by Randalynn

---

 
 

"After all, a girl is -- well, a girl. It's nice to be
told you're successful at it." -- Rita Hayworth
 
 

As soon as I'd gone halfway down the walk to the street, I knew I'd made a terrible mistake.

It was October. It was cold. And I was dressed for a lovely day in spring.

When I had gotten dressed this morning, I wasn't thinking about practical things, like the weather. Practicality was the furthest thing from my mind. I had just begun my new life as a teenaged girl. I wanted to be pretty, and wear pretty things. I wanted to jump feet first into the ocean of femininity and swim for the farthest horizon I could reach.

But by the time I'd reached the street and started walking towards the bus stop, I realized maybe I should have waded in slowly, just to get used to it.

Goosebumps rose on my bare arms and legs. The light breeze that drifted through the October morning pushed the chill air up under my ruffled skirt where the thin cotton panty offered no insulation at all. And my nipples swelled up hard and round, easily seen through my light bra and tee-shirt combined, and not at all hidden by the thin white blouse over them both.

I shivered a little as Jeremy reached the street behind me.

"Cold, sis?" he said, carefully NOT looking at my chest. I shivered, hugged myself tight and nodded. "Could go back in and get a sweater, or maybe a hoodie?"

I looked at my watch, a tiny thing on my left wrist. "No time, Jer," I replied. "Bus is going to be here any minute."

Jeremy gave me a look. "I'll go grab something for you," he said, turning to head back to the house.

"No!" I grabbed for his arm, but he dodged away. "Jeremy! You'll miss the bus!"

"Not if you stall him for me," he called back over his shoulder, halfway up the walk.

"How am I supposed to do that?" I shouted, but by then he was in the door. I sighed and kept walking towards the bus stop. The movement warmed me some, but the goosebumps remained, and my nipples refused to relax their vigilance, even for an instant. By the time I reached the bus stop, I saw everyone else dressed in jeans and hooded sweatshirts, or denim jackets, and I felt a little silly. When they saw me, the girls spoke quietly among themselves, and the boys stared in a way I found slightly disturbing. As I came closer, I saw my friend Amy staring at me.

"My GOD, girl, do you want to get sick?" She was sensibly dressed in jeans and a long sleeved tee with a flannel shirt on over it, unbuttoned. I shivered again, and envied her. She wrapped her arms around me, and I shivered again. "What were you thinking?"

"I … I … wasn't," I said softly, my teeth chattering.

"Apparently not," she agreed, and rubbed my back. "I'd give you my shirt, but then I'd be freezing, too."

"Jeremy went back to get me something warm."

"Good! I knew that boy would be good for something eventually."

I laughed. Amy hugged me tighter, and her chest pressed into mine. It was weird and not-so-weird at the same time, but the overwhelming feelings that flooded through me were love and friendship. Amy and I had been friends since she moved into the neighborhood when we were both seven. Well, Amy and Becca. I sighed. You ARE Becca, I growled at myself. We told each other everything, and spent way too much time together -- not that either of us complained.

I felt warmer in Amy's arms, and the shivering slowly stopped. When I breathed in, I noticed her long dark blonde hair smelled like almonds and strawberries. It was curly and somewhat tousled, framing a face that was just a shade too thin to be classically beautiful but nevertheless managed to be. Her green eyes were a shade brighter than mine, and her mouth wider, but none of it really mattered to me. She was my best friend, and always would be.

"Whoa! Serious girl-on-girl action!" The voice was snide and sarcastic, and definitely male. Amy rolled her eyes.

"Go away, Hunter." Amy's voice held a mixture of scorn and disgust. I turned my head. Hunter was short, dressed in a Rob Zombie tee shirt with a flannel shirt over it, jeans that slipped down to expose dingy gray boxers, and boots only a drill sergeant could love. His hair was long and greasy, mostly hidden under a baseball cap worn sideways, and through the smirk on his face, I could see yellowing teeth that hadn't had a visit from a toothbrush in some time.

