Playing her way - Chapter 5

© D.L.

Emily, Anna and Wendy had found a shady spot under a tree away from other students. They had a short time before they had to split up to go to various lunch time clubs and activities. Wendy was part of the debating society and Anna was due for a private Violin lesson. Emily would also be heading to the music department, but for a recording session. After explaining her deception to Anna, and filling Wendy in on the latest developments she wasn't sure she was in the mood for recording any videos.

Emily often used recording as stress relief, venting her frustrations out to whoever was willing to listen. She decided she wasn't ready to talk about her feelings this time.

After locking the door and firing up her laptop, she logged into the Moonlight server twice, once with her normal account, and secondly with her camera account. She checked to see if anybody else was online, but she was the only person present on the server. She went to her storage room and geared up while waiting for the virtual sunset.

"Good evening, Moonlighters, Generation2K here again with another episode from the Moonlight server," Emily spoke clearly and calmly into her microphone as the moon rose behind her digital representation. "I'm feeling a bit worn down today, and I'm not in a talkative mood, especially since what is bothering me isn't something I can share with you as it involves school. Normally, I wouldn't bother recording when I'm feeling like this, but as I have limited time, it would seem a waste not to record when I have the opportunity.

"So I was wondering what I could do, and then I remembered the obscene amount of TNT I had in storage. I wanted to make a moat around my castle, and now seems a good time. I have the basic foundations in place, and a few buildings, so I now know how much room I need. As my outer walls are only partially complete, I figure I can blow stuff up without needing to worry about stray blasts. I'll place some water down to protect key areas first, and then I'll start blasting away.

"I should stress, this isn't going to be a small moat. I'm thinking all the way down to bedrock and just as wide, so at least 60 meters deep, and possibly as wide as 100 meters. All the stone I blow up will come in handy for the walls, and I don't need to worry how much gets destroyed, because the will be plenty left over."

After quickly running round to blast proof certain parts of the area, she put her camera account in the sky to catch the view and started to record a montage of stuff blowing up on a large scale. She didn't dare do too much in one go, as the server may crash; she was pushing it to the limit with lag spikes. After each blast she ran round collecting all the stone and mineral drops before they reached the five minute counter and despawned, to be lost forever.

She did one final sweep round the base for dropped items before finishing recording. She still had more work to do, and would need to record an outro, but that would have to wait until the next day. She could potentially film some more silent montage footage in her room later if she wanted.

Shutting down her laptop and placing it in her bag, she switched the do not disturb light off, and exited the room.

Mrs Rogers was sat opposite the door waiting for her to emerge. The headmistress was uneasy about the situation, fearing that the girl may try to harm herself. This was one of the few times the student would be alone and have ample opportunity if she was so way inclined. Mrs Rogers was relieved when the light went off and the door opened.

"Emily, a productive session I hope?" the headmistress enquired, to which Emily nodded.

"I've just been having a nice conversation with a PC Clarkson. I'm sure you can guess what it is about. I need you to accompany me to my office; you have been excused from netball practice this afternoon."

"Yes, I have been expecting this since the first day of school. Please may we call at my room first; I would like to pick up some paperwork that may be required."

Emily followed the headmistress out of the room.

Mrs Rogers looked at the girl sat opposite her. Even knowing from the start that the person in front of her was male, it was difficult for her to see anything other than a young girl. As much as she wanted to find reason to expel Emily for her behaviour, she had to admit that technically, nothing the girl had ever said had been incorrect. Despite all the deception, the girl had made sure to never actually outright lie.

The headmistress looked over the paperwork spread on her desk. Right from the start Emily had been the primary contact person for the school. She had been in the unfortunate position before where the only contact with the parents was to sign the cheque, the child simply being dumped on the school as a convenience while the parents indulged in a playboy lifestyle. On several occasions, the schools initial contact had been through a nanny or agency, rather than directly with the guardian.

