Synopsis:

As if having to move to a new country and leaving all your friends behind was bad enough. Just when you start making new friends and even find a girl that you like, and who likes you, your whole life is changed dramaticly by a genetic syndrom you thought you were immune to.

Story:

Note: The MORFS universe is now open for submissions. Please send any stories or questions to Britney at [email protected] for approval. Universe rules are posted at http://morfs.nowhere2go.org/

Grey

By Nist Shadow

Part 1. A New school and a New Life.

Towelling down the dark black fur on my arms and chest has been a chore in the mornings, one that sometimes makes me wish that I didn’t need to shower every day. But my sensitive nose means that I notice when I start to smell, often before most people, so the necessary pain comes with desiring not to have to spend a day smelling badly. At just under 5’1, I am well built and defined for a 16 year old, but then with my father, being who he is, that’s not surprising.

I’m the first born son of a pair of highly skilled operatives, which as most know, is the polite way of saying the person who takes what the spies have collated and does the dirty work, think James Bond, but without the public image. Their enemies didn’t know their names, they knew nothing, my parents had never failed a mission and no one knew it, which was exactly how they wanted it. With the birth of my sister, four years after my own birth, our parents retired. Well, retired is a strong word, you never really retire from their line of work; they relocated and became the heads of a training academy developing the next generation of operatives. Since I was able to walk, Dad had me training with him. The MORFS virus had given him the appearance of being a Humanoid Black Cat. Well almost, he had cat paws instead of feet and hands, though his fore paws were just as flexible as human hands so it never held him back. He also had the defined form of a man who works out every day but has pushed more for stamina and speed than bulk lifting force. With the exception of his eyes, his head was mostly human, though with a fine soft fur covering it.

Mum had taken on a more tigerlike appearance with her change. Her golden hair had become a glorious mane, her body, though appearing lithe and skinny, could probably match my father's for strength, though physically she only took on the colouring of a tigress, and remained fully human in body shape, well, except for the fur in places. Mother has this look about her, as if she wouldn’t hurt a fly, though from personal experience, I can tell you that she is possibly deadlier than most people I know. Both my parents have cat’s-eyes. My sister Katherine took on the appearance of our mother, much as I have inherited an appearance similar to our father, and,as I had found out to the bruising of my arm, the same uncanny strength. As with our parents our eyes were feline.

I was staring into my own eyes in the mirror one morning when my sight blurred.

Mum found me embracing the toilet in the bathroom half an hour later, my stomach still retching even though there was nothing else to heave.

Being born like I was, human mostly, human hands and human feet, but the light black fur all over my body with a tail and the cats eyes like my fathers, I, like so many others, assumed I had gone through the MORFs changes in the womb.

You can imagine my shock when the doctor said to my mother, “I have the test results back and confirm both your son and your daughter have the first stage illness responses for the MORFS virus…”

“I’m sorry, but I thought they would be immune to MORFs…”

“Well … usually children growing up like they have, with the physical appearances like their parents, have gone through an early MORFS metamorphosis, and or their DNA is immune to further editing. However, in these twos cases, the virus is effecting them, in Jace’s case, quite badly. These are prescriptions for their QTPs. (Quick Transition Packs). I’m afraid that beyond this, I can’t be much help. As a military doctor, I usually only have post MORFs patients. If you like, I can refer you to a doctor more familiar with the MORFS virus and its effects.”

*******

We had been here only 2 weeks, and I had thought I had done well at school, all considering the newness to it. In England I had been at an all boys private school, quite popular, well known, with my own group of friends. Here in the US the nearest equivalent was 100 miles away, a boarding school and one for “pure” humans only, as in no one who looks not human need apply, and that meant me straight out. Oh well, public school for me. Drats, mix school you say? I have to go to school with girls? Oh damn! Stop being sarcastic? Mother would I be …Ow, did you have to hit me, Sis? Suffice to say my initial reaction was that this was an improvement.

I guess you could say my first day hadn’t gone too well, I had gone in to do some tests so they could place me in the best classes for my abilities. Walking from the office to my appointment in the gym for a physical analysis, I had seen this cute blonde, short skirt, tight top, smile to die for. As she walked past, I smiled and simply said “Good morning.” She took one look at me, and said “Fuck off, you sub human freak.” Well, that was a downer, I must say, considering the mix of students that were supposed to be here.

First up was gym or more precisely, ‘test the new guy to see what he can and can’t do.’ Jump tests, sprint tests, balance tests, stamina tests such as the bleep test, long distance that sorts of things. I did well on the balance test, my tail letting me balance on the thin bar the coach had me walk along. It snaked around the hall with increasing difficulty and reducing thickness. I slipped on the final stretch when the pole rolled. The standing jump test was fun, I shocked the teacher by somersaulting so my feet were my highest point, adding another meter to my max height, I’m not sure what shocked him most though, the fact I somersaulted, or the fact I landed on my hands.

The only tests that weren’t done were the martial arts and self defence ones. The note from my parents informing the school they did not wish me to do that section of the curriculum got me out of it. I never understood why martial arts were added to the curriculum in a lot of schools. Oh, sure, it sounds good in theory, teach everyone how to be able to defend themselves, and not only will the kids be less likely to be bullied, but you have done some of the work in training them if you ever need to call them up in war. Strangely enough, the kids who got the most benefit from the training weren’t the kids who needed it the most. Oh, sure, some would be pretty damn good and most would leave them alone. But it was usually the bullies who excelled, and it just made them better bullies.

After the session, on the way back to the school office with a sheet of paper listing my physical abilities for class placement, I saw my little sister, pushed up against a locker. There was a group of normal looking girls standing around her. She had this look in her eyes. I had seen that look before, and it wasn’t a good look. It happens when she is getting angry, and like our mother, that meant dangerous.

“Look, you little bitch, that bathroom is for human girls only. You will not go in there, ever!” It was the blonde from earlier; she had her hand in my sister’s hair and was holding her up against the lockers.

“Yeah you must go outside like the animal you are.” I couldn’t see who had said that, but the other girls in the group thought it was pretty funny.

“I would let go of her, if I was you….”

“Fuck off, Freak! This is between us and the little animal here. None of your business…” yelled a brunette had turned around to scream at me.

“Hey, I recognise you; you’re the dirty animal who tried hitting on me earlier. James! This is the freak I was telling you about.” said the blonde to a guy who had been leaning against a locker a few meters further down the corridor. He stood up straight, easily six and a half feet in height and walked towards me.

“Huh, well I guess I got to pound you, hitting on my woman isn’t allowed.” He moved towards me and threw a punch. Jumping back, I let my tail unwrap from around my waist.

“Huh, the freaks got a tail. That’s another reason to pound you, I hate tails.”

“Hey Sis, there’s only 8 of them, try not to hurt them too badly, OK?”

Her response was to growl. Oh dear this wasn’t good, I had once heard my mother growl, and the guy who had hit me is now a cripple. I blocked the punch from the big guy, slipped inside his defences and brought my fist up onto his jaw. His eyes crossed briefly, he shook his head, pulled back his fist to hit as if to try again to hit me, then collapsed into an unconscious heap.

I turned to see my sister do a similar thing to the blonde, who flew across the corridor. She turned to the next one, who had taken a step in towards her, but the girl began having second thoughts after her friend had gone airborne. Both our tails were flicking back and forth, hers out of anger, and mine out of agitation. She threw a punch at the girl, and I moved to catch it.

********

“I can’t believe you two got pulled into the principal’s office for fighting on your first day. Your father is going to be furious. What were you thinking?”

“It’s not even a suspension, Mum, and it was self defence. You know we don’t have any classes till next Monday, and they have processed our old school records and tested us in the areas they are unsure of.”

“That is not the point. YOU” she said pointing at me, “are supposed to be looking after your sister.”

“Looking after my sister? Mum she hardly needs me looking after….”

“Mum, I don’t need….”

“Be quiet, both of you. You’re both grounded.”

“What?? We have been in the states for 2 days, and you’re grounding us already? Are we supposed to have no friends?”

“Ok, you’re not grounded, but you have both lost your TV privileges for a week, and you, young lady, a month for answering me back.” Mum was getting the look in her eyes; I spotted it immediately and signalled Katherine to stop arguing. Mum is pretty easy going as long as you don’t push her too far. Oh, she gets angry, and she shouts and screams a lot, and we get punished. But if we take it maturely, the punishment often got reduced once it was decided we have learnt the lesson. Both our parents believe that we should have a say in how thing go, so if we think a punishment is unfair we can argue about it, to a point. Ague too much and the punishment will get increased.

I remember my father’s words, “‘Well son, now you’re 12, you are mature enough to make some decisions for yourself. But with this comes responsibilities. You will have to do chores around the house, help out your mother and me when you can. Oh, and if you think me or your mother has unjustly punished you, you can argue your point, as long as you do it in a mature fashion. Understand? Good. Remember one thing though, we’re still your, parents and there is a point where if you go too fa,r you will be punished. But learning when to argue and when not to is part of life.”

I had learnt, the hard way more often than not, how far I could go with my parents, and when best to argue my case, which was often the following morning at the breakfast table, after they had calmed down from whatever reason they had given us the punishment. I shifted the ice pack on my face and sighed. That blow was going to give me such a nice black eye.

Dad’s response was pretty typical for him. While Mum was in the room he was a stickler for how bad we had been. The minute she left, after Katherine had gone to bed, he conspiratorially asked in a whisper, “How did the fight go really?” Then he quietly chuckled as I relayed the fight, and how I’d had to pin Katherine on the ground until she calmed down. He looked at my swollen eye, “Katherine?”

“Yep.” He couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that one. Mum’s look was questioning when she came back into the room.

“Jace was just saying how he got that great shiner.”

“What is so funny about a bully punching your son in the head?”

“It wasn’t the Jock, Mum. It was Kat, when I held her on the ground to stop her killing those girls …”

“She’s getting more like you every day, dear …” Hmm was it too late to get out the room …

********

Over the next few days I took a stupid number of tests, which coupled with my school report effectively placed me into the best classes for my skills, abilities and previous education, though looking at my timetable for the following week, I didn’t have a clue what I would be doing. It was all stuff like SC502, Rm J201, Dr Hansworth. Now I think that SC was science, as J block, according to my school map is a Science block. So 502 maybe meaning year 5 set 2, without anything to tell me for sure this was all just guess work.

I was glad I had gotten the physical tests done already, as my balance was well off with this shiner, though the breakfast from Kat when I got up was nice. Seems I should stop my sister hurting people more often, as she seems to get all nice when I do.

Monday came around so I found myself outside the school grounds, looking at the swarm of kids heading into the building. Having not really had chance to learn the area, or even having seen another student to get an idea of the limits of the rather vague student uniform of the place, I had opted for a casual form of my old one, my old black trousers, white shirt and black shoes. So as you can expect, I stood out from the other guys, who were wearing jeans, t-shirts, shorts, and hoodies.

I started to weigh up looking like a dweeb on my first day of school or getting a bollocking from my mother for being late on my first day of a new school, when a good looking Brunette said, “You new?” I looked at her, meeting her green eyes with a smile. Her dark hair was tied back into a pony tail and she was in a black miniskirt and black tank top with a pair of trainers on.

“Yeah, and wondering whether it might be a good idea to go home, get change and turn up late…”

“Ohhh, you’re English. I like your accent. Let’s see who you’ve got.” Before I could do anything, she had whipped my timetable from my hand, turned it over and was quickly looking at who and what I had. “Right, well you’ve got Mrs. Jameson first. So if you value your hide, you won’t be late. She never forgives tardy students.”

“Damn…well I guess I can always shake the dweeb opinion people will make of me.”

“Haha, no one will think you’re a dweeb, that is school uniform. It’s just for the first day of a new year we can wear what we like, which you wouldn’t know if this is your first year, as I doubt the office told you. Right?”

“Yeah ...”

“Good, I’ve got Jameson first thing as well. This way. I’m Kaitie, Kaitie McSammuel.” She was leading me towards the building I had been staring at just a moment before.

“Jace Neumer.”

It seems Kaitie and I were in a lot of classes together and she ended up showing me around, not that I’m complaining, she was good looking. Lunch was different. Having been use to a more formal sit down style of school meals, the fast food style with the benches was all new to me.

“You ever see the movies where a character gets shown around, and is told their social status is decided by where they sit?”

“Err…a couple. Why?” I was looking around the room as we walked towards a table in the centre.

“Well, sadly, it’s true, only here you tend to get three distinct groups.” We sat down at a round table in the middle of the room. I noticed around this table the room definitely felt like it had been split into three sections.

“The three groups here can be described simply as the “Pure” humans,” she nodded her heard towards one section, “They think that they are better than anyone who has been effected by the MORFs. Some are pretty vocal about it.” I could see the blonde who had attacked my sister, as I understand it, she had been lightly bruised, a sprained ankle, and a small cut, she was however well bandaged.

“The Supers, People who have been effected by the MORFs virus quite strongly and think it makes them better than those who haven’t.” She nodded towards the group as far from the “Pures” as you could be, “Obviously the pures and the supers hate each other, and then there is the third group, which I like to call the sane and normal. The people who don’t care one way or another.”

“Normal? Kait, you’re not giving another new person your morality speech are you?” I looked up to see a tall guy in a tight black T shirt. He was wearing black specs, and I could see from his whiskers he was post MORFs.

“Ahh Jimmy! Have a good vacation?”

“It was alright, got dragged around Canada by my pops in his truck. Who’s the new guy?”

“OH, my bad.” She giggled, “This is Jace, Jimmy … Jimmy, Jace.”

“Hi.”

“Nice to meet ya, man. Where’s the rest of the gang?”

“Coming. I saw Penny earlier; she and Jen are having a meeting with the principal before coming to lunch. They probably saw Karen and the twins and dragged them with them.”

“Ahhh good.”

“How’s Mel?” she asked as she put a chip in her mouth.

“MORFS.”

“What? Damnit am I going to be the last in the group who goes through it?”

“Haha, looks like I might win the pool after all.”

“Pool?” I asked.

“Oh we have a pool on who will be the last of us to go through the MORFs. Penny, Jen and sweet Kaitie here are the only three of us to have not gone through it yet. I put my money on Kaitie.”

“Just me and Jen now…Penny went through it a week ago.”

“She did? Did she change?”

“Nope, nothing fun anyway. Just cosmetic.”

“You don’t have any fun super powers do you?” he asked me.

“Huh? Fun?”

“You know, being able to fly, pick up cars with one hand, teleport yourself?”

“Errr…No, sorry, I’ve got a tail…” I let it unwrap from my waist and wiggled it behind me.

“Damn.”

“Oooo, that looks nice, can I touch it?” I looked at Kaitie, shrugged and swung my tail to her; she took it in one hand and started to stroke it. “Ooo it’s so soft. How come I didn’t notice this before?”

“I keep it wrapped around my waist and out the way…Oooo that does feel relaxing…”

“Who’s Mr Purrer?” I was purring, quite content to enjoy the relaxing sensations from my tail.

“Haha, this is Jace, new guy, Kait's just demonstrating her magic fingers on his tail.”

“Welcome to Derek Samuel’s High.” I managed to open my eyes to look at the 5 people who sat down. Kait let go of my tail and I wrapped it grudgingly back around my waist.

“Jace, these are Penny” she indicated a blonde with a pair of Elvin ears, blue eyes and a smile from ear to ear. “Jen.” A grey eyed, raven haired beauty. “Karen” she had dark sunglasses on, and her hair was covered by a bandana and a baseball cap. “And these two miscreants” she said indicating the twins who sat down on opposite sides to Karen and Jen, “are the twins, Mike and Tike.” Both had certain physical similarities to monkeys, neither had opposable thumbs, and both had tails.

“Haha, we like to get our tails stroked as well…”

“Don’t think I have seen someone who starts purring, though…. “

“I thought it was sweet, very catlike.”

“Does he?”

“Nope, no super powers…”

“Damn…”

“Damn…”

“What’s with the fixation with super powers?”

“Well, based upon national statistics, 50% of the population feels no change from MORFS, so statistically, half the group should have no powers. Now if we look at the numbers, there is a lot of kids in this school who have had no change. So we figure, most, if not all of us should be effected by MORFS somehow, especially as we all come from families who have been effected. Now 25% should have some kind of special ability, nothing spectacular, and 1% should be amazing. Now the monkey boys here can swing and move around like real monkeys…” commented Karen.

“Hey…”

“ ...We’re better than real monkeys.”

“That’s arguable. Monkeys often have more sense” Karen kissed Tike on the cheek before carrying on. “Jen can sing in perfect key.”

“Not much of a power, she could do that before MORFS hit her.”

“Anyway, in a school of 4000 students, you would expect half to show signs of MORFs. Out of that 2000, 1000 should have some sort of ability, so in our grade, 143 students should have some sort of extra ability, and 5 or 6 should have some sort of super power. As far as we can tell, there are only 3.”

“4, if you include Kevin Samuels” Commented Jen.

“Kevin is a super brain, hardly a super power” Replied Tike.

“Plus he is way too fixated with weapons,” added Mike.

“So, do you have claws?” Karen asked with a mischievous grin.

“Err, kinda.” I held out my hand and let my claws slide out of my finger tops. Slightly curved, they were just a little smaller than the length from my finger tips to the first knuckle. “Not much use for anything other than climbing and scratching holes in things…”

“Could be nasty in a fight…”

I retracted them, “I’ve promised to never use them that way in a fight. If I do, then it’s because I have no other choice.”

“Well this is morbid, guys. Anyone see 'Love Triangle' last night?” asked Penny.

“Groan, not another soap. Do you girls do anything but watch soaps all night?” asked Mike.

“Sure we do, there’s also the sports” smiled Jen.

“You watched the Football game last night?”

“No the soccer match, those hot guys in those tight shorts.”

“Sheesh, don’t even know why I bother.”

“Cause you like me.” She kissed Mike on the lips.

“Well…” she kissed him again. “Ok, yeah I do.”

“Jace?” I looked at Kait again. “What are you doing this afternoon?”

“Oh ...err.” I pulled out my lesson timetable, “Lets see, SP501, Dr. J.P Pearson.”

“You’re in Pearson’s Gym Class?” Mike and Tike were looking at me in shock, the others in disbelief.

“According to this, yes…why?”

“Were in that class….you must have scored a kick ass score in the test to get into our class…”

“How far did you get on the Balance maze?”

“The track around the edge of the gym?” I got a nod, “I got to the bar that spun around as I got half way over.”

“Damn…”

“Impressive! Well, we better be off or we will be late for class. We meeting up at Flappinos after school?” A round of nods and yeps before Kait looked at me and said, “Wanna come? It’s a Smoothey shop on main.”

“Sure…will I have chance to get changed? Or is it a go as I am sorta place?”

“Changed is good. Not is good as well. If you will be more comfortable changed, go changed. K?” I smiled and nodded. “Mike, show Jace where Flapps is will you? We’ll meet you there.”

“Sure thing Kait, Come on Jace, the Doc really isn’t a teacher you want to be late for.”

“Two hours of jumping jacks sucks.”

My afternoon was taken up by Gym class, 3 hours of things I love, jumping, bouncing and generally throwing myself around.

Dr. Pearson is, to be honest, an orang-utan. We started the lesson looking up at him as he hung from the ceiling where he explained what he wanted us to do throughout the session. Circuit training, 5 minutes doing one activity, then you move on to another activity and so on. In groups of three, which found me working with Mike and Tike, as the pair of them used each other as spring boards to throw each other around.

“Ok, Gents.” The doc, as he asked us to call him said, fell from the ceiling to land on one of the mats. “To finish the lesson off, I want to offer an open challenge to anyone who can ring that bell…” he pointed to a bell set in the centre of the ceiling.

“Ahh, this will be easy.”

“…WITHOUT, jumping up and ringing it! That means ‘you’, Mr Piles. We all know you are capable of clearing that height with ease. So the requirement is to ring the bell three times in quick succession, without touching the ground, leaving a second between each ring.”

“Drats.”

Mike turned to me and said, “He always does this, thinks up a puzzle for us to try and solve.”

“As an added incentive, there will be 50 points awarded to the person to ring the bell for the interschool cup.”

“Interschool cup?” I asked Mike.

“School competition, near the end of the year. Teams compete for prizes throughout the year. You can gain points for your team by doing well in certain classes.” We watched Tike try to swing a rope close enough to ring the bell.

“You know, I think I can see away to ring the bell….but it will take teamwork…”

“How?”

“Call Tike, it will take all three of us.”

One of the exercises we had to do, involved climbing up a rope, crawling through a vent and dropping onto a pile of crash mats. The exit hole for the vent happened to line up with a rope on the other side of the room, and the bell in the middle. So I found myself catching the bottom end of the rope that Mike had thrown up to me, which had Tike holding onto the ring which secured the other end to the ceiling. Once I had a good grip on the rope and braced my self in the vent, Tike changed grip onto the rope and moved along it till he was under the bell, where he reached up and rang it.

Dr. Pearson was positively beaming when he congratulated us. “Five years! In the five years I’ve been offering this prize, not one student has ever managed it without some kind of power being involved, until now. Well done! You boys well deserve the 50 points between ... Oh what the heck, make that 50 points each. There should be rewards for good teamwork.”

“You guys have got 50 points already??? Damn, isn’t that more than the pair of you got together last year?” Karen was smiling at Mike as she kissed him.

“Well…yeah it is. Never seen old Doc so happy” Kaitie and I were at the counter buying the drinks, Flapps is a traditional teen hangout. They sell nice tasting drinks at a reasonable price, play good music, and have arcades and consoles dotted about the room. All the staff were young and the whole atmosphere was one of fun. I was pretty relaxed. After gym had got out Tike, Mike and I had taken a quick trip to my house where I got changed into a pair of my black combat trousers and a t shirt, before coming here. We had a half an hour wait before the others got here, due to us finishing earlier, so I got a full demonstration of Mike and Tike's DDR skills. Believe me, when I say, these two were good, they were swapping platforms and still hitting perfects on every touch.

“You having fun?” Kait was looking up at me while we waited our turn for the drinks.

“Yeah. The music is good, the company is great…” she smiled, wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a kiss.

“Whoa, Kait just dragged Jace into her world.”

Karen looked over and smiled, “Yeah she said she would do that.”

“Huh?”

“Mike, Kait has a list of things that’s she is looking for in a guy.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, can you remember then, Jen?”

“Yep, let’s see, nice personality, deep, intelligent eyes and a sexy tail.”

“And a fit body, I believe. Basically, Jace.”

“I think the accent is a bonus as well.”

The kiss was great…no better then great it was… Ok, probably not the best description of the kiss, it felt great, but to this day I can’t describe how I felt or really remember much about it, only that it felt great and I didn’t want it to stop.

“What would you two like?”

“Huh?” Our lips broke contact and Kait told the bartender our order. She smiled as she walked away to make them up.

“Want to go see a movie with me?”

“I’d love to, but isn’t it normally the guy who asks the girl?”

“It is, but I’m not like most other girls” I grabbed two of the drinks, put a third between them and lifted a forth carefully with my tail. Kait grabbed the last two. As we headed towards our table, 4 faces were looking at us with big grins on their faces.

“You think they saw us?”

“Probably.” The applause we received as we came over confirmed we had been seen

“I can’t believe how useable your tail is. Ours only seem to be any use for changing our centre of balance,” commented Mike as I put down the drink which I had carried with my tail.

“I’ve had a lot of practice. It’s like your other limbs, the more you use them to do things, the easier it gets to do them. My sister can write with both hands as neatly as one.”

“Can you write with your tail?” Tike asked.

“Haha! I wish, no, nothing too small or it’s hard to grip. I could carry the glass as I could use the shape and rim to stop the glass sliding out.”

“His tail is silky soft…” purred Kait, I grinned and wrapped it around her.

After we had had a couple of drinks, Kait and I went down to the local cinema to watch a movie, Batgirl: The legacy of the Bat, following on from the Batman of the future movies which had been a big hit in the cinemas 15 years ago. It told the tale of the girl who took on the mantle of Batgirl and joined the new Batman and Robin as they fought crime. It felt good to feel Kait’s body against mine, as she hugged me tightly during the bits which made her jump, and the fight scenes, and the romance scenes, and since she was already there, the rest of the movie.

Since we both had school in the morning we finished off our date and walked home, ending up outside her home just after 11.

“Tonight was fun.”

“It was, I find it hard to believe I only met you this morning…”

“Want to do it again tomorrow?”

“Yes, but we need to work on this. I’m sure I’m supposed to be the one doing the asking out.” We finished of with another kiss, before I broke it off and started to back away.

“See you tomorrow Jace.” She said as she opened the door and step backwards into it.

“See you tomorrow, Kait.” I didn’t know it then, this would be the last time I ever saw Kaitie.

*********

“Who was that, Dear?”

“That was Jace, Mum.”

“Jace who, Dear?” her father asked as he came into the hall way.

“Jace Neumer.”