What really freaked me out, though, was the black aura that seemed to surround him, like a lazy shadow that wouldn't quite keep up. It felt wrong, almost evil. I was sure no one else could see it -- probably part of my abilities as the Advocate. But I couldn't tell what it was. Was it riding him somehow, like some malevolent spirit? Or was it something his attitude generated? Was it demonic, or do all jerks wear ill-fitting shadows?

"Leave? Not likely, Simmons," he said, smiling. "I'd have to pay good money to see this on the Net. Here I can get it for free." He lowered his voice and leered. "Why don't you French her, Barnes? You know you want to."

Angry, I pushed away from Amy and turned to face Hunter. "You heard Amy," I snapped. "Go away. Be somewhere else."

He took a step back, hands up in mock surrender, and his eyes went right to my chest. "WOW! Are there marbles in your bra, or are you just happy to see me?" Some of the other boys at the bus stop laughed. Instinctively, I clutched at the blouse and pulled it shut over my tee shirt. Hunter grinned. "Or maybe it's Ay-mee you happy to see?"

Amy snapped at him. "It's COLD, asshole. That's what happens to girls sometimes when it's cold. Not that you'd know, since girls tend to stay far away from you. Far, FAR away. Your breath -- and your attitude -- probably have something to do with that!"

Hunter smiled at her, a lazy grin like he couldn't care less what she said. He turned his eyes back to me, and they drifted downward.

"I wonder if other girl parts get bigger when it's cold," he said mockingly. "Let's find out." The darkness around him seemed to grow as he reached for the hem of my skirt. At that point, I realized I was going to have to hurt him to make him stop. I sighed, then shifted positions, planting my feet and making my arms ready. I just had to remember not to break anything, or I'd never hear the end of it from Sensei.

Another Becca memory. I had a martial arts teacher.

Just as his hand came close enough, I heard a voice come from behind him.

"Hunter," it said, and it sounded like Jeremy, only different somehow. Colder. "A moment of your time."

A hand appeared on Hunter's shoulder and yanked him away. It was Jeremy. And he was angry.

A huge thick sweater drifted into Amy's arms an instant before Jeremy spun Hunter around and slammed him face first into the stop sign on the corner. It rang softly, like a gong struck a hundred miles away. Jeremy pulled him away from the sign and tripped him as he moved backwards. Hunter wound up on his back in the wet grass,with Jeremy's foot on his chest.

"Hello, Hunter," he said with a small smile. "My father always taught me to be direct. 'If you have something to say, say it,' he told me once." Jeremy pushed down hard with his foot, and Hunter grunted. "'And if you can say it with a little … emphasis, so much the better.'"

"What you doin', man?" Hunter squealed, and tried to rise. Jeremy moved his foot up to just below Hunter's throat and pressed. Hunter immediately froze and went quiet.

"I'm talking," Jeremy said reasonably, but with an unmistakable edge to his voice. "And you're listening." Hunter stayed silent. "Now, you were being all manner of rude to my sister and her friend. That's stupid in a lot of ways. Usually, I'm here with her, and you know I don't like you. So you would have stayed away. But today … oh, today I had to go back for something. And since I was a little late, you decided to mess with her. Do you know why that was dumb?" He shook his head no. "Because you would have gotten hurt."

Hunter looked confused. Jeremy smiled. "She's dangerous, stupid. Wicked good in Tae Kwon Do. Got a red belt, which is pretty high up. And it puts you to shame, since you don't even have a belt to hold up your pants." Hunter's eyes flashed, and he looked at me. I smiled as I shrugged my way into the sweater Jeremy had brought, even though my teeth were still chattering. Hunter looked back at Jeremy.

