Switching on the mirror light, I looked at the mirror. I seemed to have two reflections for a moment, as if I had double vision.

I shook my head and then I could see more clearly. Everything was back to normal…

‘Sophie, there you are.’

The bathroom was empty. Going out to the bedroom, I looked around; no one was there. I was getting seriously spooked. My door was locked and you need a swipe card to get in. What was going on?

‘Sophie, its me, Hannah.’

‘H…Hannah, where are you?’

‘Inside you, silly. Isn't this fun!’

And now the story continues…

I sat down heavily on the bed.

‘H…Hannah, is that you?’

‘Who else do you think it is, you dummy?’

‘W…where are you?’

I looked around, frightened that some sort of ghostly thing might pop out from behind the wall or something.

‘Inside your head.’

‘I’m going bonkers!’

I wondered if I had eaten too much birthday cake or something.

‘You are no more bonkers than you normally are.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘I don’t either. One minute, I’m on a plane with Mummy and it was diving down and then I had a strange dream and Mummy hugged me, told me to be a good girl and look after you and then she turned away went along a long tunnel towards a bright light and hear a big bang and then I end up here with you. Oh hell Sophie, I’m sorry, I think that Mummy’s dead.’

I could sense an intense sadness.

‘You both are.’

‘What? No I’m not, I’m here but somehow inside your head. Its freaky, I can feel and touch and see through you…’

‘You died eighteen months ago…’

‘Don’t be silly, the crash only happened like what, yesterday?’

I went over to my iPad and opened it.

‘Look at the date.’

‘Oh…oh, so where have I been for eighteen months?’

‘I don’t know.’

It was strange. I could hear her talking in my head but I was answering her out loud. I was beyond being creeped out by all this. Then it was obvious, I was hallucinating.

‘What are you thinking?’

‘Can’t you read my thoughts?’

‘No, all I hear is a fuzzy noise. Can you hear what I’m thinking?’

‘No I can’t, because you aren’t real. I must be getting skidsoid or something.’

‘The word is schizoid, dummy.’

‘Whatever.’

I decided to have a lie down and shut my eyes for a minute. I had obviously done too much and I was having some sort of funny turn. I looked down at my locket. The two halves were definitely one now and there was no join. What was happening here?

‘I’m glad that you are still dressing girlie. You were always a better girl than a boy.’

‘I can’t hear you.’ I said, putting my hands over my ears.

‘Yes you can. Look I know that I’m not a figment of your whatsitsname.’

‘Why?’

‘Cos I remember things.’

‘Like what.’

‘Things that only I know and not you,’

‘Like what?’ I repeated, letting my hands fall to my lap.

‘Are you turning into a parrot or something? Look, do you go into my room much?’

‘No, it…it hurts too much.’

‘Oh sweetie, that’s so nice. Look, do you know anything of my secret hiding place?’

‘What the one in the back of your wardrobe?’

‘No, not that one.’

‘Oh, I know; the one where you have a false bottom in the chest of drawers?’

‘No…I thought that was a secret.’

‘Not from me it wasn’t.’

‘Hrmmph, well anyway, I bet you don’t know this one.’

‘Well go on then, you figment of my imagination; tell me then. Where is this fantastic, hiding place, that no one and that includes me, knows about?’

‘Right, go into my room.’

Hannah’s room was next door and a mirror one to mine, except the en-suite was the other way around, if you know what I mean. It wasn’t locked, but no one except me and I suspect Dad sometimes, went into it. I kept it clean and tidy, but as no one actually slept there or used the room, it stayed fairly clean.

‘Oooh this is strange?’

‘What?’

‘You have a willy and ball thingies. I can feel them when we walk. They don’t feel very big though, in fact quite tiny and shrivelled. Felicity Boothryoyd said… ’

‘Never mind Felicity whatsit, don’t be disgusting.’

‘Just telling the truth.’

I thought that my manly stuff was quite big actually, last time I checked. Then I wondered if I was going mad even thinking of my down below bits at a time like this and having an imaginary conversation with my dead sister. But I would just go through with this silly pretence and go into Hannah’s room.

The room was almost as Hannah left it. I always got a lump in the throat when I went in there. Before, when she was alive, I used to borrow some of her clothes, but I hadn’t since she died. It just didn’t seem right.

‘Okay, I bet you don’t know where it is. You don’t know do you?’

‘No, I only knew about those two other places.’

‘Right, go over to my bed.’

I sat down on the bed, wondering if I should do a 999 call to my therapist.

‘You don’t think that I’m real, do you?’

‘Nope.’

‘Right, will you believe me when I show you my secret place, the one you don’t know about, I mean?’

‘I might.’

‘You are hard work, Sophie. Well, firstly, you have to promise not to flip out.’

‘Why would I do that?’

‘Promise.’

‘All right, I promise.’

‘Well, stand up and open the under-bed drawer and pull it out.’

I did it; there was a quilt in the drawer but nothing else.

‘So you hid a quilt, big deal.’

It was a good job that I wasn’t being observed, as it would have sounded like I was having a conversation with myself, a one sided one.

‘Right Miss Smarty Pants; put your head in the drawer space.’

I put my head in, feeling foolish, to say the least.

‘Look to the left.’

There was a small white button, near the top, to the side. If I hadn’t have been looking for something funny, I wouldn’t have noticed it.

‘Press the button.’

‘Your bed won’t go up in flames or something?’

‘No silly; just do it.’

I pressed the button.

Nothing happened.

‘Well that was interesting.’

‘Patience, little sister. Now come out of there.’

I struggled out of the confined space and stood up.

‘Now go into the bathroom.’

‘Is this some sort of game, if it is, I’m not laughing.’

‘What’s happened to your sense of fun?’

‘It died when you and Mum did.’

There was silence for a moment.

‘I miss Mummy.’

I could somehow hear a catch in her voice as I walked into the bathroom.

‘Yeah, me too. Anyway, enough of that; I’m in the bathroom’

‘I know, I can see.’

‘How come – oh never mind. What next.’

‘See the shower base panel?’

‘Yes.’

‘Push and then let go of the left hand side, near the bottom.’

I bent down and did it, not expecting anything to happen.

There was a click and the side of the panel slid open, like a drawer.

Inside was a pink diary, a locked one.

‘Well, have you ever seen that before?’

‘No, where’s the key.’

‘Maybe I’ll show you later; its hidden, but the diary is kinda private with all my secret thoughts in it. The button under the bed is a Bluetooth one and it releases the catch in here. Now do you believe me? I showed you a secret place that you didn’t know about.’

‘Maybe; tell me something that I don’t know.’