“English boy?”

“Yes, Father, just started at school today.”

“He’s a fast mover isn’t he, if you have only known him a day?”

“That was me, Mom. I followed Pop’s advice, saw a chance and took it.”

“Well, I didn’t mean it when it came to boys. With those you have to be careful. I want to meet him before I will let you go on another date with him.”

“Yes, Father. Goodnight.”

“Night, Princess.”

“Night, Darling.” Kait’s parents walked back into the living room as the girl ran upstairs to get ready for bed.

“You know Jace’s parents, Dear?”

“Michael Neumer has just assumed command of the Alliance Security Agencies Operative Training Installation. His wife is his second in command, and commandant of the female training program.”

“The ASA’s OTI? Damn …” she sat down and looked at her husband, who had been recently elected State Senator. As his wife and Secretary, she had almost the same security clearance as he did. “Of course this does offer a certain advantage …”

“Oh?” He looked up from his glass of wine.

“We now have a legitimate reason to meet them. Publicly we aren’t supposed to know about the OTI, but since our daughter is dating their son, I think it’s only fair we meet the parents of the boy. How did an Englishman become the head of an ASA OTI?”

Kait’s father chuckled, “You are devious, but don’t start making plans for what we’re having. I’ll need to check. There are no guidelines in place for this sort of situation. He’s English, but she’s American, since neither side wanted to really let the other side have an advantage, the Neumers made an attractive offer. The third in command is an American friend of the couple, so both sides feel they are getting the best that they can for it.”

********

I got home with a big smile on my face, walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the island counter, Mum and Dad were both just finishing their dinners, so they hadn’t been home long, Kat was digging into a bowl of ice cream.

“So, good day at school? Make any friends?”

“He sure did, Kaitie McSammuel. He’s become very good friends with her.”

“Shut it, shrimp,” I said with a grin, as I ninja’d some ice cream from her bowl with a spoon.

“Hey!! Mine! Get your own, you big bully.”

“McSammuel? George McSammuel’s Daughter?” I looked at both my parents and shrugged.

“Could be, I haven’t met her parents …”

“He was too busy letting his tongue meet her tonsils”

“Oii”

“Kat, its late, put the ice cream back in the freezer and go to bed.”

“But….”

“No buts! Now! Go.”

“Ahhh, it’s so unfair!!”

“Jace will be going to bed soon as well, Dear.” Kat grumbled a bit but was soon in bed.

“I take it then your first day of classes, wasn’t a replay of your first day at the school?”

“No, I met Kaitie and had a pretty fun day. We’re going out again tomorrow.”

“That’s nice, Dear.”

“Son, I think its time we had ‘the talk’.” I stared at my dad, he stared back.

I stared at Dad some more, he still just stared back.

“Why are you two just staring at each other?”

“I don’t know about Dad, but I’m trying not to laugh.” I said, stifling a laugh. I could tell from the cracking of Dad’s eyes he was equally amused.

My mum rolled her eyes. “You two? I really don’t know what to do with the pair of you. I really don’t.”

“G’Night.” I said as I made my way to bed.

The following morning I got up bright eyed and bushy tailed, well not really bushy tailed, but I was looking forward to my day. I entered the bathroom, I got over to the mirror and looked at my reflection, my sight blurred, I felt woozy, my stomach churned. I dived for the toilet and managed to empty my guts into it.

It couldn’t have been more than 30 minutes, but I was still grasping the toilet and emptying my guts into it, or at the very least trying to, every few seconds retching, my body trying to expel anything that might have been in it. I looked up to see my mum walking into the bathroom.

“I was coming up to tell you that I’m taking your sister to the doctors for a check up, she has been up half the night in pain, but I think you had better come as well.” She placed her hand on my forehead. 15 minutes later, we were bundled into the back seat of Mum’s new Fiat Samara for the drive to the doctors.

“These are the subscriptions for their QTPs. (Quick Transition Packs). I’m afraid that beyond this I can not be much help, as a military doctor, I usually only have post MORFs patients, if you like I can refer you to a doctor more familiar with the MORFS virus and its effects.” The doctor was offering Mum a stack of medical forms. Doctor Sinclaire as I later found out is a master at keeping people alive, his genius had saved more peoples lives than people really gave him credit for, but like most genius, his bed side manner sucked.

“Will these cover them during their transitions?”

“Certainly.”

“Then I doubt there is anything another doctor can do…” My mother smiled at him.

“Probably not, no. Have them use them as soon as possible, there is no reason to prolong the suffering. If you like, I can pop round a few occasionally and check on them.”

“Thanks Doctor.”

“No problem. To tell you the truth I am most interested in their cases. It’s rare I have to treat a MORFs patient at this stage. First though, let’s get the interfaces installed.”

“Mum, I got a date tonight, I…”

“What will your date going to say if you spend most of the night rushing to the toilet? Call her home and leave a message!”

I called Kait and left a message on her parent’s answer phone, then, with a sigh, I made my way up to my room. Sitting on my bed I took a look at the plastic frame on my arm. The tight fitting device had telescopic arms which closed around the arm, holding the intravenous drip’s needle stable in the arm. According to the instruction booklet, the design allowed for rapid changes in size of the arm, while protecting the wearer from ripping out the needle if they moved around while asleep. Opening the pack, I took out one of the high energy bars and took a nibble. It tasted disgusting, but I chomped my way through the bar while I looked through the rest of the kit.

There was a foil wrapped pack of 10 capsules, 10 cartridges, and 9 more energy bars. According to the instructions, each cartridge would last around 11 hours, and the sleeping pills 12. I finished the bar, took a quick trip to the toilet, stripped to my underwear and then headed for bed. Lying down I took the first capsule with a glass of water, slipped the first cartridge into the interface, clicked it into place and rested my head against my pillow. Mum came in and sat down on the bed next to me.

“Your sister has gone under.” She took my hand and squeezed it. “Think happy thoughts, and I’ll see you when you wake up.” It was the last thing I heard before I couldn’t stay awake any longer.

Fortunately for me, I have an en-suite bathroom ... well, I share it with my sister, we both have a door leading from our bedroom to it. But by unspoken agreement between us, she uses the main bathroom and I use the smaller one. Our parents have their own. The room has a shower cubicle, a toilet and a sink. It’s fortunate that I have this, as I don’t think I could have made it to the main bathroom before I emptied what should have been a relatively empty stomach. Mum, hearing me retching, came in and started to rub my back.

“I just got your sister back to sleep. Feeling ok?”

“A little.” Mum passed me a glass of water to sip, then gave the toilet a quick clean up.

“Err, Mum, could you, err give me a minute?”

“What? Oh? Sure, Dear.” She smiled at me and moved into my bedroom. As soon as my door was closed I sat on my toilet and started to empty myself out the other way.

“Any messages for me?”

“One from a girl called Kait, ‘Get Well soon.’” I smiled.

Walking back from the bathroom I noticed my mother had just made my bed. “Mum, its only going to get messed up again.”

“I know, but I’m your mother.”

I grabbed an energy bar from the box and took a mouthful. “Sheesh, this stuff tastes disgusting.”

“I think that’s the idea, if they tasted nice, people might eat a lot of them, and unless you need high energy for some reason, that’s a bad idea. Your hair’s grown dear, I had better take you for a hair cut. Once you’re finished …”

I finished the bar and grabbed another capsule and cartridge. “You OK, Mum?”

“Just a little worried about you two…it’s hard to have one kid going through it…but two…”

I gave her a hug before swallowing the capsule and replacing the cartridge.

“Don’t worry Mum, we’ll be fine.”

I woke up feeling a little groggy, sat up and looked over to the curtains. The sun was shining through and it looked to be a glorious day outside.

My boxers felt pretty loose around my waist as I walked over to the bathroom. I took a quick shower and washed off the slimy residue that coated my skin, pat dried my fur and skin and pulled my boxers back up before heading back to bed.

I opened my eyes to see a monster crawling up my chest, I knocked it across my room, then waited a few seconds. Nothing happened, so I assumed I must had imagined it. Getting up, I staggered once more to the bathroom. I ended up having to hold my boxers up, as they kept slipping down off my bottom and hips. Walking back across from the bathroom, I noticed the monster. It was a little black cat cuddly toy. It looked like it was ready to pounce on something, and it had a ribbon around its neck. Picking it up, I noticed a white envelope not far from it.

I sat on the bed and opened the envelope. Inside was a Get Well soon card, everyone had signed a little message wishing me luck, with a bigger one on the back from Kait, ‘You do of course realise, that cancelling our date at such short notice, now requires you to take me on two dates. Get well soon, XXX’. I smiled, shoved the cat on my pillow watching over me, took my medicine and went on another trip into the world of my unconscious.

I felt a pair of hands poking my stomach, carefully, methodically checking. Opening my eyes, I looked up into the face of Dr. Sinclaire. “Ahhh, young man, you’re awake. Jolly good.”

I shook my head as I sat up and headed for the toilet. “How do you feel?”

“Like I need the toilet” my voice was a little rough. Standing up, as I started to head to the bathroom, my underpants slipped off, so rather than bending over and grabbing them, I kicked them off, and headed into the bathroom.

Mum was standing in the doorway to the corridor smirking. “Doctor Sinclaire has just come to check up on you and your sister.” I nodded. As I came back from the bathroom, I grabbed a clean pair of underwear and sat down on the bed.

The tests didn’t take long, he checked my blood pressure, listened to my heart and did the cough test. While he did this, I chomped my way through an energy bar. I took my pill and replaced the cartridge after the doc had said, “Everything seems fine.”

I woke up chilly. I had kicked my covers off my body while I slept, and my body was sore. Sitting up, I blinked a few times and looked down at my body. I could see the marks where I had scratched myself, but I was finding it hard to focus. My skin still felt a little tingly.

Carefully, I crossed my room to the bathroom and took another shower. My eyes widened as clumps of the soft fur on my body washed away. I had been warned I might suffer some hair loss, but not fur. Quickly, I felt my head. Other than being a lot longer, the hair up there seemed fine, if anything, thicker than what I was used to. Getting back to bed I noticed the sheet was covered in my hair and the slime that was coming out my body. I took the time to replace the bedding before taking the pill.

The sun shone down onto my face and it’s gentle rays gave me a warm awakening. Smiling, I staggered to the bathroom, grabbing a T shirt to wear instead of the boxers which I couldn’t be bothered to hold up anymore. What had been a good fitting T shirt, was now pretty big for me. I got to the bathroom and looked into the small mirror over the sink. I had been resisting looking into any mirror until the change finished ... another advantage of my small bathroom was that it only had a small shaving mirror. The eyes I saw weren’t my eyes, not the eyes I had looked into every day for the last 16 and a bit years. Gone were the cat like slit pupils. It was irrational, it was so unlike me…

Dad found me a little while later, curled up in the corner of the bathroom. “I’m….I’m not me anymore …” I sobbed between uncontrollable tears.

“Nonsense, what makes you say that?” He had sat down next to me and put his arm around me, cuddling me like he used to when I had a problem before I grew out of it. He stroked my hair and I turned to look into his cat like eyes.

“My eyes, they…” He looked into my now blue eyes and smiled.

“Son, they are your eyes, oh a different colour maybe, and certainly a different shape, but the rest is you.” He helped me stand up. “One part of your body doesn’t make you who you are, what matters is what is in here.” He tapped my chest where my heart is, “and Here,” he tapped my forehead. “If I have taught you anything, it’s that these things are the only things that are important. Everything else is just dressing.”

I nodded. “It’s just …” He stopped me.

“Don’t, just take the pill, slap in a cartridge and get the changes done. If at the end you feel the need to cry at what you have lost, feel free, I won’t think any the less of you for it,. Just promise me one thing, while thinking of what you have lost, think about what you have gained, and remember your family will love you, regardless.”

I nodded, smiled and headed back to bed.

“How is he doing?”

“Took the change in his eyes hard.”

“I remember seeing my eyes become like this. How do they look now?”

“Human, he’s lost a lot of weight and muscle mass…”

“The doctor said height, as well, I didn’t notice, but apparently we’re a similar height now, and he used to be a few inches taller…”

“You don’t think he’s going through the same changes we did, do you?”

“It’s possible, Kat as well you think?”

“She’s barely changed much. A bit more muscle mass…”

“How did you calm him down?”

“Same way my father did me, gave him a hug and told him no matter what we would still love him…”

“He should know that…”

“He does, it’s just sometime you need reminding…”

“Want to remind me how much you love me?”

“All night long.”

Half asleep, I staggered over to the bathroom and sat down, pulling the T-shirt up and bunching it up around my waist. This thing used to be a good fit on my upper body. Now it was a loose fit and covered my bottom. My stomach itched a little, so I scratched it. As these things always do, the itch moved north, I carried on up and then out…and ... Out? I looked down, blinked, rubbed my eyes, looked down. No, I didn’t, I cupped them, I reached under the T-Shirt and cupped them again. I decided I really didn’t want to know, so I got up and crossed to my bed, grabbed the 8th pill and swallowed it without water. The cartridge clicked in and I closed my eyes, waiting to fall asleep.

I laid there looking up at the ceiling in my bedroom. My stomach wasn’t asking for food, I wasn’t light headed like I expected to be, all in all I thought, ‘It’s over.’

Slowly, I sat up. There had been a strange weight on my shoulders. A trip to my bathroom relieved my body’s waste disposal needs, and a shower cleaned me up, and also gave me my first chance to rediscover my body. I decided to start at the top and work down. Grabbing my shampoo, I lathered my hair and started to wash the gunk from it.

Here I had my first shock. Normally I’ve always had short hair, less through choice, and more through the fact it never got longer than its inch and half length. Now, as I washed out my hair, it cascaded down past my eyes, red, strong vibrant red hair, and judging by its presence on my back, and well, front, it was down past my shoulders.

I looked at my hands. The good strong hands I’d had, had been replaced with much daintier digits. I concentrated and my claws slid out, They hadn’t changed much, and looking at the size, my fingers were the same length, just thinner. Pulling my claws back in, I did what had really been on my mind the whole time, I cupped my breasts. It felt kinda nice to touch them, it then occurred to me, if I had … these ... then did I have…? My hand went down.

I had gotten no further than cupping my nether region, and even that had sent signals I wasn’t sure were safe. I hastened my shower, cleaning my body thoroughly, but in certain areas carefully, then climbed out. Using my tail, I closed the shower door. Grabbing my towel, I made my way to my parent’s room and my mum’s big mirror.

I should have been surprised to see the yellow post it on the glass, but instead, I was somewhat relived. Ignoring it for the moment, I looked at my reflection. My vibrant red hair was tipped by the black ends from my old hair. Green eyes were on either side of a pert nose, which was over a pair of lips I would have loved to have kissed. My eyes flowed down my body, admiring my breasts, and acknowledging the flat area between my legs. My tail’s colour matched the root colour of my hair, and other than a small bit which went up a little bit from the root of my tail, held the only fur on my entire body. I looked at the reflection again, at a girl I would love to get into my bed with me, I’d just never thought, hoped, not thought that someone with this body would be in the same bed as me for the rest of my life. Only there being another person in that bed was no longer a necessity.

I took a look at the note.

‘Jace, if you read this, I’ve taken Kat to buy some new clothes. You should be about my size, so I left out this dress for you to wear. See ya when we get home, Love Mum.’

There was an arrow pointing to the right. I followed it to a dress hanging on a hanger. It was a light shade of pink, cotton and zipped up the front. I sighed and walked towards the door, kicking my towel into my hand as I passed it, thinking, ‘I may be a girl now, but there is no way I’m wearing Pink without a very good reason.’

Back in my room I hunted through my drawers till I found an old pair of shorts that had become a little too tight. Pulling them on I found them to be a good fit around my legs, but incredibly loose on my waist. Fortunately there was a draw string. I sniffed the T shirt I had been wearing, and threw it onto my wash basket with the two changes of bedding already in there. I opened a drawer and pulled out a T shirt, the American football top my father had gotten me when he came back from a business trip here a few months back, the trip that had brought us over here in the first place. It had been big on me before, now it was positively massive. I opened a window then stripped my bed, the bedding was filthy again. Grabbing it all, I carried my basket down and shoved it all in the machine.

The calendar revealed it was now the Friday, 4 days I had been out, which tallied up with the pills, bars and cartridge. I sat down on the sofa and went to pick up the TV remote, there was another post it.

‘The home work you’ve missed is on the table. Do that first.’

I ripped the note off and pushed the button to turn on the TV. Nothing happened. I flipped over the remote and opened the battery compartment ... No batteries, but there was another post-it ...

‘We will be busy all weekend, Darling, so get your homework done now.’

I blinked, sighed and got up; I was beginning to think, ‘That women knows me too well.’ Sitting down at the table I opened the first book and read the note

‘That’s my child; there are some BBQ ribs that just need heating in the fridge. For when you get hungry’

“Yep, she knows me too well…”

My homework was no easier or harder than I expected it to be. First week of a new year there was only really stuff that I had covered in previous years, as a refresher for what was going to be taught. I was just finishing my maths when I heard the car door open and close twice, and realised Mum was home.

I walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on, if Kat was on normal form she had probably dragged Mum around every shop in what ever shopping centre they went to.

I heard the Front door open, the dropping of a lot of bags and then the sound of someone running outside. Walking into the hallway I could see it was blocked by about 6 bags full of clothes. Mum was just coming in the door with some groceries. She saw me and smiled.

I started to make my way towards her to help. “Its OK, Dear, Kat can get the last of it.”

I nodded. “Well let me get a look at you!”

I spun on the spot. “I’ve done my homework; can I get the batteries for the TV?”

“Nope, I need to take you out shopping.”

“That’s OK, Mum. I’m sure you’re tired after being dragged around every shop in the shopping centre.”

“Hahaha, actually I had to drag Kat around.”

“Hang on?! What caused this miracle?” I looked up to see my little sister carrying 12 bags. Some were clothes, but most were food. Seeing her carry that much after shopping wasn’t that much of a shock. For my family, that’s the norm. Her appearance was a shock, though.. You’ve got to understand my sister, she’s an avatar for the goddess of skirts. For as far back as I can remember I have never seen her in anything but a skirt. But here she was, in shorts and t shirt, with a pair of trainers, white sports socks, and a baseball cap on.

She looked at me, sighed, and pushed past, “It’s so unfair …”

“Huh?”

I looked at her as she walked away from me and noticed her tail was gone and so was her hair.

“Kat’s taken a similar change as you have …”

“You mean ... ?”

“Yep, you have a little brother now…”

I stifled a laugh.

“I heard that!” She, or should I say, he stormed back, “You think its funny I have to be a male? You think its fair? I had plans, you bastard.” She spun round and threw a kick at my stomach, or at least tried to. The minute I realised what she was doing, the whole world dulled and everything slowed down. I saw her foot swing round in slow motion and aim for my waist. Almost painfully slowly, I moved my arm up to intercept it. With a casual slap, I redirected her force away from me and into the door frame. She had a look of surprise on her face, as everything resumed normal speed and the colours brightened.

“KAT! Jace wasn’t laughing at you, he … she was laughing at the situation. Now give your big sister an apology.”

“Mum?” I turned to look at her. Kat started to cry. I turned to look at Kat. Even as a Girl, Kat wasn’t the crying sort. She was on the floor, her trainer looked swollen. Looking at the door frame she had kicked, it wasn’t surprising why. The thick wood had been cracked, the point of impact indented.

“Sob … Sorrry … sob … Jace … Its … Sob … just … so … hard …”

I bent down and gave her a hug. “It’s Ok, Sis.”

Mum had taken her trainer off and was looking at her foot. “It’s broken. We will need to take her to the hospital.”

I watched as she set the bone and used some pencils and the bandages from the kitchen first aid kit to splint it.

“Ok, Mum.” I tried to stand up and pick her up with me, and realised I couldn’t.

“I’ll carry her, Dear. You just go up to my room and put on the dress I have …”

“No, Mum.”

“Dear, it’s only a dress. Girls wear dresses. You will need to get used to …”

“Its not cause it’s a dress, Mum. It’s because its pink, and I won’t be seen dead in pink.”

She had picked up Kat and was carrying her towards the front door. I opened the house door and then opened the back passenger’s seat so Mum could put Kat in. Kat pulled herself onto the seat and rested her foot across the back seat. “Girls wear pink dear.”

“Not this one.”

“But …”

“No.” I went back in to put on some trainers and realised as soon as I put my foot in mine it was way too big.

“I picked you up a pair of trainers, I…err….I don’t think you will like them…”

“Huh?”

“They sorta match the dress.” I sighed. The minute I saw the box I knew I would regret it. From one of the bags she had pulled a pink shoe box, and out of that box she pulled a pair of pink and white trainers.

“Did you get any socks?”

She looked worried, and pulled out a pack of 6 pairs of sports socks in different shades of pink. I rolled my eyes, grabbed the palest of the pairs and slipped them on before slipping into and doing up the trainers.

“You’ll wear them?”

“I don’t like it, but getting her to Hospital is more important than my pride.”

She smiled. It didn’t occur to me then, but Mum had done me a favour getting me the shoes and socks, even if I did hate the colours. Mum grabbed another smaller bag from the pile and passed it to me.

“You can put these on in the car. No daughter of mine is going around like a hussy.”

“Huh?” I looked in the bag as we headed out to the car, a bra and a pair of panties.

“Oh…thanks Mum…”

“Trust me, once you start walking around a lot, you will thank me for the bra.”

Once in the car, I turned and smiled at my little sibling, and shimmied out of my shorts and pulled out some pastel blue panties. I slipped my feet into them and pulled them up and on, followed by the shorts. We had just made it to the freeway when I started to pull my t shirt over my head.

“No, Dear, keep your t-shirt on. You don’t want to flash the other cars.”

“Err … ok …” I looked at my mum and smiled, everything suddenly seemed so much brighter, and so much faster, and I could hear a high pitch noise all around me.

“..CE!? Answer me!”

“What? What just happened?”

“Your eyes turned silver and you stopped responding. Are you ok? It’s a good job you came along. I think we need to get you checked out as well.”

I sighed and turned to look at my sister, sorry, brother. Got to start thinking of Kat as my little brother.

“How you doing, Sprout?”

“Hey!” He had stopped crying and his foot looked a lot better. I smiled. “My foot's stopped hurting, unless I poke it.” He did so for emphasis, and winced. “I’m really sorry, I could have really hurt you there …”

I smiled back. “You didn’t though, did you? You seemed a lot stronger than last time we sparred, you haven’t been holding back on me have you?”

“Well no … when I woke up, I was really strong, I jumped of my bed and instead of landing at the foot where I expected to, I hit the wall …”

I giggled. He smiled.

“We could hear the thud from downstairs. Your Dad and I were worried one of you might have injured yourselves,” Mum commented as we pulled into the hospital car park. “When he got up there, Kat was doing two finger handstand push ups.”

ER was pretty packed, we told the receptionist, then Kat and I found some seats and sat around waiting for Mum to get back from trying to find a friend of hers.

“It’s really unfair you know…”

“Huh? What is?” I looked over at my now little brother.

“I spent 2 years waiting for my breasts to grow. They had just got a little sensitive and started…”

“But you had…”

“Training Bra…and some padding…”

“Oh…”

“Some of my friends started growing and I didn’t want to be left behind… and … and you get yours practically over night.”

“Oh yeah, that’s fair, I lose everything I know. Probably including my girlfriend, because I doubt she is a lesbian and even if she, is I doubt her father would be too happy …”

“Well…”

“Not to mention, I happen to have liked my old body.”

“Go and put your bra on, Dear,” Mum whispered into my ear as she took a seat next to me. I nodded and headed for the toilets.

“I don’t think you want this one, Miss. This is the Gents. The Ladies’ is just behind you.” I gulped as I realised I was about to go into the Gents and turned and walked in through the pink door into the ladies.

Standing in a cubicle, I hung my top on a hook and slipped my arms into the straps, took hold of the ends, and pulled them behind my back. It took me 6 attempts to get the first hook to enter one of the loops ... only unluckily for me, it was the wrong hoop for the hook. Next attempt got it, and I had to rearrange myself to be comfy. Grabbing my top, I stepped out and had a look at myself in the mirror. The bra lifted me slightly, not that I had been sagging before, but the extra support made my breast seems a little bigger. ... ‘Not sure if that’s a good thing right now …’

With the bra on, my breasts stood out that little bit more in my top, and I could feel the stares of the men on me even more. Getting back to our seats, I realised my Mum and sis … brother ... weren’t there any more.

I crossed over to the receptionist, “Have the Neumers been called?”

She looked up at me, smiled and looked at a clipboard. “Room 5.C, your mum said you would ask, just down there and to the right.”

“Thanks.” I followed her instructions and walked into the room. “I’m sorry Ma’am. But there is nothing wrong with your son’s foot.”

“I’m telling you he broke it, not 20 minutes ago.”

