The Summer I found her, promised to be just another boring and lonely stretch for just another geek among geeks. I was glad to finally be out of there for the Summer. I had spent most of my school hours just making sure I stayed under the radar to keep myself out of the way of the steroid-enhanced gang of jocks. I just kept quiet, did my work and stayed out of trouble as much as possible. My Social life could be summed up with three words "What Social life? The girls were friends with me because I was willing to help them with their homework, but it didn't buy me any attention from them as a possible love interest. Don't get me wrong. I was well aware of my own short comings compared to the Hunks that the girls were constantly talking about. I was skinny! All anyone ever had to do when describing me, was just tell someone that I was a broomstick with hair the color of straw,thin arms, with no muscle to speak of, and glasses.

I did have one friend. Her name was Kara. She was gorgeous, but never acted like she was better than I was, or treated me with disrespect. I liked her, but she was way out of my league or at least I thought so. We would normally meet up at the Beach for an evening walk and discuss our respective days. One night she was late getting there so I thought she might have gotten held up with her babysitting job. I started walking down the Beach near the waterline when I spotted a Shell necklace that had washed up on the Beach. I stooped down to pick it up and decided I would put it around my neck and give it to Kara when I saw her. I put on the necklace and turned around to face the moon. A beam of light came down and hit the biggest shell as it hung on my neck. There was a bright flash and then everything went black.

The next thing I heard was Kara calling my name."Jeff? Are you okay? I finally started to wake up and I asked her what happened. I noticed that my voice sounded different. My mind was racing as I started to get up. I felt two weights on my chest and my hair was longer and it was Red!!!! My mind was going into overload as I started to realize that something was very different about me. I had on a pair of Khaki shorts and a green scoop neck top. I felt the straps of a bra across my shoulders too! I got to my feet and we finally made it over to a bench. Kara told me that she had arrived just in time to see the beam of light totally surround my body from head to toe. It took a few seconds and the light lifted to reveal my transformed body clad in girl's clothing. We sat there as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. I looked at the necklace around my neck and it was completely different too. It now had a Sapphire stone with a diamond starfish in the center. The chain was a mix of Sapphires and diamonds. It was beautiful! Another thing that suddenly occurred to me was that How would I explain this to Mom? That question was answered when I heard my mother's voice calling "Jessica! Time to come in for the night" I let out a sigh and got up and headed inside. Kara followed me in and my mother just acted like I had always been her daughter.

Our family portrait hanging in the hallway was just the same as it had been before except now, I was a redheaded teenage girl in a beautiful dress posing with my mother and sister. I noticed that my dad was still gone from the picture. He had been killed in Iraq while serving with the Marines just three years before. Mom had moved us to the family Beachfront cottage that had belonged to her family for generations. She said there was something about the healing power of the Ocean and I had to admit that she was right. I loved it here. My sister Lyndsey, loved it as much I did and enjoyed spending a lot of time sunbathing as much as possible. She was currently over at her friend, Annette's house for a Slumber party.

Kara and I went up to my room and noticed immediately that it was completely different too. I now had a makeup table and the colors were pink and off white. My purse was on the bed and I went over to check my wallet. Sure enough! My Driver's license said Jessica Leanne Russell. I even had some tampons in there. It hit me just how different my life would be from now on. My bedspread had pink roses and I had matching lampshades on both sides of the bed. It was a bedroom that most girls would die for. I did notice that I had no posters of male heartthrobs on my wall. It was all girls. I guess it was a pretty safe bet that my orientation was now Lesbian. At least my attraction to girls was the same anyway even if nothing else was. I talked with Kara for a while longer and then she got up to go back home. We both agreed that she was probably the only one who remembered the old me. She told me that she would be over to help me get ready in the morning. I hugged her and felt a strange tingle when we touched. She didn't act like she felt it and went out the door. We lived right next door to each other, so she didn't have far to go.

