---

Image Credits: Title Picture purchased and licensed for publishing from

123rf.com (Photo 15419851). The model in this image is in no way connected with this story nor supports nor conveys the issues and situations brought up within the story. The model's use is solely used for the representation of looks of the main character of this particular story. ~Sephrena

Divider licensed free for use in publishing from Photoshopgraphics.com ~Sephrena.

---

 

 
 
Chapter 2
 

"Wake up sleepy head," Micah heard Aunt Lillian say as she tossed a pair of yellow yoga pants and a purple tank top on his bed.

"What are these for?" he asked groggily.

"They're for yoga in the backyard after we have breakfast," Aunt Lillian said. "They're Heidi's. She's about your size. Thought they might fit you."

"But it's 6:45?" Micah replied. "Don't I get to sleep in considering it's summer?"

"Not in this household you don't," Aunt Lillian said with a somewhat stern voice.

OK, Ok, he thought. But why couldn't he just wear shorts and a T-shirt, he thought.

But the clothes did feel comfortable, although the pants did feel a little baggy around the hips. And the shirt a little large.

"They're OK, I guess," Micah said as he looked at himself in the mirror, and then proceeded to go downstairs for breakfast.

"Glad you could join us," Heidi said as she handed Micah a bowl of fruit.

It contained a few orange slices, grapes and a banana. There was also a piece of bread with jam.

"What, no bacon and eggs?" Micah jokingly.

"Nope, we're vegans," Aunt Lillian said.

"And for the summer, so are you," Heidi said.

"Um, you're kidding, right?" Micah said.

"Nope," Aunt Lillian said.

"Yoga, vegans," Micah said. "What's next, dancing naked and howling at the moon? At least that's what Uncle Todd says that you do."

"Oh come on now, we're not Wiccans," Heidi said. "Where does Todd get his information?"

"Although we may go skyclad every now and then," Aunt Lillian said.

"What's skyclad?" Micah asked.

"Oh, dancing naked and howling at the moon," Heidi replied with a laugh.

"Heidi, I think we're scaring the poor boy," Aunt Lillian said.
 

 
 
Micah had to admit, yoga wasn't really all that bad.

Standing on one foot while doing something called a "prayer pose" was proving a little difficult, but other than that, he thought he held up well doing things called a "down dog," "pigeon" and "planks."

He did find doing a "bridge," a pose where he was facing backwards trying to make his body shape like a bridge with the help of Aunt Lil and Heidi, felt a little weird.

It proved to be quite a workout, and he had fun watching Heidi and Aunt Lil together. He found the way they acted around each other quite fun.

"You'll warm to us before the summer's over," Aunt Lillian said. "Now it's time to get ready to go into town to the gallery, artists await."

"You're going to be palling around with me most of the day," Heidi said. "Hope you don't mind."

"That's OK," Micah said.

First on the agenda was a trip to Heidi's dance studio. Although Micah didn't quite mind the yoga garb, he was actually a little relieved to be allowed to wear his regular shorts and T-shirt.

He was a bit surprised to learn that he wasn't just going to watch the only class Heidi had that day. He was going to be an active participant.

He walked into a studio full of preteen and teenage girls. Most wore short-shorts and bra tops.

His Uncle Todd and Aunt Marie would say they looked like little "pole dancers," which is what they say about the girls on the show "Dance Moms."

"This is Micah," Heidi said. "He's going to be dancing with us this summer."

Micah gave her a surprised look when she broke the news.

"You are really going to have to go with the flow," Heidi said. "Now join the girls on the floor."

When she said floor, Micah found out it meant almost literally. There was some rolling in the floor, some spinning in the floor, some move called buttering the bread.

There were also some regular, "cool" dance moves. He stumbled around, but then again, so did many of the girls in class.

At the end of class, Heidi announced they would be dancing to a choreographed dance at the Feminist Alliance Festival at the end of summer.

"Even Micah?" one of the girls asked.

"Yup, even Micah," Heidi said. "He's going to be going with the flow, just like the rest of us."
 

 
 
"Hope you don't mind that I included you in the dance," Heidi said. "You can really say no if you don't want to. But it's going to be a really cool dance. Picked out a song by Florence and the Machine called Seven Devils. It's going to be really primal.

