The next day was Friday. Lanie went to her Fourth and Fifth Period classes with Rachel, then went to Mrs. Lin's classroom for the board game club. Lanie was eager to see Conner, since she knew Rachel had let it slip to him that she wanted to date him. But as it turned out, she and Rachel got to the classroom early. The only other person there was Justin.

"Hey guys," Justin said when he saw Lanie and Rachel. "You're a little earlier than usual."

Lanie shrugged. "The early bird gets the worm," she said.

Right then, Conner came into the room. "Hi Lanie," he said.

Lanie's heart leapt with excitement. "Hi Conner!" she said with a smile.

Conner smiled back. "I heard you were interested in me," he said.

"Oh, really?" Lanie asked, though she knew perfectly well who had told Conner.

"Yeah," said Conner. "You want to go on a date, don't you?"

"Yes, of course!"

"How about tomorrow?" Conner asked. "Want to meet up at the mall and get dinner at Starbucks?"

"That sounds good," said Lanie.

"Do you need a ride there, or-"

"Yeah, probably," said Lanie. "I don't have a car or a bike or anything."

"I can probably get my dad to drive us," said Conner. "But I warn you, he can be kind of embarrassing."

"That's okay," said Lanie. "I think I can tolerate it."

***

After the board game club's meeting, Lanie and Rachel left Mrs. Lin's classroom to go to their Sixth Period classes. But on their way out, they ran into Diana, Penelope, and Nicole again. "Hey guys!" Diana said when she saw Lanie and Rachel.

"Hi Diana!" said Lanie.

"Did you guys dream of Olivia Rodrigo last night?" Diana asked with a smirk.

"Oh, I did," said Rachel.

"I'll bet."

"You want to go to the mall with us tomorrow?" Diana asked. "We're all gonna go shopping, and Penelope's gonna meet her boyfriend, and-"

"Oh, I've actually got a date at the mall tomorrow," said Lanie. "With Conner Hawkins."

"No way!" Nicole exclaimed. "He already asked you out?"

"Yes, he did. And I said yes."

"That's great!" said Diana. "What time are you going to the mall with him tomorrow?"

"Probably around 5:00. We're gonna get dinner at Starbucks."

"We can probably make that work," said Diana. "You can go shopping with the rest of us in the afternoon, then meet Conner for dinner."

Lanie thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah," she said. "That sounds good."

"Alright then," said Diana. "Let's plan on it."

***

The next day, Diana, Penelope, and Nicole all came to the Orphanage For All Ages to pick up Lanie and Rachel. The five girls then drove to the mall and started browsing. Diana and Penelope wanted to go to the bath and body wash store, so they started there. After getting some bath salts, the group then went to the makeup place. It wasn't until that moment that Lanie realized she hadn't really done makeup yet. Rachel had helped her figure out some basic hairstyling, but she hadn't tried using lipstick or mascara or anything like that. Lanie decided to get a lipstick tube for herself to try and figure out later.

But it wasn't until they went clothes shopping that Lanie really started to get "out there." She, Rachel, Diana, Penelope, and Nicole looked through racks of shirts, pants, and blouses to find something that they thought would look good on them. After some browsing, Lanie came across a nice-looking electric blue tank top. "Whoa," Penelope said when she saw the tank top Lanie was looking at. "That shirt looks really good."

"You think?"

"Yeah. You should try it on."

Lanie felt some of her early anxiety at being a girl rearing its head again. When Ruth had turned her into a girl, she'd felt overwhelmed with all the girly stuff she would have to adjust to. Clothes shopping with Ruth was especially uncomfortable, since she wasn't quite ready for the really girly clothes. Even now, she was hesitant about trying on a tank top. Wearing a bikini when swimming was one thing, but wearing revealing clothes in public places...

No. It was okay. Those awkward days were over. Lanie was hanging out with her girl friends now, so she had to be girly. "Alright, I'll try it," said Lanie. She took the tank top and went back into the changing room with her friends at her side. She changed into the blue tank top and came out for her friends to see.

"Whoa!" Rachel said when she saw Lanie in the tank top. "You look sexy!"

Lanie looked at herself in the mirror. The tank top's straps barely even covered her bra strips, and the neck was so low you could see her boobs. But somehow, that made it look even better. "Yeah," she said. "This thing looks really cool!"

"Want to try some more?" Diana asked.

"Sure!"

Lanie tried on some more tank tops, all of which felt just as good to wear as the first. She even tried on a couple skirts-which, to her surprise, felt great! When it came down to it, the skirts were just circles of fabric that wrapped around her pelvic area and his her panties. But, again, that was somehow what made them feel so good. They felt so unique, so stylish, so...girly.

In the end, Lanie ended up buying three tank tops and two skirts. She waited for everyone else to finish their shopping before they all left the clothing store. "You like those clothes you bought?" Rachel asked Lanie just out of earshot of the other girls.

