When I woke the next day Angela was gone. I was sprawled alone in her bed, face down, drinking the smell of her from the sheets.

What a night it had been.

I found my clothes, dressed myself, and wandered into the living room where Nick, Sasha, Gabe and David were curled up, naked. By the looks of them they’d had the same kind of fun. Figuring they needed the rest I stepped over them and made as quiet an exit as I could.

The sun beat down so hard I could barely stand. Everything was so bright I could barely make sense of shapes, but I endured, stumbling from one side of the street to the other. Every step was like jelly; I couldn’t keep a straight line.

Eventually I made it home and tripped on the front stairs. The ringing in my ears threw any balance I had, leaving me to lean on the wall for support.

I made it inside, step by step, through the living room and into the kitchen. Finally I collapsed into a chair and dropped my head on the table. After a few minutes I’d have my bearings again, at least for the journey to the bedroom; school would be another story.

“Jonah? I’ve been trying to call since last night.”

My Mom’s high heels clicked on the tile between the counter and the sink. She ran the water, filled the coffee pot, and clinked a pair of mugs she pulled from the drying rack.

I murmured something in reply, not even I’m sure what.

She continued her ritual. “Were you at Adam’s last night?”

“Mhm.”

“Well I’m glad you’re back,” she said. “School’s been cancelled for the day, and I need you to keep an eye on your… Jonah?”

I lifted my head and winced. Pain twisted through it like a screw.

Mom placed a hand to my forehead. “You’re burning up.”

“I’m fine.”

She huffed. “Like hell you are. Have you seen yourself? You look like death warmed up.”

And felt the part.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I can look after Katie.”

Mom looked to the clock and sighed. “Katie’s coming to work with me, and you, young man, are marching yourself into bed.”

She was already in whirlwind mode before I could protest.

“I’ll book an appointment with the doctor today,” she said.

“Mom…”

“The only reason I’m not taking you to emergency is because we can’t afford it, and I don’t have the time.” By then she was flying up the stairs, ready to snatch my sister out of bed.

There was no arguing with my Mom, least of all at the start of the day. Maybe she was right and I could use a day to rest. A few more hours of shut-eye could sway the headache, and I’d be good before she got home; no reason to waste a doctor’s time.

Climbing the stairs may as well have been Everest. My steps were unsure and my grip was slipping. At least it was only twenty feet to the end.

Katie burst out of her room, the color pink given human form. She stopped and gaped.

“You don’t look too good,” she said. “Are you sick?”

“I’m fine.”

“Yes, he’s sick,” Mom said.

“Really, I’m fine.”

“Really, you’re sick,” she said. “Go. Sleep. Now.”

I practically tumbled through the bedroom door and onto the bed. It was soft and warm, even on top the comforter. Any remaining energy bled from my pores and was sapped into the ground.

An extra blanket fell over my back, along with an assuring hand.

“I’ll call during my lunch hour,” Mom said.
Her words faded into noise, and I hummed into the pillow. The world was slipping, and all I knew was Angela hands roaming my body, saturating my skin and filling me with her.

* * * *

Every time I closed my eyes she was there, wrapped around me, moving through me. Thought was no more than fog whipped into sensation; there were no words for it, only the bath of endorphins bringing every touch to life.

Angela cut through the haze, a burning memory turned hallucination. God, I wanted her to be real, just like her lips on my neck, her breasts massaging my back, her nails raking down the length of my chest, and most of all the length of her probing my insides.

Were I able to stand I might have run for her, and called her name in the street.

Sometime in my sleep I’d thrown the blankets and removed my clothes.
Sheets were drenched with sweat. Not even the breeze from outside did anything to cool my skin.

I rolled onto my back and pointed into the air. Even in the throes of a fever I was still hard as a rock. It ached more than all else, and demanded touch. How could I refuse?

My focus waned and my nipples itched. They were flushed and swollen, and cried out when I scratched. Softer touch, however, did a better job to soothe them. The more I circled them the more my chest stirred, catching my breath, and making me harder.

The air was like sand scraping my throat, and salt welled in my eyes.

