QUICK NOTE: Shoutout to Uhuru N/Uru for commenting on the last chapter with a tip on how to fix this serial's prelude so it came first in the Organizer page. Thanks so much for helping me out.

***

After getting their blood drawn, Bailey and Rachel were both taken back to the padded room where Rachel had been held before. Circe locked them in the room before going back to start working on their blood samples.

"I can't believe they just did that," said Rachel.

"I know," said Bailey, "But they won't get what they need."

"What?"

"I'm not a changed boy," Bailey said with a confident smirk. "I was always a girl."

"But they said..."

"When Josie captured me, I was with two girls who used to be guys," Bailey explained. "Apparently Circe assigned her to just one group of changed guys and told her to just take one."

"Did you say you were with two other girls like...me?"

"Yes."

"You didn't come from Pretty And Pink Foster Care, did you?"

"No. And I'm guessing you've never heard of the Y. F. F. H?"

"Not until just now."

For a few seconds, Bailey and Rachel just stared at each other, not sure what to say. "Do you want to tell your story first, or do you want me to?" Bailey asked.

"You do it," Rachel answered.

"Fine," said Bailey. She told Rachel about how, when she'd been orphaned, Miss Johnson had taken her into the Y. F. F. H. and put her in with a bunch of roommates. She explained the arrival of Olivia, and how that had led to their adventure fighting Miss Johnson. When Bailey was finished, Rachel took her turn telling her story. She told Bailey about how she was once Randy before stumbling upon Pretty And Pink and being turned into a girl, then the chain of events that was kickstarted when Lanie was admitted to her foster home.

"So the same things happened to the both of us," Bailey said when Rachel was finished. "A witch, a foster home, and a group of friends who killed the witch and shut down her foster home."

"Yeah, pretty much," said Rachel.

"Except now we've got Circe," said Bailey. "Miss Johnson and Angelina's old master."

"Do you think she ordered them to start up those foster homes?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know," Bailey answered. "I always got the vibe Miss Johnson started up the Y. F. F. H. on her own, without anyone appointing her in charge of it. And it doesn't sound like Pretty And Pink was much different."

"Well, apparently Circe was watching them," said Rachel, "Because she knew where to send Josie and Lauren to come capture us."

"Except her plan backfired," Bailey said smugly. "I don't have the boy-turned-girl DNA, so they can't use my blood for-"

She was cut off when the door banged open and Circe stormed in with Lauren, Josie, and Carter Halbrook behind her. "You!" Circe barked at Bailey. "You're not a changed boy! You were born female and stayed that way your whole life!"

Bailey recoiled in fear. "I-what-I didn't say-"

"Mr. Halbrook has just been running tests on your blood," Circe went on. "He found that Rachel's DNA fits with what we need for our virus, but Bailey's does not."

"I knew it!" Lauren said, looking at Josie accusingly. "I knew you'd find a way to fuck things up!"

"Hey, I was fighting four of those kids at once!" Josie defended. "Let's see you try to figure out who the right girl is in that kind of situation!"

"Ladies, calm down," said Circe. "Josie, since your captive has turned out not to be the type of girl we were looking for, we'll have to get ahold of another one."

Josie hung her head. "So what do we do?" she asked. "Kill the girl so she won't divulge our plan to anyone else?"

"Oh, no, no, no," said Circe. "We will keep her-and the younger girl-here with us."

"Keep us?" Bailey asked. "Why?"

"Bailey, while you and your lackeys were bringing down the Y. F. F. H, I was watching you from afar," said Circe. "I know how people like you work. When your friends are captured by us witches, your friends will come after you in the hope they can rescue you. Isn't that what you did for Olivia? And what Rachel did for Lanie?"

Neither Bailey nor Rachel responded, though they had a pretty good idea what Circe would say next.

"That is why we will keep the both of you captive," said Circe. "Hopefully one of your friends who is actually a changed boy will come for you. And when they do, we will obtain their blood to help create our virus."

***

The tracking signal from Bailey's cell phone led Olivia, Zack, Saige, and Miles to a compound owned by Genetics Engineering. The compound was located at the edge of Jackson, Mississippi, and it consisted of three two-story buildings surrounded by a metal wire fence.

Olivia parked Saige's car near the back of the compound, on the opposite side of the main parking lot. "So this is it," she said as she, Saige, Zack, and Miles all got out of the car.

"Well, we're here," said Zack. "Now what?"

"We get in and find Bailey," Olivia answered. She opened the trunk of Saige's car to reveal some more tools they'd "borrowed" from Mr. Al's place-wire cutters, a couple lock picks, and a bunch of guns with bandoliers of ammunition.