"Of course!" said Lanie. "I can't believe I haven't tried out clothes like these before!"

"So where next?" Nicole asked.

"We've gotta meet my boyfriend," said Penelope. "He said he'd wait for me at Bluey's."

"Then let's go there," said Diana.

Lanie started to follow the rest of the girls, but she faltered when she remembered she was on her period. "You guys go ahead," she said. "I've gotta go to the bathroom."

"Alright," said Diana. "Don't take too long."

Lanie turned and went into the women's bathroom at the end of the hall. She locked herself in a stall, pulled her pants down, and sat on the toilet. This was the second period she'd experienced, and it had started just an hour before Diana came to pick her and Rachel up. For her first period, she'd only used pads, but when her second period started, she'd tried out a tampon to Rachel's suggestion. Now it was time to change her tampon. Lanie took the string and pulled the now-red tampon out of her vagina. Then she got a fresh tampon out of her bag.

Okay, Lanie thought to herself. Just relax and remember what Rachel showed you. She spread her vagina's "lips" apart and held the tampon applicator up to it. She pushed on the smaller tube and inserted the tampon into her vagina. With a little adjustment, she managed to settle it in there. Lanie let out a sigh of relief. She'd actually managed to do it! She'd successfully inserted a tampon by herself, with nobody's help!

Once Lanie had washed her hands, she left the bathroom and went out to Bluey's where she knew the other girls would be. But when she got there, she saw a horrible sight. Penelope was sitting at a table, crying her eyes out with Diana, Nicole, and Rachel standing around trying to comfort her.

"What happened?" Lanie asked. "Where's Penelope's boyfriend?"

"He told her he was breaking up with her," Diana answered.

"He's a jerk!" Penelope sobbed. "He-he told me he loved me, but then he told me he didn't want me around anymore. He..." Penelope couldn't talk anymore. She just broke down into a sobbing fit.

"I'm sorry," said Rachel. "That must really suck, having your boyfriend kick you to the curb like that."

Diana nodded, though she didn't say anything. She didn't want her history with Conner to ruin Lanie's date plans.

Nicole went up and bought an order of Bluey's Fries to try and cheer Penelope up, but it didn't have much effect. Penelope was just too upset at having her boyfriend break up with her. "Penelope," Diana said gently, "Do you want to leave now?"

Through her tears, Penelope nodded. "Yes, p-please," she said.

"But what about Lanie?" Rachel asked. "She still has to meet Conner in an hour."

"It's okay," said Lanie. "I can wait here by myself."

"You sure?"

"Of course." She wasn't really sure she could keep herself entertained, but she didn't want to complicate things for her friends.

"I'm guessing Conner's gonna give you a ride home?" Diana asked.

"His dad is, yes," said Lanie.

"Okay," said Diana.

"Have fun!" said Rachel.

"I will," said Lanie.

***

After the other girls left, Lanie spent the next hour walking about the mall. She went to the Disney store and the Apple store to look around, though she didn't buy anything. When the time was 4:45, Lanie knew it was almost time. She ducked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Yes, she looked good. Her hair wasn't too messy, and her face was pretty clean. But she still felt she had to look her best. She took a damp paper towel and wiped down her face, making it look nice and shiny, and made sure her teeth were pearly white. Once she was satisfied with her reflection in the mirror, Lanie left and went down to the mall's Starbucks.

To her delight, Conner was there waiting for her, clad in a green polo shirt and navy blue pants. "Hey Lanie," said Conner.

"Hi Conner!" Lanie said with a smile.

"You ready to get some dinner?"

"Sure!"

Lanie and Conner got in the Starbucks line and waited for a few minutes. While they waited, Lanie looked at the menu and decided she wanted an English muffin sandwich and a cup of hot chocolate. "Where's your dad?" she asked Conner.

"He went to the furniture place," Conner answered. "He's gonna poke around there while you and I hang out here."

"Nice," said Lanie. She felt relieved-not because she didn't want to meet Conner's dad, but because she would've preferred some time with just herself and Conner. No friends, no parents-no one there to awkwardly listen in on everything they talked about. Just Lanie and her new boyfriend.

When they got to the front of the line, they met the barista working the cashier. He looked old enough to be in grad school, with messy blonde hair, uneven stubble, and a piercing in his right ear. His name tag read "Bryce."

"Hey guys..." Bryce trailed off when he saw and recognized Conner. "Hey, Conner!"

"Hey Bryce," said Conner. "Long time no see."

Bryce looked at Lanie. "Well," he said, "You've got a cute girl."

"This is Lanie," said Conner. "I know her from school."

"I take it you know this guy?" Lanie asked.

"Yeah," said Conner. "This is Bryce. He and I go to the same church."