‘You are very hard work Sophie, do you know that? OK, I can do that. I can tell you all about my school and my friends. You don’t know any of them, as you never went there. You can check up with them if you like. I can give you my Facebook and Twitter passwords too. You know I never told you any of my passwords.’

I went back into her bedroom and sat down. Somehow I knew that she was telling the truth without having to do the Facebook and Twitter thing. I just knew that I wasn’t just hearing voices in my head, I was somehow hearing my sister, Hannah.

‘It really is you and I’m not going mad?’

‘Yep, its me. I don’t know what’s going on, the same as you, but I’m sure that I’m here for a reason.’

It was so hard to believe all this, but I knew my sister better than anyone else in the world. If this was still me losing my mind, at least I wasn’t alone any more. I would just assume that what I had been hearing was the truth…mind you, there was one more concrete way of knowing…

‘The plane that you was on, when you died…’

‘I don’t like the “d” word…’

‘Sorry, when the plane crashed.’

‘Yea, what about it?’

‘Do you remember the flight number?’

‘Yea, it was easy to remember, flight SWR007. I thought James Bond, You know?’

‘Yes I know. I’m not thick.’

‘Who says?’

‘I say; now shut up a minute, will you?’

‘Sorry I spoke.’

I went back into my bedroom and over to my laptop and then googled the accident, I just knew that I did not have the flight number as I was never told it and I had never looked up the details of accident as it was too upsetting. As far as I was concerned I had my head in the sand over any details of the crash. Things were hard enough for me without seeing the horrific details of what happened.

I clicked on a link that went onto one of the news websites that reported it. I soon found details about the plane crash, which upset me enormously, but I had to find out about the flight and I was soon looking at some specific details.

Hannah kept quite and didn’t say anything. I think that this was the first time that she had seen details of the crash and that wasn’t surprising as she was supposed to be dead.

As I looked at pictures of the crash site, I could hear a sobbing in my head. This was bad for me, but it must have been even worse for her. Tears coursed down my face as I relived the horrid things that happened eighteen months before.

‘Hannah, can you close your eyes?’

‘I…I haven’t got eyes,’ she said, sounding really upset.

‘Well imagine you have or at least do something to take your mind off things.’

After blowing my nose with a tissue and wiping my eyes with another, I waited a moment and then continued my reading. There it was in black and white. SWR007 was the flight number.

I had seen enough. I was convinced. I knew that I did not have a clue about the flight number as I refused to even look at anything to do with the crash until now.

I sat there for some minutes fingering my newly merged pendant that still felt strangely warm to touch. Up until now, I had thought that I had voices I my head. The fact that I now had the proof that I wasn’t going mad was nice, very nice. Then I recalled the weird thing where Hannah’s pendant and mine had suddenly merged and the flash of light and gust of wind occurred. This was all sort of supernatural and downright unbelievable, or so I thought.

It was obvious that I was in a sort of shocked state. My sister was in me and appeared to be part of me now. How weird was that? I thought that I had lost her and I had kind of, but she was back, I hoped forever, but I didn’t know if it was forever. Maybe she had gone already…

‘Hannah, are you there?’

‘Can I come back now?’

‘Yes Hannah; you really are here aren’t you?’

‘Yes I am. I can sense that you now believe me.’

‘Yea, I do and I would give you a hug if I could.’

‘Same here. I wish that Mummy could have come back somehow too; but I can sense that she’s looking over us.’

‘Its strange, I have thought that ever since the crash. I had dreams about her being in a happy place, just out of sight. Maybe that’s what Heaven is, although I’m not sure that I believe any more after all that’s happened. The funny thing is, I can’t remember you being in my dreams.’

‘For me, its like it just happened. I closed my eyes, there was a sort of a flash and I felt like I was being sucked in somewhere. I couldn’t believe it when I realised it was you. I couldn’t see, cos it was dark, but I just knew somehow that I was with you. It was only when you opened your eyes that I could see anything.’

‘You know that I can’t tell anyone about you. They would think that I had gone weird in the head or something.’

‘I know. It’s a shame because I want to cuddle Daddy and tell him so much.’

I wanted to change the subject because we were both getting upset.

‘Hannah, how much can you feel. Can you control our body?’

‘Our body, I like that. Its your body really.’

‘Not any more, we shared everything before and we’ll share everything now.’

Somehow, I could feel her hugging me. It was a strange but nice sensation.

‘Thanks hon, anyway, what am I feeling? Well to be honest I think that I can feel most things; I'm pretty sure that the only things I can’t do is control you and read your thoughts.’

I pinched myself and we both went, ‘ouch.’

All the time I had been speaking out loud, so I tried to speak to her with my mind instead of talking out loud.

‘Can you hear me,’ I shouted in my mind.

‘Ouch, you’re shouting!’

‘Ooh, it works. I thought that you couldn’t hear me think?’

‘Well I heard that, loud and clear. Try thinking of something.’

‘What?’

‘I don’t know, anything you like. You weren’t as thick as this when I was alive.’

‘Hey, watch who you are calling thick.’

‘All right, sorry. Look are you going to do it?’

‘What?’

‘Think of something.’

I thought about an ice cream cornet with chocolate sauce.

‘Well?’ I asked.

‘Well what?’

‘What was I thinking about?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Well that worked anyway; I can think of things but unless I verbalise you can’t hear me. I must have some sort of switch thingie that knows when I am talking to you and when I’m not. Let me try another…’

I thought about Hannah been short, ugly with spots on her nose, while I was pretty and sweet and gorgeous looking.

‘What was I just thinking?’

‘Haven’t a clue.’

‘Probably a good thing’’ I giggled.

All this conversation was inside my head. I could talk to her and her me without my saying anything out loud.

‘This is so cool. I might be dead, body wise but at least I have something going on here.’

‘You know that I can’t tell anyone. They will think I’m mad and send me off to some exclusive funny farm with special rooms that are nicely padded for my protection.’

‘Yea, that sucks; we can’t even tell Daddy.’

‘Bummer,’

‘Tell me about it.’

'Look, why don't you try and raise my arm or something, that will tell us if you can control my body.'

'Okay,'

I let my arm go limp on my lap, but apart from a funny tingling sensation, nothing happened.

'Oh well, it was worth a try.'

I yawned and noticed that it was two in the morning. I was tired and needed my beauty sleep. I scratched at a nipple that seemed a bit ticklish and then I said.

‘I’m tired and need to go to bed. Will you sleep or do you need to do that any more?’

‘I haven’t a clue, but I do feel weary, maybe my brain or whatever I have in here with you is linked very closely to you and when you sleep, I do. Lets try it, shall we?’