It was therefore not completely surprising when Emily did the initial approach asking for a position. Considering the child was independently wealthy, Mrs Rogers could understand a certain degree of emancipation being present. When the contracts came through from John Larking, she had unwittingly fallen into the trap of believing he was acting on behalf of the parents. Rereading the letters, it was clear his sole concern was with Emily, and not for her family.

The school had not blindly accepted the application. Mrs Milligan had wrote to the psychiatrist who had given the initial diagnoses, and had been able to confirm that Emily had indeed been a patient, and the letter stating an initial diagnosis of gender dysphoria with a recommendation of further study, was in fact genuine. The doctor had pointed out that the family were not satisfied with the diagnosis, so sessions had ceased a couple of months before.

As the school would be entering a legal contract with G2K Limited, they had done due diligence on checking out the company in question. Credit checks had been run, and a copy of the last annual report and accounts were obtained from Companies House. The company registration all checked out. The address matched the official government records, as did the names of the directors. The contract involving a percentage of the new game's revenue, and of the cut of advertising revenue for recordings made during school time, was thoroughly investigated by the schools lawyers. Several of the governors had also independently had the contract examined by their own lawyers.

That left the correspondence between the school and Mr and Mrs Bridges. This is where the authenticity fell to pieces.

Emily had exploited her parents mercilessly, and had video evidence of it being done. For every letter that was sent to the school, she had a video of the document being signed.

Mrs Rogers wasn't sure what equipment Emily had been using, but it must have been high specification. In each case a hi-definition video was available, giving enough detail for it to be clear what was being signed in each case. From the angles involved, it appeared the camera had been hidden on a high shelf in the father’s home office.

The first clip was of the application form being signed.

"I will not listen to anymore of the nonsense," Arnold's voice could be heard off-camera. The anger showing through in the tone of voice, "You will go to St. Mary's, and that is final. I refuse to discuss this anymore."

"Fine," Emily stated abruptly, walking into shot, "In that case sign the application form and send it off. It’s already filled in; it just needs your signature."

Mrs Rogers could barely recognise the child in the video. Gone were the long flowing locks of hair. Instead the child had short hair, several shades darker in colour. The figure was also dressed in jeans and a corduroy shirt. The slumped posture was stereotypical of a teenage boy, although technically Emily was not quite a teenager at the time.

The boy in the video opened a desk draw and pulled it out a folder. He turned it in such a way as to have the cover pass square on to the camera for a brief moment before holding it in the air for the father to see, who could now be seen entering the shot. The folder was clearly for St Mary's of Taunton.

Placing the folder on the desk, the child opened it and thumbed through the paperwork, pulling out the form and a pre-addressed envelope. The front of the form was only in shot for a few frames, but by pausing the video it was clear to see the layout matched that of St. Mary's in Norfolk. The girl's school logo clearly visible in the top left. The form was immediately turned to the page where the large signature box required attention.

The father then signed the document without even giving it more that a cursory glance to make sure the signature was in the right place.

Jason then folded the paperwork, keeping it face down so as not to be identifiable as the wrong form, and placed it into the envelope before sealing it.

Two other clips had been provided. In each case it was documents being signed. Mr Bridges would sit at his desk and then take all the paperwork out from a tray on his desk. Each document would be covered in post-it notes. It was clear that the person wasn't looking at the documents themselves, but merely reading the note on the post-it. After discarding the post it, each document would be flicked through to where a smaller post it note with an arrow on was stuck. A signature would be added at the location where the arrow was pointed, and the post-it removed and discarded.

Most of the documents seemed to be invoices and purchase orders, with a few letters and reports mixed in. In amongst the piles were the letters sent to the school. Again, the letters were signed without being read.

Once signed, the documents all went into a briefcase, presumably for taking into the man's place of work.

Mrs Rogers gathered the page in front of her into a neat pile and looked across at the girl patiently waiting to hear her fate.

"I think it is time to call your parents," the headmistress stated. Using the phone on her desk as a speakerphone, she dialled the number.

"Hello, Marilyn speaking," the voice came from the other end.