"Now normally, I would have just let her kick your ass into next Sunday. I like to watch her fight. But since trashing you herself might have given you a look up her skirt, which is what you were after in the first place, I took it upon myself to educate you for her. This time." He bent over and looked Hunter in the eye. "Next time, though, I will just let her beat you up. Not just because she can do her own fighting, which she can. But truthfully, Hunter, Tae Kwon Do is just beautiful to watch, when you aren't on the receiving end. She's poetry in motion, slime boy. Trust me."

The bus pulled up and honked once. Jeremy stood up and took his foot off of Hunter's throat. Still, he stood over Hunter and looked down at him.

"I guess I did go on a bit, so here's the short direct version. Stay away from my sister and her friends." He waited a second, then shrugged. "You're warned. We're done. Have a nice day."

Jeremy turned and left Hunter lying there. There was scattered applause from all of the girls and a few of the boys at the stop. Hunter just lay there as people filed onto the bus, until the last person before me had climbed the stairs. As I turned to go in, he raised himself off of the ground and scurried towards the bus, snagging his backpack as he walked. I climbed the three stairs and was up inside long before Hunter reached the door. I found a seat with Amy as he reached the top of the stairs, smoothing my skirt under me as I sat, as if I'd done it a thousand times before. I could feel the cold vinyl against the back of my thighs through the skirt and in the inch or so of bare flesh between it and my knees.

There was a hush in the bus as Hunter made his way down the aisle. He slowed down a little as he passed my seat, then again as he passed Jeremy's. I ignored him, but Jeremy gave him a smile and a wave, and Hunter unconsciously increased his speed towards the back of the bus. I noticed that the aura had subsided. Either it had gone completely, or had shrunk to the point where it had retreated inside Hunter's skin. More food for thought.

"Well," Amy whispered, leaning in to my ear. "That was … interesting."

"I'll say," I responded in a soft voice. "I never realized Jeremy could be so … forceful."

"Direct, Becca dahling!" Amy smiled, settling back in the seat. "I think the word is 'direct.'" Then she giggled. "Wow! Watching Hunter squirm. What a great way to start a morning!"

I looked at her, and suddenly found myself giggling as well. It was more of a release of tension than anything else, but it was a good feeling to have a friend to laugh with. "And it's always nice to have proof the male of the species has redeeming qualities." I whispered.

Amy nodded. "Even if the male is your brother." She turned her head and eyed Jeremy across the aisle. I gave her a nudge.

"Especially because he's my brother!" I hissed, and we both broke up laughing. The object of our conversation turned his head and looked at us both, giggling like idiots.

"Girls," he breathed, and shook his head. Amy and I looked at each other and laughed again as the bus headed off towards school.

###

When the bus arrived at school, we shuffled off as we always did. The discontinuity between Jack and Becca seemed smaller every time a disruption occurred, and I decided not to dwell on it anymore. I was Becca now, and always would be. Let Jack and Becca come together at their own pace.

Once we were off the bus, I turned to Jeremy as he disembarked.

"Thanks, bro," I said softly, giving him a little hug. He smiled.

"My pleasure, sis." We started walking into the school with the rest of the students. "After all, somebody has to step on creeps like him. He makes the rest of us guys look bad."

"That's not hard to do," Amy said with a smile, and I gave her a little shove. "Hey! Be nice!" She gave me a sideways look, and turned her attention to my brother.

"Thanks, Jeremy," Amy said, holding out her hand. He gave it a quizzical look, then reached out and gave it a shake.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," he intoned solemnly, then broke into a grin and let go of her hand. "Got to get to my locker now. Laters!"

With a small wave, Jeremy faded back into the river of teens rushing down the hall and disappeared. I wondered briefly if I was the only Barnes with a touch of magic, and shook my head with a smile.

"Hard to believe he's younger than we are," Amy mused as we walked in the other direction. "If only the boys our age were as nice as he is."

"HEY!" I said, and nudged her with my shoulder. "I do have a boyfriend, you know. And he's pretty darned nice."