I decided to get ready for bed so I went to my dresser and got out a baby doll nighty and a new pair of panties. I went to the bathroom and cleaned off the makeup and brushed my teeth. I stripped off my clothes and stood there looking at this new body in the mirror."Well, I guess you don't look like a geek anymore" I thought. It was strange to see my C cup breasts and how the Auburn in my hair was matched up with a pair of green eyes. It stunned me a bit to realize that sometime very soon, I would have a "monthly visitor" and even get pregnant one day. One of the most surreal things about it that I seemed to be taking it all in with a strange calm. I know a few guys that would freak out completely if this happened to them. I went back to my room and decided I would read for a while. I opened the drawer of my nightstand and found a Diary. I opened it up to yesterday's entry and reread it. I got the shock of my life! I started reading and found out that Kara and I had been a couple for the past four years and we had plans to stay together forever. I guess that since my old reality and new reality crossed paths, she was still aware of her role in my old life. I suspected that when we woke up in the morning, that part of our reality would match what was in the Diary. I wrote an account of my transformation in a separate notebook and placed it in the bottom drawer of my dresser. I would check to see if it would be there in the morning. I turned off my light and snuggled under the covers and fell asleep quickly!

The next morning I woke up to the sun shining through the curtains and I noticed that everything was exactly as it was from the night before. I went to the bottom drawer and took out the notebook. I turned it to the page and all I found was some strange writing in a language that seemed vaguely familiar, but was still at the edge of my mind. The necklace was still the same and clothes I was wearing did not seem to be any tighter than they were the night before. I put on my pink robe and slippers and went to the kitchen to start breakfast. Mom was apparently stirring around getting ready for a shower. I took some eggs out and started cutting up veggies along with the meat and cheese for omelets. We were a tea drinking family so I started a kettle boiling. I had just finished the first omelet when Mom appeared. We talked about what we were doing today. She had to go in to work for four hours and then she would be home. I told her that I was going to hang out with Kara and she told me to BEHAVE, with a wink and a giggle! I laughed and said I would. It seemed like the reality had adjusted fully for her. Lyndsey would be home from her sleepover at around noon, so Mom told me to stay around the house until she got home from work. I told her we would. Mom got up to leave and said we would go out for Pizza tonight. I told her that that sounded fun.

Five minutes later, the doorbell rang and I went to answer it. I was prepared for the change in our reality, but when I opened the door Kara greeted me with one of the most sensuous kisses I have ever experienced in my memory which was admittedly very short in this reality. Kara pulled back from the kiss and looked at me in a way she had never done before. She told me that we needed to talk about a few things. We went to my room and sat down on the bed. She opened by saying that she still remembered our dual reality and was here to help me learn what I needed to know about makeup and deportment. She then broke down in tears and started asking me for forgiveness. I asked her to tell why I needed to forgive her and then a story came out that was totally shocking! She told me that she was a part of an ancient clan tied to the Druids. They had come to the New World a few centuries before to escape the numerous bounty hunters who wanted to kill them for their beliefs and customs. The church tried to charge her ancestors with Heresy because they didn't convert and give up their rituals and powers.

They made their escape and bought passage on ships bound for America where they settled along the Eastern Seaboard. They settled here and were instrumental in making our country what it is today. She told me that the women passed their powers and abilities down to the next generations for hundreds of years. They had some bad experiences when the Puritans came to settle Massachusetts because they were really rigid in their beliefs. They accused so many innocent people of Witchcraft that people with actual powers couldn't use them for fear of being put to death. They did use some of their skills behind the scenes to help put an end to the madness. The women vowed to never allow men to ever possess those powers through marrying a woman of the clan. They established that the clan would become a complete matriarchy where no members would ever be allowed to marry a man, but if they found a man who possessed a feminine soul then they would use their powers to change them into women. They also developed spells that would allow them to temporarily have male organs long enough to impregnate their partners. Once the pregnancy was confirmed, they would wake up the next morning as complete women again. She told me that her "Aunt" Melissa was actually the one who donated half of her DNA. I just sat there spellbound(Pun intended) as Kara told her story. I finally asked her how I figured into the equation? She told me that she had placed the enchanted Shell necklace there for me to find because her elders told her that she could not love me as a man so if she wanted me to be her lover, I had to pass a little test.