"Good afternoon, I'm calling about your missing child, who is sat here with me. My name is Mrs Rogers and I'm the headmistress of St. Mary's Academy in Norfolk."

"Hold on a moment, I will just fetch my husband."

There was a brief pause while Marilyn went to get her husband. A distant voice could be heard saying he would pick up the second phone in the bedroom. A click could be heard and Mr Bridges voice came on the line saying, "Hello. The police said that you were going to call".

"Good afternoon Mr Bridges. We need to discuss what happens next."

"As you are aware, we are quite a distance away. While it would be possible to come and collect Jason this evening if required, I would rather not start an eight hour round trip this late in the afternoon. If it is not too much trouble, I would like to leave that journey to tomorrow."

"Mr Bridges, I have absolutely no problem with your child staying here another night. In fact, I am perfectly happy for your child to remain here to the end of term and beyond if that is your wish. I would have to ask you to sign a fresh set of applications forms if that was the case, as the authenticity of the original set is in question. However, if you could make it to the school, it would certainly be useful to meet in person."

"Looking at the sat-nav, it should take us about four to four and a half hours to drive there. I note there are road works on the A11 where they are dualling a section. I don't know how much that would delay things."

"It may delay you by half an hour or so. I assume you have our address?"

"Barnham Broom Road? We got the address from your website."

"That is correct. I take it you are aware that this is a girl's school and we therefore don't normally allow boys to attend."

"I guess it must have been a shock to discover one of your students was actually a boy disguising himself as a girl," Marilyn stated. "I can understand how awkward that must be for you. Has he behaved himself in that regard, or are we facing further issues."

"Mrs Bridges, one thing that was never lied about was the physical gender of your child. We knew she was male from the very first enquiry. The board discussed the issue, and it was decided that transgender students could attend, as long as they presented themselves as female. Your daughter's presence has already been accounted for, and isn't an issue for us. I deliberately use the feminine pronouns, as your child is attending this school as a girl, and so far, nobody has voiced any suspicion that she isn't anything other than a normal girl."

There was a notable silence from the other end. Mrs Rogers continued, "I would like to ask one favour of you both. When you come here tomorrow, I would like to ask you not to reveal that your child is male. We have been keeping your child's gender on a need to know basis, and while we always knew it was possible the secret would be revealed, we would prefer not to have to deal with that particular issue if possible, especially if you plan on taking the child with you when you leave."

"I think we can manage to call her Jennifer instead of Jason," Arnold stated reluctantly, "it will be difficult, but we can understand how you wouldn't want a public scene."

"Dad, my name is Emily. I assume Susan has pointed you at my YouTube channel. I use a different name online."

"Oh, we assumed that you had adopted Jenny as your name," her mother said. "Are you using your real surname?"

"I take it the deed poll changing your child's name from Jason Edward Bridges to Emily Jennifer Bridges is also fake," the headmistress enquired.

"I think I better look at all the paperwork you have tomorrow," Marilyn stated in an annoyed tone, "my husband seems to have a habit of signing things without reading them first."

Emily smirked to herself. For the most part her father was the head of the household, but on occasion her mother would put her foot down and could be a force to be reckoned with. Her father had indeed signed that as well, although the only people to receive a copy of the documentation was the school, so technically it wasn't an official name change, simply an alias.

"What time do you expect to arrive?" Mrs Rogers asked. "If it is of any help, one of our teachers has offered a guest room that you can use for the night if you wish to stay overnight. That would give us plenty of time to talk and go over what has happened, and how to sort out the mess that Emily has made for herself."

"Yes, that would be handy," Arnold replied, "I guess we will aim to arrive around 2pm."

"In that case I will make the arrangements and look forward to seeing you tomorrow. When you arrive, give your names to the person on the gate, and they will direct you to the right place. Again, please remember to call your child Emily and use feminine pronouns while you are here."

After final farewells, the phone call ended.

"You're not throwing me out of school?" Emily asked.

