Stuck in a Rut.
By Rosalie Redd
Casey Church is a normal 13 year old girl, full of hopes and dreams and fears and anxieties. But in a world where there hasn’t been a girl born in over a century, what is normal?
Chapter 14.
I awoke feeling strange, there was something not right. It took me a minute to realize exactly what it was. The sensation of someone pressed against my back startled me awake. I rolled over, and found myself face to face with Janie. She was asleep, wearing one of Mom’s over-sized tees. I rolled over and promptly fell out of bed.
Getting up from the floor, I saw her open her eyes. “Morning”, she said in a sleepy voice.
I looked at her and stammered for a moment. She laughed and Sat up, pulling the tee down to cover her plain white panties. “After you called me in a panic, your mother spoke to my mom and got permission to say over”, she explained.
I sheepishly looked at myself, I was still wearing my same outfit from the night before. I grabbed some boxers, and a change of clothing from my closet and ran to the bathroom. I took a quick shower, and got dressed in the bathroom. I came back to find Janie had changed into her clothes from last night.
Sitting down next to her, I mumbled to her. “I’m sorry, I know I’m just a bother all the time.”
She looked me square in the eye, leaned closer and punched me in the shoulder… HARD. “You idiot”, she said. “You forget that I was in your place just a few months ago. When I went through it, I had to be put back in the hospital because I would scream and cry all night. They had to keep me under observation, and they made me wear adult diapers, in case of leakage during that part of the change.”
I shuddered, and looked at her. My precious girl. She smiled at me, and I felt good again. Since we had the opportunity, I leaned in and kissed her for a few minutes, while touching her breasts over her shirt.
After we were done, she grinned a huge grin. “I’m a lucky girl. I got to kiss two incredible kissers this weekend. And for the record, you are the better one.”
I blushed and held her hand as we went down stairs to breakfast. After a quick helping of pancakes, Janie had to head back home. Mom offered her a lift, but since it was a nice day, and it was only 6 blocks, she declined and walked home.
I sat on the porch in the sun, and reflected on things. It had been 10 days, but I already didn’t recognize myself. I didn’t mean physically, but that was becoming more and more true, as well. I was a wreck emotionally. I know that my body is flooded with conflicting hormones, but is that really why I keep falling to pieces? If it weren’t for Janie, I’d hate to think of where I’d be. For that matter, DeShaun is trying, I can’t fault him there. Having met his parents, I can see what he’s afraid of.
As I lay in the sun, I guess I nodded off, because I was awakened a delivery man. “Excuse me, miss… Is this where Sidney Church lives? I have a package that needs to be signed for”, he said.
I was taken aback for a moment that the delivery man had called me miss. “I’m his so... daughter, I’ll sign for it.”, I said as I took the package. The man arched an eyebrow momentarily, as I took the clipboard and wrote my signature. He looked it over and decided it was legit. He turned and walked back to his delivery van.
I walked back into the house, and put the envelope on the small desk in the foyer. “Dad! You have a package!”, I called. He came down and looked over at the stand where the letter sat, then he looked at me.
“Is something wrong, Casey?”, he asked with a hint of concern. I shook my head and shrugged, but he wasn’t convinced. “Don’t try to fool me, kiddo. I can read body language quite well. It’s a skill you pick up quickly as a lawyer.”, he chided gently.
I sighed and spoke. “Do I really look different? I know I wasn’t the most macho boy around, but the delivery guy called me ‘miss’ right away. I feel just so… strange. I’m a girl now, but I’m still a boy. And yet that part is fading away slowly, like a part of me is dying. I’m just so confused.”
Dad sat down on the bench by the door, and patted the spot beside him. “I can’t pretend to know what you are going through. I see you going through all this, and you have your mother to go to, and you have your friend Jane. I feel somewhat helpless. But I do know this. Boy or girl or in between, you are my child, and I will love you always.”, he said as he wrapped me in a hug.
I hugged him back, and buried my face in his chest. Dad wasn’t the biggest man around, but in his arms, he felt like a giant that could slay all the demons that came for me.
I took a moment and looked up at him. “You know, it’s entirely possible that I could become one of those girls that calls their father ‘daddy’, and is a huge daddy’s girl.”