"I dropped out of college a year and a half ago," said Bryce. "Now I'm working here and trying to figure out a career path for myself."

"Nice," said Lanie.

"What can I get for you today?" Bryce asked.

"I'll get a hot chocolate and a scone," said Conner. "And you, Lanie?"

"I'll have hot chocolate too," said Lanie. "And a breakfast sandwich."

Bryce rang them up and said "That'll be $22."

Conner produced a handful of dollar bills from his wallet and paid for their food. "Here you go," he said.

"Thanks," said Bryce. "We'll get right to it."

Lanie and Conner took a seat near the back of Starbucks. "So how'd your shopping trip go?" Conner asked. "You said you'd be going shopping with Rachel and Diana before you met me here."

"I did," said Lanie, "But they all ended up going home early."

"Why?"

"Penelope met up with her boyfriend, and he gave her a breakup talk, and she was really upset. We didn't want that to ruin the rest of the day for us, so the others went home while I waited here for you."

Conner nodded slowly. "That sucks," he said. "I heard Diana was really mad at me when I broke up with her."

"That's what it sounded like to me too," said Lanie. "But I guess she had a change of heart about letting me date you."

"That's good," said Conner. "I'm glad we can all put that drama behind us."

"Conner!" Bryce called from the counter. "You order's ready!"

"I'll be right back," said Conner. He went off to get his and Lanie's orders, then came back with his scone, Lanie's breakfast sandwich, and the two cups of hot chocolate.

"Thank you so much," Lanie said as she took a bite of her breakfast sandwich.

Conner took a swig of his hot chocolate before saying "So what else is new?"

"Not much," said Lanie. "You know my friend Jenny-she's not doing so well at her school."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. She's getting bullied a lot by her classmates."

"Ooh," said Conner. "That's rough."

"It is," said Lanie. "I don't think Jenny's adjusting to Atlanta well. Me and Rachel are adjusting well, but Jenny isn't."

"Didn't you say the three of you were from Nashville?"

"Yeah. We met at a foster home there, but then...well..."

Conner looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then craned in closer to Lanie. "Lanie, I have a feeling there's something else you're not telling me," he said. "About your old foster home."

"Well..." Lanie didn't know how to answer that. She wasn't sure if Conner would believe her secret, but if she was gonna be dating him, then he had a right to know...didn't he?

"This is going to sound really crazy," Lanie warned.

"How crazy?"

Lanie took a deep breath before saying "I used to be a boy."

For a few seconds, Conner just sat there, not sure what to make of Lanie's words. "What do you mean, you used to be a boy?" he said. "Are you trans?"

"No, I'm not trans," said Lanie. "Well, I mean, I guess I kind of am, since I basically had to transition to being a girl, but-"

"What are you talking about? Are you trans or not?"

"Like I said, it's gonna sound really crazy," said Lanie. She told Conner the whole story-how she was once Landon, his fight with his father Richard, Ruth finding him and taking him in, Landon's metamorphosis into Lanie, the Pretty And Pink foster home, meeting Rachel, Melody, and her other roommates, Jenny's arrival, the revelation that Pretty And Pink wasn't what it initially seemed, the fight with Angelina and Ruth, her, Rachel's, and Jenny's escape, and their arrival in Atlanta.

By the time Lanie finished her story, Conner was staring at her incredulously. "So you were turned into a girl by evil witches who hate men," he said.

"Yep."

"And those witches are looking for you."

"Yes-well, I think so," said Lanie. "Me and Rachel and Jenny haven't even heard from Angelina since we escaped Nashville, but somehow I don't think she'd just let us run amok."

"I...I can't believe you used to be a boy," said Conner. "You're just so...girly!"

"You really thought I was always a girl?"

"Yeah. You've never seemed tomboyish or anything like that. Everything you've said, and done-it just gives me the vibe of a normal girl."

Wow. Lanie must've settled into "girliness" even earlier and better than she thought. "Well, I'm glad you think that," she said.

"Are you still worried?" Conner asked. "That this Angelina lady might come back and try to...I don't know, kill you?"

"I think we all are," Lanie answered. "But it's been weeks and we haven't seen any sign of Angelina hunting us down, so...I just don't know."

"Well, hopefully you stay hidden for good," said Conner.

There was a short pause where neither of them spoke, and both Conner and Lanie took the chance to drink more of their hot chocolate. After a minute, Lanie asked "You're not gonna break up with me, are you?"

"What?"

"Well...do you not want to date me anymore? Now you know who I really am, and..."

"No, it's okay," said Conner. "You're a beautiful girl, Lanie. You're really smart, and fun, and easy to talk to. I don't know if you like being a girl, but I like you."

Lanie felt relieved. "Thank you, Conner," she said. "I'm glad you like me too."

A few minutes later, Conner's dad came into Starbucks. "Hey guys," he said. "How's your date going?"