She asked me if I remembered the day when she had left her best skirt and blouse on the back clothesline? I was stunned because I didn't think she knew I had borrowed them from line that day. I had been secretly crossdressing in my mother and sister's clothes for years. She told me that Lyndsey had confided in her that she knew something was going on. Kara told me that she had felt a strong connection to me for a long time. I had always wondered why a gorgeous girl like her wanted to be friends with me? Now I knew that she really did love me. She hatched the plan with Lyndsey where she would go to her friend's house for the night because Kara was worried how it would affect the reality shift. Kara had actually done her homework on me too because she used a spell to read the part of my subconscious where my true desires resided. She found out that I truly longed to be a girl. Once she determined that, she put her plan into motion and watched as I picked up the necklace.

She had timed it just right because the moon was full and that was what powered the change. The moon was a huge part of the rituals in all Clan ceremonies. I asked her why my hair was red and she told me that all the clans traced their bloodlines through what is now known as Ireland and my hair and eyes are a very common trait. Then she said another thing that blew me away! She said my family was descended from one of the clans that had emigrated here along with her clan. Because I was now female, I was now in possession of the same powers. The necklace that was around my neck when I awoke was an actual piece of my clan jewelry that was given to all young women when they came of age. If I hadn't been an actual clan descendant, the necklace would have just been shells. Kara was surprised, but very pleased when she saw it and it confirmed that we truly do belong together.

Just when I thought that I had heard enough surprises for one day she said "Sweetheart, there is something else you need to know. Your mother and Lyndsey now have their powers just like you do. Somewhere along the line in your Clan history, someone decided to conceal their powers and they went dormant for a few hundred years. One of your ancestors threw that necklace into the sea and it is the same one you have on now. We need to go down to the water where your transformation occurred. We went down there and dug around in the sand on the very same spot. There were two new necklaces there each with a different symbol on them. I could suddenly recognize the symbol as the ones for mother and sister. Each of them had Mom and Lyndsey's names inscribed on the back. No one else could wear these necklaces. When Lyndsey became a mother one day the symbol would change to that of "Mother".

We walked back to the house and began to get my makeup and hair in order for the day. After that, we got started on lunch and had it almost ready when Lyndsey came home. She greeted us with a big hug and asked how our day was going. We sat her down and told her about her new powers and about the necklace. I presented her with the necklace and Kara and I, made like we had to get up to get something in my room. We left and came back five minutes later and the realities had blended together for Lyndsey. She never remembered me as being anything else besides her sister and she believed she had always had powers. We also noticed that her hair and eyes had changed to the point that she looked like a younger version of me. Mom came home a few minutes later and didn't notice anything different about Lyndsey. Lyndsey didn't notice anything about her either. We sat Mom down and told her the same thing we had told Lyndsey earlier and gave her the necklace. This time, three of us got up to go in the living room and came back five minutes later to find that she was now an older version of me and Lyndsey. I guess we definitely had our clan's genes. Mom was now talking about getting together with Kara's mother and the rest the ladies in our magical community for an Ice Cream Social the next afternoon. We talked for a while longer and went to get ready to go out for Pizza. It was going to be really interesting the next day.

I woke up the next morning and found Kara in bed next to me. She greeted me with a smile and a kiss. I could definitely get used to this every morning! We got up and raced each other to the bathroom. I admit I did let her win. She rewarded me with another kiss, so I think it was worth it. After we got our business taken care of, we headed downstairs to start breakfast. Mom and Lyndsey slept in a little while longer and came down just as the coffee was brewing. I took orders for omelets and prepared the ingredients. We sat down to eat and discussed the Ice Cream Social and what we needed to bring. Kara's mother Lorenna needed us to come earlier to help set up tables and get the tubs of ice cream and toppings set out. We finished getting dressed and headed on over to the gathering place at the park out on Beach Road. It was the perfect setting for a get together. It was set on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic. Kara explained that Clan ceremonies had taken place on the spot for the last 350 years. I felt like I was blessed to have rediscovered what my ancestors had so long forgotten. I just knew that this gathering was going to be about a lot more than just ice cream.