I nodded, too tired to verbalise anything. So I went back to bed.

‘G’night Hannah.’

‘G’night Shorty.’

I smiled. When she was alive, she often called me that, as I was a quarter of an inch shorter than her. Then, I could somehow feel her drifting off and I followed soon after.

Waking the next morning, I stretched and looked over at my clock. It was 7.30 and the sun behind the curtains lit the room. Picking up the remote, I opened the curtains and sunlight flooded in. the sea the sky was blue and it looked like it was going to be a glorious day. seagulls were wheeling about in the air and a yacht was sailing along close to the horizon, its white sails stark against the blue of the sea.

I recalled a strange dream that I had last night. I had a vivid imagination and I could have sworn that…

‘So you’re awake too. I didn’t want to say anything.’

‘Hannah, are you there?’

‘In the flesh, well not in the flesh, in your flesh, well you know what I mean.’

‘So it wasn’t a dream?’

‘Nope, I’m still here.’

‘Did you go to sleep?’

‘Yea, I did. It seems like we go to sleep and wake up pretty much at the same time; isn’t that neat?’

‘Yes it is…’

The internal phone went off.

‘Hello?’

‘George, did you forget?’

‘Hi Julia, what did I forget?’

‘Bike ride ten minutes ago,’

‘Oh sorry, I didn’t sleep that well last night. Can you give me twenty minutes?’

‘Sure, see you soon.’

‘We’re not going for a bike ride, are we?’

She sounded a trifle fearful.

‘Yes, it’ll be fun.’

‘You know I hate riding a bike. Maisie, now that’s different,’

Maisie was Hannah’s pony. I didn’t like her and she didn’t like me. It was just one of those things. After Hannah had “died” I tried to get to know Maisie better, but nothing had changed, she just didn’t like me and I was nervous to be around her. She was still in the stables with the horses that Mum and Dad had and they were all being looked after by the groom.

‘Can we go and see Maisie?’

‘Maybe after the bike ride, but I’m not going too close to her as I don’t want to get nipped.’

‘Coward.’

‘Yes I have this lovely yellow streak that goes down my back.’

We both giggled.

With that I stripped off, had a quick wash and then put on my bike kit. My sky kit was mainly black and I loved it. As I may have mentioned, it was almost unisex, but not quite, although both seem the same, the girls kit is cut slightly different. I had a boy’s kit, but at least it looked a bit like a girls one.

As I dressed – it felt a bit tight in places, probably all that Birthday cake – I had to endure Hannah’s complaints about cycling.

‘It makes you sweat and the kit is too tight. I hate going up hills and any time I ever tried it, my legs were like jelly afterwards.’

‘Hannah, that isn’t as bad as riding your flaming pony. When I had riding lessons, I had a numb bum for ages and the riding a pony made me feel sea sick, what with all the gigging about and then…’

‘Erm Sophie.’

‘And then there’s the smell, ponies smell and they drop their doings on the floor and…’

‘SOPHIE!’

‘Eh, what?’

‘You’re in front of the mirror, look at yourself.’

‘What are you…Oh-My-God!’

My reflection didn’t look right; it didn’t look right at all, as I now had slightly larger hips and my bum seemed a bit bigger. However, what took most of my attention were the two small but very pronounced mounds that could be seen clearly through the tight fitting top.

I had girls breasts.

What was happening to me?

---

 
To Be Continued...

Please leave comments and kudos...thanks!

Previously…

With that I stripped off, had a quick wash and then put on my bike kit. My sky kit was mainly black and I loved it. As I may have mentioned, it was almost unisex, but not quite, although both seem the same, the girls’ kit is cut slightly different. I had a boy’s kit, but at least it looked a bit like a girls one.

As I dressed – it felt a bit tight in places, probably all that Birthday cake – I had to endure Hannah’s complaints about cycling.

‘It makes you sweat and the kit is too tight. I hate going up hills and any time I ever tried it, my legs were like jelly afterwards.’

‘Hannah, that isn’t as bad as riding your flaming pony. When I had riding lessons, I had a numb bum for ages and the riding a pony made me feel sea sick, what with all the gigging about and then…’

‘Erm Sophie.’

‘And then there’s the smell, ponies smell and they drop their doings on the floor and…’

‘SOPHIE!’

‘Eh, what?’

‘You’re in front of the mirror, look at yourself.’

‘What are you…Oh-My-God!’

My reflection didn’t look right; it didn’t look right at all, as I now had slightly larger hips and my bum seemed a bit bigger. However, what took most of my attention were the two small but very pronounced mounds that could be seen clearly through the tight fitting top.

I had girls’ breasts.

What was happening to me?

And now the story continues…

‘Oh God, I can’t stand this!’

‘Stop whinging Hannah.’

‘I’m all hot and sweaty and I can’t breath and my legs hurt and this hill is going to kill me, Sophie!’

‘Look, this is my body too and I’m doing all the work and all you are doing is complaining.’

‘I hate riding a bike and you are really nasty making me do it.’

‘It’s us not you. I never knew my sister was a baby!’

We started climbing a steep hill, Julia was just in front of me and I intended to take her half way up. I was a bit competitive on a bike and I liked to stretch myself a bit. I could feel the rivulets of sweat going down my back and I smiled. I might be all girlie inside, but I was a girl who liked to win.

‘I feel all wet and yuckie!’

‘Oh shut up Hannah; get over yourself!’

After discovering in my bedroom that I was growing girly bits, I nearly fainted with shock. Hannah took it far too calmly for my liking. All right, I wanted to be a girl, correction I was a girl inside and the thought of me turning into a physical girl made me almost weep with joy.

That euphoric feeling lasted for only about ten seconds as I realised that more than a few comments would be made, firstly by all the numerous members of staff and hangers on, but more importantly, by my dad, if I turned up with boobs the size of Dolly Parton’s.

As Hannah pointed out to me, tiny little bumps were not anything Partonesque. I knew that Hannah’s breasts, when she was physically alive, weren’t very big, not much more than I was now, but how do I explain what was happening to me?

‘I…I…I don’t understand what’s going on!’

‘It looks like you are going all girly, that is so cool!’

‘Its not cool when everyone sees me as a girl when I have been pretending all my life that I’m a boy.’

‘Yea, but all you have to do is tell everyone that you are a what’s it called, erm a trans thingie?’

‘Hannah, don’t play the dumb blond, you know full well that I am a transsexual. We talked about it lots of times when you were alive.’

‘Do you have to keep saying that sort of thing? I’m trying to forget that I’m officially dead and you have a certificate to prove it.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t know that you were so sensitive.’