"Why, thank you!" A voice beside me murmured, and I turned to find myself nearly face to face with a boy I knew instantly as Tommy. He was taller than I was by a good four inches, and as my eyes rose to meet his, his lips came down to meet mine.

A long slow wave of warmth mixed with pleasure started at my lips and rolled through me, clear down to my toes. My eyes closed automatically, and my lips parted and my arms went around him and it was all I could do not to moan. Every inch of me felt … indescribably good, as if this was the way I was supposed to feel all the time. I felt him holding me, and I swear my leg bent and my foot rose up behind me, just like in the movies.

I felt someone give my hair a yank, and the moment was broken.

"Hey! Get a room!" Amy was standing there with a smirk on her face. "Come on, you two. I can feel the heat from here." I shook my head to clear it, then buried my face in Tommy chest and laughed. I could feel him laugh too.

"OK, Amy," he said, giving me another hug before letting me go. "But next time Becca dresses like this, bring your sunscreen. You know she sets me on fire." Amy stuck a finger in her mouth and pretended to gag, then we all broke up laughing.

"Going to do him right here in the hall, Becca?"

Reba Fine and her glossy posse laughed from across the hall. Amy turned just a little to snap back something biting, but I touched her arm.

"I was thinking about it, Reba," I said innocently, with a small flutter of my eyelilds. "Not at first, because my mother brought me up better than that. But after he kissed me for a while, I started to wonder 'what would Reba do?' And then I knew I had to let him have me … in every way possible."

The other kids in the hall laughed, and Reba gave me a look that could have killed before flouncing off in a huff with her girls around her. Amy gave me a high five, and we started walking towards the lockers.

As we walked, Tommy's arm immediately snaked around my waist and pulled me to him. His hand gave my hip a squeeze, and I cuddled into him as we walked. God, this felt so right. My nipples were back at high alert, and my panties were so damp I could feel it when I walked. No wonder Emma was worried about me -- I was seriously addicted to this boy, and I-as-Jack had only just met him. I could feel Becca's love for him mixed with her desire, and from what I could tell from the way he held me and the bulge in his jeans, the feeling was VERY mutual.

I would have to watch myself with Tommy, or I'd be a parent again before I hit sophomore year in high school.

Somehow, though, keeping my distance was not what I wanted this morning. Becca wanted Tommy's arms around her again, and I did, too. I wanted to feel his lips on mine. I wanted him to make me burn again.

Oh, God, I had it bad.

We reached my locker, and Tommy let go of me. Amy came over and gave me a quick hug.

"See you at lunch, k?" I nodded, and she smiled. "And you two keep the lustage down to a dull roar, or you'll both be late for homeroom."

"Lustage?"

"Poetic license, girl!" Amy started down the hall. "I can make words up, use them any way I like. It's GOOD to be a poet!" She giggled and gave a casual wave as she wandered off. I turned my attention to the locker. The combination was right where I needed it, hovering in memory, and I opened the door easily and put my sports bag in. I pulled out a history book and slammed the locker shut, giving the knob a twirl to secure it. As I did, Tommy snuggled up close to me from behind, and I felt the hardness in his jeans pressing softly into my bottom through my skirt. I shivered.

"You cold, babe?" he breathed into one ear.

"No," I said, putting one hand over his two on my stomach and pressing back with my hips to hear him gasp. "I'm HOT. Can't you tell?"

Tommy bit my ear softly, and I shivered. I turned slowly to face him --

-- and found Mr. Hawkins, the assistant principal, giving us both a hard eye over Tommy's shoulder.

"Mr. Santino, Ms. Barnes," he snapped. "If you're finished with the floor show, you have classes to get to. I suggest you get to them."