"No, but you may wish I had," the headmistress answered. "I would only use exclusion as a last resort, especially as there is a financial benefit for the school to have you here. Instead I'm sure I can find a way of punishing you. We have slightly more flexibility than a normal school in when and how we can issue detentions. You may be finding your amount of free time in the evenings and weekends restricted more than normal for a few weeks. Now, your fellow students are already outside playing netball. I don't think it is worth the disruption for you to join them halfway through a match, so I think we should find you an alternative activity for the remainder of the afternoon. The builders have left a large amount of brick dust all over the place. I think you can start by cleaning and polishing the silverware out in reception."

The school had several large display cabinets housing various trophies and award plaques earned by the students. Emily was set to work making them shine. Emily wasn't going to complain. She knew she was going to be in trouble from the start and was therefore willing to pay the price if it meant she could remain at the school. At least Mrs Rogers seemed to be happy to let her stay, if her parents would let her.

"In one hundred yards, turn right," the electronic voice called out. "Turn Right."

The silver Ford Focus slowed down to check for oncoming traffic, before crossing and heading down the small country lane heading out of Wymondham. The houses on the edge of town disappearing out of sight as the vehicle proceeded down the field lined road.

"In three hundred yards, you have reached your destination," the sat-nav declared. "You have reached your destination."

Marilyn switched the device off. They had looked at Google street map before leaving, and knew the gates to the school were round the next bend.

The large metal gates were set back from the road. Arnold turned onto the private road and came to a stop. A security guard was sat in the small hut erected at the entrance. Arnold opened the driver’s side window and spoke to the guard, "Mr and Mrs Bridges, Mrs Rogers is expecting us."

The guard glanced at his clipboard, "Certainly, please follow the signs for reception and use the visitor spaces near the entrance. It’s straight ahead."

The guard pressed a button and the large gates rolled to the side. Once out of the way, Arnold put the car back into gear and proceeded to drive up the road leading to the school.

The school grounds were surrounded by a tall brick wall. The school was not visible from the entrance. As the car travelled up the tree lined road, it emerged from the wooded area to reveal what was once a large stately home. The group of buildings was a mixture of old and new. While some where centuries old, others were obviously new. A small section of one of the buildings was currently in the process of being repaired. A small area had been sectioned off with temporary fencing. A group of people in business suits and hard hats were busy discussing things as they passed.

Mr Bridges spotted the visitors spaces near the door. Coming to a halt, he reversed the car into a space. He climbed out of the car and stretched his legs. A tall thin man in a business suit approached them, as Marilyn walked round the car to join her husband.

"Mr and Mrs Bridges?" the man asked, "Good afternoon, I'm Stuart Jennings; I'm your daughters Science teacher. Mrs Rogers sends her apologies, but she has been tied up with insurance Assessors’. You may have passed them on your way up the drive. We had a minor accident here last week, a car managed to hit a wall."

"I saw that in the news while reading up about the school," Marilyn stated after introducing herself and her husband, "it said one of the students had been injured."

"Julia, unfortunately: she was released from hospital a few days ago. The injuries were not as bad as first suspected. Only one leg was broken, the other only being bruised. She is back in lessons, but taking things easy. We have a registered nurse living on site. Can I offer you some refreshments after your journey?"

"That would be nice, thank you" Arnold stated.

Mr Jennings led them through the main entrance and down a corridor and into a large room filled with chairs and tables. A number of the tables were occupied by girls playing chess. They were mainly dressed in jeans and t-shirts, although a couple of the girls were in skirts. None of them were in uniform. The teacher led the pair to a counter where cups, saucers, and glasses were stacked. Boxes of tea and jars of coffee stood alongside an instant hot water tap. A glass doored fridge stood next to the counter containing milk and fruit juice. They had to wait while a number of girls dressed in sports kits helped themselves to bottles of cold water.

"This is the main canteen", Mr Jennings explained. "The girls can come here for snacks and refreshments outside of meal times. At the weekend we don't have a set timetable. The girls who just left are all on the hockey team, so I suspect they are heading off to practice. The group over there are the chess club. I'm not entirely sure where your daughter is at the moment; I think her friends were trying to keep her distracted, I'm sure they will make an appearance eventually."