‘So would you be when you find out that you’ve been turned into mincemeat after crashing into the side of a mountain.’

‘You always were a drama queen.’

There followed an internal conversation that involved several swear words and a number of things best left unsaid. Eventually we calmed down, apologised to each other, mentally air kissed and carried on a bit more rationally.

‘So, you are worried about sprouting out all girliefied and what everyone might say about it?’

‘Der, yes; I’ve spent most of my life hiding it all away and now everything is out of my control.’

‘It might just be that thing that boys have gynoclamatis or something.’

‘You mean gynaecomastia.’

‘That’s the one, clever clogs.’

‘That might be it, but they’ve grown kind of suddenly.’

‘Maybe you just hadn’t noticed it, what with everything that’s going on.’

‘Yea, that could be right. Hang on though, what about my bum and hips?’

Pr’aps that’s something similar too.’

‘I don’t know.’ I said doubtfully, ‘OH-MY-GOD what do I do about school?’

‘It’s a boys school.’

‘I know that silly. How can I turn up looking like this?’ I waved my hand around.

‘You’ll be a boys wet dream.’

I groaned. Things were not going to be easy.

We had no more time to think about what was going wrong with what I now considered our, rather than my body, as we had to go for a ride. Hannah suggested that I wear one of her sports bras, something that she rarely wore, but had a few of. I went into her bedroom and then taking my cycle top off, I slipped one on. I was concerned that it might show under the lycra and after re-dressing, I noticed that there was a vague outline, but I didn’t think that it would be noticed. However I was taking no chances, so I put on a gilet and that hid any possible chance of discovery.

It was with a sense of trepidation that I went out for my ride with Julia. It didn’t help that Hannah was singing in my head, Sometimes its hard to be a woman.

I didn’t think that Hannah was taking things seriously enough.

Julia was riding really well and it was all I could do to get home before her. The ride had been good and had calmed my fears down a wee bit. Julie hadn’t twigged that my body shape was any different, although my hips felt and I believe looked huge in the tight lycra I was wearing. Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

Hannah had been silent on the last descent and I had a feeling that it was sheer terror that had kept her quiet. I didn’t know what the fuss was; we had only been going at about 50 miles an hour, my back wheel about an inch away from Julia’s, as I rather liked slip steaming even going down hill…

‘Thanks Julia,’ I said as we stopped, ignoring the complaints from Hannah, ‘that was great. I’ll have a quick dip in the pool and then a shower; you coming?’

‘No, I’ll have a shower in my room then I have a few things to do. See you later.’

‘Bye.’

I went to the swimming pool and took my clothes off. Hannah was still strangely silent and I relished the peace and quiet. It didn’t last long.

I went to slip on one of the pairs of swimming trunks I always kept in my locker by the pool and was about to put them on and then I saw my reflection in the mirror on the wall.

I saw my breasts and my bum and my widening hips. Then, with horror, I noticed that my penis was now a shrunken worm size and my scrotum was a lot smaller too. I rummaged around a bit and noticed that my testicles (sorry) were the size of garden peas!

‘Well that’s interesting,’ said Hannah, ‘it’s a good job that Julia didn’t come swimming. How would you have explained your altered plumbing, fat distribution and lack of manhood?’

I felt nauseous and after putting on my trunks, noticing that my tell-tale lumps and bumps between my legs were now more like where-tale? I sat down heavily on a bench, totally undecided as to what I should do.

‘I can’t go swimming now. What if someone comes in and sees me like this?’

‘You should be wearing a girls swimming cozy not boys trunks and if Julie had agreed to come swimming, then that would have been awkward.’

I had already realised that and had hoped that Hannah didn’t notice my slip-up.

I really wanted to swim because I felt hot and sweaty and also because it was a great warm down exercise after a heavy cycle ride. I went over to the door leading inside the house and turned the key. I didn’t want anyone to burst in and see me like that.

The windows outside already had the blinds down to keep things cooler inside, so I was pretty safe from outside peeping toms, not that there were any on the staff; well I hoped not anyway. I was just lucky that the roof was covered as usually at that time of the year it was mainly used as an outdoor pool, so any overhead helicopters wouldn’t be able to see anything, even with long range lenses.

You may have noticed that I was beginning to be a bit paranoid

After those simple security measures I went back to look in the mirror.

‘I need to do something about these breasts,’ I thought, ‘ they might be small, but they feel uncomfortable and exposed without any support.’

‘Why don’t you put the sports bra back on?’

‘You heard that then. I thought that you couldn’t read my mind unless I let you?’

‘Well no, but I sort of guessed that was what you were feeling. Lets face it, we share the same everything now including bits of our brain. Don’t ask me what’s going on, I’m just here for the ride.’

After agreeing with Hannah’s suggestion, I put the sports bra back on, I felt a lot less naked, but it felt yucky, as it was all sweaty. It looked ridiculous and it was the wrong colour, but there was only me and I suppose Hannah there so there was no chance of being seen.

I took one more look in the mirror, shook my head and frowned. I was now wearing boys’ swimming trunks that didn’t fit well because I was shrunken in certain places and stuck out in others together with a sports bra that covered my budding breasts. I realized that it wasn’t fashionable but it would have to do.

‘We’ll have to get you a bikini.’

‘Don’t go there.’

With a sigh, I dived into the pool; well sort of belly flopped if I was honest, as I wasn’t a good swimmer like Hannah was before you know what…

I was struggling. My body didn’t feel right and I was out of balance; probably something to do with my body changes.

‘Oh for goodness sake, let me do it, you are showing us up.’

‘No-one’s watching.’

‘Never mind that, you are swimming like a drowned rat. Look, just stop doing what you are doing and let me take over.’

‘You can’t take over,’ I gasped as I attempted to do a front crawl that appeared to more of a sideways crab crawl.

‘We wont know ‘til we try, just relax.’

I stopped swimming, if you want to call it that, and held my breath as we slowly sank to the bottom and I kind of semi-panicked. Then I sort of let myself go and then all of a sudden we were going up again like an express lift and a few moments later we were swimming powerfully to the end of the pool.

‘Well cool!’

I could sense her happiness as she swam along as if she was in the middle of a race.

This was seriously weird. I was feeling just like I was a passenger, as Hannah did all of the work. I was still out of breath and my muscles ached from the bike ride and then unexpected speed of the swim; but it felt good, very good. I had never swum this well in my life. I knew that Hannah was a very good swimmer and had won several medals at school and now I was experiencing the adrenaline rush that she had when she was on form in the pool.