We got to the park thirty minutes before everyone else was due to arrive. Lorenna and Melissa greeted us like we were family. It was nice to have the extended sisterhood. I met so many wonderful people and they welcomed me with open arms. Lorenna and Melissa told me that I was now their daughter and my mother and sister were a part of their family now as well. Kara and I gave them both hugs and then we began setting up the tables. Thirty minutes later, I felt a tremendous tingling throughout my body as more and more of the clan started arriving. There was POWER here and a lot of it! Kara told me that it was dialed down to a quarter of the strength it normally is at night. All I could think was WOW! If there was this intense tingle going now, it must feel like a powerful electrical storm at night. I think I counted two hundred eighty women and young girls there in one place and none of us felt like strangers. Somehow, I was able to remember everyone else's name and who they were directly related to. Kara explained that each person had a magical I.D that was known only to those with powers. The biggest surprise I think I got while standing there was realizing that Lyndsey's best friend Alyssa McGhee was now her beloved. I was also stunned to find my English teacher, Ms. O'Shannon was also a member of one of the clans. My mother was even conversing with people just like she had known them forever. I guess she has in this reality.

After the ice cream was consumed and the aftermath cleared away, Kara stepped up onto a wooden podium and took my hand in her's. Two silver rings appeared from somewhere and Kara took a knee in front of me. She asked me for my hand in marriage using the Gaelic language. I understood every word and responded with a resounding "YES" in the same tongue and then asked her the same thing The rings were placed on our fingers and we kissed. After our engagement, music and celebration filled the air and we danced for hours under the light of a full moon. The power got amped up and I noticed that there were brilliant colors shooting across the night sky as if a thousand rainbows were on display at once. Lorenna stepped up to the podium and announced that our binding ceremony would take place at the first New Moon next month on the sacred grounds in Ireland. According to Clan custom, Kara and I could stay together until the night before the wedding and we had to arrive at our wedding site from opposite directions, Each of us would wear a white robe with our Clan crest emblazoned across the front. When we lay eyes on each other, we take off our robes and meet in the center of the Circle of Stones and our bond will be sealed with a kiss. Our rings will each bear the names of our soulmate and our necklaces will change to the symbol for fidelity and love. Our souls would be joined for all eternity. Both of us were moved to tears as we listened to the details of our impending wedding. I looked at Kara and I was filled with a love for her that reached to the very depth of my being. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul and when I looked into her's, I could even see our future children and I could see a future full of happiness like we have never known. Kara whispered "I love you" and my heart just melted right there.

Our wedding took place on a bluff overlooking the ocean. It was attended by five hundred friends and family from both sides of the pond. If I thought the power on display at our engagement was impressive, I was absolutely awestruck during our wedding. After the ceremony, as the brightly colored sparks shot across the sky, the dolphins and whales were leaping high up over the water and dancing by the light of the moon. There was such joy in the hearts of everyone who witnessed it. My beautiful wife just looked at me with those gorgeous eyes and wonderful smile and I felt like I was the luckiest woman in the world. Mom and Lyndsey had tears in their eyes as they stood there watching us. Lyndsey was due to go through the same ceremony with Alyssa in another month's time, so we were all staying here in Ireland to learn more and perfect our powers. Kara and I found out that if we stayed here to train for six months our powers would be more intense because we were standing where it all began many centuries before. I also found out more about the ancestors and the history of my Clan's beginnings. I consider myself so blessed and so honored to carry it forward. Kara is talking about a family so I guess we will flip a coin about who will get pregnant first. That should be a real eye opening experience! I can't wait!

Epilogue

Kara and I have now been married for five years and it feels like we are still on our Honeymoon. We have each taken a turn at pregnancy and now have two little angels named Shanna and Rhionnan. Kara gave birth to Shanna and I gave birth to Rhionnan two years later. I can honestly say that being a mother is absolutely one of the most rewarding things I have ever experienced. We have already had a preview of the power our two girls have. We came into the nursery one night to tuck the girls in and noticed two teddy bears dancing through the air and two little voices giggling and cooing. Kara and I both believe they will be even more powerful than we are.

Lyndsey and Alyssa have blessed us with two nieces named Grace and Samantha as well. We love spoiling them as much as our own and Lyndsey and Alyssa do the same with ours. Mom is in seventh heaven about being Grandma. Lorenna and Melissa are the same way and our kids definitely get spoiled a lot. We all protest, but they claim Grandma's prerogative, so we just can't win! Sometimes Kara and I will sit out on the front porch in our rocking chairs and think about how we got here to this moment. I look over at her and smile at the memories and the life we have made together and I feel so blessed as I think back to that Summer I found her!