"Primal?" Micah asked.

"Modern dance term, sort of like a tribal feel," Heidi said. "I think you and the girls will like the moves. Some of them we did in class. You move quite well today, by the way?"

"I did?" Micah asked. "I thought I sucked."

"For a first day, you did very well," Heidi said. "And I liked how you didn't make being a boy constrain you from doing some of the more graceful moves the girls did."

"I really didn't think about that," Micah said as they walked into a fashion store that had a lot of edgy stuff.

"Heidi, can I help you?" a girl Heidi knew named Gen said asked before the two embraced.

"This is Micah, he's staying with us for the summer," Heidi said. "Picking him out an outfit for Lil's show on Saturday. He wants to dress as Katy Perry, so I knew this was the place to come. By the way, is Tosha here?"

"Yeah, she's in the back," Gen said. "Oh my God, that's really cool. Micah we get drag queens in here for dresses, but never really a boy your age."

"Who said he's a boy?" Heidi asked as she checked out the nail polish on the counter.

Micah gave her a strange look. Gen was also puzzled.

"Last I checked, I was one?" Micah asked.

Heidi pulled out a purple lipstick tube.

"What do you think of this color?" she asked him, and seemed to be dodging his question.

"I guess it looks cool," he said.

"Pucker," she said to him.

"Pucker?" Micah asked.

"Yeah, pucker," Heidi said in reply.

Micah did just that, only to have Heidi apply the lipstick.

"I knew it, I knew that color would look good on you," she said, holding up a mirror to his face.

Micah actually agreed with her. It did look like his color.

She couldn't settle on a particular color of nail polish. She picked blue, pink, psychedelic green, red and black.

"We can experiment and find the color that suits you best," Heidi said.

Heidi also rummmaged through earrings.

"Better watch it Micah, the wheels are turning in her head," Gen said.

"I heard that," Heidi said. "And Micah doesn't want to admit that his gender isn't set yet."

"Set yet?" Micah asked.

"Well, you like to wear girls clothes?" Heidi.

"Yeah, so what?" Micah asked.

"Do you get sexually aroused when you wear them?"

"Woa, that's getting personal," Gen said.

"Ewww, no," Micah said. "That's gross."

"Gen, when have you heard a boy say 'eww, no, that's gross'," Heidi asked.

"Can't say that I have," Gen replied. "At least, not in that way."

Micah blushed. Heidi and Gen both sensed he was embarrassed.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed if you're really a girl," Heidi said. "You shouldn't be afraid to explore that possibility this summer."

"But I have the wrong body for a girl," Micah said.

"Not every girl starts off with the right plumbing," the girl named Tosha said as she emerged from the back room. "She can always change her plumbing."

Micah suddenly hoped the subject would change. And fortunately for him it did.

Heidi had picked out a sequined blue dress and a blue wig for Micah for the show.

She also picked out a pair of Tinkerbell earrings and showed them to Tosha.

"I think that would look cool," Tosha replied.

"That's settled," Heidi said. "Tosha lets take him back."

"Take me back where?" Micah asked.

"To get your ears pierced," Tosha said.
 

 
 
"Well, that's a different look," Aunt Lillian said when she greeted Micah and Heidi at the cafe they picked for lunch.

"Micah's just getting used to it," Heidi said.

"What do you think, Micah," Aunt Lillian asked her nephew.

"Takes some getting used to, but it looks OK," Micah said of his purple lipstick, Tinkerbell earrings and blue nail polish on his fingers and toes. "I actually think I feel like an Indie chick rocker."

"Hope you don't think that's a bad look," Heidi said.

"Not really," Micah admitted. "Just never thought of myself as an Indie chick rocker before."

Heidi told Aunt Lillian about the exploring gender idea.

"You can always so, no way, I'm a boy and say no to Heidi's suggestions," Aunt Lillian said.

"That's really OK," Micah admitted. "Might be fun to explore whether I am really a girl."

"Always thought it was a possibility," Aunt Lillian said. "You have always given off a feminine power vibe during the times I've been around you. I felt it when I held you as an infant."

"Feminine power?" Micah asked. "What is that?"

"It's hard to explain," Heidi said. "But I've felt it, too. Not a bad thing, really an extremely good thing."
 