The man pointed to the X-ray. “Your son is very lucky then, because this shows that the foot is healed. I will admit, this area here implies the foot has been broken recently and healed straight, but not 20 minutes ago. I’ll bandage it up for you, you should be fine.”

Mum shook her head and Kat tried to put some weight on the foot and smiled as he felt no pain.

“You took your time, Dear …”

“It took me a while to get it on…and then…”

“You were admiring yourself in the mirror?”

“Yes…how did you ... ?”

“I was exactly the same.”

“What?”

“When I changed at your age, I did exactly the same thing.” I was sitting in the back

of the car, holding my little brother in a hug when I felt a pull, heard a twang and then the smack as my bra strap hit my back.

“Ouch.” I looked at my little brother.

“Revenge,” he said.

“NOT in the car. Kat, don’t twang you sisters bra strap or you will get the same punishment as she got when she did it to you.”

“Mum, you were saying that you changed as well?”

“Yep, when MORFS hit me I was a nerdy little computer geek.”

“Wow. So changing sex might be a Genetic response to MORFs?”

“Possibly, we don’t know.”

“Maybe it was triggered by you finally swapping spit with a girl?”

I eyed my little brother and then used my tickle skills to mercilessly attack him.

“Mum…this isn’t the way home. Where are we going?”

“Dr Sinclaire wants to give you a complete check, now you’re out of your transition, remove that interface from your arm, and then the base gynaecologist will need to give you a full examination.”

“Come again?” I said, my eyes widening as my brother laughed.

“Dr. Shelly Darkwater would like to give you a checking over. It’s something we girls all need to go through every now and then …”

“Actually, that’s two things I don’t think I’m going to miss.”

“Kat, stop teasing your sister.”

“I’m going to have periods … aren’t I …?” Looking back, I think this was the moment when I first acknowledged what I now was. That was the first point when it truly struck me. I was now a girl.

The OTI looked like an office block. Publicly they were a stock trading company, buying and selling anything that would make them a profit. Underneath that though, were the offices and training facilities which churned out some of the best operatives in the world. At the time, I didn’t really know any of this. That came later.

Mum led us through the building from the car park to an elevator, where she swiped her key card through the slot. The elevator option screen changed and an extra button appeared on the digital screen. She pushed that, and we descended. This was the second time we had come here. Both Kat and I had been brought up with this, and knew to keep our mouths shut. While here, or anywhere like it, we didn’t see anything, we didn’t hear anything.

When I’d turned 16, both my mum and my dad told me that we had both been hypnotically programmed to not be able to speak of anything to anyone outside the family and people our parents said were safe. As you can imagine, I was pretty upset about this. However once they explained why they did it, I really couldn’t do anything but accept it and forgive them. This of course, meant our parents never had to lie to us or in front of us. We knew the score, we just couldn’t talk about it.

“Hello Karen, This must be your daughter, Sara.” She smiled at me before looking at Mum, who had briefly looked a little sheepish. “I have spoken to Sinclaire, and he’s in agreement with me, rather than pass your daughter around to lots of doctors, I get to be the friendly face that does them all.” She was blonde, taller than me, but I had already realised that my perspective screwed up my ability to judge height, so I was guessing she was just under 5’10/5’11 in her shoes. A white lab coat covered her black trouser suit; she held a clipboard in her left hand, a traditional stethoscope round her neck.

“That’s good, Kat was passed around to 6 different doctors this morning. We were just on our way to see Slash. When would be a good time to bring her by?”

“Oh, any time. I'm just doing paper work today, so any excuse for a break from it,”

she smiled.

Mum nodded and we carried on down the corridor. “Why did she think my name was Sara? And who is Slash?”

“Slash is your father. His code name was Black Slash, and so everyone around here just calls him Slash, or the boss.”

I noticed she had ignored my earlier question. “And her thinking I’m called Sara?”

“Jace! Wow! You look almost like your mom did when she was your age, only she was blonde where your red.” I looked up to see Dad approaching down the corridor, carrying two envelopes.

“Thanks … I think.” I replied

“It’s good to see you up and about. After seeing you like that though, I think I will have to invest in that shotgun a few years earlier than I expected to need to …”

“What?!”

“To keep the boys away from the door, Dear. It’s your dad’s attempt at a compliment.”

“What?!” They both burst out laughing. “Kat, you go for Mum, I’ll go for Dad.”

“Sure! Hey, wait? Why do I get the hard target?” This just made our parents laugh even more.

“This way, kids. We need to talk, and we might as do it in private.” He opened a door and we walked into a small conference room. Mum and Dad took two seats next to each other, so Kat and I took the seats opposite them.

“When your mother found out she was pregnant with you, Jace, we decided we didn’t want to know what sex you would be, so she and I came up with two names for you. Jace, if you were born a boy and …”

“Sara, if I was born a girl?”

“Yes,” he smiled, looking at Mum, “You told them?”

“No, we ran into Shelly on the way down here.”

“Oh.” He looked back at me, “Yes, Sara if you were a girl. And Kat, for you it was Katherine and James.” Dad pushed the two envelopes one was addressed to James Neumer and the other to Sara Neumer. I took the one addressed to Sara and opened it.

“When we saw how the changes were taking you, I got the ID department to make these up for you. Technically, they are all legal, and we do have the authority to make them. It’s just it’s supposed to be for other reasons than because of MORFs.”

“How are you getting around…?” mum started.

“Were claiming it was a test run of the department. It was an easy enough job to do.”

Emptying the contents of the envelope revealed a Passport in the name of Sara Neumer, with a picture of me smiling into the camera.

“How did they get this image? Oh, never mind” There was a photograph of me entering the hospital, a black square around my face revealing where the passport photo had come from.

“Your Biometrics just need programming into the chip. That’ll take about 5 minutes, later.” Dad added.

Next up was a driving license; I looked up at Dad and smiled. “Does this mean?” He looked at what was in my hand and reached over and took it.

“Yes. But only once you have passed your written test.”

Mum looked at the card. “And taken lessons ... why are you two looking sheepish, John? When did you start giving Jace driving lessons?”

“It’s Sara now and …”

“And?!” she had a raised eye brow.

“Remember when the pair of us went fishing for Jace’s 14th…”

“Yes…” Mum’s arms were crossed and she was tapping her fingers.

“Well…we did go fishing…for about an hour on the last day…”

“And ... ?”

“We spent the rest of the two weeks doing an Evasive driving course…”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t think you would like to know your son got a higher score than you did.”

She looked at me and shook her head.

Looking down I noticed a credit card and it was gold. I picked it up and read it, ‘Miss S. Neumer.’

“You got her a credit card as well?”

“She needs some way to buy clothes.”

“I was going to take her shopping.”

“Would you have wanted to go shopping at 16, with your mum?”

“Well…”

“Dad…can I take the written test for my license?”

“What, now?”

I nodded.

“I suppose so, we can have them do it downstairs, then change your DVA records.”

“Assuming you pass the written test.” Mum took the card from Dad and slipped it into her handbag. “and take a full driving test.”

“Don’t we get a choice about our names? I mean, ... James?” put in my sister before I could argue.

“Nope, your Mum and I decided that since you didn’t get a choice at birth, you don’t now. However, if you really hate it, there is always Depol. You get the forms, and the money, we will sign it. But the paper work has already gone through for the both of you.”

“Ok, Sara. If you just want to take your clothes off and hop up onto the table we will get started.” I nodded to Shelly as I stripped out of my clothes and climbed onto the table. “We’ll need a urine sample, and a stool sample, if you can do one…but first, let’s just do a few quick tests.” Using a rubber gloves, she carefully started to squeeze and feel my breast. “This seems fine, and the other ...” A few minutes later, “Ok if you could lean back and place your legs in the stirrups. Thank you, this will probably be the most uncomfortable test, I’m afraid.” I felt something, then my eyes went wide!

We had done quite a few tests, from checking my visual standards to mental arithmetic and recall, to getting me to inflate a balloon as much as I could with one lung full of air. I hadn’t done these naked. Shelly had let me get dressed after she had poked, and prodded, and sampled various bits of my body.

“Sara, if you could just follow the blue line to stores, they should be expecting you ,and will get you an outfit for your physical capabilities test.” I nodded and started down the corridor.

As soon as they thought I was out of ear shot, I heard, “As far as I can tell, we will know more when we get the results from the samples I sent to lab, she is a healthy 16 year old girl. I find it hard to believe she was a boy just a few days ago …”

“That’s Jace for you; he always just goes with the flow. If he had someone to blame I think it would be a different matter…but since there isn’t and there isn’t anything she can do, she’s just accepting it. To tell you the truth I thought she would be more resistant to the name change.”

“I asked her how she felt about that…”

“What did she say?”

“ ‘Jace no longer suits me. Sara, strangely, does. When I look in the mirror…I see a Sara…’ ”

I turned a corner and realised I couldn’t hear them any more. Shrugging, I came to a pair of doors with the blue line passing underneath. I pushed through and found my self standing before a counter.

“You Sara?” a gruff Yorkshire voice screamed from the back.

“Errr ...yes, yes I am.”

“Good, come in the back here and we’ll get you kitted out.”

I looked around for a door, couldn’t see one, but noticed there was a handle over the counter, shrugging I jumped grabbed the handle and swung it into the back room. I landed softly and took a quick look around. I was in a large warehouse with row upon row of storage racks holding crates and boxes. Various smells assaulted my senses.

Looking forward, I came face to face with the owner of the voice. About the same height as me, the old man had greying hair and was wearing blue overalls. His eyes were hidden by a pair of shaded glasses. “Good girl. Most people ask where the door is. Let’s get your sizes.” He turned to one of the rows of storage racks and shouted “Gemma! Get out here with a tape measure.”

A woman in her 20’s came out and walked towards us. “Hello, I’m Gemma, and I will be measuring you today. The Doc said you didn’t know you measurements. If you will follow me, we’ll go somewhere more private so the dirty old man here doesn’t have a heart attack.”

“Hey. Do you want to be counting paper clips for a month? I may be old, and I may be dirty, but I sure as hell ain’t no …err never mind…”

Gemma led me down one of the aisles to a porta-shack which had been set up against one of the walls.

“Don’t worry about the Sergeant. His bark’s much worse than his bite. Those trainers comfy?”

“Pretty much.” She had bent down and was feeling my toes through the front of the shoe, she pulled down the tongue. “Ok you’re a size 8 an a half.” She got up and wrote it on a bit of paper, “Can you slip them off? We’ll get your height, next.” After removing my trainers, she had me stand against a piece of paper attached to the wall, she drew a mark on the paper with a pencil, then used that to measure my height.

“You are 5’6, outer leg 3’6, inner leg 2’9, hips 28, waist 20, and bust 30B. Damn, I’m jealous. You’re a size 6. OK, let’s get you some exercise clothes and a sports bra.”

Walking down what seemed like any other aisle, she stopped, opened a cardboard box and dug in it for a few minutes, checked the sheet of paper, and pulled out a blue thing wrapped in plastic. We carried on a bit further and she repeated it, she then passed me the two packages to hold. We repeated this till I had several items in my hands and she pulled out a pair of pink trainers. She saw my expression, “Yours are more for walking around in, not for actual running so you need some exercise ones.”

“Ok…erm ...do they have to be pink?”

“You don’t like pink?”

“Mum got them for me…”

“Oh ...yes. I know Moms.” She threw them back into a box and pulled out a blue pair from another. “Blue good?”

“Brilliant, thanks.”

We headed back to the entrance where she relieved me of the packages.

“We just need to get these scanned and have you sign a receipt,” the old man said as he came over with a hand scanner, and between them they passed the packages along the counter, scanning each one. Once complete, he passed me a printed copy of all the items and had me sign for them. There was 10 things on the list. After putting the items in to the bag I was offered, I was about to jump back over the counter, when Gemma said “Don’t bother. You need to go down to medical testing, it’s quicker through the back door.”

I nodded and picked up my pile. “Thanks.”

“Its OK, kid. More fun than counting staples.” I smiled as she led me to the back door. “Just follow the green and white line. I’ll call medical testing and tell them to expect you.” I followed the line down the corridor and came upon a small room marked as medical testing.

“Hello, Sara. Want to go behind the curtain and get changed?”

“Hello, Dr. Darkwater. Sure, will do.”

“Call me Shelly, I look around for my father when someone calls me Dr. Darkwater.”

“Will do, Shelly.” I got behind the screen and looked through the plastic bag I had been given. After stripping , I pulled on the sports bra, followed by the matching navy blue panties, a pair of dark blue lycra shorts which stopped just above my knees and had a hole for my tail to pass through, and lastly, a plain white, tight fitting t-shirt. I swapped my pink socks for a pair of white ones and finished off with the blue trainers, then took one of the hair bobbles and used it to tie my hair back.

As I stepped out from behind the curtain I pulled on the jacket, but left it unzipped. Mum had come in and was smiling at me from across the room. I smiled back.

“Ok let’s start with a blink test.” We walked over to a wall of lights. “When one of these lights up, hit it, ok? You’ve got 30 seconds.”

“Yep.” All the lights flashed, a beep came out of the speakers and the speed of the flashing increased, the beeping ended on a long note, the lights all flashed and then all but one turned off, I hit the first light, and the world dulled.

I could feel my heartbeat slow down as the first light turned off, I caught the second light come on and my hand shot out and hit it, as the third light turned on at the opposite end of the board, I jumped, spun my foot around and caught it with the top of my toes, the next light was with my left elbow, then my right knee, my left toe caught one at the top of the board, my left hand one at the bottom, my tail hit the one after that.

Shelly’s mouth dropped as she saw my body move in a total circle, the lights flickering on and off almost faster than she could keep up with. The machine beeped flashed all its lights and turned off. I had finished on my hand, my legs, tail, other hand and head all touching one of the buttons. I looked up at Shelly and the world returned to normal.

“That was fun. Seemed a bit longer than 30 seconds, though.”

Shelly looked over at the readout, 289 hits, average response time 10.289 ms, errors: 0,

I flipped back onto my hand, “What’s up? Why are you two quiet?”

I was looking between them when everything seemed a little brighter, I moved my head to look at Mum, but she wasn’t there, I turned to look at Shelly and she had disappeared as well. A face appeared in my vision, then pulled away. It was Shelly, but she was moving so quickly, I didn’t understand.

Then everything returned to normal. Mum was screaming into a phone, Shelly was talking rapidly into a mobile, “She’s gone Catatonic, no response…”

“Err ... what just happened?”

“Sara?” the two women said to me at the same time as 4 men ran in with a stretcher.

Mum rushed over and put the back of her palm to my forehead, while Doctor Darkwater shooed her away and proceeded to look in my ears and shine a light into my eyes.

“That’s the second time that’s happened…the first time was in the car.”

“Her eyes going all silver like that?”

“Yep.”

“Hey, would you two mind telling me what’s going on?”

“Her eyes went all black when I went to kick her earlier.” My little brother had followed the 4 men in who were now standing around.

“The brief glimpse I got, her eyes were all black when she was doing the wall.” She turned to me, “Sara, can you describe what just happened to you?”

“Well, everything brightened up, and for the last 3 seconds, you guys were moving around and being big blurs, then it returned to normal. What happened?”

“For the last 5 minutes you’ve just been standing there doing nothing.”

I looked between their faces, I was going to argue, but I could tell neither were lying. “OK, boys, you’re not needed, but thanks anyway.” She turned back to me “How long did it seem to take while you were doing the wall?”

“About 5 minutes. Everything dimmed down a bit….like it did when Kat…”

“James” Mum corrected.

“... James, tried to kick me. It all dimmed, and his foot was moving in slow motion, so I just pushed it out the way.”

“Shelly? What’s up with my daughter?”

Shelly was smiling, “Do you feel OK, Sara?”

“A little hungry, but yeah, I feel fine.”

“Shelly?”

“Its OK, Karen, I think this is just your daughters MORF-gained abilities. There usually seems to be some connection between the amount someone changes and the power they gain. Not always … but usually.”

“So what’s her power?” my little brother asked.

“I have an idea, but after we have done the other tests. Let’s get her upstairs to the MORF Testing centre. One of my colleagues there will be able to say for sure.

“It’s really unfair! Why don’t I get any really cool powers!”

“You can bench press half a ton! At 12. Isn’t that a cool enough ability?” mum said as she poked James in the chest.

“But?” I was holding the bar at 2/3 extension on a electromagnetic weight bar lifter, the weight had been slowly increasing and I was starting to struggle.

“Ok, stop there, 200 lbs, not bad. I don’t see the point in going any further. You haven’t lost any muscle strength, even though you have lost 50lbs in weight.”

“So I’ll feel stronger overall?”

“Well until your body adapts, you will need to work out quite often if you want to maintain that level…” My father passed me the towel as he had come down to watch for a bit, while Mum did some paper work.

“Thanks, Oh. Dad, how come the OTI is running the MORFS Testing centre?” he grinned.

“My predecessor’s idea. It allows us to find out the strong and promising new kids, and keep tabs on the potentially dangerous ones. Plus, it has some advantages when your own kids go through the change.”

“OK, young lady, could you step on the treadmill and keep speeding up until you reach your maximum sprint speed?”

“Sure thing, Shelly.” Thanks to my little show after my impressive go on the blink test, I had several sensors monitoring my life signs.

“Just one more test to do, but we’ll need to go up to the MORFs centre to do it. Timmy’s the only telepath we have on duty right now. Quick shower, get changed and we’ll get going.”

“’Timmy the kid’. He’s 19 years old, but he can have a look at you and give a full list of your abilities.” We stepped into an elevator and it started to rise. I was back in my big baggy t shirt and old shorts, but had kept the trainers on, only using another pair of white socks.

“Really?”

“Pretty much, though people sometimes get stronger and gain new ones. No one’s infallible.” The elevators doors opened. “If you want to go take a seat over in the waiting room, I’ll get you into the line to see Timmy.”

I crossed the corridor and went into the waiting room. A number of seats were dotted around, with people taking up most of them, some mutants some looking human, there was a guy looking like Chewbacca holding hands with a dog girl. Two monkeys were holding hands with a raven haired girl, and another girl was wearing dark glasses and a bandana. All wore uniforms, the monkeys in black trousers and white shirts, the girls both in pleated skirts and white blouses, all four wore blazers. I started to walk towards them, a smile growing on my face. As I got closer, I saw I was right, it was Jen, Karen, Mike and Tike.

“Ahh this brings back memories…”

“Fond memories of the tests they run on you?” Karen asked her boyfriend.

“Nope, the sitting around and waiting. We were here for hours before they could spare someone to test us. They need to get more staff…”

“Kinda hard to, it’s bottlenecked by the fact only 2 people in the whole city can enter your mind and do an instant psyche eval; otherwise you have to take a full psychological test.” Karen looked up at me, “Hello?” she looked over her sunglasses and looked at me with her totally blood red eyes. “There’s something familiar about you…”

“Can we help you?” Jen asked, looking me up and down, then putting a possessive arm around Tike.

Mike looked at me and blinked. “There is only one person I know who uses their tail like a belt…”

“Jace?” Tike and Mike asked at the same time. I sat down, smiled and nodded.

“Damn….” Also at the same time.

“When you stopped coming into school we thought something might be up…didn’t think it would be MORFs.”

“Me neither, but then here I am.”

“Errm. How much?” I looked at Jen?

“I’m sorry?”

“How much of a girl are you?”

“Physically? By appearances, completely.”

“Not got your DNA results back then?”

“Nope, only finished transitioning at 12.”

“Well this screws up Gym. We’re going to have to find someone else to help make us look good.” Mike said to Tike.

“Yep” Tike replied.

Karen pushed her glasses back on properly and looked at me appraisingly, “12? How did you get an appointment so quickly? There’s at least a 3 days waiting list.”

I shrugged. “I think my folks pulled some strings. What are you guys doing here?”

“Mel’s getting her evaluation today. She’s just gone in to see the scanner…”

“Same. Kait not here?”

“Errr…She’s got MORFS, wasn’t feeling well Wednesday, got diagnosed and started that night. Were heading over later to show support when she wakes up.”

“Sara Neumer! Sara Neumer!”

“Oh. that’s me. Back in a bit.” I got up and headed over to the person who called my name.

“Damn, I wish my parents had pulled strings.”

“I just wish my parents had strings to pull…”

“Sara, this is Timmy the Kid. Just relax, this won’t take long.” I nodded to Shelly as she led me into the small room. A table sat between two chairs; a young man in a business suit was sitting in the far end.

“Come in, Sara, take a seat.” I sat down and felt a pressure on my head. He nodded and ticked a couple of the boxes. “Interesting.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, there is some resistance.”

“Oh.” He ticked some more boxes.

“Ok, think about this image” he lifted an ink blot; I saw the wings of a bird flapping in it.

“Huh?” He turned the card and looked at it. “Whoops, wrong card” he grinned and held another up. This time I saw cat swiping at its prey. “Good, just like I thought. You’re very much like your father.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“That’s up to you, I wouldn’t take it as a insult, though. Ok, we’re done.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. If you want to go back to the waiting room, someone will come out with your results shortly.” I got up and left and he was adding details to the sheet he was writing on.

“That was quick. Thought you would be gone a lot longer.” I had sat down opposite the other 4.

“That Timmy guy just stared at me, then started making notes on a sheet of paper.”

Kait’s friend Jimmy came across. He had his arm around a small dark haired girl.

Out of the group, she and I were the only ones not in school uniform.

“Jimmy, you remember Jace, from lunch last Monday?” She nodded at me.

“Yeah ...”

“Is that the guy Kait likes?” the girl asked then, looked at me. “Are you his sister?”

“Mel, let me introduce you to Jace. Jace this is Jimmy’s girlfriend, Mel. Mel, this is Jace, the guy we were telling you about earlier.”

“I didn’t think Kait’s was a Lesbian?”

“No, Jace just went through MORFs.”

“Ohh.” She had sat down next to me, with Jimmy on the other side of her.

“Not in school uniform?” I asked her.

“Nope, school policy, no student can return to class until they’ve been passed as safe.

And since I didn’t go to school today I get to be comfortable.”

“They’re worried some kid who got bullied is going to come back to school and beat up the people who bullied them.” said Karen.

“It happened a couple of years back at a different school. There was this kid who wasn’t very athletic, total geek, everyday someone would beat him up and take his lunch money. Then MORFs hit, and he turned into this walking muscle beast. First day back in school he ripped the arm off one of the bullies who used to pick on him and beat the guy around the head with it.” Mike said.

“That was just a rumour.”

“Well, if it is, it’s enough of a possibility that the school board insists that no student not cleared can come back.”

“Of course, it never occurred to them to try and stop people getting bullied?”

“What did you find, Timmy?” Shelly was looking at the telepath as he came out the room carrying Sara’s folder.

“Like father, like son.”

“Huh?”

“She hasn’t really accepted that she’s a girl. She will, she’s too pragmatic to not do so. She’s borderline, killing someone won’t bring out any real emotional responses. Like her father, though, she is bound by her ideal of honour and will only kill when necessary.”

“Dangerous?”

“Right now? Only to anyone who attacks her friends or her family. You were almost right, by the way. She does manipulate her perception of time, and to a small degree, the time around her.”

“What?”

“Oh don’t worry. She seems to have a neutraliser, like a elastic band ,she can stretch it a bit, but it jumps back once she lets go. So I’ve marked her as medium risk, monitor.”

“Anything else?”

“Some resistance to telepathic probing.”

“Which means?”

He shrugged, ““Everything, nothing. I showed some resistance, and I came out like this. My brother showed some and he became a vegetable. In truth, I’m more concerned with the brother…”

“He’s being kitted with a muscle relaxant and some mental programming…”

“Lets hope he finds something to focus him. Girls often find it harder to loose their range emotional expression.”

“Melanie Franks, Sara Neumer, Your results are available.”

“Good luck” I said.

“You, too,” she replied as we got up and walked across to the reception desk to get the A4 brown envelopes.

“Sara?” I looked at the women.

“Yes?”

“Your mum said to tell you that something has come up and you are to make your own way home.” She passed me a smaller envelope. I nodded and walked back to my friends.

“Ok. What is with all this Sara, business? I thought your name was Jace.” Jimmy was looking at me confused.

“It is ... was …” I sighed, “Sara is the name my parents were going to call me if I was born a girl. So a couple of days ago when my parents realised what was happening, they started the ball rolling to have my name changed. Just to sort of minimise the amount of time I would need to adjust … Hell, I’m sorta just going with the flow, I’m kinda stuck like this, so …”

“So you’re making the most of the situation.”

“And Jace doesn’t really suit this face, and it’s best I get used to responding to my new name.”

“So enough with that already!! What did you get?” Mike was on the edge of his seat. I smiled at him, looked at Mel and we opened our envelopes together.

“I’m safe to return to school.” Mel looked at me, I was still reading through mine.

“Sara?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m clear to go back to school as well, just have a warning to be careful, as I have a denser muscle structure.” I opened the other to find a house key, my credit card, a note from my mother to go buy some more clothes and not worry about what I was wearing as it was from spares. And another with my sizes on it.

