The next day was Sunday. Lanie slept in late that morning, but when she woke up, she decided to just go ahead and take a shower. While she was soaping down, she heard Rachel come into the bathroom.

"Hey Lanie!" said Rachel. "Conner's here!"

"Oh, shit," said Lanie. "Tell him I'll be out in just a minute!"

"Okay."

Lanie finished showering as quickly as she could, then dried herself off and brushed her teeth and did all that other bathroom stuff. Then she threw on a bra, a pair of panties, a black skirt, and a dark red shirt. Once she was dressed, she opened her dorm's door to greet Conner. "Hey Conner," she said.

"Hi Lanie," said Conner. "Sorry I kind of came at a bad time-"

"No, it's okay," said Lanie.

"Want to go for a little walk in the park?"

"Sure."

"Rachel, you want to come too?" Conner asked.

"No thanks," Rachel answered. "I've got some homework to do right now."

"Alright," said Conner. "I guess we'll see you later."

***

Lanie went with Conner to the park just a couple blocks away from the orphanage. As they walked, they talked. "I heard about Jenny," said Conner. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay," Lanie replied, even though they both knew it wasn't okay. "It wasn't your fault."

"Why'd she do it? Did the bullying at school come to a head?"

"Yes," Lanie answered. "But I don't think it was just that. I think it all started when Angelina turned Jimmy into Jenny."

Conner nodded. "I'll bet," he said. "If some witch turned me into a girl and made me bunk with a bunch of other girls, I don't think I could handle it. I don't even know how you did. Or Rachel. Or those other girls at the foster home you told me about."

"It's not as bad as it seems," said Lanie.

"Not for you," said Conner. "You said Jenny didn't adjust very well."

"Well...to be fair, she didn't even stay at the Pretty And Pink foster home for a whole day," said Lanie. "Right after she was assigned to our room, me and Rachel and Melody took her out to lunch. That was where I told them my secret, and Jenny broke down, and Rachel and Melody admitted they used to be boys too. And then from there we decided to break into that underground bunker, and...well, I already told you what happened from there."

"Yeah, you did," said Conner. "But still, everything Jenny went through-that would be a whirlwind for anyone."

"You're right," said Lanie. "What happened with her at school-I think that was just the straw that broke the camel's back."

"And it all goes back to Angelina."

"Yes," Lanie said ruefully. "Last night at Jenny's funeral, Rachel and I vowed that we'd stop Angelina from turning every man into a woman."

"How are you gonna do that?"

"I don't know. But we know that Pretty And Pink's Nashville location got shut down because of what we did. That's a start."

"What are you going to do next? Go to the other locations and burn them down?"

"Maybe. But there's still the fact that Angelina's a witch. And there's more witches working for her."

"You did kill that one witch...what was her name? Ruth?"

"Yes. But we kind of got lucky on that one."

Conner shrugged. "Well, if you were lucky once, you might get lucky again."

"Let's hope so."

Lanie and Conner walked a few laps around the park's trail before they decided they'd had enough. But when the two of them started heading for the edge of the park, a black sedan came in and blocked their way. "Uh...excuse us?" said Lanie. "We're trying to leave, and..."

Lanie trailed off when the sedan's passenger-side door opened and an all-too-familiar woman stepped out. The sight of this woman made Lanie freeze with fear. She'd figured she'd come face-to-face with her again eventually, but she wouldn't have thought it would be right now. Even if she had been expecting it, those cruel, calculating eyes would still have frightened her.

"Having fun, Lanie?" Angelina asked.

Lanie's face went white faster than a light bulb. "What the-how did you-"

"Come on, girl," Angelina said tauntingly. "Did you really think you and Rachel could hide from me forever?"

Conner looked between Lanie and Angelina. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here," he said, "This is that Angelina lady who wants you dead, right?"

Angelina glared disapprovingly at Conner. "Oh, and of course you've got a boy with you," she said. "You've already tainted yourself with the stigma of the male gender."

"Answer the question!" Conner demanded.

"No, I do not want Lanie dead," said Angelina. "But what she and I are going to do together, well...that's not any of your business." She waved her hand, and an invisible force threw Conner backward onto the ground. When Conner landed, he did not get back up.

"Conner!" Lanie screamed.

"Don't worry, he'll live," said Angelina, "To see the new world you and I will build together."

"What is it that you want from me?" Lanie asked. "Why haven't you just killed me already?"

"You'll find out soon enough," said Angelina. She snapped her fingers, and thick ropes materialized out of nowhere and bound themselves around Lanie. Lanie struggled against the ropes, but it was no use. They were tied too tightly around her arms and legs. All she accomplished was losing her balance and falling over.

"Bea! I need your help!" said Angelina.

The car's driver-a thirty-something woman who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else-got out and looked at Lanie. "Let me guess-you want to put her in the trunk," she said.

"No," said Angelina. "Put her in the back seat."

"NO!" Lanie shrieked. "You can't do this! You won't get away with this!"

"Yes, I can," said Angelina. She and Bea both picked up Lanie and put her in the sedan's backseat. Lanie struggled harder than ever, but it was no use. She was powerless to stop Angelina from shutting her in the backseat and getting back up front with Bea.

"Let me go!" Lanie said as Bea shifted the car into gear and started driving. "We-we won't let you change everyone's gender! We'll stop you?"

"No, you won't," said Angelina. "You'll all learn to embrace the new all-female world we will create." She turned around to the backseat and waved her hand in front of Lanie's face. A wave of magic sparkles passed over Lanie's face, and she fell asleep.

"Yes, sleep, my little girl," said Angelina. "Soon we'll arrive at your new home..."

To be continued...