The pendant was tucked in my bra so it wouldn’t fly about and it felt a bit hot, strange that…

After several lengths, my body tired. We had, after all, just finished a punishing bike ride and then swum at what I considered to be at break-neck speed. I wondered if this is how it felt to do two parts of a triathlon. Suddenly, Hannah let go of the control she had and I was back in charge of our body.

It was like a switchover, but I had no idea how it worked, nor did Hannah. Thinking about it later, we both wondered if it was something automatic and unconscious on our part, like when one lets go, the other somehow takes over seamlessly.

I dried off and put on a toweling robe that hid my new assets adequately. Then picking up my cycle stuff, including the wet training bra and swim trunks, I made my way back to my part of the house.

Hannah was strangely quiet, but I knew that she was there. Like me, she probably had a lot to think about. Sharing a body is a strange experience and something that is difficult to explain to someone who has never had that unique thing happen to them. I loved having my sister back, but I wasn’t sure how this would all pan out. Would I just turn into a clone of my sister and lose my identity? Was I just being paranoid? Will we stay like this forever just sharing my body? I desperately wanted to be a girl, but was this right way to go about it? Not that I had much choice.

I had a quick shower and then put on a bra, which normally I had to fill with gel inserts. I wanted the bra cups to at least give some support for the growing girls, but they weren’t really big enough to fill it. I was in training bra country here, not the almost grown up type bra that I had been using. I tried the bra with the gel inserts and that didn’t work either, as it was all too uncomfortable as they pressed up against my slightly sore breasts. I needed to get some properly fitting bras somehow, but I had no idea how quick I was growing…

‘We need to go shopping; your bra is useless now.’ said Hannah.

I looked at myself in the mirror critically.

‘I don’t want huge great breasts,’ I said reflectively.

‘Well I didn’t have big ones, although being twelve, I didn’t have enough time to grow them and Mummy’s weren’t that big and she was grown up. If you are like her, you should have manageable ones when you become an adult. Look, wear another one of my sports bras, they compress things down a bit and give you some support too. It will have to do until we can get you some proper ones to wear. It’s a pity that all of my training bras were in my case on the plane, they might have fitted you’

‘I can’t wear a bra outside, everyone will know.’

‘They will find out soon enough.’

‘I know that, but I can’t get my head around things as it is without telling the world that I’m some sort of freak.’

‘But you want to be a girl.’

‘Yes, but Dad has enough worries and I don’t want to add to them.’

‘He will have to know and soon.’

‘Why?’

‘Because its going to be hard to hide that you are a girl. Someone will notice something like your changing shape. What if the press do one of their long-range photo snaps when you are with Daddy and add two and two together?’

‘You know that we don’t often go out together. Dad protects us from the press and any media exposure.’

‘You don’t know this, but one of the members of the gutter press took photos of me without any clothes on when I was at school and then tried to blackmail Daddy.’

‘What!’

I could feel her embarrassment.

‘Me and Margy Johnson went skinny dipping in the lake next to the school one evening for a bet. We weren’t to know that there was anyone watching us. Daddy went nuts about it and threatened all sorts of nasty legal action. He also had someone make sure that the man would never do anything like that again. I don’t know the details, but nothing got into the papers.’

‘Dad can be a hard nut sometimes.’

‘Not when you are his little girl and can wrap him around your tiny finger.’

‘Hmm, maybe there is a bright side to this?’

We both giggled.

I thought what she suggested about the bra situation and thought that it was a good idea, so I went into her room and picked out several sports bras. She had a variety of colours, which was good, but the worry was that they would show under my male clothes.

I put on a white bra that squished down my little girls a bit, but not too uncomfortably and then slipped on a black top and panties and skirt. At least in my rooms, I could dress like this without being seen. I was feeling rather hungry now so I decided to have breakfast.

I had a fridge and essentials like Weetabix, cornflakes and orange juice in my room. I sometimes liked to breakfast on my own, dressed in my nightie usually and sitting on my balcony, which isn’t overlooked, luckily. I had an uninterrupted view of the sea and it was always a favourite time for me.

‘I would have preferred eggs and bacon.’

‘You always were a piggy.’

‘I can’t help it if I like food,’

‘Well you are in my body now, so what I say goes.’

‘That’s not fair!’

‘Who said anything about being fair?’

‘****.’

‘Language, Hannah!’

‘It was nice sitting there looking at the deep blue sea, gently lapping up the shore of the cove. For a few minutes I could forget all the things that was happening and just enjoy my breakfast. Hannah went into another sulk and she went off somewhere in my brain and mentally shut the door behind her.

I realised that we wouldn’t see eye to eye (if that were possible) on a number of things, but I knew that she loved me and I loved her and any arguments that we did have, normally blew over fairly quickly. I had no ideas where all this was going, but I would just have to wait and see.

After breakfast, I went to clean my teeth.

‘You missed your back ones and you need to brush for at least three minutes. When you kiss boys, they don’t like bad breath.’

Hannah was back.

‘I know, about teeth I mean!’ I replied, ignoring the crack about boys.

I didn’t want to think about boys, sex and things like that. I was too much of a crazy mixed up kid to think about that sort of thing. I had a feeling that Hannah had had some dealings with boys and I would quiz her about that later, but for now, I went over my teeth with the electric brush a little bit more. Then I rinsed using alcohol free mouthwash and Hannah then pronounced that she was satisfied.

‘What shall we do now…’

The internal phone went off and I answered it.

‘Hello?’

‘George, could you come down to the security suite please?’

‘OK Julia; anything wrong?’

‘I just want to show you something.’

‘Give me five minutes.’

I put the phone down.

‘I wonder what that’s about?’

‘Probably wants to show you her latest toy; laser guided missile or something.’

‘Yea, she almost has as many gadgets as Daddy. “Daddy”, where did that come from?’

‘Probably my benign influence.’

‘Did you learn such heavy words at that chocolate Swiss roll of a school you belonged to?’

‘Flaming cheek!’

We both giggled.

I changed into jeans and a loose t-shirt that hid my sports bra covered breasts quite well and then made my way down to the security suite.

Julia was in there by herself. She put the phone down and looked up with a strange look on her face.

‘Hi George or is it Sophie?’

---

 
To Be Continued..?

Please leave comments and kudos...thanks!

Previously…

‘George, could you come down to the security suite please?’

‘OK Julia; anything wrong?’

‘I just want to show you something.’

‘Give me five minutes.’

I put the phone down.

‘I wonder what that’s about?’

‘Probably wants to show you her latest toy; laser guided missile or something.’

‘Yea, she almost has as many gadgets as Daddy. “Daddy”, where did that come from?’