“Where’s a good place to buy some clothes at this time?” I looked up at the girls, saw all three boys slap their foreheads in the corner of my eyes, and saw all three girls grow big smiles.

“Mall trip?” the three girls said simultaneously.

I looked at Mike. “Did I just make a mistake?”

“And how,” he replied.

“You two want a lift home?” Jimmy asked Mike and Tike.

“What sort of clothes do you need?” Jen asked me from the front seat of Mel’s car. Karen was in the back with me, she had convinced me to let her redo my hair, and was brushing it out.

“Urm … everything…” the three grinned.

“Do you know your sizes?” Karen asked, so I passed her the note with them.

She read it, looked at me, and passed it forwards. “Size 6? Damn it, I won’t be able to borrow any of your clothes.”

“You’re a size 6? If you become a cheerleader, I will never speak to you again,” added Mel.

“Huh?”

“Ignore her, she’s joking. Kait’s going to kill us, though.”

“Oh?”

“Yep! Shopping trip without her. But don’t worry, its an emergency, you have no wardrobe.”

“I hate to say this, but let’s start with the school uniform, then underwear, then shoes, then something more casual.”

“Budget?”

“I’m not to go crazy.” I shrugged.

“Makeup?”

“Err ...”

“Lets consider that a yes. Do we have time for hair?”

“Need an appointment, we can make one though, we need to be quick, we have two hours before we need to get to Kait’s.”

“Will we have time to do any worthwhile shopping in two hours?”

“We can get the necessities.”

“Underwear first then?”

“Yep.”

Shopping is hell. I have always had a preference to online shopping over going aimlessly from shop to shop … but…Ok I’ll admit it ... I had fun. Starting in the lingerie shop, the girls convinced me to buy several packets of simple white cotton panties, a few simple bras, a couple of padded ones, and a black bra and g string set, the latter of which they insisted I wear for the rest of the shopping trip, as it was bound to make me feel more girly. I should have trigged then they were up to something

Next I was dragged into a department store with a big make up selection. “We need to know your colours before we can get your other clothes,” was the response to my protests as the women sat me down and told me to close my eyes.

Opening my eyes to look in the mirror, I found myself looking at a totally different person. Emphasis had been put onto my eyes and lips, apparently my best facial features. From the smiling faces of my new friends and the dirty glares of other people, it was an improvement. I ended up with a bag of makeup.

An hour later we were making our way back to Mel’s car, each of us carrying a few bags of clothes, and me in a black silk miniskirt, and baby blue t shirt and a pair of apparently low heels which were threatening to break my ankle every few steps. I think the only thing that stopped them was the fact they were knee high boots. The skirt zipped up the back and had a built in hole for my tail. To my new friends misery, we had been forced to buy all my skirts, trousers, shorts and dresses from the same 2 shops. They kept saying, “Damn your tail,” but I wouldn’t lose it for anything, and the wonderful appendage saved my feet.

Jen and Karen had taken up the back seat on the way to Kait’s and were getting out of their uniforms and into some new clothes they had picked up.

“Kait promised to wait on taking her next cartridge on us getting there.”

“When did you speak to her?” I asked

“This morning, before she took the day one, about 7ish.”

“Did she sound well?” my questions had apparently been asked by the others and Karen just shrugged , “Ask her yourself when we get there. It’s probably the same as for everyone, you feel like crap until it’s over, then you feel great.”

The four of us bundled out of the car and headed up to the front door of the McSammuel’s place. At the shopping centre I had picked up a small stuffed teddy to give to her.

“Oh girls, I’m glad you could make it. Kait’s watching TV in the front room. Go on through,” Mrs. McSammuel said after she opened the door.

I was the last in and followed the others through into the front room. Sitting on the couch watching the TV was a half naked boy. He looked like he had just came out of the shower and was dressed in a pair of men’s pyjama bottoms. My eyes started at just below the waistline of those and rose up over the sculptured 6 packs, rested on his tight pectorials, broad shoulders, strong neck, handsome jaw. His long hair had been tied back into a loose pony tail. He hadn’t noticed us come in, as his eyes were on the telly. My breathing had increased a little, and I was feeling a little hot.

“Just wake up Kait?” Karen asked.

“Yep,” he said smiling as he turned to look at us. “Woke up feeling great, had a shower and sat down to watch some TV.” He switched off the TV and turned around to look at us completely. “Hey Mel, how was your change?”

“Not bad, I’ve gained second sight.”

“Oh?”

“Yep I can see from a point up to about 3 meters from where my eyes actually are. What about you? That’s a pretty big change…if Karen hadn’t warned me I wouldn’t have known it was you.”

“Nothing.” he said and then looked crestfallen. “I finally find a guy I like, and this goes and happens…”

“Oh, I don’t think Jace is taking your changes all that hard, Kait.” I was practically drooling.

“What?” She looked over at me “…Jace?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

“Right, I think we should leave these two alone for a while.” The three girls headed out to the kitchen, while Kait and I just stared at each other.

To Be Continued...

Note: The MORFS universe is now open for submissions. Please send any stories or questions to Britney at [email protected] for approval. Universe rules are posted at http://morfs.nowhere2go.org/

Notes:

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Synopsis:

As if having to move to a new country and leaving all your friends behind was bad enough. Just when you start making new friends and even find a girl that you like, and who likes you, your whole life is changed dramaticly by a genetic syndrom you thought you were immune to.

Story:

Note: The MORFS universe is now open for submissions. Please send any stories or questions to Britney at [email protected] for approval. Universe rules are posted at http://morfs.nowhere2go.org/

MORFS: Grey - Part 2

By Nist Shadow

Part 2. Are you sure this skirt isn’t too short?

“And where do you think you have been, young lady.”

I had just walked through the door carrying the 5 bags from my shopping trip; the girls had dropped me off before driving off. I kicked off my trainers and started towards the stairs when my father came out of the living room. “Your mother and I have been worried sick.”

“Dad? Its only 8.30.” I turned to look at him, his eyes went wide.

“Sara, Living room.”

“But…”

“Now!” he turned and walked back into the living room beckoning no other argument.

“Oh darling…you look wonderful.” Mum was curled up against one arm of the sofa

“Damn Jace, makeup?” My little sister, sorry, brother, was curled up next to Mum, who was looking up from her book.

Dad resumed his armchair and was looking at me expectantly.

“What?”

“Where have you been?”

“Shopping like you told me to. Why?”

“It’s been nearly 7 hours since we last saw you, and shopping for you, always consisted of as short a time as possible.”

I collapsed into the other arm chair, subtly aware that it now completely swallowed me where before, it had been a tight but comfortable fit. “I met some friends from school at the testing centre and they took me shopping.”

“And the makeup?” Dad asked.

“Which looks very nice by the way, suits you.”

“Thanks, Mum…I think. The woman in the cosmetics shop did it and showed me how to repeat it …I think I’ll go and wash it off…”

“Nope, it looks good. Did you get a nice dress while you were out?” That’s when I noticed that both Mum and Dad were dressed up, Dad in a suit and Mum in one of her nice evening gowns, Kat…no sorry, James, was dressed up as well, but only to the extent he was in a shirt and trousers.

“Errm …well I do…but…”

“Let me see.” Mum got up and pushed me out the door. “Don’t mind your Dad, we’ve been waiting for you to get home and he is feeling pretty hungry.”

****

I stepped out of the bathroom wearing the little black dress, that Mel, with the backing of the others, had insisted was ‘totally me’ and they’d insisted I get it or they would ditch me in the middle of the mall. While I didn’t think for a moment they would actually ditch me, I caved and got it anyway. It was black silk halter top which flowed into a flared skirt which stop mid thigh. The bodice curved around just below my breasts and was slightly boned to produce a corseting effect. I had put on the black tights that I had been told went with it, opaque nylon with a Celtic pattern of thinner see through lines. I looked at mum who was going through my bags.

“Your friends really put you on a tight rein didn’t they? There is not a single piece of un-girly clothing in here. Even the shorts have flowers and hearts on them.”

“Tell me about it. To their dismay, I drew the line at pink, but I think they snuck at least one thing in when I wasn’t looking.” She nodded and pulled out a packet of pink panties, then turned to look at me.

“Oh my …I’m not sure who is going to throw the biggest gasket…”

“Huh?”

“Your Dad’s taking it a little hard, that his son is now his daughter and his daughter is now his son. He’s not sure how to treat you both.”

“’Dad's’ taking it hard? How do you think ‘I’ feel? I’m not sure how I want to be treated. It would be easier if I was Kat…James’ age … To tell you the truth, he doesn’t look much different than how he was before…but…wait who is the other person?”

“Your sibling, I told Kat that under no circumstances would I let her wear a dress similar to this a couple of days before you both went through….your changes.” Mum pulled out one of the shoe boxes and passed it to me. “I take it these are for that dress?”

I nodded. Opening the box I took out the 2 inch high heeled shoes with the ankle strap and sat on the bed to put them on.

“What happened to you earlier?” I asked

“There was an incident in the training facility. Two of the students started a fight over a young man. Both were convinced he was being faithful to them, and he was claiming he’d never lied to either, which was true, he hadn’t Well now they are together and he’s single and no one else will touch him.”

“How does that work? Not lying to both, but still leading them on?”

“Oh, he was telling his girlfriend, that she was the only women for him and his boyfriend that he was the only man for him.”

“I didn’t think the base was fully operational yet.” I stood up and straightened myself out.

“It isn’t, but we have had the first intake of students and are doing a rolling take up. I don’t think anyone realised how much work would be involved combining so many facilities into one location.”

“This is too revealing isn’t it? You’re going to make me take it off and wear something more suitable aren’t you?” there was an almost begging tone in my voice.

“You look wonderful; perfect in fact. Your friends are right, that dress does suit you…” I sighed; I was beginning to wish I had put my foot down earlier. “Are you sure it’s not too revealing? It feels like I’m barely dressed. See?” I turned around to show how my shoulders were completely bare. “And look, isn’t this hem way too short?” I indicated the mid thigh length hem, knowing full well these were things they had picked up with Kat.

“Nope. It’s perfect and it looks good on you.”

“You wouldn’t let Kat wear something like this.”

“Kat wasn’t 16.”

“It’s much too revealing, Mum, I understand you are trying to be supportive, but it’s OK. I’ll wear something much more conservative.”

“You’re doing no such thing. Besides, we don’t have time for you to get changed again.”

“It will only take a second, you won’t …”

“Nope. We don’t have time. Sit down and I’ll redo your makeup.”

“Where are we going, anyway?”

“We have a table booked for half nine. A restaurant on main. And don’t start the moody teenager bit, I can tell when you’re putting it on. You’ve had your hair cut? I’m surprised.” I sighed, I should have known Mum would have realised, even though I had got it tied back. “I didn’t notice before because of the way it’s tied, but all the black tips are gone. Where did you go?”

“Bento’s….”

“WHAT?” her eyes widened.

“The place in the shopping centre. A little further up from the supermarket.”

“There’s a 1 month waiting list….”

“Yeah, the girls said something about that, and how it was worth it if I could get on their books.”

“It is, the owner is a genius, and his trained assistants are brilliant. While I redo your makeup for the evening, you can tell me all about it.” I sighed, and started to tell her.

****

“In here.” Mel said as we were walking down towards another shop.

“Wha?” I’d protested as she grabbed my arm and suddenly dragged me sideways into a large hair salon. Our path was blocked by a skinny bald man with a single lock of bright pink hair in the center of his forehead. Dressed in a bright yellow tight t shirt and matching hot pants, he’d stood with a hand on his hip, the other on the front counter and asked, “Can I help you ladies?”

“I’d like to make an appointment for my friend to get an introduction …” he nodded, leant over the counter and grabbed an appointment book.

“Let me see here…hmmm” he began to turn pages, “Nope, nope, nope, nope…we might be able to fit her in next month…”

“A month for an appointment?” I asked. I was used to just walking in and waiting my turn with the barber.

“Normally, its 6, but we had a cancellation…”

“6 months? That’s crazy.”

“Oh my.” A new voice said from the door way behind me, “such a vibrant colour…so…so…” he growled. I turned to look at the man who was talking; he was wearing a pair of slinky sun glasses and had a flat top hair style. Bare chested, he wore only Leather trousers and several gold necklaces. “That face…that beautiful hair doesn’t compliment that face. It must compliment! Young lady, Sit.”

“Excuse me?”

“An English rose? You wanted an appointment? You have one, its now, Sit!.”

****

“You’re trying to tell me Roberto Bento had to order you to sit to get your hair cut? He has professional models begging, top actresses going to him, rather then him to them, and he had to order you?” Mum asked.

“What? Some strange guy you have never seen or heard of before, points to a chair and says sit. You would do it?”

“Well no …”

“Well, neither did I.”

****

“No thanks.” I started towards the door, but I was intercepted by the pink haired man.

“Do you have any idea who you just said no to?” I looked at the man, past him to the guy who had just told me to sit, past him into the rest of the salon, which bar none had stopped whatever they were doing, looking at me, some with open mouths. I looked back at the man with the pink hair.

“No I don’t. Have a nice day.” I stepped round him and moved towards the door again.

“Young lady, if you let me mould your hair into a masterpiece, I will do it free of charge. So please sit.” Flat top said from where he was still stood.

“Sara, if you don’t sit down and let that man work his miracle on you, I shall never speak to you again,” Mel hissed, I looked at Jen and Karen who both, wide-eyed, indicated I should. With a sigh of the defeated and outvoted, I moved over and sat down in the chair.

****

“Ok, are you trying to tell me, the hair maestro himself told you to sit down to get your hair cut, and you tried to leave?”

“Pretty much, Mum, yeah.”

“I have so much work to do …and so little time….”

****

“So Darling, how often do you normally get your hair cut?” Flat top, or Roberto as he told me to call him, asked as he himself shampooed my hair.

“Once every couple of months or so…or when ever it needs doing…”

“Which salon?”

“Salon? No, I used to just do it myself …” which was true, since I had always had a pretty uniformed blade 4 cut I would just run the electric hair trimmers over , then twice a year or so, go into a barbers to have it neatened up.

“Sacrilege…” he spun the chair round so I was facing the mirror, dried his hands and took a pair of scissors from a towel.

“Aren’t you even going to ask what I want?”

“No, because I don’t judge you yourself know what you want.”

“Can you at least make it easy to manage?” I saw a raised eyebrow and decided shutting up would be a good idea at this point.

****

“So what did he do in the end?”

“Mostly, he just trimmed it. Took of the last of my old hair, my apparent split ends, I’m to throw out my old shampoo and never, ever, use it again, it is destroying my hair, apparently.”

“Anything else?” she asked with a grin

“Go back in two months for another appointment…” I sighed, “The bastard is blackmailing me with it as well…”

“What?”

“Since he insists cutting my hair properly is very important, in exchange for my only using him and not touching my own hair with a pair of scissors, as long as I keep my appointment, my friends get appointments as well.” My mother, after finishing my face, slipped a hand up and before I could stop her, released the grip holding my hair back, It fell forward and down. Shoulder length and straight, it was cut to frame my face and hang straight down, the vibrant red seeming to flow with every turn or movement of my head.

It seemed to have a life of its own, move freely and cleanly, and yet still return to the same position when my head came to a stand still.

“Did you get a jacket?”

“Jacket? Damn, I knew I forgot something,” I grinned. Opening the one bag she hadn’t had a chance to rummage through I pulled out the leather jacket. I had been wanting a leather jacket for a few years now, before, I was growing too quickly and when I wasn’t, I couldn’t afford to buy one, as they were way out of my clothing budget. While the one I wanted wasn’t quite like this one, I slipped my arms into the sleeves of the trench coat and pulled it on. This one was so much better for my new form.

“I thought I said, don’t get carried away?”

“Who got carried away? It was in a sale, 50% off; I got another 40% off due to a slight bit of damage as well.”

“Bit of damage?”

“Yep.” I turned around and showed her the convenient hole in the small of the back, it was a point where the seams had come a little loose and happened to center over my tail.

“You’re joking me? You got a discount for a tail hole?”

“Yep. I thought I would widen it slightly and reinforce it and it would be perfect.”

“Are you sure you’re my son? You’re adapting to all this a little quicker than I expected. Your father and I thought you would take this harder than your sister, and yet …”

“I thought about freaking out when I woke up …there have been a few other times as well …but I keep coming back to the same conclusion. Half the population is female and gets through everyday just as well as the male half, and say I do start freaking out and saying about how unfair it all is, what would be the point? You and Dad can’t change anything, modern science as I know it, can’t undo the effects of MORFs. So where would freaking out get me? Besides, as much as I keep trying to convince myself otherwise …today was fun.”

“Come with me, I want to show you something” Mum dragged me into her room and showed me my full length image in the mirror. The ankle length black leather jacket and my vibrant hair proved to be a startling combination. I let out a deep sigh.

“What’s up dear? You look wonderful …”

“I know …that’s the problem.” I want to get into my own panties…

****

“Are you going to keep that jacket on?” Mum asked before we went back into the living room.

“Only till we get to the restaurant.”

“Oh?”

“If one or both of them is going to blow a gasket, I would rather do it somewhere safe …like say a public place with lots of people.”

“When did you get so sneaky?”

****

“I want you two on your best behaviour. Under better circumstances we would have left you both at home to adjust to your new circumstances but ….”

“What your dad is trying to say is that we realise this is going to be hard on both of you, just do your best. James, this will be harder on you than on your new sister. While girls can get away with being slightly tomboyish, boys can’t be even slightly feminine. Sara, for goodness sake, keep your legs closed.” Mum said before turning to face the front, I looked down and realised I had sat down like I always did in the car and spread my legs out. Sheepishly, I closed them, then for good measure crossed one over the other. I let out a sigh and fingered the small purse that had been passed to me just before I left. It really contained everything I needed, my id, my keys, and my mobile phone. The latter of which, while not getting a signal outside of Britain, still contained contact details for my old friends back in the UK and my new ones here in the US, not to mention Dads and Mums work numbers.

“Mum, can I get a coat like Ja…Sara’s?”

“No.” came the reply, in stereo from our parents in the front of the car.

“But?”

“Were not spending that much on something that won’t fit you in a matter of weeks.”

“But...”

“No.”

“Ahh this sucks, I have no good clothes any more.”

****

“This is an unsecured meal, no one should ask you anything you shouldn’t feel comfortable answering, but if necessary, feign ignorance on what we do…I know, I know, you two have been through this before, but well …after the changes you understand …” Mum was looking a little stressed as we got out of the car and headed for the main entrance.

“Dear, they will be OK.” Mum nodded and wrapped her arm around Dad’s waist, who in turn pulled her into a hug.

“This isn’t a family meal is it …?” I asked as I looked up at the 5 star hotel entrance.

“No…and we’re hoping your presence will stop it becoming a business one.”

“Who is it we’re eating with?” I sighed; sometimes my parents could be so infuriating.

****

The restaurant was on the ground floor of a five star hotel, and seemed to have been built based upon the old model of a dance floor with a number of tables around the outer edge. I noticed room for a full orchestra on the stage, as the Maitre D’ led us over to a large table. Some of the waiting staff following, ready to take out jackets as we removed them. As Dad removed his, and Mum removed her wrap, I went to sit down still in mine.

“Your jacket, Dear.”

“I’m a little cold, Dad. I’ll keep it on.”

“Nonsense, it’s warm enough.”

“Don’t make a scene, Sara, take off your jacket.” I flashed Mum a dirty look and just got a mischievous grin in return. I unbuttoned the jackets and slipped it off my shoulders; one of the waiters caught it and helped me to take it off.

“Whoa!! Mum! That’s so unfair!! You never let me wear anything like that! OW!”

“Don’t make a scene, James. We’ll talk about this later.” Dad then leaned into Mum and said quietly, “You could have warned me.”

“And miss the expression on your face? Not likely” she replied back equally as quietly.

We sat with Mum and D in the middle, James on Mum’s side and myself on the other side of Dad. “It seems weird sitting next you like this…” I commented to dad after the waiters had dropped off some glasses of water “Tell me about it. If anyone had asked me, I thought you would have a harder time adapting than your sister and yet…” he trailed off.

“And yet here I am, looking every bit the young lady, while my little brother is sitting over there in a training bra, and as light a layering of makeup as he thinks he can get away with.”

“You noticed?”

I nodded.

“I hope he can get over it before he returns to school. No matter what the school board might claim, any boy caught in a bra and makeup at his age is going to be bullied. They might forget he was once a girl, but not if he keeps showing feminine traits.”

“You’re worried about him getting beaten up?”

“No, I’m worried he might get angry and kill someone…”

“Your mum and I are dealing with that…”

“Muscle relaxants?” I asked. He nodded. “I thought he looked a little sluggish …that could be worse though, if he has no defences…”

“You could protect …”

“No, believe me. No, that would just make things worse. Think back to when you were our age, would you have been happy if Auntie Dana had come to your rescue?”

“Point taken…” Where my father had gone catlike with MORFs Aunt Dana was more like a Hippopotamus… ok, that’s unfair, she just kept gaining muscle. By the time she was 16, she was one of the strongest women in England.

“You and Mum just have to convince James that being a boy isn’t all that bad.”

“Your mum and I? Aren’t you going to help?.”

“Nope, sorry Dad, I’m busy, previous arrangements.”

“Oh?”

“Yep, the girls are taking me shopping again, and then were meeting up with the boys so we can support Kait when she gets tested.” I could feel tears welling up within me again; I closed my eyes and pushed it back in. I felt an arm go around my shoulder, pulling me into a hug.

“It’s ok Sara, its OK to cry. Girls can cry, you know.”

“I may look like a girl now, but I’m not one, not yet,” I whispered back, “So dad, this feels a little uncomfortable.” As a guy I was never really a huggy sort of person, especially with my dad. We shook hands, but neither of us were really for outright signs of affection like this. “And very, very weird.”

“It’s not weird for a father to hug his daughter …”

“No …but up until a few days ago, I was your son, and I still feel that way…” I extracted myself from him, and turned to look at him. “Dad, just treat me the same as you used to.”

“I wish I could, but your mum would kill me.”

“What?”

“If I gave you a black eye in the training ring now, I reckon your mum would do more than shout at me.”

“I was 13 then, and I doubt you can move fast enough to keep up with me. … Old Man.”

“Old Man? Why you little toe rag. I’m going to enjoy showing you who is the daddy.” I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Michael Neumer.” My father looked up and immediately stood up, I followed his gaze, quickly pulled my tongue back in and saw a party of 6 approaching us, I moved to stand up as well, only to find my father’s hand on my shoulder, pushing me back down. “May I introduce to you our guests, Stephen Felms,” a man around my fathers age, dressed in a black suit, his hair slicked back, said as he indicated a greying man, about 10 years older than my father, immaculately dressed in a pin stripe suit, “his wife, Jennifer” the women next to Stephen was around his age and wearing a black evening gown with opera gloves. Her hair was in an immaculate bun with what looked like pearls sewn into the net. She was also wearing several necklaces and bracelets.

“This is their son, Peter, ” indicating a young man who was giving me the creeps. His eyes hadn’t left me since he had approached the table, I forced myself to look at him. From his slicked back hair to his black suit, to the cocky grin on his face he screamed Wazook to me. The sort of person whom I used to take great pleasure knocking down a peg or two.

“You know my wife Dana, of course.” He indicated another woman in a blue evening gown. “And our daughter, Melanie.” I looked up to see a girl in a pale pink evening gown, similar in cut to her mothers. As she looked up, I smiled, she saw me and I could see her frown waver. Then it was replaced with a quick smile.

The man turned to Stephen and Jennifer and introduced us. “This is Michael Neumer, Head of the Banking consortium, Oldham, Tilles and Ingleson”

“Hello.” My dad offered his hand to Stephen and Jennifer in turn. “Allow me to introduce my wife, Cassandra.” My mum offered her hand, “My eldest, Sara,” he indicated me, “and my youngest, James.”

****

Peter moved to sit next to me, but Mel beat him to it, which forced him to sit on the other side of the table, at the far end, opposite my brother. “I thought you were planning on having an early night, tonight.”

“I was, but Mum and Dad had other plans. You know how I felt about this dress….”

“And yet you bought it.”

“You threatened to ditch me in the middle of the shopping centre. …”

“Mall! It’s a mall, and I wouldn’t have really, but it does look fantastic on you.”

“Yeah, I think Peter agrees with you.”

“Ugh, him …”

“I take it your date was cancelled?”

“Yep, my folks had other plans for me, as well.” She grinned at me.

“Sucks to be 16, doesn’t it?” I grinned back and took one of the menus the waiter was passing around

“Sure does. Ever been here before?”

“Nope, you?”

“Yeah. Dad likes to bring clients here. The Caesar salad is good.”

“Never been a big fan of the green stuff.”