The bridges helped themselves to tea and joined Mr Jennings at one of the tables.

"I understand this is your first visit to the school. I don't believe you were able to make it when Emily and her cousin Susan visited us last term."

At the puzzled looks, Mr Jennings continued, "We didn't think you knew about that. They came to stay for a couple nights during half term as a guest of an existing student. I don't think Mrs Bishop was aware either. They were brought by Mr Spencer, whose daughter invited them."

"Susan's birthday present," Marilyn stated, "She asked to go to a concert in Thetford forest, not far from here. She asked if Jason could go with her."

Marilyn immediately blushed and looked nervous. Mr Jennings ignored the remark, "If you would like a tour of our facilities while you are here, then that can be arranged."

As they drunk there tea, Mr Jennings gave them an overview of the school. Afterwards they made use of facilities to freshen up. When they emerged from the bathrooms, they found Mr Jennings speaking quietly with a short Asian looking girl, who unlike her fellow students, appeared to be dressed in uniform.

"Miss Kwon informs me that Mrs Rogers is ready to see you know," Mr Jennings explained, "she will take you to her offices."

The young girl curtsied, "Please follow me."

As they rounded a corner, they were stopped by a tall girl with a Russian accent, "Anna, have you - oh," the girl stopped mid sentence realising the girl was in uniform and not alone.

"I'm on official school business; I will come back when once I have finished escorting our visitors."

"My apologies," the taller girl said before retreating to let the others pass."

Anna grinned as she walked down the corridor, she loved it when her sister had to apologise to her.

"Go right in," Mrs Milligan called to Anna. The girl nodded and led the visitors into the office. Anna held the door open, as the two adults followed her in. Mrs Rogers stood up and came across to shake hands with her guests.

"One, no impact," Anna called out as she left and closed the door behind her.

After introductions and pleasantries the adults got down to business.

"Firstly, thank you for coming," Mrs Rogers stated, "and for trying not causing a scene."

"Is that what Miss Kwon was referring to," Marilyn blushed.

"There are seven people aware of your daughters physical gender, Mr Jennings is one. Anna, the girl you have just me is one of only two students that know, although there is one other who may be partially aware. Those in the know have been keeping an ear out, and as of yet there doesn't appear to be any rumours circulating. In fact I would go as far as saying that Emily has adapted to life here quicker than most of the other students boarding for the first time. Admittedly about half of the students her age have been here a number of years already.

"Emily has told me that you don't necessarily approve of her living as a girl. All I can say is that she has been here a week in close proximity to a number of girls, and has had no problems blending in. In fact I think I can say she has made at least four close friends since starting here, and seems to get on well with many more. Did Jason have a lot of friends before?"

"He used hang around a bit with David and Tim while at school," Marilyn stated, "but outside school he mainly hung around with his cousin Susan and her friends. We didn't know until speaking with Susan that he has been hanging with her and a neighbouring girl, Wendy, while being cross dressed."

"Wendy is the other girl here who knows about your daughters’ secret. She is a student here. I think it best if we go through all the documents I have one by one and try to figure out exactly what your child has been up to, and how we want to take it from there."

Emily was sat at the desk in her room. Her laptop was on, and she was playing on the Moonlight server, gathering more resources. She wasn't recording, but was ready to hit the record button should something unexpected happen. If needed, she would record the footage without her microphone on and add a voiceover later. She daren't record her voice in her room in case she was overheard.

Anna was lead on her bed watching Emily play, fascinated at the behind the scenes activity Emily put into her channel.

It was almost time to head down for supper, so Emily logged out of the server and closed the game down. She was about to close her computer when a school wide message popped up in the bottom of the screen. The school had its own private social media site where the students could message each other.

"Oh, shit," Anna exclaimed as Emily opened the message and clicked on the linked photo, "Svetlana has gone too far this time."

"You best go find her, I'll meet you in the canteen in a few minutes," Emily replied.