I nodded and smiled. "Thanks for the warning, sir. Sometimes we students get … distracted." He nodded, and Tommy took a step back, holding his books over his crotch. I picked up my backpack and started walking, and Tommy just stood there a second. As Hawkins turned in the other direction, I blew Tommy a kiss, and he smiled and caught it. I buttoned my white blouse just enough to cover the bumps raising the fabric of my tee shirt, cuddled the heavy sweater over that, and headed off to class. I felt hot and sexy and flushed and wonderful.

Damn, it was good to be a girl!

###

I made it to homeroom with seconds to spare, and slid into my seat with legs together just before the bell rang. I put my bag on the floor beside me and looked around. Becca's memory identified the others in the room — acquaintances all, no friends or hostiles. As the morning announcements droned through the TV mounted high on the wall in the front of the room, I wiggled some in my chair, trying to ignore my damp panties and the small almost-itch between my legs that thinking about Tommy produced. To keep my mind off of it (and Tommy), I thought about what I'd seen during my encounter with Hunter this morning.

The darkness around him was a real, palpable presence, even though I seemed to be the only one who saw it. It was obviously part of my new role as the Advocate, although I was unsure of what it meant. Was Hunter possessed? Or was the dark aura not evil but stupidity incarnate? I closed my eyes and tried reaching for the implanted knowledge the Arbiters said would be accessible when I needed it.

Nothing.

Did that mean I didn't need it now? Or that this wasn't really my concern? I opened my eyes and tossed my hair back over my shoulders. Even though being Becca feels wonderful, and her overlay is helping me adjust, I thought, part of me really wants the training to begin. I smiled. It seemed like old goal-oriented Jack was still with me, no matter how comfortable I became as my own youngest daughter.

The bell rang, and I realized abruptly that the announcements were over and I had to move on. I rose from my seat, snagging my backpack on the way up, and glided out of the room and into the hallway.

I was very conscious of how different it felt to move, hips rolling and swaying with a little bounce up top as I navigated my way through the rushing crowds. Different, but nice. The hair brushing against my shoulders felt comforting and familiar, as did the air flowing over my bare legs. I let Becca's memories steer me towards our next class, and let my mind wander back to Tommy standing behind me, his body pressed against mine, and I smiled.

Suddenly a hand snaked under my skirt, gave my bottom a quick squeeze, then slipped out from under and disappeared.

"HEY!" I squeaked, but whoever owned the hand was gone, swallowed up by the river of people. I heard a boy's laughter and felt a flash of anger. That's my body, damn it! I stopped and turned, and the person behind me ran right into me and knocked me back. I managed to keep my feet, but several others brushed past me, and one boy deliberately put his hand on my chest, squeezed, and kept moving. I saw his other hand rise above his head to share a congratulatory slap with the boy next to him.

Angry, with tears in my eyes, I started after him, only to have a slender hand snag my elbow and pull me back out of the hall into an empty classroom. I spun around and found myself looking up into the eyes of a well-endowed blonde woman with a frown on her face. Mrs. Moore, my math teacher.

"I --"

She raised a hand. "Sssssh," she said softly. I stopped. She smiled just a little, and nodded.

"Somebody touched you out there, didn't they?" It was my turn to nod. "More than once?" I nodded again. "You can't tell me this was your first time dealing with wandering hands, Becca. Not someone as pretty as you are." I stopped, then Becca's memory rushed in and filled the blanks. I looked down and shook my head. She took my chin and raised it, and looked into my eyes.

"It's not right, I know," she whispered. "It's your body, and they shouldn't touch without permission. But you're stuck with it."

I shook my head. "No! It's —"

She reached out and touched my lips with her finger. "Listen. Those thirteen-year-old boys are still eight-year-olds in their heads. They think touching girls in places they shouldn't is a game. But thirteen-year-old girls are old enough to know better. You know what your body is for, or at least you're starting to."