"It's going great," Conner answered.

Lanie looked Conner's dad up and down. "You must be Mr. Hawkins," she said.

"Yep, I am," Conner's dad replied. He grinned at Lanie, then turned to Conner and said "What a cute girl, Conner. Well done."

"Dad," said Conner. He sounded a little embarrassed, but Lanie took their exchange as a compliment. Even Conner's father approved of her.

"Are you guys ready to go?"

"Are you ready, Lanie?"

Lanie nodded. "Yes," she said.

"Then let's go."

***

Conner's dad drove back to the Orphanage For All Ages and parked right in front of the building's front doors. Conner got out of the car and escorted Lanie to the front doors. "Well, thanks for the fun date," said Lanie.

"You're welcome," said Conner. "Want to do it again sometime?"

"Of course," Lanie answered. "I'll see you soon." She gave Conner one last hug before entering the orphanage. She went up the flights of stairs until she got to the girls' floor.

When Lanie came to her dorm, she opened the door to find Rachel changing into her pajamas. "Hi Lanie!" said Rachel. "How was your date?"

"It was great," Lanie answered. "Conner said he'd be willing to do it again soon."

"Wow!" said Rachel. She high-fived Lanie and said "You've officially got a boyfriend!"

"Yeah," Lanie said, grinning. "But I also told him the truth."

"What truth?"

"You know. That we used to be boys."

Rachel's smile faded. "You...told him?"

"Yeah. He seemed kind of suspicious that there was something I wasn't telling him, so I opened up and told him the truth about where you and I came from."

"Oh..."

"Sorry," said Lanie. "I guess I should've-"

"No, it's okay," said Rachel. "We probably needed to confide in someone besides each other."

"And I told him about Angelina, too. And how she was looking for us."

"Oh, that reminds me," said Rachel. "I looked up Pretty And Pink Foster Care earlier, and it looks like they're still operating."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. They're still taking in homeless girls and giving them a home."

"You mean homeless boys."

"The Internet doesn't know that."

Lanie shook her head. "This is horrible," she said. "Everything we did...it was for nothing."

"What do you mean? All we did was discover Angelina's true intentions and then escape with our lives."

"I guess."

"But you'll never believe this. The Nashville location shut down."

"What?"

"Yeah. There was a news article about a 'security breach' at Pretty And Pink's Nashville building, so they decided to shut it down and transfer the girls there to the Philadelphia and Washington D. C. locations."

"Wow," said Lanie. "You don't think that 'security breach' had anything to do with us?"

"The news article was dated two days after we escaped," said Rachel, "So I think it does."

In spite of herself, Lanie felt a rush of pride. "So that's one step in foiling Angelina's plans," she said. "We got one of her locations shut down."

"I know," said Rachel. "But there's still two more Pretty And Pink locations. And Angelina's a witch, so..."

"Yeah," Lanie sighed. "But at least Conner's in the know. I don't know if he'd be able to help us, but..."

"It's something," Rachel agreed. "Look, I'm feeling pretty tired now, so I'm gonna go to bed a little early tonight."

"Me too," said Lanie. "It's been quite a day."

A few minutes later, Lanie and Rachel were all ready for bed. They shut off the lights and got under their covers. But after fifteen minutes of lying in bed, Rachel spoke up. "Lanie?" she asked. "Are you still awake?"

"Yeah," Lanie answered. "What is it?"

Rachel hesitated. "I know Angelina's a witch and everything," she said, "But what if she's right?"

"Right about what?"

"Remember what she said, about how she wanted to turn all the world's men into women? What if she's right about that? What if that really would be better?"

"How would that be better?"

"Well, Angelina kind of had a point," said Rachel. "A lot of men do cheat, steal, and abuse their families. And they disrespect women, too."

"I mean...I know my dad was abusive, but-"

"And everyone at Pretty And Pink-you, and me, and Melody, and Taylor, and Alexis-we all adjusted pretty well to being girls, didn't we? I'm sure a lot of us were uncomfortable at first, but we all grew to like being female."

Lanie wasn't sure what to say to that. Rachel was right: Lanie had come to like being a girl. Everything about being female-the different clothes, being part of school cliques, flirting with boys...all of it felt right to Lanie. If anything, being a girl felt better for her than being a boy. But all the same...

"Pretty And Pink did turn out to all be a front though, didn't it?" said Lanie. "And pretty much all of the boys Angelina lured into her trap-they didn't want to be turned into girls."

"No, but still."

"Besides, Angelina tried to murder us. And she successfully killed Melody."

"You're right," Rachel admitted. After a moment's pause, she said "You won't tell anyone I said that, will you? Not Jenny, or Conner? Or Taylor or Alexis, if we ever see them again?"

"I won't," Lanie promised. But for a little while after that, she lay in bed awake, thinking, What if the Devil Woman was right?

To be continued...