 
 
Micah helped Heidi chop vegetables for their picnic dinner. They were going to an outdoor poetry reading with Aunt Lil.

They were almost done when Aunt Lillian came through the door carrying a couple of bags.

"Went shopping at the bazaar when I finished this afternoon," Aunt Lillian said. "Found something I thought Micah should wear to the park."

She pulled out a Bohemian-style sundress and some sandals.

"I guessed at the sizes, you might need to try them on," she said.

Micah took the dress and the sandals.

"Pick a pair of clean panties from my drawer to go with it," Heidi said. "They'd probably go better with the sundress than your briefs."

A few minutes later, Micah came bounding down the stairs, wearing dress, sandals and sporting a ponytail.

"That's actually looks pretty good on you," Aunt Lillian said.

"Mom taught me how to tie one," Micah said.

"I was going back to the bazaar tomorrow to pick out a few sundresses for me and Heidi to wear around town," Aunt Lillian said. "You can go with me and pick out some more dresses for you if you'd like."

"Sure," Micah said. "Maybe it'll be cool if the only pants I wear this summer would be yoga pants."

"Careful," Heidi said. "We might hold you to that."

"I wouldn't mind," Micah said. "I might be a girl, remember."

"That thought has crossed my mind," Aunt Lillian said.
 
End Chapter 2
 

 

 
To Be Continued...
 

 

---

Image Credits: Title Picture purchased and licensed for publishing from

123rf.com (Photo 7113389). The model in this image is in no way connected with this story nor supports nor conveys the issues and situations brought up within the story. The model's use is solely used for the representation of looks of the main character of this particular story. ~Sephrena

Divider licensed free for use in publishing from Photoshopgraphics.com ~Sephrena.

---

 

 
 
Chapter 3
 

Poetry in the park wasn't quite what Micah expected. There were a few bongo drums. But Heidi also brought a guitar.

"That's really cool," Micah told her as they walked. "Wished I could play."

"Well, I can teach you," she replied.

"That would be really cool," he said.

Micah felt a little self-conscious at first at what he was wearing. He had a colorful sundress with beads supplied by Aunt Lillian. And a crown of flowers made by Heidi. She made one for all three of them.

"How do you feel about your look?" Aunt Lil asked when they were walking.

"After seeing myself in the mirror, I feel sort of like a fairy or a wood nymph," Micah said. "Or Mother Nature's messed up daughter."

"Nah, our dresses are too long to be a wood nymphs," Heidi said with a laugh. "But if you're a little uncomfortable, you can go back and change into shorts and a T-shirt if you like."

"That's OK," Micah said. "This is actually more comfortable than I thought it would be."

He was a little nervous when he saw the gathering. It was a gathering of women and girls, ranging from around 10 to about 80 in age.

"I'm the only boy, and I'm wearing a dress," Micah muttered as they approached the group.

"You don't know that for certain," Aunt Lillian said as they laid the blanket and picnic basket on the ground. "I still don't think you are sure of your gender."

"Yeah, you might find you're just as much a sister as the rest of the group," Heidi said.

Aunt Lillian introduced Micah to the group. He blushed as she told the group he was "a little nervous about not being a natural born female."

"All of the daughters of the Goddess are welcome here," said an older woman Heidi called a priestess named Wanda.

"You are not the only one here who was not born a natural female," said a woman who appeared to be in her 40's named Artemis.

"She couldn't be," Micah whispered to Aunt Lil. "She doesn't look to be ..."

"Yeah, she is, or was transgendered," Aunt Lillian replied. "We try not to use that label here. She had surgery last summer and has done quite."

"She's lived as a woman most of her life," Heidi sad.

The gathering, the group was quite different than what Micah's Uncle Todd would have imagined.

Although most were artists of some kind, there were a couple of attorneys, an engineer and even a financial advisor.

Yes, there were more than a few lesbians in the crowd. But there were wives in the group who loved their husbands deeply. And mothers.

The poetry and songs were a bit mixed. Yes, there were poems and songs about abuse and about women being degraded. But there were even more about being empowered, and in tune with nature.

Some of the women at the gathering were Wiccans. Some were Pagans. There were even a few who were Christian. Some seemed to be out of a time warp hippies. Micah couldn't quite figure out what group to put Aunt Lil and Heidi in.

