Is withholding the truth the same as an outright lie? What was done to protect Ryan’s vulnerable mind has driven the equivalent of a railroad spike into the fledging relationship between the two former enemies. Yet, the public adoption draws near and all must remain idyllic in the household, even with the betrayal.
Excerpt:

I wanted to run away. It is what I always did. Jessica continued to speak, but I didn’t hear anything. The barking dogs, the sweet incessant nattering of Jessica, her voice akin to taking a bite of candy and finding a railroad spike inside- all of it disappeared the instant I slipped out of Jessica’s grip and ran.

I ran as fast as I could, each section of chain link fence passing in a flash. Seconds later, I felt a firm hand dig into my shoulder, stopping my momentum dead.

Jessica said softly, “I don’t know if it’s the serum doing this to you, or if a part of you actually wants it, but if you don’t want me to say anything to Eve I won’t. You need to know though that there’s probably going to be a point of no return. And it’s going to be soon.”

With the arrival of Jessica’s niece, Ryan is in grave danger. Telling Jessica the truth could save him from the mousy little girl, but it is no easy task. Ryan’s attempt to grasp at his fleeting masculinity and his genuine feelings for the woman could ultimately doom him, leaving a mirror image of the demure Brianna.

Excerpt:

My heart fluttered, allowing the fog to once again cloud my mind. Jessica gave the case another shake, dislodging a Barbie who had been stubbornly hanging from the lip of the container. It fell within an inch of my hand. I looked down and saw beautiful golden tresses mixed with purple and pink and a slender body wearing a pretty light blue bathing suit. Despite the fog, the doll’s ever smiling face sent a shiver of fear up my spine. I knew that taking the plastic toy into my hands would place my mind in a child-like state, one where imagination was boundless. Memories of the toilet paper roll Olaf watching Elsa skate gracefully across the bathroom floor flooded in, causing my hand to recoil from the doll. I couldn’t help but feel like an addict, the uneasy hand reaching toward the pill, the pipe, the needle- knowing that one hit would bring clouded bliss, but like the drug, it would erase my identity, everything I was, until only a smiling little girl remained. Perhaps one at docile and timid as Brianna. Her perfect twin.

A college age man of questionable integrity makes a deal with a demon spirit, but not all goes to plan.

* * * *

Virginity is a cruel, cruel mistress, and it only gets worse as time goes by. Do you know how embarrassing it is to be twenty-one years old when you’ve never had sex? In a world where a man’s worth is measured by his virility I can think of nothing worse.

Loop DeeDee Loop
A Story From The Mercynaries World At SinComics.com

“The Many Faces of Adira Potter: Chapter 21”
By = Fayanora

Chapter Twenty-one: Sirius Business

Note 1: Text in 'Italics and British quotes' is Parseltongue.

Note 2: Once more, I apologize for the bits and pieces of canon dialogue/narration here and there.

Mercy Chapter 13

The next few days were as close to “normal” as Faith had gotten since her transformation. She attended classes, she hung with her friends, and she spent time on her computer.

And she had her first period.

Fortunately, her body seemed to protect her from the worst of the symptoms, and so while it wasn’t an easy time, afterward she felt like she’d be okay, even during “that time of the month”.`

Who is Aidan Webley? Is he human? Is he a special operative of the Confederation? Is he a psychic of rare ability? One thing he knows for sure is he's loyal to his government. He'll be anything his government needs him to be. Or maybe there is no Aidan, and only a lifeform designed and programmed. Maybe the question should be what instead of who.

Somewhere, the moon shines above the clouds in a land called...

Bian
(Bee-Onn)
by Erin Halfelven

Alexa Chapter 6: Revelations

“Help me”

I have never felt so helpless in my whole life. Here I am, a guy, asking my best friend to help me as I sit on the bathroom floor tears running down my face. Those tears causing the mascara I had put on a few minutes prior to run like the Mississippi. I sit on the floor wearing a dress and women’s underwear asking a girl to help me, but with what?

“Oh my god! Alex!” Katie screams as she moves quickly to my side. I bury my head in Katie’s chest, not out of lust or anything, but out of general shame.

There were quite a few people on the beach, with a huge, roaring bonfire, and distinctly primitive-sounding music playing - mostly drum beats. There were humans, Sartoran, Ilonans, and a few races Hailey had never seen before, each in small numbers, and even a handful of Furren - one calico, one as black as night, and two more light neon green with darker stripes.

Ryan faces the consequences for mouthing off to Mrs. Feinstein in a way that puts his acting skills to the ultimate test. Meanwhile, the continued vulnerability displayed by Ryan brings out Eve’s softer side, and while it brings the two closer together, the closeness raises concerns, especially with regard to Eve’s strange behaviour.

Excerpt:
I felt my mouth droop into a frown, my emotions fluctuating wildly, like a roller coaster suddenly thrown into reverse. I looked up and Eve’s features had softened. Her caramel skin was radiant, her eyes welcoming, and her mouth formed a gentle smile. Her expression screamed, “Tell me what’s wrong, baby girl, and I’ll make it better.”