‘Probably my benign influence.’

‘Did you learn such heavy words at that chocolate Swiss roll of a school you belonged to?’

‘Flaming cheek!’

We both giggled.

I changed into jeans and a loose t-shirt that hid my sports bra covered breasts quite well and then made my way down to the security suite.

Julia was in there by herself. She put the phone down and looked up with a strange look on her face.

‘Hi George or is it Sophie?’

And now the story continues…

‘Oh bum!’ said Hannah in my head.

‘What do you mean Julia?’ I asked.

‘Come over here please.’

With dread, I walked over and then Julia pointed at the screen in front of her.

I was by the swimming pool, under the sports bra, you could clearly see the outline of girls breasts, not big, but definitely not something seen on a normal boy; but it wasn’t only that, my shape was unmistakably that of a girl, nothing too obvious as thirteen year old girls, unless they were very advanced, didn’t do the bum, hip and thigh thing, but the shape was a girls one, not a boys.

In the video, I appeared to be muttering to myself, but I knew that it was just Hannah and I doing the internal dialogue thing. I wished now that I had kept my big mouth shut.

‘Isn’t there something you want to tell me?’

‘I don’t think so.’ I replied.

Julia sighed.

‘Have you been taking drugs?’

‘The occasional aspirin…’

‘Not hormones?’

‘No!’I shouted.

‘Does that mean no you haven’t been taking any or yes you have?’

‘No I haven’t.’ I replied stiffly.

‘So, how do you explain the fact that you now have the body shape of a girl?’

‘Its none of your business!’ I cried, as I turned and ran out of the room.

Before I knew it, I was back in my bedroom and lying on my bed crying my eyes out.

I could hear Hannah trying to comfort me, but I was in a strange place. I so much wanted to be a girl, but I wanted to do it in my time under my own terms. All this had happened so fast, I didn’t know whether I was coming or going. And now Julia knew and she would tell Daddy and then it would all be out. Well not all out, because how could I tell him that I was cohabiting my body with his dead daughter?

I cried a bit more until I was all cried out. Then I could sense Hannah trying to talk to me and somehow I let my defences down and I could hear her once again.

‘Sophie, I’m so sorry.’

‘Why, it’s not your fault and I love having you here with me, it’s the only good thing about this mess.’

Somehow, I knew that she wanted to say something.

‘Alright, I sighed, ‘out with it.’

‘You won’t shout at me?’

‘No.’ I said as I wiped my eyes and then blew my nose on a tissue.

‘Look, lets go for a walk down on the beach. Its quiet there and we will be away from too many prying eyes. I wouldn’t put it past Julia and the other security people to actually bug our rooms.’

‘They wouldn’t do that!’

‘Don’t be so sure. They take orders from Daddy and he may have ordered it without us knowing.’

‘But Dad wouldn’t do that either.’

‘You are beginning to sound like a parrot, repeating yourself. We don’t know what Daddy would do to protect you. As far as he is concerned, he has lost his wife and daughter. He wouldn’t want to lose his son too.’

All this conversation had taken place in my head and so there wouldn’t be any chance of eavesdroppers. Mind you, I did feel like someone, namely Julia, might be watching me, so I agreed to go down to the beach.

I went over to the doors leading out to the balcony and then went down the couple of steps, used my swipe card to open the gate and then followed the path leading down to the beach.

Soon I was walking along the sand, parallel to the water lapping up the shore and I gradually began to feel a wee bit better.

‘So, oh enlightened one, what’s on your mind?’ I asked.

‘Okay, lets talk about what’s happening to you.’

‘Us.’ I corrected.

‘What?’

‘Its us; you are in this too.’

‘Aww, that’s sweet; okay us then. Let me lay it out for you and you can argue against me if you feel you need to, fair enough?

‘Okay, spit it out.’

I wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but I would give her a fair hearing before I threw my dummy out of the pram, as Mum used to say.

‘Okay, lets start with the easy stuff. Are you a girl or boy?’

‘A girl, of course.’

‘But everyone thinks that you are a boy.’

‘Yes, you know that...’

‘Have patience, little one. All right, you agree that you are a girl inside but a boy outside, or you were before all these changes started happening.’

‘Yes.’

‘But now things are happening beyond your control and by some weird but rather exciting magical type stuff, your are changing into a real, bona fide girl and you have little me inside you to keep you company.’

‘I suppose.’

‘Well, don’t sound too enthusiastic! Anyway, look at yourself; you know that you now have breasts and your penis and other bits and pieces are disappearing to God knows where and your shape is more like a girl than a boy. Your hair is softer and has suddenly grown a couple of inches and I bet those three hairs you have on your chest have gone.’

Without thinking my hand slipped under the sports bra and moved to my chest – no hairs.

‘See, I told you so.’

‘I can’t stand it when you are in smug mode. So what point are you making?’

‘The point is, that you will very soon be a girl, one hundred percent and then it will be obvious to a blind bat that you are a girl.’

‘Bats aren’t blind.’

‘Don’t get off the point, Miss Smarty Pants. Am I or am I not telling the truth?’

‘I suppose.’ I admitted grudgingly.

‘Right, so you want to be a girl and are now in fact a girl or soon will be by the look of it.’

‘Yes, get on with it.’

‘You didn’t tell Daddy about how you felt because you were worried that he was still upset about me and Mummy dying?’

‘You know that.’

‘But you have always considered yourself to be a girl and when I asked you several times to come clean to our parent,s you came out with several lame different excuses as to why they shouldn’t be told, like they would react badly or they would worry or feel guilty or something.’

‘Well, they might have.’

‘Maybe, but I doubt it and I told you that tons of times but would you listen?’

We reached the end of the shore, by the rocks and so we turned around and went the other way. It was funny saying “we” instead of “I”, but my body now had what was effectively a split personality running it. You would have thought that I would trip over myself as Hannah’s part struggled with mine, but it wasn’t like that. Everything done was seamless and almost without thought. I still seemed to be the one in control though and I had to let go before Hannah took over the body. My thoughts were private unless I wanted to share them and I knew that it was the same for Hannah.

Weird or what?

We carried on our internal talk as water lapped over my feet, or should I say our feet? I shook my head; I couldn’t be doing with this mine and our thing. I will say mine unless Hannah is driving, if that’s the word for it.

‘Well?’

‘Well what,’

‘Do you agree you weren't listening?’

‘About what?’

‘Oh Sophie, pay attention! We are discussing our future here and what we need to do.’

‘Deny everything?’

‘You heard what Julia said. She knows all and you can bet that she will tell Daddy, if he doesn’t already know.’