“You two know each other?” Mel’s mum asked from across the table. She was sitting opposite Mel. Mel’s father was opposite me and the Felms were opposite my father, mother and little brother. A quick look showed that Peter trying to start a conversation with my sibling.

“We met today at the centre. Sara started at our school last week and made real good friends with Kait.”

“How are you enjoying it?” she asked me.

“The school? I’ve only really had one day, but that was a lot of fun. It’s a lot different to what I’m used to.”

“I can imagine. One day?”

“Erm … well, I went down with MORFs, came out of it this morning.”

“This morning? Mel had to wait 3 days for her appointment…”

“I think there was a cancellation or something…” I covered up, I wasn’t sure how much this women knew.

“So you looking forward to going back to school?” I looked back at Mel who was wearing a cheeky grin.

“What, in the tiny little strip of material you call a skirt?” I asked.

“Tiny? It covers just as much flesh as ours do, and I bet you wouldn’t have complained a week ago.”

“Hey! While being true, that’s unfair. Besides, then it wouldn’t have been my flesh it was exposing.”

“Hypocrite,” she teased, “This term is going to be a lot of fun, I think.”

“Oh?”

“Yep, Seems we have a space in our group for a girl, what with Kait defecting to the opposition, and you fit the bill perfectly.”

“Huh?”

“He, he, I’m just joking.” She grinned.

****

When the waiter came by to take our orders, it felt a little weird to be one of the first asked, but I was prepared, and ordered a prawn cocktail starter followed by Duck L’orange for the main.

When she leaned towards me and whispered, “I’m going to go to the bathroom,” I looked at Mel weirdly for a moment, then shrugged, “OK”.

I looked towards my father.

When a sigh from Mel caused me to look at her as she headed off, I frowned, wondering, ‘What was that about?’

“I can’t believe they lost by 30 points …”

“It’s that new kid of theirs. They keep putting him in, and he is about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.” Great …sport …as much as I like sport I would rather be doing it myself rather than watching someone else do it. ‘Come to think of it, I could probably use the toilet as well.’

****

“I know you’re new to all this, but us girls never go to the toilets alone.”

“Huh?” Mel had cornered me as I stepped into the ladies. “OH!! Is that why you were telling me?”.

She rolled her eyes, “Yes it was.” I slipped into one of the stalls. “I hear you and Kait were getting on well, will you carry on? Now you have switched roles?”

There I was, underwear around my ankles, dress pulled up, and she was asking me what I intended to do with the person who I had been kissing not a week before.

When I finished what I was doing without saying a word and stepped out, she was sitting on the couch smiling at me. “So?”

“So?” I asked back.

“You … Kait … share!”

“What’s to share?”

“Gah, this is infuriating, trying to get juicy info from you is not easy.” I moved over and sat down next to her.

“I honestly don’t know what you mean.” I smiled at her.

“Grrr, you!! Come on!! I won’t tell!! Pinkie promise.” She had her little finger sticking out.

“There’s nothing to tell …”

“But you two were, if the reports are to be believed, and I have no reason to think them false, locked in lip lock. For quite some time.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Uh huh.” She looked at me, eye brows raised.

“Ok, fine. From the moment I first met Kait, I wanted to kiss her, when in that drink shop place…”

“Fraps?”

“Yeah, she kissed me, I was like wow! Maybe moving to America won’t be as bad as I thought it would be.”

“You thought it would be bad?”

“Moving away from your friends, everything you know, to go to another country which while speaking the same language, with the exception of some spelling issues, is almost a totally different culture. To be honest I was scared. It didn’t help matters when I got into that fight with James…”

“Your little brother?”

“Huh? No, some big guy at school …I thought that was it, I was screwed, destined to spend the next few years either as a punching bag for any loser who felt he was strong enough, or possibly worse, as a non person. Then I met Kait….” When I sniffled a little and tried to hold back the tears, Mel wrapped an arm around me. “And the rest of the gang just accepted me, it was like back home, I sorta just clicked.”

“The twins told me how great you were…are…and they have very high standards…at least where other guys are involved.”.

I nodded; it didn’t stop the tears though ,“Then it happened, everything seemed to be going so well and then I turned into this.”

“It could be worse.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, you could have become ugly… ugly and fat.”

“Gah, why am I crying??”

“It’s a lot to take in …” I nodded.

“Yeah, but I’m not a crier.” I forced a smile.

“It’s OK though, it helps some times.”

“The others seemed to have fun dragging me around all the shops in the shopping centre…Mall…”

“Hey. you had fun as well. You were a little worried to start with, but I distinctly remember a big grin on your face later on. It was a new experience for us all though, one we get to do again tomorrow.”

“Oh?”

“Yep, we are taking Kait out to buy a new wardrobe. And by 'we', I include and insist upon you coming as well.”

“Me?”

“I saw how you were looking at Kait, and her at you, once she realised who you were.”

“But…I don’t want to be gay…I can’t fancy another man.”

“Oh? I can prove you are not gay right now.”

“You can?” she nodded, turned my head and kissed me on the lips, I was shocked at first, too shocked to move till I felt her tongue invade my mouth, that’s when I pushed her away. “What are you doing?”

“Proving you’re not gay, or apparently, bi-sexual, either.”

“What?”

“How did you feel when I started to make out with you? Now, I know I’m not as pretty as Kait was and you are. But I’m still considered pretty attractive. A guy or a gay girl would be really turned on by what I did, or at the very least, she would have responded.”

“But…”

“Sara, look in that mirror!” She pointed at the big mirror opposite the couch. “Do you see a boy and a girl on the couch?”

“No…I see two girls.”

“Two girls, who both happen to fancy two boys. You know what that means, don’t you?”

“Huh?”

“Yep, we’ll have to double date, of course.”

“Double date?”

“Oh look at the time, we had better be getting back to the table …but first, we need to reapply your makeup.”

“Double date?”

****

The starters were already on the table when we got back. We apologised and got stuck in. When I saw mine, my first instinct was to ask for the rest of the portion, but I held my tongue and decided that the mains were probably going to be bigger. I’m glad I didn’t complain, as even though it only seemed to contain 2 prawns and a bit of lettuce, it was still enough to make me feel half full. There had been a slight rearrangement in the seating while we had been away, Jennifer had swapped seats with Mel’s father, who I realised hadn’t been introduced to me.

“I understand you girls go to the same school?” We both nodded at Jennifer’s question.

“Mel’s been going there since we moved into the area a year ago and I believe Sara, you started last week?” Dana offered.

“I had my first day last Monday, and probably get my second on Tuesday or Wednesday.”

“Oh? How come?”

“I went down with MORFS Monday evening, and since I’m now over it, I’ll probably have another few days of ability testing.”

“Oh…I had forgotten about those. I was looking forward to seeing everyone again as well. What are they like?” Mel asked.

“Boring mostly, most of the tests are impossibly big and open ended …”

“Open ended? Why would they be that?” I looked at Jennifer, and was about to answer when Jennifer did for me.

“For the students who are way above the curve.”

“One of the post MORFS boys has a photographic memory and an IQ over 250. He stopped taking classes, because he could learn more from reading a book for half an hour then the teachers could teach him in a month. As I understand it, he’s doing a few degrees at Harvard now.” Added Mel.

“There are kids like that out there? Are they dangerous?”

“Mostly to themselves. You get the occasional megalomaniac, which is why we have the testing centres; they try and screen as many as possible, then keep tabs on the dangerous ones.”

“How do you control them?”

“By letting them control themselves, is the easiest way.” Mel’s mum then proceeded to talk about various methods of subtly controlling the children so they could grow up to be productive and safe members of society.

I listened for a few minutes then nodded to Mel and whispered into her ear “Is your mum usually like this?”

“Pretty much, she’s a MORFs rights activist.”

****

I was contemplating going to the toilet again when the main courses arrived. Again, they were tiny. … I mean, really, really small. It was damn nice though, even if it was barely enough for a small dog to be satisfied with. As we began on the main course, the band, which until this point had been playing quiet background music, was joined by a singer. She had a beautiful voice, not loud but it added to the background music in such a way as to bring it forward in my ears, yet leave it far enough back that I could ignore it if I wanted.

Mel and I were discussing the various merits of rock musicians we both liked, when a voice behind me, with a touch of an accent I couldn’t place, politely asked, “Would you care to dance?” I turned to look, and saw Peter standing there, arm extended.

I was about to say, “No. thank you.” and turn away, when Mum said,. “She would love to…wouldn’t you Sara.”

I looked sharply at my mother smiling politely at me as if to say. ‘Do it and Don’t make a scene.’ Hopefully she got my return smile of, ‘I’ll get you for this.’ There are times when I love my parents and feel I would do anything for them, there are other times when I hate them so much it hurts. This night was becoming one of the latter times.

“Enjoy yourselves,” Dad said as I got up from my chair. If looks could kill Mum and Dad would both have been mince meat at this point, Suppressing my emotions, I turned and smiled tightly at Peter as I walked past him towards the dance floor, ignoring his offered arm.

****

“You are very charming,” he said as he took hold of me to lead me through the steps. I stumbled, not use to being led, “though not very graceful, but don’t worry I find that refreshing.”

Worry? Why would I worry, but I was ‘Ungraceful’ again, though this time bringing the heel of my shoe down onto his foot, purely ‘accidentally’, of course. The dance had a good pace, which fortunately meant he wasn’t holding me to closely. Sadly, this didn’t last. As the music changed to a slow number, he pulled me close before I could extract myself from the dance floor.

“I was watching you during the meal. You fascinate me. You are like a angel.”

I rolled my eyes, ‘Sheesh does he think this sort of thing works on anyone?’ I felt a wondering hand, and deftly moved it up before he could go any lower. It was bad enough I had to dance with this guy, I wasn’t about to let him do something I would have hit a man for doing before. In fact, I would probably still hit a man for doing it.

“You are like a rose, a beautiful red rose.” His hand began sliding down again. ‘Jeez my parents are less then 100 yards away and this guy is trying to cop a feel!’ Then I realised that with his back to them, they wouldn’t see anything untoward. I stopped his hand’s downward exploration again, and looked in the direction of the table. Everyone but Mel and James were ignoring us, and they were smirking. James had moved over to my chair, probably to speak to Mel while Peter tried to pull me.

“A thousand stars do not match your beauty.”

I stopped the wandering hand again and pulled back to stare him in the eyes. “If that hand goes south again, I will break the wrist it’s attached to. Understand?”

“Understand? I understand how beautiful you are and how I want to worship your body.”

I scowled into his face, ‘I cant make a scene… How would a real girl handle this situation …What am I talking about? I am a real girl now, I have the plumbing to prove it apparently, but how would someone who has always been one handle it?’

“If you two want to live you will come off the dance floor quietly.”

I turned to look at a man in a black suit holding a gun aimed at us, hidden between himself and us. “I wouldn’t do that.” Peter had been reaching for his back when he stopped and moved his arms back into sight of the man in black.

I saw something in the corner of my eye and turned to look as another man pistol whipped James. My head shot round to look in the direction of our table, James was on the floor, a man over him with a pistol aimed at him and a sneer on his face and two men in black were holding pistols to the heads of the Felmer's. A fourth was covering the rest with a pair of pistols.

“You don’t want to do this. You’re not a bad man.” Peter said.

“Don’t bother trying that, I have protection from your psionics.”

“We had better do as he says.”

I wasn’t really listening, I was looking over at James, wondering, ‘Is he OK?’ He wasn’t moving.

‘NO ONE SCREWS WITH MY FAMILY!' I saw red. My tail unwrapped from around my waist and started twitching in the air. I was told later my eyes changed, mostly turning totally black, except the pupils, which became silver. All I remember was the world turning grey, all the colour running out of it, and everything seemed to slow right down.

The first to go down was the guy in front of us. I ripped the gun from his hand, breaking 3 of his fingers in the process, and then snapped his forearms, before kicking his legs out from under him. I caught the gun in mid fall. Taking careful aim, I fired off two shots towards the two holding guns on the Felmers. This took longer then I expected it to, as the first bullet left the barrel, it seemed to slow down. Though still moving visibly, I could see the round as it spun through the air. I aimed the second shot and let it go. Then I threw the gun away and headed towards the other men. I round house kicked the first guy I came up to, the one who was covering the others with the two pistols. There was a look of shock as my foot came into contact with his head and he spun around. What shocked me more though, was that the speed he spun through the air dropped as soon as my body broke contact with his. As he seemed to float through the air, I twisted my body and ripped the guns from his hands.

As I turned to look at the one aiming a gun at my little brother, I saw a bullet leaving the barrel of the gun. Grabbing his shirt, I dragged James out of the way, the bullet just missing him. I ran back to the guy, kicked the gun down, spun inside his guard and had just swung my hand, the flat aimed to hit the guy in the windpipe when suddenly, everything went really bright.

****

The bright light receded, and returned to looking somewhat normal, my hand shot out finishing its path and only hit air.

“She’s coming back around.” Mel voice said. I blinked and looked around. I had been moved, and was no longer over in the dining room, I was standing in the ladies

“What happened? Where is the bastard who was going to kill Kat?!” I demanded. “And why am I in the ladies?” I added as an afterthought.

“I moved you after you stopped moving, which is fortunate, as none of the others are in a fit state to talk, but are all still alive. If that move had landed, that man would have been killed. As to what happened, I was hoping you could tell us, but not here. We need to get the pair of you to the OTI.”

“We came in Mel’s car so George and I could drink,” said Mel’s mother Dana. “If we could get a lift there with you, she could take the kids.”

Mum nodded then turned to me. “Lock down; you’re to speak to no one about what happened until both your father and I are with you. Understand?”

I nodded.

“Would it be acceptable for Peter to go with them? I don’t really want him here any more then necessary.” Jennifer asked.

My mum nodded. “That was going to be my next suggestion. Until we can confirm your rooms are safe, it is better to get you somewhere we control. Do you need to contact your Consulate?”

“I’ll leave that to Stephen. How are we going to get the kids out?”

“We recommended you stay at this hotel, as we have control over all of the staff and management personnel.”

****

We pulled out of the hotel dressed as maids. Well, Mel and I were dressed as maids and Peter in the back seat, looking rather solemn, was dressed as a porter. James, would have looked too young to be a porter, and mum refused his suggestion he wear lots of makeup and a padded bra and be a maid, was in the boot of the car.

As expected the paparazzi were all over the outside of the hotel. Cameras were trained on us, so as instructed, we started to pose for the pictures, giggling like a pair of schoolgirls, …which we were. But they were supposed to think we were a pair of maids having done their shift. Since neither of us thought for a moment Peter could pull it off, he was trying to look like he was dozing on the back seat. Needless to say. they took one look at us and didn’t even bother to waste any digital film. Still, one reporter tried to ask us some questions, to which I smiled and told him the lie about us having just come off shift and being told to go home and not talk to the press, and no I didn’t see anything, and sorry, the floor we were on was too far to hear anything, and no, the porter didn’t know anything or he would have told us. Once out of sight, Peter opened the port hole and James clambered out.

“Next time, you travel in the boot, and I’ll be the maid,” he said as he pulled on his seatbelt.

“If next time you have the body …what am I talking about? There won’t be a next time. Agg! how can anyone wear these things? It’s touching me in all the wrong places.”

“It looks like it’s touching you in all the right places, to me.”

“Kat, hit him for me, would you?”

“Oh, with pleasure.” My little sibling clenched a fist and turned to look Peter in the eye.

“Oh? What are you going to do? Look kid, I’m easily twice your size.” Peter smirked.

“Peter, Can you bench  ½ a tonne?” I asked from the front, looking back with a big grin on my face.

“What?”

“My little sibling there can lift  ½ a tonne without any difficulty. So unless you can do more, then that I wouldn’t bait him,” I finished with a smirk of my own, and turned to face the front. A moment later I heard a thud, followed by someone gasping for breath. Looking back, I saw Peter was bent over clutching his stomach.

“Kat, I didn’t mean for you to really hit him.”

“Aghhh say what you mean in future.”

“Where….pant…are we going?”

“Your folks didn’t tell you?” Mel asked, using her rear view mirror to look at him.

“No, just said to put this on and go with you.” He pulled at the nylon uniform with disgust. Mel and I looked at each other, and then she shrugged, and I sighed.

“We can’t tell you.”

“Look, don’t be a bitch. Tell me or I’m getting out right now.”

“Bitch? We can’t tell you. it’s not that we don’t want to, it’s that we can’t.”

“That makes no sense,.” he moaned.

“How far is it?”

“Just around the corner. Hopefully, someone has rung ahead, or we won’t be able to get in.”

“Get in where? I demand you answer my questions.”

“Demand?” Mel asked me.

“I don’t know about you Mel, but I make a specific point of ignoring demands.”

“Yep, me too.” We ignored him for the remaining 5 minutes it took to get to the OTI.

****

“Did you have to have him tranqued?”

“We weren’t sure how much he was allowed to see,” I replied in earnest to Dr Shelly Darkwater. She rolled her eyes, then crossed her arms and stared at me.

I sighed, “And he was being an annoying prick.”

“That may be so, but the guard wasn’t happy with having his weapon taken from his hand.”

“It’s non-lethal.”

“That’s not the point.”

“He was trying to feel me up.”

“Still not the point. He could have been allergic to the trank.”

“Did I mention he was annoying the hell out of me?”

“That aside, how are you feeling?”

“Fine, why?”

“You look very pale. Sit.” She had me sit on one of the beds while she took my blood pressure and did a quick check on me.

“Now you come to mention it, I do feel a little weird …” I looked at Shelly’s face only to find it a blur.

****

I opened my eyes and blinked a few times, my head was throbbing and I felt really tired.

“Arrr, Sara, you’re awake. Feeling any better?” I was laying flat on my back with what felt like an intravenous drip in my arm.

“What happened?”

“Sugar Crash. Drink this.” She passed me a cup and I took a sip.

“Tea?”

“Yes, I thought you would prefer it over coffee or a soft drink.”

“How long was I out?”

“Half an hour. You parents are on the way here, and if you feel up for it, James and Mel wish to come in and see you.”

“That would be nice. How is Peter?”

“He came around about 10 minutes ago, no problems, though as ordered he is in one of the guest rooms with a guard watching his door.”

I tried to sit up. “No you don’t young lady, you’re going to lie there at least until your parents get here.” She took the intravenous needle out and bandaged my arm.

****

“Hey Girl, feeling better?” Mel had sat on the end of the bed I was lying on.

“A bit, ain’t got a clue what happened though.”

“Doc said Sugar Crash, and that it was nothing to worry about …”

“Still, I would like to know what caused it.”

“I can’t believe you shot Peter, though.”

“It was only a trank gun, and he had it coming.”

“The expression on the guard’s face though, as you relieved him of his firearm.” She was starting to giggle, “He was mortified.”

“He should have passed it to me when I asked for it.”

“Then, there was Peter’s face when he realised you had shot him.”

“I did warn him.”

“Warn? You told him if he didn’t shut up you were going to shoot him.”

“Did he shut up?”

“No. he didn’t.”

“So he got shot.”

“He was asking where you were going to get a gun.”

“You said it you’re your-self, he was an annoying prick.”

“Remind me to never piss you off or get between you and your guy.”

“What?”

“I’d hate to see what you’re like when you’re pissed off with someone.”

“Don’t worry, I would never hurt my friends.” She stopped grinning and looked at me seriously

“You consider me a friend?”

“What else would I consider you?”

“Oh Sara!” she jumped forward and hugged me. “This is going to be so much fun, and I won’t feel bad for holding back a real big secret.”

“Huh?”

“Everyone else I know and consider a friend, even Jimmy, I have to lie to them about what Dad does, even what Mum does at times when she is helping out. I have to lie when I go with them on missions and stuff. It hurts, but …”

“But with me, I know what you’re going through.”

“Yeah. Till we moved here I never really had any friends, then Kait adopted me and I met Jimmy and I got in with them. Dad was working here all the time, so I didn’t have to lie where I was going.” I grinned at her. “Sorry, I’m not normally like this.” She pulled back, “but I feel like I can open up more with you, you know?”

I nodded, it was weird, I wanted to open up to this girl, and I had never felt like this with anyone before.

“Can you tell me what happened? One minute you were dancing with Peter, the next you were mm’s away from a kill hit.”

“I can’t talk about it …I want to …”

“You’ve been mentally programmed haven’t you?”

I nodded. “To stop me talking about things I shouldn’t when I shouldn’t.”

“Me too. Sometimes I wonder how far it goes …”

“Mine’s mostly aversion. If I’m about to say something about this place to someone not in my family, or in an unsecured location, I start thinking about something else. Though I can, if needs be, say some keywords to let my parents know it’s important and about here, so they can get me somewhere quiet and secure.”

“You know that?”

“I helped with my sister’s. Mum said mine’s almost identical.”

“Ahhh, I wonder if mine is the same.”

“Just ask. Might just do that. So here is the question I’ve wanted to hear,” Mel dropped her voice to almost a whisper. “Which is better?”

“Sorry?”

“Being a guy, or being a girl?”

“So far? I can’t say…”

“What? Why not?”

“I’ve been a girl…what? Half a day, I was a boy for 16 years…but to tell you the truth, apart from the fact some of the clothes are a lot more comfortable, there’s not much change.”

“What? Not even in the…you know.”

“Huh?” She leaned in and put her lips near my ear, then said in a normal volume. “You know, … the orgasm.”

“Haven’t had one.”

“Never?”

“Not in the last day.”

“Ahhh… Ok, when you do check out your body, I want to know which way is better.”

“Ok…You will be the first I tell.”

“Thanks.” She had the biggest grin on her face as she pulled a deck of cards from behind her back. . “Want to play?”

****

“You will be pleased to know, no one was killed, though you seriously injured most of them.” My dad was sitting in a large leather chair. Mum was standing to his right, and I was standing in front of his desk. I had never seen either of them looking this serious before. “Publicly, we were never at Dorchester. Your mother and I exited the building shortly after yourselves, in a different fashion. The civilians on site have all been given false memories where necessary. Also, the security tapes have been mysteriously lost. Not that they really showed anything from the moment you disappeared.”

“Why did they attack?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“But ...”

“No!” This wasn’t the normal laid back Dad I was use to.

“We are impressed though, by the way you dealt with the attackers,” Mum added. “Though your presence on the dance floor before that was disgusting. It was embarrassing watching you dance with so little grace.”

“Since you almost killed that last one, you are grounded and will be taking extra lessons. If you hadn’t frozen like you did he would be dead.”

“But …” this was so unfair, being grounded for protecting my little brother.

“You will be grounded till 7 tomorrow morning, at which point you will be free to do as you wish, until the time for your lessons begin.”

“Wait … That makes no sense.”

“The short period of grounding?” I nodded at my father’s question.

“Sara, you did save James life, I saw the bullet holes from the rounds buried in the ground where he was laying. What you are being punished for is for letting your anger get the better of you. Even in that situation, there was no need to kill him. You already had him disarmed.”

“And your appalling show of grace when dancing with peter. I know full well I have taught you both how to dance,” Mum said.

“Mum, I know how to lead. Peter …”

“Peter’s dancing abilities are inconsequential. You should have been graceful and …”

“I’ve been a girl less then 12 friggin' hours and you expect me to be as graceful as Kat was? Or you are? That’s unfair and you know it.”

Dad turned to look at Mum and smiled, “I told you she was too smart to just let that one slip through.” He looked back at me, “Accepting you were put into a position a little out of your depth too early ...”

“A little? And against my will?”

“No one held a gun to your head…”

“Guns I can handle. Mum’s stares … Those I can’t.” Mum was now scowling at me.

“You can handle guns? That does bring up my next point …” Dad said as he changed the subject and turned the screen around, showing an image of the dance floor, the man with the gun aiming at Peter and myself.

He clicked the button and my eyes turned black, when he clicked again, I was gone, there was nothing but a black and pink blur, the gun was falling towards the ground and so was the man who had held the gun only a moment before.

He clicked again, and the scene changed to one of the Felmers. As he clicked, I could see the effects as the bullets shot the guns out of the two gunmen’s hands. “That’s pretty impressive shooting for someone who has never handled a pistol before ….when did you learn to handle a pistol?”

My facial expression must have given me away.

“Did you know Jace had …you gave him weapons training?”

“Only pistol …I thought it might help if he ever needed to know. Besides evasive driving?” Dad sighed, then looked at me again. “OK, we can go over this as much as we like. In the end it won’t achieve anything. However, we feel you need to see a psychiatrist and make sure you’re handling this properly.”

“You’re making me see a shrink? Because I saved Kat’s life?”

“No, we want you to see a shrink because you almost killed someone.”

“I don’t have a choice in this, do I?”

“Nope,” Mum said.

“Can I go?”

“You can.”

“I’ll be out in a moment to take you and James home,” Mum added as I headed for the door. I stepped out of the door and sat down in the secretary’s chair. Noticing the intercom, I realised dad must have left it transmit, as I could see the light on. I pushed the mute button.