He laughed and looked me in the face. “In that case, I reserve the right to spoil my little girl as much as I want.”
I laughed and let go of him. He went and changed, and we went out back and played catch for a while, then he ‘let’ me beat him at Mariokart… well, he claims he did, at least. I know the truth.
After a while dad went back to his study to work on something for his case. I went upstairs and read from my books for a bit. I was entering that stage, so with some degree of trepidation, I flipped open to the first chapter on what happens… down there.
I got a couple paragraphs in, when my phone rang. I looked at the number and smiled. “Hey DeShaun”, I said in a sing-song voice. “What’s up?”
I waited for a second for the answer. “I heard from Jane that you had a difficult night.”
Huh those two were talking about me to each other?
I took a breath. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Things are starting to rework themselves, and I had a little panic when it came to peeing. It’s all embarrassing girl stuff that you really don’t want to hear”, I said.
I heard him swallow, and I could imagine him doing the uncomfortable conversation dance. You know the one. That one that guys do when girls talk about girl things. I shook my head at that thought. Until recently I was the one doing that.
“There is something I want to ask you about, actually. In my first hour class there is this girl. She’s a little bit on the chubby side. Strawberry blonde, freckles. She keeps giving me odd looks in class. I figured you might know who she is, since she’s on the cheer squad.”, I stated simply.
I heard DeShaun swallow and there was a long silence. “Stay away from her. That girl is dangerous. Listen, I’ll be over in 20 minutes. Just hang tight until I get there.”, with that DeShaun hung up the phone. I was feeling very afraid now, and so I went downstairs and knocked on the door to dad’s study.
“Dad, DeShaun is coming over.”, I said through the door. I heard him shuffling papers and typing away on his laptop.
“Okay honey, just remember to keep your door open if you go upstairs”, he called out.
Omg! Dad was turning into the dad of a teenage girl faster than I was turning into a teenage girl.
DeShaun arrived exactly 17 minutes later, winded from biking all the way over. I invited him to sit with me on the porch swing, so we could talk. I brought a pitcher of lemonade out, and a couple glasses.
“So, what was so urgent that you had to ride over here like your ass is on fire?”, I asked.
He looked at me, noticeable concern showed in his eyes. “That girl, the one you described. Her name is Marcia Hayes. She and I have been in the same class since kindergarten. Back then she was Marc, of course, but she has always been a little odd. Her mother was a cheerleader, and her mother, and so far back that it goes back to before the incident. A family of domineering women. It was pretty much pre-determined that he would become a girl. The men of that family always disappear, and some under mysterious circumstances.”
I swallowed hard as he continued.
“While we were growing up, Marc would act strangely. There were reports of pets in the neighborhood going missing, and then turning up a few days later with serious injuries. I tried to avoid him, but he would stalk me and follow me. He was clingy, and often said that ‘he would be my girlfriend’ one day.”, DeShaun stopped for a sip of his lemonade.
I nodded and poured him another glass as he continued. “When he entered the rut before me, he was disappointed that he ended up with someone other than me. He forced that boy to rut him, and then broke both his arms. When the boy’s father threatened to call the authorities, Marc’s mother stepped in, and the other family suddenly relocated to another state. Since it came out that you and I were together, she might decide to come after you. Like I said, she’s crazy.”
I smiled at him, and took his hand. Stroking the back of it with my thumb, I leaned in and gave him a kiss. Mmm. Janie wasn’t wrong when she said he was a good kisser. I knew that very well. We sat there for a couple minutes before I felt someone looming on my right. Suddenly, I was pulled away from DeShaun, and a booming voice rang out with a loud “What in all hell is going on here?!?”
I landed on my ass as a huge towering man stood over me. I swallowed hard and watched as DeShaun’s father swung and hit him with a punch. Now DeShaun isn’t exactly small, but with his dad looming over us, he glared. I felt scared and began to cry. Damn my female hormones. I was weak, and getting weaker. I sat there helpless as DeShaun’s father hauled him up by the arm and threw him off the deck.