‘She doesn’t know all. She doesn’t know about the necklace and all the weird things that have happened and she certainly doesn’t know about you.’

‘True and she doesn’t need to know that. I think that you should sort of come clean and tell her that your body has changed a bit and you have looked up things on line and that you might be cross gendered or something.’

‘You mean intersexed.’

‘That’s the one.’

‘Daddy will hate me.’ I sniffed.

‘No he won’t, he’s a darling.’

‘He loved me being a boy and we could do manly things together.’

‘When did he last do a manly thing with you?’

‘Erm.’

‘Exactly; look honey; lets face facts, you were always a girl but you were afraid to let it out. Daddy is always busy with work and I bet that he’s even busier now that Mummy and I have gone. Now is your chance to grab his attention and spend a bit more time with you. This problem, if that what it really is, isn’t going to go away; so take the initiative and talk to Daddy. You need to say something to Julia first as she’s twigged what’s going on, or she thinks she has anyway and we don’t want her to blab to Daddy about it and give him the wrong story.’

I could feel that Hannah believed that I should grasp the nettle and start telling people exactly what was going on. She was very quiet for a while and I was pleased because it gave me a chance to think things through.

I wondered what the alternatives were to revealing myself. Could I go on the way I was. I could have if my bodily changes weren’t quite so obvious, but I looked more and more like a girl every time I looked at myself. I sat on the sand and looked out to sea and wondered if I just stood up and walked out into the water…

‘Don’t even think it!’

‘You shouldn’t be listening to my thoughts.’

‘I didn’t mean to, honest Sophie, but I just knew that you were in a bad place and anyway if you go then I go, and that just isn’t going to happen on my watch. Maybe it’s something magical, my being here inside you and sharing you, but I wasn’t sent back here just to die again by drowning. I want to live and I want to be with you forever. It would be a waste if you just give in.’

I sighed.

‘I know, I’m not brave enough to do something that stupid anyway. Oh, what the heck, lets get it over with.’

‘At last, something sensible and anyway, drowning doesn’t do anything for your hair!’

I giggled nervously.

Just then my phone trimbled, it was a text.

‘Oh hell!’

‘She doesn’t sound hostile.’

‘If you say so.’ I replied, unconvinced.

I took a deep breath. It was time to face the music. Hannah was quiet and I was thankful for that. I think that she knew that this was something that I would have to deal with myself.

I replied;

I stood up, brushed the sand off my jeans and then made my way back to the house. I didn’t know what I would say, but it was time that I faced the facts and the consequences. One thing that I wouldn’t be saying was; that my sister was alive and living in me!

Julia was sitting in an easy chair reading a letter or something when I walked in and I sat in another, opposite her.

She looked up and smiled.

‘Thanks for coming. Sorry that I was a bit heavy earlier, but I was worried about you.’

‘Why?’

She looked awkward for a moment and then, after hesitating for a moment, continued.

‘Sorry, before I answer your question, I have to ask again; are you sure that you haven’t been taking drugs?’

‘No, of course not!’

‘Look, I want to help, but you have to tell me everything and then we can sort things out. The video isn’t lying and I have eyes in my head; I can see that you are changing.’

‘You spied on me.’ I said, my voice cracking with emotion, all thoughts of my coming clean, forgotten.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I thought that you knew that the pool area is one of the ones that are monitored. It’s a possible entry point for intruders and we have hidden cameras there. Didn’t your father tell you that?’

I shook my head, not daring to say anything in case I started crying. I was getting very emotional lately…

‘Well anyway, I’m sorry that I said something to upset you. Look; tell me what is going on?’

‘How did you know about Sophie?’ I asked cleverly answering her question with one of my own.

‘Yes how did she know?’ chipped in Hannah.

Julia looked at me and I could tell somehow that she was going to pick her words carefully.

‘Well, as part of the security, all packages are screened by me before being passed to you. We have equipment that scans for any possible problems. One of the packages that has just arrived is addressed to a Sophie Carlyle. I had come across that name in a few of the internet logs and after digging a little deeper, I connected the dots. It wasn’t hard to do that when I saw the footage of you down by the pool.’

‘So, not only do you spy on me, but you look at my internet history as well?’

‘Yes I do, its my job. I sometimes wonder if you realise what a tempting target you are for kidnap and God knows what else. You are the soul heir to one of the largest fortunes in the world. Your dad has kept you as much as possible away from the public eye, to protect you. Even with the enhanced security we have around you, there are always risks. Look at the Pope and Ronald Reagan, to name but a few. They had the highest security available and even they were got at and nearly died, and then there were the Kennedy brothers, who weren’t so lucky…’

‘So I cant have a private life then?’ I cried, once again getting all emotional and not being able to control it.

‘We try our best not to interfere and I really didn’t want to say anything, but I have noticed what has been happening to you. I have known for ages that you wear girls’ clothes. It isn’t spying, it is just observation. For example, the other day, we went shopping and you bent down to look at something on a bottom shelf in that cycle shop; your pink panties were showing.

‘Quite often you wear androgynous clothes like jeans that are girls ones and t-shirts that give mixed messages, I know that you thought that you could do it without detection, but I’m a trained observer and I pick up on things that aren’t quite right. Then there is the fact that you are quite feminine in your movements. You do things that are, to me anyway, quite feminine and you don’t even realise that you are doing it.

‘I could give you lots of examples, but the final piece in the jigsaw was when I saw you by the pool, looking at yourself and mumbling to Hannah. Hannah is dead, you know that, but I wonder if you have accepted it.’

‘I’m not dead!’ shouted Hannah in my mind.

I agreed with her, but couldn’t very well say anything.

‘So, I ask again, are you George or Sophie?’

I sat there, feeling drained. She knew my secret. I had been so stupid to pay for that skirt using my Sophie charge account. I had set it up some time ago. It was not a credit card. You have to put funds in it and then draw on those funds. One of the advantages of having that kind of account was the lack of security checks. I just wanted something in that name to avoid the embarrassment of using a George type card to pay for my girly things. Normally I used a drop box at the local post office to pick my things up, but this time I must have been distracted and had put my home address as the place to send the skirt.

I cursed myself for wearing panties and those girls’ clothes in public. I thought that I was clever but I now knew how stupid I really was.

Looking up at Julia, I could see that she didn’t seem too revolted with the idea that I was more of a girl than a boy. She had always been so nice to me and we had had nice times together…

‘Tell her Sophie, she knows some of it already.’

‘Be quiet Hannah,’ I thought back, ‘I’m thinking.’

After a moment I looked up and said, ‘My real name is Sophie.’

