ethan nodded faintly while she continued, "Then we can get you into a new school since you obviously can't go back to your old one."

"I know," Ethan sighed, remembering the scene in the hallway with some embarrassment. He shuddered at the very thought of going back there as he was now.

Then his mom stood up and moved behind him, putting her hands on his shoulders. "But don't worry honey. That won't be for at least a week or two."

"At least that's good," Ethan mumbled.

He definitely didn't like the idea of going to any school as a girl, but frowned as he thought of the alternative. School, even as a girl, was a hell of a lot better than living on the streets. He knew that for a fact.

"In the meantime..." his mom said gently, "you're still going to have some lessons. I'll need to teach you what you need to know about your new body and about being a female."

Ethan nodded quietly, having to admit that she was right. He looked down at his hands, staring at them for a moment before moving on to his breasts. There was quite a bit about being a girl that he was going to have to learn. Things that he was going to need for his new life. But at least, he admitted, he had just the right person to teach them to him.

As Ethan thought about it, he knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Adapting to a new body, a new gender, a new school and even a new name. Still, he knew that he didn't have any choice which made it a little easier to think about. And after all, that would be nothing compared to the horrors that he'd already faced just living on the street for several days.

And maybe, Ethan told himself with a faint smile, once he had gotten a little more used to his new life he could tell Tommy what had happened to him. After all, Tommy had always been his best friend and he didn't see how that should change permanently because of what had happened to him.

Ethan slowly stood up and stretched, still finding the sensations of his new body strange...but not too uncomfortable. Just...different. He turned to his mom and grasped her tightly in a hug, holding on for several minutes and soaking up the comfort that her presence offered. Finally, Ethan pulled back just slightly and smiled at his mom, knowing that even if his life was going to be different, it was going to be all right.

THE END