Mrs. Moore sat on the edge of her desk. "It's not your fault, but it is your problem. You need to be more careful." I looked at her, confused. "You were daydreaming out there, girl. I saw you. You weren't paying attention, and they saw and took advantage. I know it's hard, but you have to watch out for them. It's like babysitting, hon. They don't know better, so you have to keep watch. If you catch them, maybe you can teach them what not to do. But if not, you need to let it go, or you'll get bitter and angry. And that's like babysitting, too. Doesn't make sense to get mad at a baby, right?" I shook my head. "Why?"

"Be … because they don't know any better."

"Good girl." She smoothed my hair down. "Now, get to class before I have to write you a pass. The halls are pretty clear now."

I picked up my backpack and headed for the door. Just as I reached it, I turned around.

"Thanks, Ms. Moore," I said softly

She nodded, and smiled. "Get going, Becca. I'll see you later in class."

###

The rest of the morning passed without incident. I waited a little while before leaving each classroom, and made sure I had a comfort zone around me wherever I walked. It was annoying to have to worry about something this stupid. But I had wanted to be a woman, and this was part of the price of admission. Always being a target for some male's random lust. I kept a close eye on the boy coming at me from across the hall, and slowed down to give him plenty of space before moving on.

I met Amy and Tommy for lunch. After being on the alert for unauthorized touching for so long, it was nice to feel Tommy's authorized hand resting gently on my hip when he wrapped his arm around me. We stayed that way most of the way through lunch, and I leaned into him and felt all warm and loved. Eventually, one of the teachers insisted we move apart, and he reluctantly withdrew his arm, only to link his foot with mine under the table. We both smiled at each other and went on chatting with Amy.

When lunch was over, Tommy and I gave each other a squeeze and a quick kiss, then Amy and I went off to P.E.

The locker room was just like every other locker room I've ever been in, except for being filled with adolescent girls well on their way to becoming women. Tall, skinny, round, curvy … there were as many body types as there were girls, but I didn't dwell on any of them. After all, I didn't want any of them dwelling on me. As wonderful as Becca's body looked (and felt) to me, she still had issues with how she looked. As Jack, I'd never met a woman who was truly happy with her body. From this side of the gene pool, I could see why. Becca knew deep in her heart that no matter how good she looked, there was always some paragon on a magazine cover or a movie screen who looked better. And there always would be.

Amy and I had lockers side by side, and we hurried to get changed into our gym clothes before the gym teacher, Miss Spinoza, came in to read us the riot act.

"Wow, your brother was really something this morning," Amy said, already down to her panties. I tried not to notice, but her nipples were getting slightly erect in the cool air, and her chest was big enough to sway a bit as she turned and grabbed the sports bra from her gym bag.

A little embarrassed, I turned towards the lockers and reached back to unhook my bra, something that turned out to be much easier than I had expected it to be. Huh, I thought briefly. Live and learn.

"He's really something, most of the time," I replied, letting the bra slip off of my arms and reaching into my bag for my own sports bra. Amy gave a small laugh as she pulled the bra over her head and settled it in place, then repositioned her breasts in it for comfort. I copied her movements quickly, not at all happy to be naked among strangers. I never liked it as Jack either. I guess some things never change.

"You know I'm happy for you and Tommy, and … well, I haven't really been looking for a guy for me." She looked away, and her voice lowered almost to a point where I couldn't hear her. "But ever since this morning, I've been thinking about … Jeremy."

I stopped, gym shorts half-pulled up over my hips. "Girl, you get that idea out of your head right now!"

Amy looked at me, and grinned. "What, Becca? I'm not good enough?" She punched me lightly on the arm. "I'm crushed."

I finished pulling up the shorts and grabbed my gym shirt. "It's not that at all. You know I think you're awesome, Ames. But it's … like incest, kinda. You know you're practically my sister, and since he's my brother …"

"Eeeeeeeeew!" Both of us chorused at once, and broke into giggles.

We both sat down to put on our sneakers.

"Seriously, Bee," Amy said after a moment. "What do you think about Jeremy and me? As a couple?"

Miss Spinoza walked in and shouted, "All RIGHT, girls, get your tushes on the gym floor right now!"

