Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter Four: Gail and Jane

By Jo Dora Webster

Will Jane, with Gail's help, find the beauty in herself that she captures with her painting of others?

Chapter 4 ~ Gail and Jane

Once we were home, we piled all of the purchase on the chairs in the living room. I was then initiated into the ritual of the after shopping fashion show. I already knew everything fit since I modeled all our purchases for Great Aunt Montine in the dressing room. I was to find out that what this was about was to find different combinations of items that worked together. The fun thing was that we got to talk while I was modeling, not just about how the outfit worked but other things, too.

"Okay, now that I'm a girl, how are we going to get me into a situation where I get to meet the neighborhood girls and get asked to join their sorority."

"Promise to not start a pillow fight with me?"

"If Ariel could be patient with the shop girl she had never met before, I have many more reasons to be patient with you, Great Aunt Montine. What is it?"

"Go look out the window into the back yard and tell me what you see."

"I see a green house that's connected to the main house with no doors in it to the back yard and an outdoor Olympic sized swimming pool. With the hot weather, we could hold a pool party. How would we invite them since I don't know any of the girls?"

"The same way I always do. Just put the sign up in the front yard that says: Pool Party with the date and time. By the way that green house is off limits to everyone including you. I have some delicate rare plants in there that extreme precautions must be taken for their survival. Do you understand?"

" I understand and will obey you. I won't ever try to go inside the greenhouse or allow anyone else to go in there either. Now wait a minute! If you had the pool here, then you knew that all we had to do is to do is throw one to introduce me. Even if I couldn't participate in Sorority functions, they could let me know when mixers held in other communities where they had boys occurred and I could interact with them on that basis and get to know some of the boys around too."

"If I had told you that, I wouldn't have gotten you to agree to be my neice for the summer and you would never have let Gail out of her exile. Do you forgive me, Gail?"

"Of course I forgive you,. You let me out to play and I love you for it. But what is Alex going to say? He's the one you really need to ask for forgiveness. I love you, Great Aunt Montine!"

"I guess I'll have to wait to find out what he says. Gail, you can have a party and invite everyone over. Since I have planned these before, I'll help you with the preparations and the planning. Once they have a chance to meet you, I'm sure they will tap you to be initiated into the sorority."

"That sounds wonderful! Maybe we could get started on the planning tomorrow so we could have it on the weekend. Maybe Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM?"

"We can do that! All of your outfits have been wonderful darling. Consider yourself successfully initiated to the art of the post shopping fashion show. Let's gather your things and take them upstairs."

"I'm not looking forward to walking up and down stairs in these heels to get everything up to my room."

"Sweetie, why would you do that when you can put everything in the elevator and call it up to the bedroom floor?"

"What elevator,?"

"This elevator, sweetheart."

She directed me to a closet but looking closely at the wall ornament next to it, I found that it was indeed a call button. We loaded all the items into the elevator. There was no room for us to ride up so we closed the door then walked upstairs. She showed me where the elevator was upstairs. (It was actually what I thought was a hall closet next to my room. We removed the items from the closet and put them in their proper place in my bedroom or bathroom. Once we finished, I had a little of everything that I needed. I'd fill in the gaps once I found out what I would need as a member of the sorority. I was beginning to show how tired I was by the time we were finished.

"Gail, you look really tired. Why don't you draw yourself a nice bath and then get ready for bed. Everything else can wait till the morning. Good night, Sweetie."

"Thank you, Great Aunt Montine. That's a wonderful idea. Good night."

I gave her a hug and a kiss good night and then I prepared to take my bath and get ready for bed just as she suggested. Once I was under the covers, it wasn't long before I was fast asleep.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

When I woke I looked out the window to see that the sign for the pool party at the time I suggested on Saturday was already out on the lawn. I wondered about what had happened when I was the channel that the power came through to turn a transwoman into a born woman, as I was going to sleep. I dreamed that I had seen a goddess but it had not been clear which one. Maybe what I did to Ariel was what Great Aunt Montine had done to me. Maybe I gained the ability to do it when I became female. If it was different, I didn't want to spend the summer in the booby hatch so I resolved to keep it my secret. I had placed a tampon in before I slept and now it needed to be replaced. I guessed it was time to get ready to face the world, and Great Aunt Montine for another day. I did just that and was eventually ready to descend the stairs and join her in the kitchen for breakfast

"Good Morning, Sweetheart. How did you sleep?"