I rolled out of bed and crawled to the door, only finding my feet when I dragged myself up the frame. Each click of my joints resonated a shockwave firing through nerves and crashing into the euphoria swimming in my veins.

A splash of water to the face brought me back just for a moment; long enough to see the stranger in the mirror. I jumped and stumbled before realizing I was alone.

“What the fuck.”

There was no longer a guy staring back; my fauxhawk had grown into a black mop that fell around my face, my cheeks had grown rounder, everything was soft. Even my limbs seemed leaner, while the hair on my arms and legs had faded into soft fuzz. The hair on my chest had almost vanished completely.

Most striking were the mounds of fat on my chest, drawn by gravity just enough that they started to fold over my flesh.

My dick was still there; I grabbed it to be certain. It was still a part of me, and still pulsing.

Was this because of the night before?

It happened to Adam, and suddenly it was happening to me.

Her voice whispered in my thoughts, “you’re one of us now.”

Did she know about this?

I should have been afraid, or angry, but in truth I was anything but. The new shape glistened with sweat and was demanding that I touch her.

My hands roamed the length of my body, eventually finding the half-handful on my chest and cupping it. The sensation! I collapsed against the wall, my eyes rolling into the back of my head, and got to know myself all over again.

Every inch was thirsty for scratches, for grabs, for light brushes, and in return released waves of pleasure from my head down. What was up and what was down had no more meaning as I writhed and moaned and lusted for every feeling.

I was on the verge of exploding into my thighs as I clasped myself and rutted back and forth. The build up was like nothing I’d experienced before, rolling sensation in waves through my body while also mounting to a climax.

Finally I burst between my legs, and warm liquid trickled between them, accompanied by a cry that echoed down the hall. I was lost in a storm of tingles and rainbows twisting in every muscle across my body, tickling every sense.

It lasted for minutes, then faded until I was alone, spent on the bathroom floor.

The fever eased and my balance returned, though I retained sensitivity.

I stood to examine the new girl; the girl I supposed I was now. She needed some work, brushing her hair and maybe shaving her legs, but otherwise she was pretty. I never wanted to be pretty before then, but the word had become delicious.

“This is fucking insane,” she said, I said.

How was I going to explain this?

* * * *

It took some time to negotiate with the mirror, slicking my hair back, and finding enough loose fitting layers to hide my body, but the transformation was undone… sort of. Less of a girl, and more androgynous.

“My name is Jonah,” I said. Too high. “I’m Jonah,” I said again; my pitch had lost depth, no matter how much I forced it.

What was I even doing? There was no question I’d changed. Since sixteen I’d had to shave every couple of days; people were going to notice I was baby smooth.

I stopped when I heard whispers.

“Hello?”

No answer.

There were no cars in the drive, at least not from where I could see out the bedroom window. Mom, Dad and Katie were still out. Nobody else had business being in the house.

I heard them again, and turned. Then I turned again. Each time they moved, scurrying behind me just out of sight.

Maybe I was hearing things, or maybe it was a prank.

“This isn’t funny,” I said.

My voice was high, and squeaked when I huffed. Even I was annoyed by it.

The whispers started to build, drawing closer but no clearer. They babbled like a river mixed with moans and laughter, until they dripped down the walls and filled the room.

I doubled onto my knees and clasped my ears, for all the good it did. They ran, seemingly without end, forcing through my senses.

Suddenly I felt a hand stroking my hair. With a hush Angela called off the whispers, and smiled down to me.

“It’s alright,” she said. “It’s still growing, and so are you.”

I kicked away and scurried to the corner of the room.

“What was that?”

“Calm down,” she said.

I laughed. “Calm down? Angela, look at me! Not only am I… this, but I’m hearing voices, and apparently so do you!”

She stood and straightened her skirt. “Does that bother you?”

I fought for words and cast my gaze to the floor.

“What’s going on? What was that sound?”

Angela smiled and crossed her arms. “Those were our sisters,” she said.

I shook my head. “What do you mean ‘sisters’?”

“Use your imagination, Jonah. Do I still call you ‘Jonah’?”

“Yeah, for now.”