I wound the scrunchy tighter, pulling my hair up in a high ponytail, and stood up.

"I think we'd better get out on the floor before she has a heart attack," I said softly.

"I heard that, Barnes," she said in a normal voice as she wandered past. "The shouting is just for show. I'm sure no one would move if I asked politely."

"Sorry, Ms. Spinoza," I replied, and scurried off with Amy to the gym.

###

Gym class was uneventful, some stretching and exercises followed by a few games of volleyball. I was sweating some, but not a lot, and I decided to just do a quick wash, then powder and dress. I noticed all of the others girls did the same. I guess baring that much flesh in front of all these other girls wasn't appealing to any of us.

I grinned when I thought of myself as part of "us." Just one of the girls, Becca, I mused as I powdered under and between my breasts before slipping my bra back on. Just one of the girls.

Instead of putting the same panties on, I powdered down below and put on a fresh pair Becca kept in her -- MY -- shoulder bag. I slipped the damp ones in the plastic bag that had held the clean underwear. Between puberty and the effect Tommy had on her, Becca been running around damp a lot in recent weeks, and had taken a few precautions. Not the most comfortable way to spend a day, I thought, finally dressed and headed for the door. It's nice to have the option to change.

Amy met me in the hall. "About time, girl!" she hissed, grabbing me by the elbow and swinging me around towards the cafeteria. "We seriously need to talk."

I put my arm through hers and matched her pace.

"Chill, Ames," I said cheerfully. "Still on about … Jer?"

"Still thinking about him, yes. Can you blame me?"

We turned the corner and headed for the study lounge. I shrugged. "Hard to say, sis. He's my brother. I can't even think of him as a possible hunk. Against the code."

"Beeeeeee!"

I sighed. "Honestly, girl, I guess I don't understand. Why Jeremy, and why now? Just because he beat up Hunter?"

She shook her head. "No. More like how he didn't beat him up." I looked at her, confused. "Look, he had the chance to go all macho on Hunter, and beat him stupid, right?"

"Well, stupider, anyway." Amy laughed, and gave me a shove.

We reached the lounge and found an empty sofa. I curled up on one side, pulling my legs under me and giving my skirt a tug down for coverage. Amy just plopped down on the other side of the sofa, legs akimbo, arms spread wide. I guess you can get away with that in jeans, I thought with a smile. She sighed, and spoke to the ceiling. "Instead of showing how tough he was, he put Hunter down quick and gave him a warning. To Jeremy, it wasn't about proving how much of a man he was. It was about delivering the message and moving on."

I thought about that for a while.

"I have to admit, Jeremy is pretty special," I said. "I've never seen him lose his temper, and he's always been there for me and Emma, and Mom."

"Do you think we'd be good together?" Amy looked down at her feet, and I smiled.

"Well," I said slowly, "He's clean, with good teeth and a nice smile. Few bad habits aside from hogging the television and leaving the toilet seat up. Probably good enough for my best friend in the whole world." I reached across and patted her on the knee. "What the heck, sis. You have my blessing. You want him? Go get him! Mazel Tov!"

"You mean it?" She seemed stunned. "What about us?"

I smiled. "We'll always have Paris."

She picked up a pillow and hit me with it. I squeaked and covered my head.

"You know what I mean!" she said, wacking me again. This time I reached up and grabbed the pillow away from her.

"Amy, we're fine." I wrapped my arms around the pillow and hugged it to me. "We'll always be fine. We've been friends so long it would take more than you dating my brother to mess us up. I love you both. So chase him already!"

She squealed, bounced across the distance between us and hugged me hard, laughing. I laughed, too, because she was so happy it was hard not to. Then she grabbed both of my arms and stared straight into my eyes.

"You have GOT to help me!"

I stared back, surprised. "Whoa, girl! Help you snag my brother?"