With all the noise and commotion, my father came running out, phone in hand. “I suggest you leave. I have already called the police. And seeing as I am good friends with many members of the police force and district attorney's office, I would go now, if I were you. And another thing. DeShaun stays here with us. Leave now and I won’t file charges for assaulting minors or trespassing.”, he said clearly and calmly. Dad might be only 5’5”, but seeing him stand down a mountain of a man like DeShaun’s father, I didn’t care how tall he was. To me dad was 9 foot tall.
I went over and helped DeShaun up, and hugged him, as soon as I did, the tears began to flow, and they would not stop. He reached around me and held me. I could feel my shivering, but with these two brave men here, I knew I had nothing to fear at all.
I ADORE comments, so please feel free to add your comments, criticisms, suggestions, and so forth.
Comments
sorry
it doesn't make sense, why would his dad object, he would have married a girl that changed from a boy, so why would he object to his son doing the same
Dave
Basically...
Race is the issue...
Hugs,
Leila
Exactly.
The family is prejudiced against white people.
Even in the distant future racism rears it's ugly head
You would think by then racism would be overcome. First his mother,and the reference to DeShaun's brother, now the dad. I would have hoped things would have been better.
Huh?
it's not the distant future.
it's 2018. As was said in Chapter 1, we are roughly 110 years or so after the Tunguska comet strike in 1908, and Earth passing through the Tail of Halley's Comet - Which happened in 1910.
DeShaun family problems
Yeah his family doesn't like whites so much so they kinda had a tradition of only going for blacks in a rut, in this sort of situation they would still blame casey regardless if its been the reverse and DeShaun was the one transforming.
"I knew I had nothing to fear at all."
cool!
Cool!
This seems like a really cool story!! Your character dynamics are interesting; I can’t wait to see where you take them.
Did DeShaun's Father Leave?
He doesn't strike me as the kind of man who'd leave quietly after being threatened.
Eric
He doesn't seem like the type
He doesn't seem like the type to just up and leave. No not after tailing his son over to her house and then waling up and attacking both teens.
Then bring into his hatred of her and her father's skin color and him being much larger than her father, I would have to say he would not only press the issue of taking his son with him, but more than likely attack her father. My guess is Deshawn's father leaves but only in the back of a police car :)
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
I should have also mentioned
That while Casey's father may not press charges, he assaulted minors, one of which was not his own child, nor on his own property. So even if DeShawn's father did leave on his own, once the cops hear the story the state would file charges on him against the assault he commuted on Casey.
Pulling her away even roughly could have been overlooked, but striking her afterward? DeShawn's father is going to jail, and after a judge sees how prejudice he is they will probably throw the book at him.
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Actually,
Casey's Dad did Deshawn no favors, He should have called the police.
Police
He did call the police.
Rape Culture
We have a universe where boys, just as they are hitting puberty, are faced with a sudden intense case of testosterone poisoning. And the legal system has already determined that 'boys will be boys.' It's like a cage fight. Two boys go in, one comes out. The other is a girl forever.
But it isn't rape. The law says so.
In a culture like that, I would expect that a lot of the boys would train for that all important fight for their very manhood.
And some would just resign themselves to being girls. The college courses that attract nerds would contain a whole lot more girls than there are in this universe.
There are exceptions, though I expect that they are rare. Casey's parents made a decision and had an agreement. Even so, Casey's mom had a really hard time with her transition.
On the other end of the spectrum is Paul. Even according to the relaxed standards of the time, he raped James.
And James went through hell.
And then, there is DeShaun and Casey.
Casey wanted to leave, but DeShaun grabbed him by the wrist and held him until the hormones took over. Even with the hormones, that might be called rape in this universe. It would be a close call.
But the outcome was much like rape. Casey considered himself to be damaged goods. He felt debased and useless. He felt that he had failed. Without the help of Janie and his parents, who knows what would have happened?
Casey said that there are no instruction manuals.
Why?
I would expect the elementary schools to teach the kids what to expect, and to try to ease the fear of being transformed. I would expect it to be heavily covered in health class. I would expect that all transformees would, in fact, be given an instruction manual.
Actually, the junior high and high schools should teach a formal 'girl class.' They could do that in the place of the gym and sports classes that the transformees have to drop out of.
Casey bought a few manuals. How many other kids would have the wherewithal to do that?