Angela knelt by my side and stroked my cheek. She was like some kind of angel, cutting through me with gentleness. God, her smell was still intoxicating; smooth, sweet. Was I the same as her?

“You came out so beautiful,” she said. “Why are you trying to cover that up?”

I pulled into a ball. “I… don’t know if I can be a girl.”

“Let me show you.”

I shook my head. “No. Angela, I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“There’s nothing to understand,” she said.

“Did you do this?”

Angela stopped and contorted her brow, as though she didn’t understand. She sat on her knees and leaned close, inviting me to taste those lips again; she knew I couldn’t help myself.

Her hand snaked under my hoodie and up my side before rounding onto my breast. Fuck, she felt so good. Every grope and every squeeze warmed the arousal stirring inside.

“You’re so pretty,” she gasped.

The word buzzed through my thoughts and sent tingles up my arms.

As we became more engrossed the whispers returned to circle us, as though cheering us on. Angela’s laughter echoed in the stream of voices, as did my moans. They pulled tighter like waves under the full moon edging my libido to new heights.

I didn’t want to resist, but…

“Stop.”

Angela pulled away and tilted her head.

“I need some time,” I said.

“What for?”

I leaned back against the wall and banged my head. “There are some things I need to take care of.”

She shrugged and stood again. “Suit yourself. Do you need me for anything?”

“No. Thanks.”

Angela pulled me to my feet and beamed. She pouted and messed with my hair until it was hanging over my eyes.

“It looks a lot better when it’s down,” she said.

My reflection in the window had returned to girl mode; God, I was cute.

Angela stole a kiss and strutted out the door.

“See you at school tomorrow.”

School; there was another thing to worry about.

I stepped onto the balcony and looked over the town. What had come wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

* * * *

The longer I sat, the further I plunged into the sinkhole. My thoughts washed away in the stream of whispers that followed every step, until all that was left was the burning in my loins.

Why wouldn’t it stop? Yet it felt so good, better than anything else.

Suddenly the voices shifted from the room, and I had no other choice but to follow. It was like the pull of gravity, and if my feet didn’t keep in time it would drag me where I needed to go.

I didn’t have to travel far; only to the end of the street and then some, where I came upon a brown, two level home with a cobblestone drive. The garden out front was rocks and desert flowers, aloe vera, cacti and such. A lot of money went into this place, too much for the likes of me.

Still, I marched to the front door and rang the bell. I couldn’t help myself.

It was only when it opened that I learned who lived there; Ellie Campbell, from one of the junior classes. We’d only met in passing, usually during sporting events, but were always friendly. Honestly, she was the kind of person I’d never given much thought.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

She was dressed down in a tank shirt, sweatpants and socks, with her hair pulled into a high ponytail. I’d never noticed before, but her eyes were deliciously brown; rich like the earth and warm, soothing.

I shook myself. “Hey, it’s Jonah, from school. Do you remember me?”

“Yeah, I know Jonah,” she said, “except that Jonah’s a guy. You look like you could be a relative, though.”

The whispers rose again and crashed into my back, forcing me to the wall. The burning was so intense that I was sweating a storm. My cock stood in agony.

“I know this is weird, but can I come inside?” It was like the words came out on their own.

Ellie smiled, and drew the length of her hair across her neck.

“Sure, I think I’d like that.”

What was happening?

She ushered me inside, and swayed as she climbed the steps. Her behind was round and inviting. How had I never noticed it before?

“Are you really Jonah?” she asked.

I nodded.

“You know I always thought Jonah was cute.” Ellie bit her lip. “You’re still cute.”

Arousal stirred in my chest, ready to jump.

She laughed. “I can’t believe I told you that.”

Suddenly I launched, throwing myself into a kiss. Ellie embraced it, devouring my lips as she wrapped one leg around me. God, she was wanting to straddle me there in the hall!

We tumbled through the door and found her bed, where like an animal I ravaged her neck. She was screaming for it, writhing under my weight, and fighting to peel her clothes away.

It was no time at all before I was on my knees, kissing the length of her body and stripping her sweats. Her bare legs were exposed and begging for my mouth, which I was all too happy to indulge.