Amy narrowed her eyes and spoke out of the corner of her mouth. "Or would you rather he get 'snagged' by some biotch like Maddy Garvin? She IS in his class, you know."

I shuddered. "Point taken. Okay, I'm in!"

She wriggled like a puppy on the sofa, and I suddenly saw an aura explode around her. It was multi-colored, all blues and oranges and yellows, and I realized I was seeing her happiness, and her excitement, and our friendship flaring up around her.

I held up my hands. "But we'll have to meet later to discuss how we'll get him interested. We have two classes still before end of day, and then I need to get ready for Tae Kwon Do, and dance class."

I saw the auras fade, and she sighed. "Girl, you like the weirdest mix of things."

"So do you, Miss World of Warcraft wonder woman," I shot back, and she giggled.

"You like that, too!"

"So? Like you said, I like the weirdest things!" We both laughed. "How many of the girls you see running around WoW are really girls, you think?"

"Not nearly enough," Amy thought for a second, then smiled. "I think they just like to watch the female night elves walk and run from behind. And when they get impatient, they do that full body shimmy things that makes their chests bounce."

"I like the way they walk, too," I said with a smile. "Sometimes I wish I could strut like that."

"Oh, it's not so hard … if you have legs four feet long and a body built by some uber-geek based on what he thinks a girl should look like." We laughed again and got to our feet. "See you tonight, 'kay?"

"Sure thing, Ames. After dinner, come on over and we'll start planning. Jeremy won't stand a chance!"

###

Two classes later, I was at my locker putting my books in and taking my sports bag out. Tae Kwon Do came first, and it was in the smaller gym near the weight rooms. I hurried to the girls locker room and changed into my dobok, with a sports bra and tee shirt under the top so I wouldn't worry about showing too much if it opened slightly during sparring. I had memories of past classes — learning kicks and forms, and earning my belts in succession. I remembered learning some of this as Jack as well, and was looking forward to getting a little physical and working off some of the lust I had built up all day with Tommy on my mind, and in my arms.

When I reached the small gym, it was empty and half-shrouded in darkness. I was a few minutes late, so having no one here ahead of me brought me up short. I stopped just outside the door, my bare feet making no sound on the hardwood floor, and I listened. Silence held sway in that room, like the quiet you feel just before lightning strikes. I stayed still and left the silence alone. I was sure my friends were not there, and if enemies were, why make it easier for them to find me?

As I waited, I realized I was feeling something I'd never felt before. It was like an itch down deep in the center of my soul, and a feeling of anticipation mixed with a touch of fear welled up inside and made my skin crawl.

Something was very wrong in that room.

My first impulse was to turn and run, but I knew I couldn't. I didn't want to be a hero, but if there was something weird going on in that room, I couldn't live with myself if I let one of my classmates walk into it unprepared. After all, I was supposed to be the Advocate, right? I had accepted the deal, and the job. I had a responsibility to protect those who didn't know what I knew — that the world was a dangerous place in ways they couldn't even begin to understand. And I had powers (at least the Arbiters said I did), even I didn't understand exactly how to use them.

So I pulled my body into a readiness stance, balanced and aware. Then I slowly moved forward through the open doorway, ready for just about anything.

Except, of course, for what happened next.

I heard it before I saw it, a rumble like distant thunder, only WAY too close to be far away. Then I heard a woman's throaty chuckle and turned toward the sound. There was to a tall slender blonde standing in the far corner, wearing a wicked grin and a dark green dobok of her own. A ball of green fire hung in the air in front of her, cupped between her delicate hands, seething with power.

"Took you long enough, Advocate," she growled, baring her teeth in a savage smile. "Time to play." She raised the fireball over her head. "And the name of the game is Dodgeball!"

As the flaming orb shot across the room directly at my head, I closed my eyes and sighed.

The day had been going so well, too.

© 2005-2006 as a work in progress, all rights reserved. Posted with permission of the author.

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To Be Continued...