"They were more Paganish," he thought.

"You don't put all feminists in the same basket, Micah," Aunt Lillian said. "The same with women, or men, for that matter. You won't find men haters here. We're here to get in touch with the Divine Feminine. And for many of us, this is a chance to come and de-stress."

Micah was surprised when Heidi dedicated a poem-song to him based on Robert Frost's "Road Less Traveled."

He was almost in tears as she sang.
 

 
 
"He really is a special gift to Lil and I this summer from Liz, whom I know you remember," Heidi said. "I know he calls himself Lil's nephew, but I sort of think of her as our special niece. You may be a boy who doesn't like to stay inside his box. Or you are a girl trapped inside a boy's cage. Whichever you are, we love you very much."

Micah tried not to be noticed as he wiped away the tears.

He felt very confused. But he also felt special. He thought he should have been embarrassed to be addressed in terms of a girl: Her and niece.

"Are you OK?," Aunt Lillian asked, knowing their seemed to be something going on in Micah's head.

"I must be weird," he whispered back. "I love being dressed as a girl. I love acting as if I'm a girl. Is it weird that it actually feels natural?"

"No," Aunt Lillian said. "Not if you're a girl. Not if you're a boy who doesn't think there is anything wrong with embracing traits that are more natural for a girl."

"Thanks for the reassurance," Micah said. "It means a lot."

Micah enjoyed soaking in the "Divine Feminine," as Aunt Lillian called it.

The gathering ended with a series of dances. Micah seemed content to sit and watched as different groups got up.

Then the priestess, Wanda called for the girls of the group, the teenagers and the children of the group to join in a circle and dance.

A hand touched Micah on the shoulder.

He looked up to see a beautiful, black-haired girl about his age.

"The priestess wants all of the girls to dance," she said. "Care to join us?"

Micah shook his head yes. She reached out her hand and pulled him up.

They were in a circle dancing to drums, and flutes and other instruments. The dance was as Heidi would say, "primal." It also seemed "spiritual."

And for some reason, Micah felt like he belonged.

"I'm Misty, by the way," the girl said. "Almost didn't recognize you. We were in dance class this morning. I love the way you move."

"I knew you looked familiar," Micah said. "But I didn't know where. But I love the way you move, too."

"We both look different dressed up," Misty laughed. "But I have to say, you look beautiful."

Micah smiled.

"I was thinking the same about you," Micah said.

Come to find out, Misty was Wanda's granddaughter. She lived with the priestess. And they only lived a couple of blocks away.
 

 
 
It was the first real conversation Micah had with his mother since they both boarded planes and headed in opposite directions.

"That's a different look for you," his mom said as they talked on Skype.

Micah had changed out of the dress, but hadn't had a chance to take off the lipstick, or take out the earrings, or take off the nail polish. He was dressed in a tie-dye shirt and shorts.

"It is OK with you?" he asked.

She laughed, but in a good way, laughed.

"There are times when I wished I'd let you be you more than I've had," she said. "But I don't know if I've ever thought there'd be a time when I'd catch you before you took the lipstick off, and the polish. But the lipstick color does look good on you."

"Heidi thought so," Micah said. "She's sort of my fashion consultant."

"Tell her she's not supposed to venture into my territory," his mother laughed. "You stretching your horizons might give me a few ideas when I get back."

"You don't have a problem with that, do you? I mean expanding the horizons part," Micah asked.

"Why do you think I wanted you to stay with Aunt Lil instead of Grandma or Uncle Todd?," his mother replied.

She knew the summer apart from one another would be hard.

"My time with Aunt Lil helped me explore who I really was," his mother said. "That is what I know your time with her will do. And to be honest, I've wrestled with how you really felt about yourself when you dressed up as a girl. But I didn't know if taking you to a therapist or something was the right thing to do."

They decided to change the subject, and the conversation veered into places his mother had seen in Paris: Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre.

"One of these days, I'm going to bring you here to see it all," his mother said.

Suddenly, Micah began to tear up.

"I miss you, Mom," Micah said.

"I miss you, too," she said. "We both had better stop the tears. Our mascara is smearing."
 
End Chapter 3
 

 

 
To Be Continued...