"Hoo boy," Saige said when she saw the guns. "I've never liked guns."

"Me either," Zack said, taking a gun and slinging its bandolier over his torso, "But we're gonna need them. I don't think the witches are gonna let Bailey go without a fight."

"You guys don't actually know how to use guns, do you?" Saige asked.

"Well, we've never used real guns before," said Zack, "But it can't be that hard."

"Of course it's not," said Olivia. "The real problem is aiming."

"If you're a guy," said Miles. Unfortunately, no one laughed at his little joke.

Since Saige didn't quite feel comfortable carrying a gun, she was in charge of carrying the wire cutters. Working carefully, she cut a hole in the metal wire fence her herself and her companions to wriggle through. Then they started making their way towards the buildings.

"Okay," said Saige, "Where could they be keeping Bailey?"

"I don't know," said Olivia. "There's three buildings..."

"How about we split up?" Miles suggested. "Zack, Saige, you check that building over there. Me and Olivia will look at this one."

"I think that's a very bad idea," said Saige. "How are we gonna let each other know if we find Bailey?"

"I guess we can just text each other," said Olivia.

"But what if one of our groups gets killed, and the other doesn't know it?" Saige asked.

For a few seconds, there was absolute silence. "Wow," said Zack. "We did not think this through very well, did we?"

"Look, we don't have time for this," said Miles. "Are we gonna split up, or not?"

Saige sighed. "Fine," she said, "But if some or all of us don't make it out alive..." She let the threat hang in the air as she and Zack went off to go check out the building nearest the parking lot.

"Right," said Miles. "Let's check this place out."

***

Getting into the compound's main building proved easier than Olivia and Miles expected. They came up to one of the side doors and gingerly busted it open with their lock pick, and to their surprise, no one was waiting on the other side. The two of them crept down the hallway, determined not to make any noise. Once or twice, they thought they heard someone coming, and they ducked into a nearby supply closet and waited for them to pass.

"You don't think they have security cameras, do you?" Olivia asked.

"I hope not," Miles answered.

"They did at the Y. F. F. H," said Olivia. "That's how Miss Johnson caught Stephanie letting her secret slip."

"What-oh, that she used to be a guy, right," said Miles.

After making their way through a few more corridors, they rounded a corner and found a man standing guard at a door labeled "Test Subject Confinement." Olivia gasped when she saw this door. "I think that's it!" she exclaimed.

"Hey!" the security guard said. "What are you doing here?"

Olivia and Miles looked at each other, then drew their guns. The two of them fired away at the security guard, both missing him by several feet. The security guard pulled out his own gun and aimed it at Olivia's chest. Before he could pull the trigger, Miles took careful aim and shot at the security guard's head. This time, his aim was on point. The bullet went right into the man's brain, killing him and causing him to collapse.

"We'd better hurry," said Miles. "That ruckus is gonna attract attention!" He ran up to the test subject confinement door and tried to open it, but groaned in disappointment when he found that it was locked. He got out his lock pick and hurriedly jimmied the lock. Once the door was open, Miles charged inside and found two prisoners in blue jumpsuits lying against a padded wall. One he immediately recognized as Bailey, but the other was somebody new. She looked to be about Miles' age, with a pale complexion and long, ebony black hair that went to her waist.

"Oh my..." the black-haired girl gasped when she saw Miles. "Who...who are you?"

"I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you," said Miles.

"Luke Skywalker?" Bailey said indignantly.

"I'm kidding," said Miles. "Bailey, I don't think we officially met, but my name's Miles. I'm Zack's friend."

Olivia pushed past Miles and gasped when she saw Bailey. "Bailey! You're okay!" she exclaimed.

"Olivia? You're here, too?"

"Yes. And so are Saige and Zack."

Bailey shook her head. "You've got to get out of here. It's a trap."

"We are getting out of here," said Olivia. "With you and..." She looked at the new, younger girl.

"Oh, I'm Rachel," the girl clarified.

"Here, I'll text Zack," said Miles.

He'd barely even sent the text when Olivia urged "Come on, we've got to go." She led Miles, Bailey, and Rachel out of the containment room and into the corridor. But they froze in their tracks when they saw who was waiting for them.

"How rude of you," Circe said, though she was grinning wickedly at the sight of Olivia. Likewise, Josie and Lauren, who were at Circe's side, also looked happy to have Olivia in their grasp. "Usually, we prefer our guests to introduce themselves at the front door."

To be continued...