Ellie combed her fingers through my hair and wrenched it into her fist. “Don’t stop,” she cried.

Her thighs sat on my shoulders while I dived toward the goal, into the open lips between her legs. My tongue flicked and teased her labia as I wafted the smell of her; wasn’t it supposed to smell like fish? Instead I was overcome with salt and sweat, even a touch of sweetness as I lapped at her opening.

“Keep going,” she hummed.

I probed the entrance to her vagina up and down, searching the corners folded into her skin. Soon I found her hood and nudged it to one side, managing to flick the nub with my tongue. Ellie was gyrating in time; strange that so many guys couldn’t find something front and center.

The whispers curled around my mind and pushed me up her body, which I crawled along with kisses and scratches. As soon as I was upright I began to strip and revealed myself to her.

Ellie blinked. “You have a… a penis?”

“Yeah.”

She rubbed her eyes and stared. “You really are Jonah.”

“Yeah, I am.”

Ellie examined my body a second time and smirked. “When did you become a transgender?”

I blushed. “It’s a long story.”

Falling into Ellie was as easy as falling off a bike. Everything about her was warm and wanting, and smelled and tasted like a dream. More than that her pussy slid onto me like a glove, and though it had taken but one piece the sensation swallowed me whole.

My head was swimming; the whispers were cheering us on. They too were screaming, and moaning, and panting, as though the entire world were fucking in tandem. My orgasm climbed to a peak and intensified, growing from embers into an inferno.

When we were done Ellie was in tears. She didn’t want me to go; she wanted me inside her, maybe forever. It was Angela all over again.

We lay still for a time, and played with each other’s hair.

“Was that your first time?” I asked.

Ellie laughed. “No. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know.”

She shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“Yeah, but… I just showed up on your doorstep. We didn’t even talk much. Don’t you think that’s weird?”

She rolled onto her stomach and planted me with a kiss. “I’m not a slut,” she said.

“I didn’t say you were.”

“Good.”

Ellie and I dressed ourselves and she showed me out the door. It was a happy goodbye; a very happy one given the way we kissed, but guilt still weighed on me. Things were happening so suddenly; could we really be in control?

I had to get away. The town wasn’t safe anymore.

* * * *

Mom wasn’t answering her phone, and neither was the secretary at the front desk; the weirdness was bleeding into every corner, more than could be coincidence.

I jumped the bus into town and hid beneath my hood. Angela’s words still caught in my chest, running goose pimples down my arms whenever I thought about them. The last thing I needed was strangers gawking and trying to get friendly.

Even with my face hidden people were out of character. The driver grinned and chuckled at nothing in particular, while a couple nearby started furiously making out. There was even a little old lady who fought to keep her thighs together, staring out the window and sighing.

I was also aroused, feeling the cotton stroke my nipples with each movement, no matter how slight. A part of me was kicking myself for telling Angela to leave, and for not staying with Ellie, but something else was going down and it was bigger than any of us.

My Mom works for a small town paper, as in the kind that’s dying in the age of the internet. She’s not a reporter; her job is managing subscriptions, organising mailing lists, checking emails, and in her words, “making sure the boss has enough coffee to stay sane.” Not that he had much to begin with, she says.

There was nobody at the front desk when I stepped inside, and nobody answering the phone ringing off the hook. The Gazette was like a ghost town when there should have been at least a dozen staff on hand.

I pressed into the offices. Nobody was at their desk.

From the back room I heard moans; loud, shameless, and slamming against the filing cabinet. On the office blind was cast the silhouette of a woman’s leg kicking into the air.

“Hello?”

“Everyone’s busy,” Katie said. She was sitting in the side office with her head buried in a book.

I leaned in the doorway. “Where’s Mom?”

Katie was puzzled. Of course she was. She’d never seen me like this before.

“My Mom’s in the bathroom,” she said. “She’s been in there for a while.”

But doing what? That was a question for therapy in the future.

I pressed into the ladies’ restroom the way I would a lion pen. Right away there was heavy breathing and the sound of rubbing; thinking about it made me cringe. That I was also aroused turned my stomach.