If the schools don't give out the manuals, I would at least expect to be seen in all of the churches next to the pamphlets for new widows, newlyweds, new parents, and the like.
We have all boy (elementary) schools. We have boys that, for the most part, want to stay boys. With the exception of people like Casey's parents, we have boys rutting, and in a contest to see who gets to stay a boy. The other is forcefully transformed -- in the best tradition of the 'forced fem' genre.
Anyhow, the story that I wrote for this universe sat on my hard drive for a few days while I binge read 167 chapters of another story.
It's a good thing, because it contained a few of the themes that you recently covered, and one that I suspect that you might cover. I wouldn't want to steal your thunder. (Or maybe we can put it down to great minds thinking alike.)
But yeah, DeShawn's dad is every bit the bastard that the father in my story is. There is another character that we can all love to hate.
By the way, I'm not criticizing your writing. I'm criticizing the stupidity of the powers that be. I assume that you intentionally wrote those flaws into the society that was created by the whole rut situation.
I'm really impressed with the depth of your characterization. I like how you are exploring everyone's thoughts and feelings.
Unfortunately
It's sad, but the issues with DeShaun's father are relevant and real in our world. Racial relations are difficult. I don't get along with my mother-in-law because I'm seen as that "that little cracker that stole her boy". My sisters-in-law both were the same way at first, but have come around to actually like me, regardless of the color of my skin. My Father-in-law is a saint, and has always treated me well. But there is still a huge rift in the family. on Holidays, he goes over to visit alone, and the girls and I don't go with. (not our biological daughters, but he loves them as though they were) It causes a lot of tension though in the family. I can relate, and that's why writing the parents is kind of hard for me. I put DeShaun in my place kind of. Because of the parents, he doesn't see his sister anymore, and hasn't met his nephews.
As far as the rape culture? I've commented on how difficult it is to prove rape in our world. A lot of rapes go unreported due to shame and guilt. It's wrong that victims are subjected to the " he said, she said " standard. But it is hard to prove that rape wasn't rough consensual sex, as most rapes aren't witnessed. I would imagine if someone had seen Paul force himself on James, and heard the "no" and "stop", that would have been a whole 'nother case. The fact that there is an element like mental status makes it even more difficult. The rut is a biological imperative. Female cats don't want to get impaled with the spines on the male's penis, they have no free will in it, nor does the salmon that travels to it's spawning grounds, only to die right after. Sure, most people undergoing the rut can maintain some level of lucidity, but the courts can always argue the extreme case as the result. It's not that it's a rape culture, it's more that it's a culture in which shrewd lawyers can find 'reasonable doubt'.
In all probability, Casey and Janie are most likely on the rarer end of the spectrum, as far as ruts go. I would imagine that enough people retain a level of lucidity that things can be reasoned out. I know it would be traumatic, but my guess is that like Casey's parents a decision can be made between the two individuals. Not everyone turns into a hormonally addled sex fiend. Just enough that courts have to show burden of proof as far as dismissing the temporary insanity plea.
Racism
I came from a time when some (white) people were more openly racist. A lot of those have at least stopped being open about it. The ones that I know enough to be able to tell are honestly less racist. The rest? I honestly can't judge. One of my friends lamented letting racism keep him from asking a girl out.
Alas, the blacks are downright encouraged by some public figures to be openly racist. The term 'cracker' is bandied about quite a bit. If you're black and hate whites, you're not racist. If you're white, you're automatically racist no matter what.
At least, that's the way it seems sometimes.
To be fair, it's hard to not be profoundly angry with people who have put you down or kept you down. On the other hand, you can't blame everyone for the actions of a few -- particularly for the actions of those long dead.
Rape
In real life, in this universe, people get away with it. Meanwhile, people who are falsely accused have their lives ruined -- even if they prove the accusation to be false. "He got off," people say. The court of public opinion damns them.
Also, human trafficking is bigger than most of us suspect. And it's not just stealing girls and sending them to foreign brothels and harems. We also see young girls offered up at the places where men of power meet. The victims come from all over, and the customers are all over.
There has been some big efforts to catch the perpetrators, but that serves mainly to show us just how pervasive it is.