“… danger. She is harmless unless something happens to someone she cares about.” A man’s voice which I remotely recognised.

“I’m still uncomfortable at the facial expression she had when she was moving for the death blow.” That was dad’s voice.

“Her facial expression?”

“She didn’t care. There was no emotion on her face at all.”

“To tell you the truth, Sir, she is much like yourself. The same restrained fury.”

“Jimmy…” Mum said.

“No it’s OK, you’re right, we saw it before, and when she was Jace, I was proud. But now …”

“What’s changed?” Shelly asked.

“Jace is Sara now. Our daughter, not our son,” Dad stated.

“Are you saying that that makes her less of a person? Half the population are female.”

“It’s just we brought up Jace to be a man. He hasn’t any of the grace training I would have giving her if I had known,” Mum said.

“So you’re blaming yourselves because you brought up a son?”

“I’m sure she is blaming us, as well …”

“Why? Why do you think that? I can tell you she doesn’t blame anyone, I might not be able to read her perfectly like I can with others, but she doesn’t blame you for bringing her up the way you did and I very much doubt she blames you for letting some people getting by your security with plastic guns.”

“But?”

“But you think you failed her? Look at this picture! That’s the image of a girl using the training her parents gave her to protect her family. ‘This’ isn’t the picture of someone who has been failed. This is the image of someone who loves her family, and is lucky enough to have been giving training so that she was able to respond, and as you say, save the life of her little brother.”

“She almost killed someone ….”

“I’ve seen the security video Slash. You almost killed that fuck yourself, and unlike your daughter, you didn’t have the excuse that you had disarmed him and were overreacting. He was handcuffed and sitting on the floor.”

“Shelly. I’m a killer. I have been for years, and it is what I do.”

“No Slash, you’re not. You kill, but you take no pleasure in it, and neither does your eldest. She is just like you.”

“I don’t want either of my children to grow up like us.”

“I don’t think we have a choice, Dear. They are both too good to leave alone.”

“I don’t think Sara is the only one who needs to see a psychiatrist,.” Jimmy added.

“Jimmy,” Mum said. “This conversation doesn’t leave this room. Understand?”

“I do, boss. But I think you might want to tell your daughter…”

“Why?”

“She is listening on the intercom outside.”

“What? Damn it!” The intercom went off. I sat back into the chair, tears streaming down my face.

****

My fist slammed into the weighted punch bag, one of the large ones hanging from the ceiling of the gym, There was a thud and it shook a little. It didn’t stop the tears, but it did make me feel a little better. I brought my leg up and kicked it. The skirt from the Maid’s mini-dress was a hindrance, but I wasn’t after power, so I just ignored it.

Sighing, I moved over to one of the training dummies. It was 6 foot in height, and shaped like a man, with its parts responding like they would if it was attacked. I slowly lifted my leg, and stopped it just short of the dummy’s head. After the intercom had gone dead I had got up and walked along one of the corridors, eventually coming to a door which wasn’t security card locked. The gymnasium was simply a large room with a number of different exercise machines dotted around, a boxing ring in the centre, punching bags in a corner, and the dummies, like the one I was standing in front of.

“It’s not a good idea to go wondering around here without a security badge, or someone escorting you.” It was Dad, from the doorway into the gym. He had removed his tie and jacket and pulled his shirt out from his trousers.

“What are they going to do? Spank me?”

“Shoot you, more likely. Then give me a mound of paper work to deal with.”

“That would be an improvement, wouldn’t it?” I jumped up and kicked the head of the dummy. It rocked slightly, and a little light flashed, telling me it would now be concussed.

“Not really.” He had walked over towards me.

“You’re ashamed of me ...” I punched the dummy in the stomach.

“Not ashamed.”

“What then?”

“Worried.”

“Why? You and Mum brought us up to be able to protect ourselves.”

“Step into the ring. If you’re going to attack something, at least make it something that can hit back.” I nodded and moved towards the ring.

“Your mother and I led a hard life, even after we had you and Kat, we …we did some dangerous things, and we took the pair of you with us, often as part of our cover. That was often a necessity, but putting the pair of you in danger …we didn’t like it. So we gave you what we could to protect you, or at least give you better protection”

We bowed to each other as we had done so many times before, then both moved forwards.

“You think I didn’t know? Dad … I’ve known what you and Mum do for a living for years.” I made to kick him in the stomach, which he blocked easily and countered with a punch to the head, which I blocked. “You were hardly all that secretive about it. Especially after you coded us to …”

“We didn’t code you to do anything.” He dropped and spun, slide kicking my feet from under me. “Your mother and I put in some low level hypnotic suggestion to stop you and Kat from thinking and talking about certain things when you didn’t need to, that’s all.”

I rolled away from his downward attack, spun and tried to kick his feet from under him, he jumped backwards out of the way. “There’s a difference?”

“Coding involves the use of drugs, and can seriously affect your personality. What we did just makes you think about something else where anything to do with our work is involved. I’m offended you would think we would code our own children.”

I jumped backwards and kicked off my shoes. The heel wasn’t hard to walk on, but it was enough difference to put me at a big disadvantage.

“You’re offended? Trying being on the receiving end!” I blocked his kick with my foot and followed through with a round house. “Try finding out your own father is ashamed of you, for something that is out of your control.”

He blocked my roundhouse, so I came in with a punch, which he blocked. So I spun and brought my trailing foot back into play. His leg came up to block it as his hand came forwards towards my stomach. The punch slowed down, the world paled and my own hand shot down and I blocked. The energy though, was enough to push me backwards away from him.

“That dress isn’t really made for fighting,” he said.

Before I looked down at the Black mini-dress, with its white trimming and nodded, I looked hard at him to make certain he wasn’t just trying to distract me. “I have nothing else to wear though.”

“You know your mother and I love you, and neither of us are ashamed of you. Actually, I’m pretty proud. You took out those attackers like a professional, and that’s half the problem. You’re not, you are just 16. You should be worrying about girls and school work. Or is that boys now? Either way, you shouldn’t find yourself in a life or death situation. So because of my arrogance in thinking this city safe, you were put in danger, and Kat came within milliseconds from death. Jace, the only person I’m ashamed of is me, because you saved her, and I didn’t. … I …I couldn’t.” He was near tears, or at leas the closest I had ever seen him.

“Dad…” I walked up to him and did something I haven’t done since I was 10. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug. Since I seem to have lost 5 inches in height, this meant my head rested under my father’s chin. As he wrapped his arms around me. I have to admit, it felt good. Why did I stop doing this?

“Your mother and I decided…we can’t in all fairness punish you for the fight …though you still need to see the shrink.”

“Which is punishment enough.” I replied.

He chuckled to that, “Come on then, let’s get you home. There is nothing else I can do here anyway. It’s all under control.”

“Oh, by the way. You are grounded until your friends come to pick you up, then you must get everything on the list your mother will give you. Then, when you get home you will be grounded all day on Sunday, so don’t make any plans.”

“What?” I looked up from him. “You just said I wasn’t going to be punished.”

“I said you wouldn’t be punished for the fight in the hotel. I said nothing about the little incident here at the OTI.”

“Oh…”

“I can’t believe you took one of the guard’s weapons and shot Peter with it. His mum was fuming when she found out.”

“He deserved it.”

“What was he doing?”

“Kept looking at Mel’s and my legs and making jokes.”

“Jace!”

“Dad …Sara …you renamed me …remember? And Jace would never hug you like this.”

“OK, Sara! Boys do that. You can not go around shooting them for it. Hell, I know you stared at a fair few legs yourself.”

“True, but I didn’t do it from right behind and make audible comparisons, and ask for the opinion of one of their little siblings in the matter.”

“He didn’t …?” Dad was incredulous.

“He did.”

“He’s lucky you only shot him. Your mum would have killed him.”

“Punishment dropped?”

“Nope, it’s still in place”

“Damn!”

****

Funny thing is, I don’t remember much about getting home, though I did wake up with my hair a mess and my face covered in makeup. A shower, then ten minutes with a hair brush solved both issues, well, solved them at least to my standards.

I was the first one up, so I started by putting the kettle on.

I sighed then. My second day as a girl! …My first had been pretty hectic, my second seemed like it was going to be just as bad. I opened a cupboard and grabbed the Shredded Wheat box. There was a note addressed to me on the fridge as I opened it, which I took off and put on the isle counter. I poured out my bowl of cereal, added the milk and poured the hot water into a mug with a tea bag in it. I took one mouthful of the cereal then looked at the note. I swallowed hard.

I was still sat there 15 minutes later when my mother came down the stairs in her dressing gown.

“Please tell me this is a joke.”

“What, dear?” she looked over my shoulder at the note. “Oh … Nope, no joke. I want you to get those things while you are shopping. You can charge it to the credit card.”

“But …” I tried to complain as she started to make herself and dad a cup of tea.

“No buts! The mall should have everything you need.”

“But …”

“I said, no buts.”

“You want me to get a Tutu?”

“Yes, dear.”

“Why?”

“You are going to learn Ballet.”

“What?! Why?”

“Teach you grace. It worked for me.”

“Can’t I start in shorts and t shirt?”

“No.”

“My friends …they will think I’m some sort of freak.”

“What do you mean?”

“Girl for less then 24 hours, and I’m buying a tutu and ….dance shoes.”

“Ballet shoes actually. And white tights, and a matching scrunchey.”

“But …”

“Have fun, Dear.” She smiled at me and picked up the two mugs. “I believe I just heard a car door close, so that should be your friends come to pick you up. Oh, this is going to be so much fun.” She turned to me when she got to the door and said “Don’t forget makeup, Dear.”

****

Mel took one look at me as I opened the door and forced me to lead her to my room.

“You can’t wear that.”

“Why not?”

She looked at me, then indicated herself. She was in a denim mini skirt and a crop top, with black knee thigh high socks and a pair of soft furry boots. She then indicated me again. I had worn one of my old rugby shirts over the top of a plain white baby t. Before MORFs, it had been a baggy fit. Now it was gigantic. The t was tight enough to show my bra straps and didn’t cover my stomach. I was also wearing a pair of loose fitting jeans which I had managed to pick up on the pretence I needed something to doss around in, even if they did have flowers embroidered on the pockets, which were covered by the Rugby shirt. I was also wearing my black trainers.

****

15 minutes later I was sitting in front of my mirror trying to apply my makeup under the watchful eye of Mel. She had made me remove the jeans while she dug through my drawers and pulled out a black pleated mini skirt. I pulled it on and turned to look in the mirror, finding that the bottom of the skirt just poked out from under the shirt. She threw a pair of ankle socks at me, watched as I put them on, then passed me the leather boots with the 2 inch heel I had worn while shopping the day before.

“We’ll get you some knee highs while we are shopping; I knew we had forgotten to get you something yesterday.”

“We need to get me something else while we are there…” I passed her the note from my mum and she looked at it, then looked at me and then smiled. “…It’s my punishment for shooting Peter. Apparently I’m really ungraceful.”

“Oh, you are. I know where to get these as well. Your makeup looks pretty good. You need to spend some time and experiment, though. It looks good like that, but you might find something that suits you better.”

“You think I’m ungraceful as well?”

“Yep. Even though Peter was a complete klutz, you really weren’t helping matters.”

“Damn…I didn’t think I was that bad…”

“Stand up a second.” When I did, she indicated I should twirl. After I had done so, she lifted my shirt up and told me to hold it, then she started rising my skirt, pulling it up so the waistline was a good inch above where I’d put it before. “Drop the shirt. Yep, that’s better, now you can’t see the skirt; some of the boys might think all you’re wearing is that T-shirt. It needs a belt, and then it would be great.”

****

“We’re picking up Jimmy, then we’ll head over and get Kait. The others said they would meet us there.” Mel drives an old Honda Civic; the 5 door family car had been her grandparents, and had passed down to her when she could drive. “We’ll get Kait some good clothes, then take him to be tested.”

“He got in early? I thought it was a three day wait.”

“Yeah, for us lowly mortals it is. His dad is a senator, though.”

“Ahhh, string puller?”

“Yep. Just like your dad.”

“Why didn’t yours?”

“Mum told him no. She said it was unfair.”

“So you got stuck at home watching day time telly?”

“Nah, dad had me helping out in the OTI. Mostly just shifting boxes around, but it was something to do and kept me out of trouble, plus I could use my abilities to see what was in the boxes.”

“Anything fun?”

“Nah, I wasn’t allowed anywhere near the good stuff.”

We pulled up alongside a house and Mel got out. “Be back in a second. Mind staying with the car? Jimmy’s the nicest, but he’s a little ashamed of his home and it’s a rough neighbourhood.”

“Nah I don’t mind. Want me to get in the back?” I asked.

“Thanks.” Mel smiled. “We won’t be long or he will be in trouble.”

****

“Hey, Sara,” Jimmy said as he climbed into the passenger seat. “Mel’s been telling me about how nice you are. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know you better before.”

“It’s OK, I’m the same person, just have some new equipment.” I had climbed into the back of the car and was sitting with my knees together on the middle seat.

“That’s the Leeds Rhinos new kit isn’t it?”

“Yeah. You know rugby League?”

“Not really, I’ve seen some of the games on TV. It’s a weird sport.”

“Nah, that would be American Football. I think it’s the thing I’m going to miss the most, though.”

“You should give American football a go. You might like it. More violent then Rugby.”

“He, he, I might …”

“OK, OK! Enough with the sports already,.” Mel cried out as we pulled onto the freeway. “Sara, don’t get Jimmy started on American football. He can talk you through everything you ever wanted to know, never wanted to know, and really don’t want to know, and he’ll still carry on.”

“Hey! I’m not that bad.”

“True, you were that bad, but I’ve been making headway on improving you.” She lowered the harshness of her comments by giving him a quick smile, checking the roads, then giving him a peck on the cheek.

“So, will you be joining any of the girls’ teams at school?”

“I hadn’t really thought about it. I wasn’t planning on joining any of the boy’s teams though, so I doubt that will change.”

“Just don’t join the cheerleaders, anything but the cheerleaders,” said Mel.

“What’s wrong with the cheerleaders?”

“They are all evil.”

“Mel joined the cheerleaders when she first moved here. Kait was one back then, as well,.” Jimmy said as he turned in his seat to face me.

“Biggest mistake of my life.”

“Anyway, Danielle passed the reins of power onto Chastity.”

“Your sister has met Chastity,” Mel added.

“Blonde? Dating a boy called James?”

“That’s the one …”

“You’ve met them?”

“Yeah, when I went into school to be tested the week before term start.”

“Wait? You’re the reason James has been off the last week? Rumour was he got into a fight with some college student. His friends are claiming that James won, but was badly injured …but damn…how did you do it?”

“Knock him out? The guy had a glass jaw, one punch and he was out. … You were saying Chastity came into power?”

“Yeah, Danielle was cool, she treated everyone fairly, Chastity, well she is the daughter of a Preacher. She has been brought up on the purity of the human form, and how those of us who go through MORFs and come out slightly nonhuman, or ‘Tainted’ as she puts it, are subhuman,.” snarled out Mel.

“And thus the ‘pures’ were born,” added Jimmy, as he tweaked a whisker.

“Isn’t that against the law?”

“Yep, but the school ignores it, as long as there is no violence. They have more important things to worry about.”

“Yeah, like what colour to paint the teachers lounge, the principal’s office and the staff toilets, whether or not they should have covered parking for the teachers.”

“I thought ours was a ‘good’ school.”

“It is. Most of the teachers are great, but there is a minority, mostly in the admin and security though, who, well, to put it frankly, attend Chastity’s dad’s church.”

“I’ve been dealing with people like that my whole life, but you and Kait seemed completely human, why should they hate you?”

“I’m dating Jimmy. Kait …well, Kait stuck up for me, and also never really kept it a secret how sexy she finds tails on men.”

“Our football team is the only one which doesn’t have its cheerleaders cheering for them. We have too many people with MORFs on the team for them. So they only turn up if they have been told they must do so, and then they act really weak and feeble.”

“Come on Sara, let’s go and get Kait.” Mel and I got out of the car.

****

“Ahh, come in, girls, Kail will be with you in a sec. He’s just finishing breakfast. He’s just like his father; there is no filling that boy.”

“Kail?” I asked.

“His choice, we gave him a list of names and he liked that one, close to what you kids called him when he was a girl. He’s in the kitchen, if you two want to go through.” Mel led me past Kait’s mum and into the kitchen, where the boy I had seen for the first time the night before was finishing his breakfast.

Mel started laughing. I looked at her, and then followed her stare to Kail. He was smiling at us, his short hair spiked upwards; all in all I was thinking he was looking quite cute.

“What, Mel? Is my hair bad?” He turned and rushed over to a mirror built into one of the cabinets. With his back to me, my eyes flowed up the very loose fitting combat trousers, paint splotches covered them and the old trainers he was wearing, which was all over shadowed by the…Bright Hawaiian shirt …I smirked, and tried not to laugh as well. I couldn’t when he turned back to look at us and I saw the words on the left breast. ‘Sexy Beast’

“You are ‘not’ coming shopping with us looking like that!.” Mel stated.

“What?”

“The trousers and trainers you can get away with. But that top. No, Kait, you have better taste then that, I know you do.”

“It’s all that will fit me, and mum made it very clear I am not to go topless.”

“Nonsense, young man. If you want to go topless, you can.” Kait’s mum said from behind us. I moved into the kitchen so she could get in.

“But!! Ok, it still feels weird to show off my chest. And it’s Kail now. I want to get used to responding to that, rather then Kait.”

“Well get it off. Then we can get going.”

“Could you maybe buy me something, and then I could pay you back.”

“What?”

“No. Kail, you will be getting out of this house. I know you have been looking forward to this since your friends left yesterday.”

“Here, try this on.” I grabbed the hem of my t shirt and pulled it off, Kail was looking at me now, as I stood there in the very skimpy baby-t and short skirt, feeling now very self conscious and going slowly redder and redder, ‘Why is he just staring at … OK, why is no one speaking? Ahhh, man ! This is so embarrassing!’ Kail, removed the shirt he had on and pulled my Rugby top on. It fit him well.

He moved over to me and smiled. “Thank you, it fits me well.” He leaned down and to kiss my cheek, or at least it would have been my cheek if I hadn’t turned my head to look at him and opened my mouth to say something. As it was, his lips met mine, then his eyes shot open to meet my own, equally as widespread.

“Kait, sorry Kail. Could you spare some perfume for Sara here? We forgot to pick some up for her.”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I can. Come with me!” Kail led me down the corridor past his mum, then up the stairs.”

“Keep the door open, Kail.”

“Mom!”

“You know the rules, Kail, no girls in your room alone with the door closed.”

“Mom, that’s no boys allowed in my room unsupervised with the door closed, why do you think I’ve had that wedge holding my door open.” We carried on up the stairs, where he said to me, “Dad and I have been having a great time teasing mum about stuff like that.”

We crossed over the landing into a room painted pink and yellow. He walked over to a dresser, picked up a perfume bottle and offered it to me. I took it and looked at him quizzically, then was about to spray some onto my hand like I would have done for aftershave.

“No, no, no, spray onto the back of your wrists and your neck, like this.” He took the bottle and sprayed it into a few choice locations on my body.

“By the way, I’ve decided I’m going to hold you to your promise.”

“My promise?”

“The message you left on my answering machine when you apologised for not being able to make our date. You said that unless something really bad had happened, you would go on our date the moment you were over MORFs and I was ready. Well, I spent all of last night thinking about it. And I’m going to hold you to your promise. Judging by your kiss earlier, you’re not going to argue too hard, either.” He wrapped his arms around me and touched his lips to mine. I just responded, my arms wrapped around his neck and my mouth opened to accept his tongue.

To Be Continued...

Notes:

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Synopsis:

As if having to move to a new country and leaving all your friends behind was bad enough. Just when you start making new friends and even find a girl that you like, and who likes you, your whole life is changed dramaticly by a genetic syndrom you thought you were immune to.

Story:

Note: The MORFS universe is now open for submissions. Please send any stories or questions to Britney at [email protected] for approval. Universe rules are posted at http://morfs.nowhere2go.org/

MORFS: Grey - Part 3

By Nist Shadow

Part 3. It is the path I walk, it may not be clear, but it is mine….

“Kail …We shouldn’t ...” I had finally got enough control of my self to push him away from me. I looked into his face and bit my lip, I could tell he was hurt.

“Jace … No ... Sara, why shouldn’t we?”

“I was a boy less then 24 hours ago…”

“And I was a girl.”

“It’s too soon.”

“No. it’s not,” he replied as I stared into his eyes, those same eyes, those same deep passionate eyes. I lost myself in them.

****

“Ok, K, What’s your budget?”

“$500, plus my uniform and a black suit.” Kail and I were in the back of Mel’s car, Jimmy and Mel were in the front, Mel was driving and Jimmy had turned around to look at Kail.

“Damn Kait, that’s some change. How does it feel?” Kail was sitting and trying to cross his legs at the knee, but kept bumping against the back of Mel’s seat, so he tried to sit with his knees together.

“Its Kail now, Jimmy,” Mel told him.

“Kail?”

“Its similar enough to my old name that I wont feel like a totally different person, though I can’t seem to sit comfortably anymore.”

“Try not holding your legs so close together,” I suggested.

“Huh?” A moment later, “Oh yes, that’s much better.”

****

As we were walking through the mall, Mel commented to me on the different styles of clothing and colours. We had spent an hour following Kail around shops, listening to his tirade on lack of styles, before Mel convinced me to ditch him in the tailors with Jimmy, while we did a little present shopping. I was going to offer to stay and let Jimmy go with Mel, but Kail waved me off.

As Mel grabbed my hand and pulled me away, Jimmy let out a relieved sigh. “Kail may have once been a girl but I don’t think he will get the same enjoyment out of looking at clothes as he used to. I think he was getting bored.” I nodded as Mel led me towards a shop with a big sign saying ‘We do ear piecing,’ well, I say led. It wasn’t a direct path, but one which seem to weave via and through several shops which sold shoes, clothes, make up and perfumes.

“My friend would like to get her ears pierced.”

“Mel?”

“How many?”

“2 in each lobe, please.” Mel pushed me onto the stall

“Mel?”

****

“Hey don’t blame me, your mum called and told me to get it done.”

“But!”

“Now is the best time, your body will fight …”

“Mel!”

“Huh?”

“Do they look good?” I was looking in the mirror at my left ear, holding my hair out the way so I could get a better look at the two small studs.

“They will look better with some better earrings in… but your holes need to heal first.”

“Good, because they hurt like hell. And I would hate to think I was in this much pain for no good reason.” I looked at the tattooed and well pierced shop assistant, “Do you do navel piecing? You do? Good because my friend here wants hers doing.” I looked at Mel with a big grin, she sighed as she saw my expression.

****

The boys caught up with Mel and I in a women’s clothing store, where we were both finding tops which would be looser around our stomachs.

“What have you two done?” asked Kail, after only a second.

“Huh?”

“I know you too well, Mel. You’ve done something. Now spill!”

Mel flashed her stomach with its naval piecing and the polythene square protecting it from bacteria. “Sara convinced me to get it done, after I forced her to get her ears pierced.”

“Ok, so Sara why are ‘you,’ looking for a looser top?”

“Female Unity?” I said. Neither Jimmy nor Kail looked like they were buying it, Mel suddenly grabbed the top I was trying on and lifted it, revealing my naval piercing.

“Nice.” Kail said with a smile.

“I, err, made the mistake of saying just after Mel got hers that I didn’t really mind getting my ears pierced. Next thing I knew I was having this bit of metal shoved into my belly.”

“You think your dad will let you keep that Mel?” Kail asked. “He was pretty angry the last time you got it done.”

“I was 14 and used a fake ID card to get it. Besides, I’m not going to do something silly like walk around with it showing while he’s around. Anyway, enough about me. What did you get?”

Kail had several bags and Jimmy seemed to be carrying a couple as well. “Its nearly lunch shall we go get something to eat? And I can show you what I got.”

****

“Triple Bacon Cheese burger, Super size fries, Super size Pepsi please.” The feel of two stares on my back made me turn around. “What? I’m hungry.”

“Its OK, Mel, she’ll learn. When her size 6 becomes an 8. I’ll take the same please.” After a moment, “What? I’m a guy now, I don’t have to watch my figure as carefully.”

“I’ll take that as well,” Jimmy said with a grin.

“Just a salad and a mineral water please. You do realise I hate you all now, don’t you.”

****

“What is most sickening, is that I just watched you three devour such big meals, and now you’re trying to decide on what dessert you’re going to have. Ugggh. You,” she poked me in the ribs. “have gotta watch yourself. Those two I can put up with devouring half a cow and quarter of a pig. You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Yep, you’re supposed to be helping her devour the world’s vegetable supply.” Thud. “Ouch! Pointy shoes Mel, pointy shoes.” Jimmy hammed it up somewhat.