"Good Morning, I slept well. What can I do to help you with the preparations for our pool party, Saturday."

"Gail, Yesterday you worked on bringing happiness by your adornment. Today I would like for you to do that for your mind. You look like a beautiful girl now. You've done a lovely job on your makeup and in selecting your outfit and accessories. Try thinking about things the way girls have always thought of things. You can do that in an entertaining way by enjoying chick flicks and chick lit. You'll find a suggested viewing and reading list links to the content on the desktop of that cute laptop we got you yesterday."

" You are so smart! You want me to get an idea of what girls think about so I will be up to speed when I get to meet them on Saturday. I guess it would not hurt to be able to curl up on the bed and take it easy while my visitor is still here either. Thank you. I'll do my best"

"Extra credit for considering female centric and inclusive religion if you are able to finish your other assignments. I love you, Gail!"

"I love you, too!"

I went back up to my bedroom and got comfortable alternating between reading books and Magazines and watching films and TV. I found that I had turned into a speed reader with a photographic memory. Watching the video at regular speed, gave me a chance to take the information that I had gained. At the end of the day Great Aunt Montine and I had a chance to discuss my day learning and she told me that I had passed with honors. She gave me another assignment to view the internet from a female perspective including setting up my social media presence and personal web page and start interacting with girls and women online. I was in the middle of it when she brought up a glass of milk and a slice of chocolate pie.

"Sweetie, I'd like for you to take a break. You've done such good work today. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks. That looks so good and you are so good to me."

"You are welcome, Gail. How are your studies going? Have you given any consideration to religion?"

"I haven't drawn any conclusions. The subject is fascinating and I have some interesting things that I could speak to other girls about if it seems appropriate."

"Good girl! I'll let you get back to your studies. Please don't stay up too late, sweetie. Good night. I love you."

"Good night. I love you, too"

While I was surfing the net, I was also looking for a higher power who might be motivated to possess me in order that their purpose was accomplished. Adding all of my impressions together, I identified the power who acted through me as the Goddess Aphrodite. I felt that I needed more information about what happened before I took my story to Great Aunt Montine, so I withheld what I had decided.

While I had not been devoted to any religion before, I resolved that I should enter into worship of Aphrodite. She was doing good work that I actually wanted to help with like the way she set Ariel free to be a born woman. I surprised myself by stopping before it got too late and prepared myself then snuggled under the covers to sleep.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

It was Saturday, the day of the party, and I was so excited. I managed to catch a few of the girls from the sorority online the night before and introduce myself. They promised to spread the word to the others about being Montine's niece and that I would be at the party too. I picked out my party swim suit and outfit and took care of everything in the bathroom. I dressed comfortably to join Great Aunt Montine for Breakfast.

"All I want you to do, Sweetie is to have fun and get to know the girls. I'm very used to being the Hostess for this and I rather enjoy it."

"Thank you. I know a few of the girls from chatting with them online and seeing their profiles and look forward to meeting them and the others in person."

"Wonderful. When you finish breakfast, go ahead and get into your bikini and take all the time you need to look your best and don't forget your heels and your beach bag."

"Thank you, I'm finished so I'll go get ready now."

I got up and gave her a kiss on her cheek and went back to my room to get ready. Heels with the Bikini's seemed a bit much. I mused that it must be an occasion for them and on top of that if there were a new girl, it gave them all a chance to see her strut her stuff. I dressed to the nines or considering the outfit almost undressed to the nines. I had my cover up on so I didn't feel so exposed. I came down and missing her in the Kitchen went out to the pool area. I found her arranging goodies on a cart by the umbrella shaded tables by the pool.

"You look lovely, Gail. You'll fit right in with all the girls."

"Thanks."

"Looks like you are just in time, here comes the early birds!"

There was a passage around the outside of the house that opened up another entrance to the pool area around back. Three girls came through the gate they opened and I recognized them immediately as the three girls that I had met online last night.

"Jessica, Jennifer and Stephanie! Oh I am so glad to see you and meet you in person!"

The girls all squealed with excitement and we met together in a big group hug. When we disengaged , Great Aunt Montine came around and greeted them and found out what they would like to drink. We were chatting away when another girl came through the gate and we all got up to greet her.

"Gail, this is Jane, our liaison with the Sorority at the college that helped start our chapter here. Jane this is Gail, the niece of our hostess for today Miss Montine."