“Hello?”

“Just a minute!” It was my Mom, short of breath.

I swallowed my pride and knocked at her stall.

“Mom, it’s me, Jonah.” Never mind that I didn’t sound like me.

“Jonah? Wh… I… just give me a moment!”

She fumbled for something and out the stall. Her hair was a mess.

“You look different. Did you get a haircut?”

I clutched my arms to my chest. “I’m… a girl, but that’s not important now.”

Mom shook herself. “You’re what? When did that happen? Oh, honey. Please know that I support you, no matter what path you choose in life.”

For minutes after she spouted the same, and had a whole speech about how we’re all god’s children, how we all bleed red, and so on, and so forth. I guess she was just trying to cover her bases in trying for mother of the year.

Finally, I managed to talk her down.

“We need to get Katie, and Dad, and get out of town,” I said.

She laughed. “Honey, I can’t go anywhere. I have work. My boss would freak.”

“Your boss is too busy fucking his secretary to notice much of anything.”

“Oh, he’s not fucking Janet,” she said. “He’s fucking Jolanda, the cleaner.”

“Yeah, and Katie is in the next room listening!”

Suddenly my dick was straining against my pants, again. Would it never stop? Sex was all around, and I was drawn to it like a moth to flame.

Realization washed over my mother’s eyes. “Katie!”

“This whole town is turning into a doomsday orgy, and she’s stuck in the middle,” I said. “Just yesterday I saw teachers and students going at it in the class room. Everyone’s hot and heavy and out of control!”

Tears welled in her eyes. “You’re right. Something’s off.”

“So we’re leaving?”

She nodded. “We can call your Aunt Gina and Uncle Stu, and see if they can put us up for a few weeks. If not I’m sure we can scrape together for a motel.”

It was a good plan, or at least good enough for the moment. Anywhere was good enough, so long as it was far away.

* * * *

By the time we made it home and packed our things it was night. Dad took some convincing; Mom needed even more to stay off him, enough that they had to take separate cars.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said.

“It’s not you. It’s everyone.”

We hugged for the first time in god knows how long. It was only as the unknown loomed that we remembered how much we needed each other. On any other day it might have seemed cheesy.

My father stole glances between loading bags into his car. Somehow he’d managed to avoid the whole mess, and suddenly his only son was a girl. I guess it’d be a shock for anybody; well, anyone with their senses.

Still my thoughts were with Angela. Though she was at the center of it all, tearing myself away was like tearing off my own arm. It wasn’t just the sex, though her smell was still vivid; she was my best friend. I couldn’t imagine a life without her.

The whispers stirred again, chasing me wherever I went. If I didn’t know better I’d swear I heard them call my name.

Mom shook me back to reality. “Come on. Let’s go.”

I sat in the back seat with Katie. She was stressing the most of all of us; probably because nobody would tell her what was happening. After all, how do you explain spontaneous sexual compulsion to an eight year old?

There was also the matter of her brother becoming a sister.

“Do you like being a girl?” she asked.

“Um, it’s okay, I guess.”

“Why aren’t you wearing a skirt?”

“I don’t have any,” I said.

“You could have some of mine, but they’re too small for you.”

I laughed.

The road out of town stretched through the valley, and then for another mile underground. There was little out there save for a gas station and a couple of warehouses, and the wildlife. You’d sooner find deer than you would people.

You can imagine how surprised we were when a figure in fatigues and a face mask waved us to the side of the road. He pointed his rifle away from the car and leaned into the front window.

“Sorry, ma’am. Road’s closed. You’re going to have to turn back.”

There were wooden blockades with barbed wire ahead, along with jeeps and other soldiers. National Guard perhaps?

“I need to get through,” she said. “I’m on my way to see my sister-in-law. It’s a family emergency.”

“Tunnel’s being used for a training exercise, ma’am. You’re free to find some other way.”

Training exercise; what a load.

There was nothing we could do but turn back the way we came, back to the town gone mad.

Mom gripped the wheel and frowned. “What do you think we should do, baby?”

I wished I had an answer.