“You deserved that” Mel smiled, then leaned over and kissed him.

“So? Where are the others?”

“I got a text while Sara was being pierced. They should be here just after lunch, the car they were going to come in, broke down.”

“You know, you guys don’t need to wait around for me. I can get tested and meet up with you later.”

“Its OK. Most of the time you’re just sitting around waiting for the next person to be free, so we’re not going to leave you alone.”

“Especially not me.” I smiled at Kail.

****

“You really like him, don’t you?” Mel asked me in the toilets a few minutes later.

“Huh?”

“Kail, you really like him…”

“I do …but its hard …I mean I shouldn’t …he’s a guy and …”

“Did you enjoy your kiss, Sara?”

“Yes I …what how did you…”

“Know? Your lipstick was smudged, and his were slightly redder then they were when you went up. You should date him.”

“Won’t everyone think its weird? I mean we both just changed sexes …”

“Sara, we don’t care. Kait was my best friend, Kail, hopefully will be a good friend, but he is already doing better with Jimmy than he ever did as Kait. I can see them becoming good friends. Jimmy is doing the same as I keep doing for you, and correcting Kail when he does something overly feminine. That look suits you by the way, your make up is so subtle, If I hadn’t seen you apply it, I wouldn’t know you had.”

I smiled, I was starting to come to grips with what the girls had told me, and what Mel had shown me that morning. “None of the others will question you if you want to date Kail. You don’t in all honesty strike me as someone who cares about what those in school care about.”

“Kail’s …”

“Kail’s parents. Well, if they have a problem, they will tell Kail to stop and he might. Then again, if he feels about you like I think he does, he will just sneak out to see you. I don’t think you need to worry, her mum likes you. Thinks you’re very polite and quiet, and she heard good things about you as Jace.”

“It seems weird.”

“You really got to stop over analysing every thing. You were in school, what? One day? I would be surprised if anyone even remembers you really. Kail likes you; do you need to worry about anything else?”

I smiled “How did you get so smart?” She just grinned back at me.

****

Our seats were no longer available when we got back to our table, the gang had turned up and taken over and looking around it appeared all the spare seats were taken. Mel shrugged and sat on Jimmy’s lap, so with no choice I grudgingly did the same, only to Kail.

“So …. You two are staying together.” Tike grinned. “Mike, you own me $20.”

“Mike!” Karen squealed slapping mikes arm. “I can’t believe you would make a bet like that.”

“Yeah,” said Jen. “Which reminds me, Karen. “You also owe me $20 dollars.” She grinned deeply, and Tike wrapped his arm around her, smiling a big Cheshire grin. “I told you these two would have a bet on.”

I looked at Kail, who looked back at me and then wrapped his arms around my waist.

“We need to talk.” I said.

“We do,” he replied.

“What time is your appointment?” asked Karen.

“I need to be there in 20 minutes.” Kail replied, looking at a wall clock.

Just then Mel’s phone began to ring. “Hello?” she said into it. “Oh, Hi, Mrs Neumer. Sara, it’s for you.” She passed the phone over to me.

“Errr, Hello?”

“Hi, Darling, I forgot to mention it this morning, can you buy yourself and James a mobile phone, and just charge it to your card?”

“Contract?”

“No, pay as you go, it’s mostly so we can call you if we need to. Don’t forget your dance wear, and don’t make plans for tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? What’s happening tomorrow?”

“See you later, dear.”

“Mum?! What’s happening tomorrow?!”

I passed the phone back to Mel after I accepted that she had hung up on me..

“So…What’s happening tomorrow?” she asked with a grin.

****

“Dance wear?”

“Huh?” Kail and I were walking down towards the phone shop before heading off to the testing center. By agreement, I was going to the center with him ,and the others would meet us there later, once they had done their own shopping. Mel and Jimmy had taken Kail’s bags, and were going to put them in Mel’s car.

“Your mum said to not forget your dance wear. I could hear her on the phone.”

“Err …My mum has decided I’m not a graceful enough girl.”

“So you have to learn to dance?”

“Yep.”

“Nice. I’ll have a graceful girlfriend.” I looked at him and pouted. “Don’t worry, I’m only kidding, but what’s wrong with dancing? I love to dance. It can be so much fun.”

I shrugged, “I’ve never really been a big fan of it myself. Kail … about me being your girlfriend ...”

“What?”

“Aren’t you worried about what people will say about you?”

“Not really.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. Sara, if I cared about that stuff I would be still in the cheerleaders, trying to fit in with the other mindless sheep. When I was a girl, I liked you. You were handsome, smart and you had a personality. Now that you’re a girl, you’re cute, still smart, and you have a personality. If I was still a girl, I might have difficulties, but since I changed, cute is really, really appealing to me.” I looked up at him, smiled and pulled him into a kiss.

****

“Hi, Can I help?”

“Yeah, I’m looking for a phone.”

“Excellent, would you like our easy pay contract, 100 free minutes…”

“No, no, I need a pay as you go.”

“Oh ... they are over there.” She pointed to the wall on the far side of the room.

“Bitch” Kail muttered to me as we started looking at what was on offer. “What do you need another phone for?”

“Mine is with a UK company, I’d have to import minutes, cheaper just to switch to a local provider.” I pulled out my phone and showed him the complete lack of signal.

****

“Kaitie McSammuel, I have an appointment for ...” Kail started.

“Certainly, young lady. If you could fill this form in and bring it back.” She was offering me the form, I looked at it and smiled.

“Wrong person.” I said, and nodded in Kail’s direction.

“Oh, my, I’m sorry. I do beg your pardon,” she offered the clipboard to Kail who took it with a smile.

“You think they might get this a lot, wouldn’t you.” Kail said as we sat down.

“She probably thought you were my protective boyfriend, being the gentleman and looking after me,” I grinned back.

“Maybe I should be.” He grinned back.

“Want a drink? I saw a can machine and a vendor just outside in the corridor.”

“Sure, Pepsi, please. I’ll get started on these,” He indicated the forms

****

I got back with the cans and looked over Kail’s shoulder as he filled in the forms. He was past the first page which was name, address, next of kin, school, skipped the 2nd page which was education, and had moved onto the 3rd which was apparent physical changes. It was split into several categories, a lot was tick boxes, probably to automate the whole process. It was mostly stuff like lost breasts, but gained pectorals, I slipped a hand and felt one when he ticked that box

“Yep, Definitely a change there.” He looked at me with a grin.

****

“Kail gone in for testing?”

“Physical strength tests. We had fun filling in the forms, and now he’s on to the first round of tests.” I must have looked a sight when they came in. I was sitting in the chair, legs crossed at the knees, reading an old copy of Glamour which I had picked up from the table. One of the cover’s catch lines was ‘25 ways to please your man.’

“Here again? I’m starting to feel like I live here,” said Tike.

“Well, you will have to come again when I go through,” commented Jen.

“I’m looking forward to it already.” He said forcing a grin.

****

“Hi, Guys.” Kail came and sat down next to me.

“How did it go?” I asked.

“I can lift 170lbs.” Kail said proudly, then pulled a weight lifters pose.

“Big improvement?”

“I’d say, Kait could lift what? 70 Lbs?” joked Karen.

“100Lbs.” stated Kail.

“How about you, Sara? How did you do on the tests? Mel showed her results around, but you kept yours to yourself.” Jen asked.

I flashed Mel a look and she shrugged.

“On weightlifting?” I asked, she nodded, I mumbled.

“What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

“200lbs”

“What?” Kail pulled back to look at me.

“How? You don’t look that strong?”

“I was before, could do more than that if I really pushed myself. The docs said it would probably wear off, unless I really work out. My muscle structure is very dense.”

“Hey Kail, you did say you wanted to date someone stronger than you,” joked Mel.

“I did,” Kail agreed, “But I think I’m going to have to start working out more.”

****

“Are you three back in school Monday? Or are you off for a little longer?” Mike asked.

“Back in for me on Monday,” Mel grimaced

“Ditto for me.” I said. “Will you be there as well?”

“Assuming they clear me, I will be.” Kail suddenly started to grin.

“What?” I asked.

“No more Mrs Greton.”

“Who?”

“Our P.E. Teacher, She’s the cheerleader coach, and she only teaches girls.” Mel replied.

“She is also a complete bitch.” Kail added.

“She has been down on Kait, Mel, Jen and myself ever since Jen and I started dating Mike and Tike.” Penny explained.

****

“Last test guys … Wish me luck.”

“Nah, you don’t need it.” I got up and kissed him on the lips. “But good luck, anyway.”

****

“Well?? What did you get?” We all felt excited as Kail walked back from the front desk with the brown envelope. But Tike was practically jumping up and down in expectation.

“I’m not sure if I should open this now … Maybe I should save this …”

“Open it, or I’m going to kick your butt, McSammuel,” Jimmy threatened.

“Ohh, I’m not sure.” Kail grinned once more, then ripped it open.

“Well?”

“I’m safe.”

****

“What? The only colour left in my size is pink?”

“I’m sorry, Miss. Unless you want flowers or hearts on your leotard.”

“Kathryn, We do have those long sleeved felt leotards …” the other shop assistant commented.

“We do, but they aren’t in the sale,” the women who was serving me said.

“Are some of them not pink?”

“No, they are in black or red, but they are made for girls with tails …”

****

“Well, what do you think?”

I had stepped out of the changing room to a pair of wolf whistles. The soft black material was square cut at the front, curved over the long sleeves then down and around near the bottom of my back. My tail was threaded through a reinforced hole just a little below the edge. I had wrapped my tail around my waist again.

“Looks good on you, Sara. Is it comfortable?” Mel asked.

“I think I now know why the boys at school used to watch us do Gym when ever they could,” Kail commented.

“Feels weird. Something to get used to.”

“You should get a couple. You could use them for Gym then,” Said Jimmy, “Most of the girls wear them.”

“Didn’t I get shorts for that?”

“You’ll look a lot better in that, Sara.” Kail said with a smile. Jimmy was trying not to look.

“And it’s what I wear.” Mel added. “Well …not in that material.”

I turned to the shop assistant who was smiling at me.

“Can I get another one of these, and two in red?”

“Sure can, I’ll be right back. Would you like to try them on?”

“Errm, are they the exact same size?”

“They are.”

“Then no, it’s OK. I’ll just get changed back into my normal clothes.”

Jimmy and Kail both looked crestfallen, though Jimmy tried to hide it when Mel looked in his direction just before I stepped back into the changing room.

****

I walked back into the house and sniffed, Mum was cooking, and it smelled delicious. “Hi! I’m home.” Mel had dropped me off on the way to Kail’s. He had kissed me goodbye at the door, and I was still feeling a little giddy from it. My new phone, an Ecom, apparently, even though it seemed to do everything, it was still a mobile as far as I was concerned. It was by the same manufacturers as Mel’s, so I had used her in-car charger to turn it on and set it up. I now had their mobile numbers and home numbers stored into it, well, more specifically, I had Kail, Jimmy and Mel’s . I would just have the fun of moving through my old phone’s memory and transferring the numbers, addresses, email addresses and of course, names, to my new one.

Mum stepped out of the kitchen and looked at me with the few bags I had. “Starting to enjoy shopping?”

“Not really…” She raised an eyebrow. “Well, OK, just a little.” I used my hand to emphasise just a small bit.

“Get your dance wear?” I nodded.

“Well let me see.” I nodded again and opened up the bag from the dance wear shop. I pulled out one of the black long sleeved leotards. “Good. Shoes?” I pulled out the ballet slippers.

“As requested.”

“Good. We’re going to have so much fun tomorrow.”

“We are?”

“Oh, yes!” She looked very happy with herself.

“Oh, dear …”

“Why don’t you go try on your full outfit

****

I walked back downstairs, the black leotard now tightly covering my body, white tights and the soft ballet slippers, walking into the kitchen as my mum pulled the beef joint out from the oven.

“Oh, dinner is almost ready, I’ll go up and get changed.”

“No time dear. Just lay the table.”

“Its Kat’s Turn. Where is he?”

“Out with your father, they should be home soon, but I would like the table done before they get back.”

I sighed and started pulling open draws till I found the one with the mats in it. “And his name is James,” Mum called out to me as I walked into the dining room. I don’t know if I have mentioned it, but downstairs, our house has a living room which faces onto the back garden. Large patio doors supply the room with all its daytime light needs. A large dining room faces forwards onto the drive and there is also a study, as well as the kitchen and a downstairs toilet. The Living room has been converted to a Dojo training room. Making the dining room become our living room, meant the dining room had moved into the study, which in turn moved upstairs to the spare bedroom next to my parents. I laid the table with the mats, putting three down the middle for hot plates and went back for the cutlery.

“What do I need, Mum?”

“Just a large knife and fork, Dear. Each.” What? Only once did I only lay the table with exactly what she asked for and she hasn’t let me forget it since. I was 13, and had been told off for not doing as I was told. I had been pushing my luck back then. I got what was needed and added them to the table along with the salt and pepper.

“Anything else, Mum?

“Can you open a bottle of wine? Red, please.” I started to do so.

“Mum? Is there a reason why you’re not letting me go and get changed?”

“Whatever gave you that idea?”

I put the open bottle next to her and stared her in the eyes. “Mum, I’m 16, not stupid.”

“You look really pretty, and I want you to get used to …”

“Get used to what? Practically exposing myself? Come on? Look at me, Mum, I’m adapting, I’m already jumping into the deep end. Holding me under the water isn’t going to change things.”

“When I changed, my mother helped me to adjust by …”

“Mum, you’re not Gran, and I’m not you. I don’t need to get thrown into the deep end.”

She looked at me and sighed, then tilted her head slightly. “What’s that?”

“What’s what?”

She looked at me and touched my belly button, and the ring which it now had.

“Ouch” I said, as she poked the tender flesh.

“You got your belly button pierced?”

“Well …I …” I nodded.

“You got yourself pierced without our permission?”

“Permission? I’ve never needed permission to do anything before.”

“You weren’t a girl before.”

“So?”

“So? Before you wouldn’t have even considered doing that, so we didn’t feel the need to tell you not to do it.”

“Huh?” This really did sound like I was being told off for doing something I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do, because never before had I not been allowed to do it. “I’m going up to get changed.”

“No, you are not young lady. You can wear that for dinner and get used to the feel.”

“I’m going up to get changed.” I turned and headed for the stairs.

“If you want to eat with us, you will stay dressed like that.”

“Fair enough, Mum.” I carried on upstairs to my room annoyed.

****

I got up to my room and started digging out something to wear, I considered a pair of jeans, but really couldn’t justify dirtying any more clothes, so I pulled on the stuff I had worn out, only keeping the white tights on from my dance outfit. It was starting to get a little chilly, so I pulled out a navy blue hoody from my old clothes. Even with the sleeves rolled up, it was still too big, but it was warm. Have to dress in that outfit if I want to eat with them, that’s fine, I just wouldn’t eat with them. I booted up my PC and logged into my email account, 8 emails from my friends back home wondering how I was doing in my new life in the US. I emailed them back apologising for not having responded sooner, but explained I had just had Morfs. I was just finishing off the last when Brandon, the first boy I met at my old school and a good friend sent me a message on messenger.

(BigBear)Hey Jace man! Hows the US?

I smiled

(DaCat)Pretty good, I met someone pretty hot on my first day of school. We had our first date that evening…

(BigBear)You lucky Bastard. What’s she like?

(DaCat)She had the cutest smile…gorgeous lips…

(BigBear)lol, you always were a poncy fucker.

(DaCat)3k miles of ocean making you feel pretty tough, is it?

(BigBear)You may have been able to run rings around me, but I could always pound you.

(DaCat)Pound the ground more like, :-> hows the guys?

(BigBear)Good, schools been boring without you, though there are a new round of first years to put in their places. Sendy is coming down on us this year, though. No more of our normal tactics. We’ve agreed to lay off everyone, like we did with the last headmaster to try this.

(DaCat)He joined near the end of last year, I’ll give him a month before he apologises.

(BigBear) That long? The Denzil Twins have already started misbehaving, and we only spread the word 2 days ago.

(DaCat) Ha.

(BigBear) So where you been for the last week or so? Expected you on more, even if you have found yourself a girl.

(DaCat) MORFs

(BigBear)What? Really? No shit? Damn I thought you had already been through a big change. Still got your Claws and Tail?

(DaCat)Yeah, they’re still there, eyes look human now though, and I’m completely furless, except my tail. My hair and tail are red.

(BigBear) you’ll have to send me a picture sometime. GTG, my dads stood in the doorway tapping his watch

(DaCat)Ha, see ya around.

Brandon Baines, BB or Big Bear, was an extreme hybrid Morfs, he looked like a wookie from Starwars, only he hated people telling him that. His mum used to call him her little Chewey, and he would do the roar back to her. Ever since she left his father for a toy boy though, he has hated that name, and being referred to as a Chewey. His dad was similar, a very big man. The first time I met him though I will never forget. They have a big pet, a mix between a dog and a horse if you ask me, its as big as I was. Brandon had led me into his garden through the back gate, and as we crossed the grass, this large animal bounded out of the house and straight forwards, I took an involuntary step back, then launched myself for a tree and Brandon jumped forward to catch him.

“This is Tiny.”

“Tiny?” I asked in shock

“Well…he started of as a really small dog, but Morf’s hit him and he grew into this.

“Tiny?”

“He already responded to the name. He’s friendly. Hates cats though.” Well he was friendly, right up to the point he sniffed me, he growled, I ran straight at the tree and he ran after me. I jumped extended my claws and climbed the tree as quickly as I could. He missed my foot by mere centimetres. The dog was the softest thing though …once he got to know me.

“You coming down for dinner?” It was Dad, who was leaning in the doorway.

“Mum said I couldn’t unless I wore my stupid dance outfit.”

“Stupid? She said it was very pretty”

“What is she doing, Dad?”

“Trying to make you comfortable with being female.”

“Then why is she forcing me to be uncomfortable?”

“I don’t think she wants you to be uncomfortable, but she had difficulties adapting, and doesn’t want you to have the same trouble.”

I spun the chair around to face him, I had crossed my legs at the knee. “I’m not Mum, Dad. While I won’t say I’m over the moon at being a girl, I’m hardly in any position to fight it.”

“Belly piercing? Never thought you would do something like that.”

“I wouldn’t have, but Mum got Mel to get me to get my ears pierced, so I got Mel to get her belly pierced, let slip that the earrings looked good on me and then found myself with the belly piercing.”

“Can I see?”

I nodded, and lifted the jumper and my loose t shirt underneath. The polythene was still in place, but you could see the little curve of metal. Dad nodded. “If I ask you to take it out?”

“I would Dad. I kinda like it though.”

He nodded. “You might as well come down and join us for dinner. Your mother didn’t want you looking like a girl in her older brothers clothes.”

I sighed and followed him out of my room. It might have sounded like a suggestion, but I’m not daft enough not to take his suggestions like that and not follow through with them.

“She could have just said that. So what did you and James do?”

“I took him fishing.”

I smiled, Kat fishing, remember what I said about Avatar for the Skirt Goddess? Add in that the Skirt Goddess abhors sports such as Fishing, and this was passed down to her Avatar.

“And?”

“We had a good time. He thoroughly enjoyed himself.”

“What?”

“Yep. Your little brother caught a whopper of a fish, almost as big as he is. A NightRazor eel.”

“Aren’t those dangerous?”

“Highly poisonous, it was part of one of the classes survival training.” Dad said proudly, “James didn’t even flinch.” We walked into the kitchen.

“What the hell is that?” a five foot long 4 inch thick eel-like creature laid diagonally across the kitchen table, I could see the slit down the middle of the head where it split open vertically. Mum was looking angrily at James, who was smiling proudly at me.

“It’s my catch, Sis, look what it can do.” He grabbed the head of the eel and squeezed it from the sides.

“NO!” Dad and Mum said at the same time. The head shot open and a fluid spat out, the world dulled, all the colour draining out of it. I saw a blob of the fluid fly in my direction, I sidestepped out of its way. The world brightened up once more and the colour returned. I turned and looked at the spot on the wall where the blob had hit, it was bubbling, and the paper, a light blue was turning brown.

Mum ripped James away from the creature, which I didn’t doubt anymore was a NightRazor Eel and proceeded to give him a lecture on the dangers. I looked at the stain as my dad poured some Bi-Carb on it, and gulped, for it was eating into the wood.

“That almost hit me …” I said in shock. It could have been my flesh it ate through, it could have been me and not the wall. That was the second time that little shit had tried to kill me. I walked over to my little brother, clenched and cocked my fist to hit him, stopped, leant forward and said, “I hate you.” I looked at the eel on the table then said “I’m not feeling hungry. I’ll see you in the morning.” I turned and walked back up to my room, ignoring the shocked gasps.

****

“That was not a very nice thing to say to your little brother.” Dad was once more leaning in the doorway.

“He almost killed me, Dad. I saw how quickly it went through the wall.” I had my back to him, sitting in my computer chair. I ran a hand over the leather arm rest, while I followed my blue and red painted nails that one of the girls had done while we were waiting for Kail to finish his results.

“He didn’t know. He was just trying to show you what he caught.”

“That make it OK, does it?” He spun my chair round and looked into my tear ridden eyes, I had already seen my reflection, I knew my eye make up had run, it must be worse now.

“He is a wreck. All day he has been bragging about how cool his sister is. How pretty she is. You knew Kat looked up to you when you were her brother, and now you’re his sister, he looks up to you even more.”

“That’s the second time he has almost killed me.”

“But he didn’t”

“No he hasn’t. I’ve been lucky. The first time I was willing to forgive, but no, not this time. Everyone knows NightRazors spit acid. It’s year 1 stuff.”

“He thought it was empty.”

“Yeah… right! Kat maybe be many things, but stupid isn’t one of them.”

“I want you to come down and apologise to your little brother.”

“No.”

“Sara. …”

“Why should I apologise?”

“Because I told you to.”

I just stared at him.

“And I’ll ground you for a month if you don’t.”

“Feel free,” I said.

He sighed, “At least come down and join us for dinner.”

“I’ve lost my appetite.”

“Come and sit, you don’t have to eat, but you do have to join your family at the table.”

****

I stared at my roast potatoes as the others quietly ate their meals. Mum and Dad had tried to start some pleasant conversation like we normally had, but I wasn’t playing, I didn’t ignore them, but I kept my answers short. ‘What did you do today?’ got the answer ‘stuff’ for example. I contemplated picking up the knife and playing with the food, but decided against it.

“Can I be excused now?” I asked.

“No.” Dad said

“Why not?”

“We are having a family meal together.”

“That’s nice, Can I be excused now?”

“Once you have finished your dinner.”

“I have eaten everything I want to.”

“Your Mum spent hours …”

“It’s OK, Dear. If she doesn’t want to eat the meal I spent hours preparing, cooking and then dished up, then I don’t think we should push her, even if she feels the need to insult the cook by not even trying a small amount.”

I could see where Mum was going with this. Guilt me into a little, then a little more and a little more till I had cleared my plate and she had her way.

“Thanks, Mum.” I got up and walked out of the dining room.

“Sara! Get back here!” Dad yelled. I turned on my heel and stood in the door way.

“How do you think your Mum feels? Spending hours preparing a meal, and you don’t even touch it.”

“Mum feels? James feels, you feel? How about how I feel? How about you consider the fact that less than a week ago, I was a happy guy with a girlfriend. I’ve been a girl less than two days, and I’m getting in trouble for not being feminine enough. For not being considerate of others, enough.”

“While under our roof you will follow our rules,” Mum said, looking at me.

“Fine, Problem easily solved.” I turned and stormed upstairs.

****

I grabbed a bag. Jeans, T shirts went in first, then my underwear, including the few bras I had, I grabbed a couple of the plainer skirts and added those to my rucksack. I quickly donned some socks and my trainers, grabbed my new coat, pulled it on, strung the rucksack over a shoulder and headed downstairs towards the door.

“Where do you think you are going?” Dad asked as I got to the bottom of the stairs.

“I’ll find somewhere.” I turned to look at him. “Good ...”

There was a bright flash.

****

“… Bye” Dad had moved. Mum was now standing right in front of me, between me and the door. My bag was no longer on my shoulder.

“You would really leave?” Mum had tears running down her cheeks.

I just nodded.

“Because I wouldn’t let you dress back up in boyish clothes?”

“Boyish clothes? Mum? I’m leaving because you’re trying to make me into something I’m not, and you’re not letting me have a word in edgeways. You’re both being unreasonable.”

“Unreasonable? We only have your best interests at heart.”

“What’s with you two? You start of being really helpful. Dad was a little closed off, but now he’s opened up and you’ve closed up. Couldn’t you just treat me like you used to?”