I pulled away from her, stomping my feet in the shiny black shoes that Eve was making me wear. I hated the little straps that went across my stockinged feet. I had worn a similar outfit in the studio with the same dress. I cursed myself for bringing the dresses and shoes from the studio, but I didn’t have any other outfits outside of the sparkly blue butterfly shirt and jeans. Still, it meant that I could avoid a shopping trip with Eve, which would undoubtedly have crushed my male ego even further.

After the visit to the studio, with his frustration mounting, Ryan retreats to one of his old vices. While the obsession with video games had seemingly doomed Mark and Devon, a greater danger looms just outside his window.

Excerpt:

A skipping rope slapped gently against the asphalt, each jump and each giggle caused candy-coated claws to dig into my mind, the claws digging deeper and deeper as my desire to join the girls grew.

“Wow! You did three skips that time! I wanna be good like that!”

I looked out the window and saw a skipping rope tied to a telephone pole. Two girls, one of them Kaylee’s age and one Ashley’s, were taking turns holding the rope. Each time they failed to jump the rope, they switched places. The whiney, nattering voice of the younger girl should have been a massive turnoff, like a beautiful girl with a mannish voice, but instead, it planted a powerful need, an alien yearning to reach out to these girls- to play with them, but it also caused a resurgence of doubt.

“Would they even want to play with me?”

Hailey and Candy were waiting at the big stone building that was called the Labs, in the clinic section for a checkup. Lynn wanted to make sure they were done before sending them out on any exploration missions. Hailey was itching to get out and explore the planet and Candy just wanted to spend time with Hailey and her new friends.

I knew I had to obey, but he’d been pretty vague, so I changed myself into a girl I didn’t think he would be attracted to: acne-scarred, scraggly-haired, and flat-chested. But he wasn’t satisfied, of course; he gave me detailed specs on his ideal woman, and I changed myself to match.

While there is safety within the walls of the apartment, away from the prying eyes of the outside world, Ryan continues to struggle with who he is becoming, as the serum persists in eroding his masculine and adult identity. Meanwhile, Eve, who seems to have warmed to Ryan, attempts to get him to open up concerning what happened in the studio. Finally, even tucked away safe within the walls, Ryan cannot be saved from himself, and a brief exchange threatens that very safety.

Excerpt: I narrowed my eyes, while feeling my lower lip gently lower into a pout, “Do you really think I’m that weak? And Elsa and Anna were apart for ten years, living in the same castle. We could have done the same thing in the apartment.”

A look of shock crossed Eve’s features, her eyebrows shooting upward, and her mouth momentarily agape. She composed herself, and the softness, which had become commonplace, returned. It was a look I had seen rarely in the woman before my change, but the doe-like tenderness and warmth in her eyes, and even the way she held her mouth, in a slight and comforting smile- it made me want to spill my guts to her- to tell her everything.

Alexa Chapter 5: The Saturday Night Confession

I don’t know what was worse, the sudden blast of sunlight that seemed to hit me or Katie’s saccharine voice telling me to get up. “Leave me alone Katie.” I can’t believe how bad I feel. My head is pounding from the worst hangover I have ever had in my entire life. I’m blaming Jenny for the condition I find myself in. I’m sure I had no hand in how bad I feel.

The girls had walked home that night from the tavern; they had had a lot of fun. Hailey was changing. She wasn’t forgetting her friends, but was making new ones, since she knew there was nothing she could do about her situation. Besides, the call to explore was strong. She had already learned in her short time here, that in 60 years, they had only really thoroughly explored a dozen or so islands.

Sam is spending a year in America with Katie, a friend he met online. Both are aware of Sam's desire to be feminine. A man bun will no longer be Sam's go to hairstyle!

Despite being free from the terror of the studio, Ryan grapples with the knowledge that while he retains his adult mind, the outside world sees the sweet, diminutive Kaylee. An unaccompanied six year old girl on the streets of one of the most populated cities in the US also brings plenty of unwanted attention, and as such, it is clear he will need help. Whether he seeks out his mother or his small group of trusted friends, Ryan will have to act quickly as the longer he remains alone the greater the chance that the unwanted attention brings the authorities, and with it, a host of unanswerable questions.

Excerpt: “Are you waiting for your mommy, sweetie?” The old woman smiled, and while I felt safe in her presence, internally- it was like great swathes of barbed wire had nested in my brain. Each word and gesture from the woman, from her kindly expression to the way she sat, it echoed what I already knew- the world would see Kaylee, and they would treat her accordingly.

There was no surprise in this. Ryan Sullivan wasn’t sitting at the bus stop, his legs dangling from the bench, unable to touch the ground. He wasn’t wearing a t-shirt with a glittery butterfly on it, or a pair of pink running shoes that lit up in the dark.

I answered snidely, “No, I’m waiting for a bus.”