"I'm very glad to meet you, Jane. The girls and my Great Aunt have told me what a wonderful work that your sorority has done in establishing the chapter here that was very much needed and wanted."

"Thank you, Gail. It was our pleasure. "

Gail pulled up a chair and joined us all around the table chatting about what was going on at the University on Summer break and what chances for recreation and fun they were looking forward to having. It all seemed great fun to me. While I wasn't too sure of the mixers and balls that had been arranged which boys from outside the area were invited to attend, I tried not to let my enthusiasm slide and took it all in as a great adventure.

Sometimes alone and sometimes in a gaggle of girls, they came through the gate and the party really took off. I really liked all the girls and especially Jane. She seemed a bit of a contradiction. She stuck out on first glance as being very plain when compared to all the beautiful girls there. In fact when interacting with Jane her inner beauty was so overwhelming that she far out-shined all the rest of the girls there. She was totally genuine and that drew me to her and while I mixed with all the girls she was never far from me the whole party.

As much as I liked gracefully traversing the pool side mingling perched on my heels, I was glad when the cover ups and the heels came off and we all started enjoying the pool. When the swimming was over, Jane called us all together. I wondered what that was about but would soon find out.

"The girls have asked me to be their spokeswoman now. While we have been enjoying the wonderful party that Miss Montine gives us each year, we have been whispering about something important. Gail would you please join me in front of the group?"

"Sure, Jane"

I got up and stood beside Jane so I could also look out into all the lovely faces of the girls.

"On behalf of the girls assembled here, they would like to invite you to be a pledge in their sorority chapter. Do you accept?"

"I accept with great pleasure. Thank you for trusting me with this great honor and I vow to always bring credit to the sorority. Thank you, Jane."

The girls all gathered around me for a big group hug. Jane was also appointed to give me the news about my initiation. That initiation was the second scariest thing that I had gone through. The first was my period beginning on the first day.

I was supposed to for the initiation pose for a life study class at Jane's college art department. Great Aunt Montine produced legal guardianship papers for Gail Adella Landers so she could sign for me so I could pose. She still would be able to if it had been for Alex, since Great Aunt Montine had thought to obtain temporary guardianship of me. Jane took the paperwork along with the permission form that Great Aunt Montine signed to the class and I was all signed up to be a life model.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

It was quite a character builder but I became less conscious of my new body so it helped me adjust. I was relieved to find that Jane was one of the students doing drawings in the class. She was a very accomplished artist and always turned out beautiful work. I was in my robe and slippers waiting for the class to start when Jane arrived with what looked liked framed art covered in a large drape. There was a convenient easel in the room where she placed it down.

"Are you going to let me see your work, Jane, or are you waiting for a bigger audience?"

"This painting is for you, Gail. I hope you like it.

Jane unveiled the painting. It was beautifully done in oils and it was me! Jane had taken her drawings from the life study class and painted a beautiful nude of me. I showed my pleasure in my expression as I gave Jane a big hug. Even more I was amazed that the glory of the Goddess surrounded Jane and I quickly followed through with the compulsion that I kiss Jane on the lips. I turned back to look at Jane with tears of joy in my eyes.

"Thank you so much, Jane. It's so beautiful!"

"Every young woman should have a nude done of her in her teens so she can have a reminder of where she had come from. It's beautiful because you are beautiful, Gail"

I gratefully accepted her loving gift. Jane didn't notice but she was blossoming before my eyes. Jane's incredible inner beauty was now matched by her outer beauty. I was so glad for the Goddess' gift to Jane.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

Somewhere close two goddesses looked on upon the blessing of Jane. Aphrodite looked on with pride that her power had been channeled through Gail to bless Jane with outer beauty to match her inner beauty. Erida looked on in disdain upon Gail, but she still had a sign of hope in her revenge.

"Dite, that proves nothing that your power helped those two girls by Gail's prayers. We both knew she was the priestess heir and that her time in your refuge has bonded her closer than any of your other priestess. But she still has to choose this life and the war I incited between her and her birth family still wages on."

"I am patient Erida. I will do good through her while she is her true self. Unlike you, I do not need to incite emotion to do my bidding and the truth will win out in love as it has through the centuries."

"War sustained by hate is strong enough to subvert these weak mortals. As much as she loves others, she still does not love herself and seeking the approval from those who hate her will be her undoing. You will see in due time."

"While there is life there is hope. Your overconfidence will be your undoing, Erida."

"And your faith in these weak mortals and their pale shadow of love will be yours, Dite"