“Sara, when I was your age, I also transitioned into a young lady. I took it hard. My friends stopped talking to me, the kids at school picked on me. All because I carried on trying to look like a boy and act like a boy, like the boy I no longer was.” She stared at me. “My mother, your grandmother, did the best thing for me. She threw out all my old male clothes and forced me to wear a dress and act like the young lady I appeared to be. I was merely trying to do the same…”

“The same for me Mum? Look at me. I’m not exactly trying to look like a boy here am I? My friends, they know and they accept me anyway. I had fun today, we did some shopping, went and hung out in the testing centre while Kail got tested. Then we did some more shopping, watched a movie. Some more shopping, then came home. I might have rebelled against my change back in England, where I had friends who only knew me as Jace, but here, they know me as both, and they don’t care.”

“Sara… I just wanted like we had yesterday when I helped you get ready for going out…”

“Mum, I liked yesterday, but I’m used to having independence and after having it since I was old enough to dress myself, I’m not letting you take it away just because I switched sexes.”

“If you had been born a girl…”

“Mum, if I had been born a girl, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. You would trust my judgement and let me dress myself, like you used to let Kat do. Now where’s my bag?”

Dad moved forward “You can have it back in the morning. If, after what we have discussed with you, you still wish to leave … we won’t stop you.” He indicated we should move into the living room.

****

I sat nursing a cup of tea Dad had made me, curled up in my armchair, I could do that now, it used to be a tight fit so I would drape myself over the arms. I was staring at Mum and Dad, who were sitting on the sofa. Nothing had been said for several minutes. We just sat their looked at each other and quietly drank our teas.

“We don’t want you to leave. You’re too young, and your education is not complete.” My Father finally gave in, I shrugged at his words. “And I know you don’t want to leave.”

I looked at him as he said that. It was true. I didn’t. No matter what, I still loved them, and leaving home wouldn’t solve my problems, just compound them, and my bed was really comfortable. However I wasn’t going to give up my independence without a fight.

“Sara, I ...” Mum hadn’t said a word since my outburst near the door. “… I’m sorry. I didn’t realise, I just remembered how my mum treated me after my change, and tried to do the same for you.” I had taken off my hoody to reveal the mini-skirt and loose fitting crop top I had gotten earlier. I hardly looked like a tom-boy.

“Mum …”

“No, let me finish, I guess I just didn’t realise how much it was hurting you.”

“Mum …” I put down my tea cup and crossed over to the couch, sat next to Mum and hugged her. “I ... Shouldn’t have responded like I did … I’m sorry I’ve been kinda snippy all afternoon.”

“You have?” she looked at me and put her hand on my forehead.

****

“Sara you also have to realise you’re not a boy anymore, you need to be more careful. Which is why were going to impose …”

“No, Dad. No new rules, no new restrictions. Treat me the same as you would have done if I was still male.”

“There will be a few changes.”

“But …”

“One, you’re no longer going to mow the lawn. James can do that.”

“What?” James yelped from Dad’s armchair.

“You can do some of the housework, instead.” Mum said.

“What?” It was my turn. “Isn’t that the maid’s job?”

“We don’t need a maid, we have a daughter who needs to pay off her clothing allowance.” Dad smiled at me.

“Huh?” I groaned. “You told me …”

“Somebody has a certain leather jacket, which doesn’t quite come under the standards of a necessity, and falls under luxury.”

I groaned, Mum and Dad for the most part would pay for clothing which was considered a necessity, school uniform, neat clothing, I then had a budget for normal clothes, and finally, anything they considered a luxury I would have to pay for. If I wanted a pair of jeans, they would pay, unless they were designer, then I would have to pay the balance between them and a normal pair. As a boy, I just wore what felt good, comfortable and was practical for my needs. As a girl, I knew some fashion items had been mixed in by my friends. “We’re going to let the rest of them slide, though.”

I sighed in relief, there was quite a bit of what I wouldn’t have called necessities. “So I’m the house maid?”

“Only till you have paid off that jacket.” James laughed

“Don’t know why you’re laughing, James, I seem to remember you picking up a few luxury’s as well.”

“Huh? But I’m only 12 …”

“About the right age I think.” Dad said with a nod.

“That’s when I had to start paying for my extra stuff,” I said with a smile.

****

Movement woke me up. I was curled up against my father, head against his shoulder, his arm around mine. I remembered leaning against Mum and cuddling up to her while we watched a movie on TV. It seems Dad had replaced Mum so I wouldn’t be disturbed, and now Mum had come back and taken Dad’s spot on the couch, so Dad was in the middle with Mum and I sitting on opposite sides. I smiled, and closed my eyes again. This was nice.

****

I woke up as I was put carefully on my bed. “Night, Princess” my father said as he stepped out of my room and closed the door behind him.

“Shelly said there might be some mood swings … I just didn’t expect …” I heard my mother say.

“Don’t worry about it. She was probably just tired. It’s been a hard couple of days …”

“She was very content on the couch, wasn’t she.”

“I was a little shocked when she started to purr.”

“Want me to make you purr, Darling?” I rolled over and tried to shut them out

****

One, elbow to the head, Two, elbow to the throat, Three, back hand to the temple. The dummy jumped in shock as each of my blows landed. I roundhouse kicked the dummy’s temple, jumped, twisted in the air and came in with the other foot. I was in the wood panelled training room. It wasn’t big enough to hold all of our equipment and have room to move, so Dad had modified it somewhat. A section of the floor had been designed so it could be lifted up by hydraulic jacks to reveal an area containing some punching bags and the training dummy. I was in the black shorts and t shirt I had picked up for school P.E. before I got the oh-so-revealing leotards.

“Not wearing a Gui?” Dad asked from the doorway as he came in.

“Couldn’t get one in my size …” I jump kicked the training dummy, “… that wasn’t in pink.” Reverse kick, followed through by an elbow.

“You like beating on those training dummies, don’t you,” he said with a smile.

“More realistic then the heavy punch bags you prefer,” I replied as he began his warm up.

“Maybe, but my heavy punch bags cost only a fraction of what that dummy cost.”

“Then why have the dummy?”

“Your mum likes to know how much strength she is using, so she can practice not killing people by accident.”

“Makes sense.” I had seen Mum bend metal bars as thick as my arm. She wasn’t someone you wanted mad at you. Dad had once jokingly said how glad he was she didn’t suffer from PMS. Though not anywhere within earshot. “Want a warm up spar?”

“Sure, I could do with a light workout.” He grinned, I grinned back, then walked over and pushed the button to lower the punch bags. We both moved over and took spots opposite each other with the lowering bags between us. “We start when the platform clicks.” When the bags were fully down, a click would indicate it had finished.

“Agreed.”

****

Light work out my arse. He came at me hard and fast. To start off with, I had to pull back as he pushed me around the mat. I tried to counter, but he was intercepting and blocking each of those. I forced open his defence and got a blow in. It landed, but only lightly, and it left me open for a kick, an opening he took. I saw the foot leave the ground moving towards me, I tried to react but my body didn’t move quick enough. Then the light in the room dimmed, the foot slowed down, I moved and caught it. The power, though, was more then I could stop, so I jumped, and used the foot for momentum. I cleared his head and came down behind him. As he began to turn, I swept his feet out from under him, or at least I tried to. His body went with the kick, twisted around, and landed where he had been, only now he was facing the right way. His fist came in at me, but it was moving slower then it had been before, at least it was to my eyes. I blocked and countered, he managed to block my own attack and came at me again.

****

We were both sweating buckets and breathing hard when Mum came in. She took one look at Dad and me, and chuckled. I turned to look at her. She wasn’t wearing her Gui, but a black leotard and black tights and her ballet slippers. Mum had trained in a number of dance styles since she’d become a girl, none much beyond the amateur level, mostly for fun, though I had heard that sometimes being able to dance was useful when trying to be undercover. Apparently people don’t expect the couple showing off on the dance floor as anything other then a couple who like to dance.

“Do you still want to move out?” Dad asked in between pants. I kept my guard up since we hadn’t either of us signalled an end to the fight.

“No, I was being silly.”

“A little.” Mum agreed. “But I didn’t help matters, and I should have picked up on how uncomfortable you were. Since you’re staying with us, your punishment still stands.”

“Punishment?”

“Yes, for shooting a certain Peter Felms.”

I sighed. “I’ll start on the housework.”

“That’s not your punishment. Your punishment is to learn how to be graceful and ladylike. Go take a shower and come back down, dressed in your leotard.”

“Can I appeal for a more lenient sentence?”

“No.”

“I throw my self on the mercy of the Pa.”

“After the arse kicking you just gave me,” he groaned theatrically, “he has no mercy. Besides I want to see this outfit you’re so ashamed of.”

I sighed.

****

“Ok, I hope you two are happy, humiliating your first born like this.” I stepped into the workout room, I had showered and dried my tail hair, but I had managed to keep my head dry. Then I had pulled on the leotard and a pair of black tights and added the soft ballet slippers. I had even brushed out my hair and had a go at clipping it back. My makeup was very light, but I thought I might as well make an effort. It might reduce the punishment.

“Ahh, good, I was just about to send out the search party for you.” Mum smiled as she looked at me. She indicated I should go over and join her. Some of the panels had been opened to reveal large mirrors I hadn’t even realised were there. I stood next to her and she turned me to look in the mirror.

“What do you see?”

“Me, and you,” I said, masking my smile.

“You and I.” Mum said automatically. “Look again.”

I did. Mum was standing next to me, black lycra leotard, black  ¾ length leggings, not tights as I first had assumed, and a pair of ballet slippers. She also was wearing a pair of ankle warmers, one of which had slid down below the bottom of her leggings. I was dressed similarly, only with full tights, and no ankle warmers. I also had a square topped leotard, while hers was V neck. “Look how I’m standing,, compared to you.” She was standing straight, back slightly arched, head held straight, legs together.

I, on the other hand, was standing legs shoulder width apart, arms folded under my breasts, head tilted, and generally slouching. “Work hard, and I might, … might” she repeated the word for emphasis, “let your father take you for your driving test this afternoon.”

I looked at her sharply. “Really?”

“Yes. But only if you work hard and do everything I tell you without question. Ok?”

“Can I ask you to explain? As long as I still do it?”

She nodded.

“Ok.”

“Good. I think we shall start with Ballet. In my opinion it is the most graceful of the dance styles I know. First position is this.” I looked at her body position as she moved into it and copied her.

****

“Straighter back, Sara.”

****

“How are my girls?” Dad asked as he came in the door. I was walking backwards and forwards across the room, a book resting on my head, one foot moving in front of the other, my tail carefully swishing in counterpoint to the sway of my arms.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Hi, Sweetie.” He kissed Mum and looked at me. “How is she doing?”

“Better then I expected. Pity she didn’t Morf a few years earlier. She could have been a good ballet dancer with a few years training.”

“Thanks to the powers that be for small mercies,” I said as I turned and started to walk towards them. But there was a smile on my face as I kept my head straight for the book.

“Oh?”

“No offence, Mum, but I don’t think there is a muscle in my body that doesn’t ache right now.”

“Sure, that’s all my ballet training and nothing to do with you and your father trying to kill each other earlier.

“I felt the same way when your mum tried to get me to help her out. I think I’ll stick to something light, like sparring.”

“I think I might join you with that, Dad ….” I shot a quick look at my Mother, “… as soon as I’m allowed, that is.”

“Keep that up young lady and it will be when you move out.” She sighed, “Go on, that’s enough, go take a shower and get changed.” I passed the book to my mum and headed towards the stairs.

****

“He is as bad as she said, I was only in the room a few minutes and I wanted to slap him.” I caught the back end of their conversation as I came down the stairs from my room after another quick shower and outfit change. Black skirt and white blouse, I had considered trousers, but after Mum’s carry on yesterday and lecturing I received as we went through the training she wanted me to do, I thought a touch of femininity wouldn’t go amiss. I slowed down on the stairs to listen in more.

“Were refusing to take him on then?” Mum asked.

“I wish I could. No, I’m giving him to Remorra to deal with.”

“Risky. She might try and break him, but that’s what you want. isn’t it.”

“It's not a negative outcome, but I’m hoping they will meter each other out.”

“Two extremes finding a middle ground? Oh boy, I don’t think I want to be in their training sessions.”

“She is also one of the few people there with the mental control to withstand his telepathy.”

“Strong?”

“Timmy seemed to think so. He spent 5 minutes in the room and left. When I caught up to him later he was being sick in the toilet.”

“Sara.” I turned to look at James.

“Huh?”

“I’m Sorry, I Wub you.” He was trying to look cute, bottom lip out, eyes fluttering. It was a trick Kat had used on me when I was Jace, and one that had worked more often then not. He was in jeans and T-shirt.

“Going some where, squib?”

He looked at me, a little confused. “Out …meet some friends I made yesterday.”

“Good. Don’t try the fluttering eye lids and bottom lip on them, or you will be labelled a sissy.”

“Oh they won’t mind. I met them at Ballet Class.”

“What?”

“I’m taking ballet with a local school,” he said, kinda proudly.

“What?”

“I’m …”

“MUM!” I stormed into training room.

“Yes Dear?” Dad and Mum looked at me as I stormed in.

“What’s this James is saying about becoming a Ballet Dancer?”

“Oh, he will be taking lessons once a week with a local school.”

“Are you trying to get him beaten up?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, unless America is a hell of a lot more tolerant then England about these things, if they find out at school he takes ballet lessons, he will be the laughing stock and punch bag.”

“It wasn’t my idea.”

I looked sharply at dad.

“Wasn’t mine either, I just chose to support it.”

I turned on James.

“I saw the sign in town, Sis, I wanted to be a Ballerina, now I get to be a Ballerino.”

“A what?”

“Male Ballerina.” Mum offered.

“And you supported it?”

They both nodded. “It's his choice Sara.”

“My opinion doesn’t matter, does it?”

“In this? You can air it, but in the end, it’s James decision. Now come on, we need to get down so we can get your test taken.” Dad said and jingled his car keys. I reached for them, “Once you’ve passed your test.”

****

“You know he will come to regret it, don’t you.” I said as we pulled out the drive.

“No I don’t, and neither do you. But either way, it will be his mistake to make.”

“But you do think it’s a mistake?”

“This doesn’t leave the car.”

“Ok.”

“I hate ballet.”

“You’re not the only one.”

“You know we will have to attend any of his dance shows, don’t you.”

“Ahh…crap. I mean damn.”

“Shucks?” he asked with a smile.

“Can I use shucks?”

“More then crap you can. And damn is considered pretty bad round here as well.”

“Ok then. Ahhh Shucks. Hmm doesn’t have the same ring.”

“Well its good to know I haven’t lost my son under all that make up.”

“You thought you might do?”

“I wasn’t sure … stranger things have happened to a person after Morfs. I lost myself for a while, became an aggressive moody teen.”

“What happened?”

“I started working for your Grandfather, and then met your Mum.”

****

“Dad? Why we pulling into the car park at the bank? Aren’t we going to the DMV?”

“Nope. Since... we kinda already broke into the DMV’s computer system and added pass records for yourself, it would look a little suspicious if you turned up and asked for a test, even though you already have a license, and I can’t really get them to break in again and change it. We don’t have the ability to remove, just add.”

“So?”

“So, I’m having someone test you. If you pass you can have your license, if you can’t, you don’t.”

****

“Katie, This is my daughter Sara. Sara this is Katie, she is a driving instructor here.”

“Boss,” she nodded to dad, then looked at me. “Hello, Sara.” She was a leggy blonde in blue overalls with no make up.

“Hi ,Katie.”

“Shall we get started? Your Dad said you have had some prior driving instruction before, and I need to test your road sense.”

“Yep…” I looked at Dad, who nodded.

“Can you test her like it was a proper DMV test?.”

“Sure can. Come this way, Sara.”

****

“Your dad was right. You can drive, though I noticed it took you a few minutes longer to get the seat right and check your angles. Not been in that body long?” We had just pulled onto main street and were heading towards the other side of town. Katie had had me do a variety of manoeuvres, from parallel parking, to 3 point turns.

“Nope. I was as big as my Dad less than a week ago.”

“Damn. Morfs can be so nasty at times, though in your case it seems to be all good.”

“I was a boy.”

“Really? Well …congratulations and welcome to the better sex.”

“Thanks … I think,” I said, to which she laughed.

“Don’t worry, I’m only playing. Do you have a boyfriend yet? With those looks …wait …you do have a boyfriend? Damn girl, you move quickly.”

I swallowed. “Well …I’m not sure if you could call him my boyfriend …we haven’t been on a date with him as my boyfriend…”

“Have you kissed?” I nodded, “Have you made arrangements for a date?” I nodded again. “He’s your boyfriend,” she said with finality. “Turn right here and keep going straight.”

“Err, Katie, this is a dead end …”

“Don’t worry.”

“But? Brickwall, looming.”

“Ignore It,” she said with a laugh. I hit the brakes. “It’s all just an illusion. Look again.” I did, the road dipped just ahead into a sharpish drop. “Back door into the carpark, too steep to exit, but OK for going in.” She smiled at me. “50% of people stop like you did. The area is all angled to hide the drop, and the wall is patterned to cover it up a bit.” I eyed her as we slowly moved on. I could have sworn it had been solid road just a moment before.

****

“She didn’t passed,” Katie told my father as she took over the driving seat from me. He had been waiting for us near the elevator.

“Oh…”

“Nothing major, nothing a bit of practice driving on the right wont fix.”

“Thanks Katie.”

“No problem, Sir, I’m a little sad I had to fail her.”

“Dad …” I sighed then shrugged, “We going home?”

“Not yet. I need to get some paperwork done in the office. I got some done while you were out but there is some more to do.” I nodded, and lent against the elevator wall as it began to rise.

****

“This your office?” I looked around the sparsely decorated room. Minimalist in design, it had a black leather executive chair behind a black Mahogany desk. Two smaller seats sat in front of it for guests. A large mirror rested opposite the desk. A pair of large windows looked out over the city below. The carpet was a Navy blue, with the banks corporate logo made out in red in the middle.

“Yep. Your Mum’s is next door.” He sat down in his chair and logged back into the computer. I walked around to lean on the back of his chair.

“Anything I can do to help?” I said, looking over his shoulder as what he was working on popped back up onto the screen. I managed to read ‘High powered, and unknown origin’ before he got the screen minimised.

“Not really. Just something I might be taking a hand in if the bumbling carries on, though right now it is out of my jurisdiction.” I heard a beeping. “Sorry Sara, would you mind stepping outside? This is something I have to take and you shouldn’t hear.”

I nodded and walked out of his office. He waited for me to close the door behind me, then I heard a snick as the door locked. I sat down in the secretary’s chair and pulled out my mobile phone. My new eCom was a pretty standard affair, if not a little smaller then my old one. I was not completely familiar with how it dealt with the menu system, so I started scrolling through it and seeing what things it could do. Internet was priced on bandwidth, so I quickly checked my emails, noticed one from BB, thought about using the camera to update all my online profiles. I smiled and a moment later I was posing on one side of the room with the camera on the other, the timer taking a photo every 20 seconds.

****

I was doing one such pose when Dad stepped out his office. I had stood with my bum stuck out, my back arched, fingers entwined and arms straight down. He stepped out of the office and stopped sharply. “Sara?”

I blushed sharply and quickly ran to grab my phone.

“I don’t think I want to know do I?”

“I was just making some pics to update my profile.”

“Uh-huh. Shall we get going? Your Mum just called, and dinner will be ready in about an hour.”

“Ok.”

****

“We need to make a stop off on the way. Pick something up for next Friday,” Dad said as the elevator moved down towards the carpark.

“Next Friday? What’s happening next Friday?”

He looked at me, and this smile crept up on his face, “Didn’t your mother tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Oh! I’m shocked. I expected her to have told you. No matter. I promised I would let her tell you.”

“Dad!”

“Nope. The car’s over here.” He led the way from the elevator to his car, unlocked all the doors, then tossed me the keys. “I’m feeling a little tired. You drive.”

“Where to?”

“Head east out of town. On the freeway.”

The freeway? I hadn’t passed my test and he wants me to take the freeway? ‘Damn, I hope he has a good insurance policy.’

****

“Left here, then pull over on the Right.” I followed his instructions pulling up in front of Mum’s car.

“Where are we?” I looked around a bit more, now that I didn’t have to concentrate so much on the traffic. “And why is Mum here?” I looked at him but he was already getting out. “Dad?” I growled softly. Deciding not to risk open my door with the traffic, climbed over the gear stick and followed him out onto the pavement.

“This way.” He said and led me into a ladies dress shop.

****

“This is my daughter. Do you have anything which would suit her?” Mum asked a women with a tape measure around her neck. Mum was standing on a small pedestal. wearing a black velvet ball gown, which judging by the way a second women was fiddling with it, was being measured and fitted for her.

“Hmmm. Yes, I do have something that would be perfect for you.”

“Huh? Mum, what’s going on?”

“Didn’t your father tell you?”

“No he didn’t.” I turned to turn on him, only to not see him where I thought he would be, I turned a bit more and saw his car pull away. “What the?”

“Seems your father has just done his vanishing trick.”

“His what?”

“Whenever Kat and I would be shopping, he would suddenly disappear, just like that.”

“But…”

“I think this would look good on her and I don’t think it would need much resizing.” The women came over and held a full length ball gown up to me. It was in a dark blue

“What do I need another dress for?” I’m sure I have at least 4 I haven’t even taken off the hangers yet. Not to mention potential outfit combinations with what my friends referred to as my separates.

“I checked, you don’t have any formal ball gowns.”

“Why would I need one of those?”

“We have been invited to a ball this Friday.”

“Why would I need one of those?” I asked again. “Surely it’s an adults only affair.” I hoped, I preyed.

“Nope, we have all been invited. Apparently we’re late editions to the guest list at one of the organisers request, to help with our acclimatisation to local social circles.” Mum turned to look at her dress again in the mirror. “Now try on that dress! our agreement still stands, young lady.”

“I thought that only applied to the lessons.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” She smiled at me as I reluctantly took the dress from the smiling assistant.

****

“How can anyone breathe in these things?” I asked as I stepped out from the changing room and up onto the small pedestal the woman had indicated I should stand on, I was a little wobbly in the heels I had been given to wear. Unlike the heels I had worn to dinner the day before, these shoes had a really skinny heel and I thought I was going to break my ankle until I got my balance in them. I hadn’t been given chance to suggest a smaller heel not that Mum would have listened to my suggestion anyway, so i just concentrated on not falling off the platform. The hem of the dress had been only a fraction of the ground. The dress was strapless, a tight fitting bodice closed around my torso with what felt like a vice like grip. Since I had been informed that there was only very light corseting, I decided that I would hate to feel strong corseting. Especially considering this one was making my chest rise up and down with every breath, I could only imagine it would be worse with proper corseting. Mum nodded as she looked at me. This was the 3rd dress I had tried on. The previous 2 had been ‘inappropriate’ or ‘not quite right’. Mum was sitting on a stool looking at me with a smile on her face. “That’s the one.”
“What?” I looked in the mirror. ‘Thank god it wasn’t the pink one’, was the first thing I thought of, the 2nd dress had been pink, almost identical to this one, but in pink. I had hated it from the start. This one was in a very light blue. I suppose it did look OK. The bodice had to be drawn closed by strings on my back, so I doubted I would be able to do it up easily on my own. It curved down under my armpits to finish low on my back, and yet left my shoulders, and shoulder blades, free. The skirt hung from my hips to ripple around my legs.

“It looks like it was made for her,” said one of the shop girls from the doorway with a smile.

“The hem needs lifting,” said the women with the tape measure around her neck, who I had learned was the owner of the store. “Hmmm.” She walked behind me and suddenly pulled the strings on the bodice tighter, before tying them off. “The bodice is the right size for her though. Is it OK with you, Mrs Neumer?”

“Yes. My daughter looks lovely. Thank you.” Mum was positively beaming. “We’ll take it, and a pair shoes. Can you get some in the right colour?”

“I have a pair in her size, already dyed to match.” She turned to look at the girl in the doorway, “Karie, would you get them please?” She looked back at my mother. “They are a little taller though I’m afraid.”

“Oh?”

“3 inches.”

“Ahh ... Well I’m sure they will be lovely.”

****

3 inches? I’d already felt like I was walking on stilts. Mum had gotten a pair of the same shoes from the shop, so I would have a week to learn to walk in them confidently, she then made me wear them out of the shop and for the rest of the evening. They weren’t hard to walk in, just different, the small heel forced me to take smaller steps then I would have liked, and my calves were soon complaining about the new angle. The pale blue on the dyed shoes was a near perfect match for the dress and I also had a small clutch bag dyed to the same colour. They had been left behind for us to pick up on Tuesday. Our gowns would be done by then, apparently, and we were to go in for a final fit. I was being picked up from school to go straight there. I collapsed onto my bed and looked across at my new school uniform hanging from a pair of hangers on my door. Tomorrow would be my first day at school as Sara. I reached down and opened the buckles holding the ankle strap closed so I could kick them off, eyed my phone and decided to give Kail a call.

I wondered if he was as nervous about tomorrow as I was.

To Be Continued...

Notes:

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