In my maturity, I have noted a pervasive attitude among men of power that they almost see it as an entitlement. They are entitled to have the services of nubile young girls (and sometimes boys.) Some, like Epstein, get caught. "Sixteen will get you twenty," if you are a regular person. For someone like Epstein, it's a slap on the wrist -- less than a year with 'work release.' In other words, he was forced to sleep at the prison, and go about his business the rest of the day.
In some countries, it's more open. The kings and princes and other men of power get their harems.
In your universe, I expect the same thing to happen. Young boys will be kidnapped and sodomized, turning them into girls. Someone might even develop a serum that does it. An injection of the enzyme, and the young boy is headed for girlhood. Then, there is training in the finest tradition of forced fem.
It would actually make a good story in your universe. There are a number of authors here who like forced fem.
Also, in the places where harems are a thing, we might see a young prince or sheikh gather and convert his harem. The older men are wont to do that, too -- marry nine year old girls or, in the case of your universe, young boys at whatever age they are susceptible to being changed. Or younger. Whether an old man can cause the change or if it takes an injection, they will do it.
Not that I intend to write any of those scenarios. I have seen enough fiction where the government of men of power or whatever determine that boys need to be converted for whatever reason, and choose by lottery or some other method to do so. I generally don't read those stories.
Anyhow, since you have opened your universe, you might want to define a few things. Can an old man cause the change? Can a young man who has already been locked into male mode cause the change? At what age can a boy be changed? Can it happen before the rut hits? (It looks like it can, but I wrote my story in such a way that it doesn't matter.)
To be honest.
no, the age in which you can pass along the enzyme is strictly during puberty, for those in the rut. I think I touched on it somewhere.
Oh God!
He hit his own child? That's absolutely awful! And he threw Casey aside?! Yikes just triple yikes!
Though on a side note... I'm curious how queer people are doing in this world. Since Christianity was never able to take hold with it's anti homosexuality stance, I wonder how accepted the LGBTIQA+ are? How does it work? Does anyone who is changed ever transition back? Is surgery and hormones available for those people? And if somehow someone was deemed the "dominant" but yet they still were a girl, would it be possible to have nowadays technology for surgery and hormones despite their DNA being "locked"? (Or better since the church couldn't hold back our technological advancement)
I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Transgender, Gamer, Little, Princess, Therian and proud :D
Christianity was established.
and most Religions were, but after the occurrence, they lost their credibility because "homosexuality is sinful" turned into "homosexuality is needed for the propagation of the species" as far as converting back, their DNA is locked, but trans people don't change their DNA. so reassignment surgery and hormones are still possible. Taking the testosterone and going through surgical methods for getting reassigned back to male.
The line has been crossed
As if Casey didn't have enough on her plate, she now has to be concerned about a psycho in a dress. That psycho, is she white or black? If she's white she will find trouble should she claim DeShaun. If she's black, and messes with DeShaun like DeShaun told Casey, she's in for a load of trouble.
DeShaun's parents are slaves to the bigotry, and don't realize it. DeShaun's dad has crossed a line which will get him arrested for trespassing, or unlawful entry since he wasn't invited into the Church house. He also crossed the line by touching Casey then hitting his son as he did.
That alone will get CPS involved and once the whole story is told, likely get DeShaun taking from them. DeShaun's parents are sick, just like those who hate because of a person's skin color.
It's been 110 years since things started to happen and these kids are left to fend for themselves when the rut hits them. Why isn't there a class that teaches them the signs that rut is about to begin, like the day Casey knew something was different in the hallway but not what. Why not teach them about what they will go through if they are the one who changes. And why not teach that being changed isn't a bad thing but something that happens, and boy or girl, all are valuable. And why not stomp on those whose parents have filled their heads with garbage about the need to stay male?
This whole rutting has cause problems no Government type expected, and to let it continue for the good of the human race is unconscionable.
Others have feelings too.
I've said it before...
But ultimately sex-ed is a matter for the parents to bring up. Yes, there probably are classes in it, but that still would probably require permission from the parent to enroll in that class. I'm very open with my girls, and have had the birds and bees talk with them.
Well.
a lot of the things that have been brought up about educating children in the rut universe hold true for this one as well.