Julia smiled.

‘So, tell me about it.’

Now I had admitted it, I wanted to go the whole way and tell her almost everything, leaving out the Hannah situation, of course.

‘I have always been a girl as long as I could remember. Having a sister like Hannah reinforced it too, as I always considered us to be exactly the same. We couldn’t be identical twins because according to the world, I was a boy and she was a girl, but we looked as alike as two people could be when one of them had a penis and the other didn’t.’

‘When we were small, Hannah and I swapped clothes and pretended to be each other. Our parents never twigged and we did it quite often, when we thought that we could get away with it. As I grew up, the feeling that I was in the wrong body became stronger and I started to borrow a lot of Hannah’s things and we always both dressed as girls when we could, which was quite often, as our parents were away almost as much as they were with us.

‘Then we both went away to our respective boarding schools and the opportunities for me to dress as a girl was more difficult. Lately, I have felt changes to my body and noticed that my breasts were growing like a girls and my shape was changing too. My penis, never very big, was shrinking and I wondered what was going on. I looked on the internet and I wondered if I was intersexed. I have been plucking up the courage to tell Dad about it, but I suppose I’m a coward as I don’t want him to reject me.’

I put my head in my hands and started crying again. I had told a sort of truth, but that was as far as I would ever go. I would never mention Hannah or the necklace thing; that was one step too far and would not be believed anyway.

‘Well done Sis, you told it good!’

I felt some arms around me.

‘Its okay Sophie, we can sort it out. But you have to tell your dad, or do you want me too?’

I moved away from her and wiped my eyes with a tissue.

‘No, it has to be me.’

‘You know that it means doctors and stuff?’

‘I know, I need to know what is going on with my body.’

‘Alright, I happen to know that your Dad is coming back a bit early as the things he had to do abroad were tied up sooner than expected. He will be home tomorrow morning. We won’t say or do anything until you and he have a chat about it; is that all right?’

I nodded.

‘I am the only one who knows about all this and I won’t be telling anyone else without your permission.’

‘What about Dad?’

She hesitated for a split second.

‘I did text him about some concerns that I had about you, but no specifics.’

‘So, him coming home has nothing to with me?’

She shrugged.

‘Maybe, but I think that its more like what he told me; that he had finished early and he wanted to get home so he could ride quad bikes with you.’

‘Hmm.’

We spoke for a while longer and then, as we appeared to be repeating ourselves; we finally agreed that we would talk again after my conversation with my father the next day. Julia made it clear that she would speak to him if I didn’t and I couldn’t blame her as she had my interests at heart and it was a fact that Dad was her employer and had tasked her to look after me.

‘That went well,’ said Hannah as we lay on the bed in a thin cotton nightie that night.

‘At least she didn’t judge me.’

‘No, she’s in a difficult position; she wants to look after you but is answerable to Daddy.’

‘I still think that she is sneaky. I don’t know if I can trust her any more.’

I yawned. Today had been difficult and I just needed to sleep.

‘G’night Hannah,’ I said as I switched the light off.’

‘Night honey, don’t worry, Daddy will come through. He’s a sweetie.’

I wasn’t so sure. Dad could be very ruthless where business is concerned, otherwise he wouldn’t have got where he was. I hoped that I would get his cuddly side rather than his nasty side when he found out about what was happening to me. My breasts felt quite sore and ticklish and I had aches and pains through out body as I struggled to get some sleep. I felt a sharp pain in my groin and when I felt down there, my penis seemed even smaller than before and search as I might, I couldn’t find my testicles in the scrotal sac.

How was I going to explain all this to Dad and what about the doctors? I was pretty sure that vanishing boy bits were not considered normal even for an apparent intersexed kid.

---

 
To Be Continued..?

Please leave comments and kudos...thanks!

Previously…

‘Night honey, don’t worry, Daddy will come through. He’s a sweetie.’

I wasn’t so sure. Dad could be very ruthless where business is concerned, otherwise he wouldn’t have got where he was. I hoped that I would get his cuddly side rather than his nasty side when he found out about what was happening to me. My breasts felt quite sore and ticklish and I had aches and pains through out body as I struggled to get some sleep. I felt a sharp pain in my groin and when I felt down there, my penis seemed even smaller than before and search as I might, I couldn’t find my testicles in the scrotal sac.

How was I going to explain all this to Dad and what about the doctors? I was pretty sure that vanishing boy bits were not considered normal even for an apparent intersexed kid.

And now the story continues…

‘Wake up, sleepy head.’

Having a sister that was inside your head was not all it was cracked up to be. My eyes opened and then closed immediately. It was very bright in the bedroom.

‘Who pulled the curtains back?’ I croaked.

‘I did while you were asleep. ’

‘I didn’t wake up.’

‘No, that was cool. You are such a deep sleep, I sort of took over and verla.’

‘You mean voilà.’

‘That’s what I said.’

‘No you didn’t…oh never mind. I hope that you didn’t do anything else while I was asleep, like doing fifty laps of the pool or eat several pizza’s.’

‘Now would I do that?’

‘Probably, given the chance. You won’t do anything silly when I’m asleep, promise?’

‘I promise. As I say though, it seems like when I take over, you don’t wake up, cool or what?’

‘Or what.’ I replied sitting up and scratching a nipple.

My breasts had grown larger, not enormous; I was only thirteen after all. But they were definitely pronounced now. The last thing I wanted were breasts out of proportion to my body. I had read far too many trans stories where the authors seemed to like fantasising over huge breasts. Any real girl, I would have thought, would hate to have Dolly Parton type breasts to have to deal with, but I suppose there’s no accounting for taste…

My hand then went under my nightie to feel if I had any changes down below. I didn’t want to look, for some reason.

I ferreted around for a moment and then found my penis. It was so small, I nearly missed it! My scrotal sac had shrunk and just seemed like folds of loose skin now. I would look later, when I felt strong enough.

‘Its nearly all gone, hasn’t it.’

‘Yes, have you looked already?’

‘I sort of peeked while you were asleep, I wasn’t being pervy or anything, I was just, sort of erm, interested and after all, as you said this is our body now.’

‘Hmm, anyway, what do we tell Dad when he comes home?’

‘We tell him a version of the truth, the same as we told Julia. We can’t do anything else.’

‘I suppose. I wonder what time Dad will get here?’

‘Julia said that it will be this morning, so shall we wear a ball gown, slap on some lippy and shock him?’

‘Not a good idea; let me tell him first about what’s been happening and then we’ll take it from there.’

I was a bit late down for breakfast and kitchen was empty, which was good as I wasn’t in a conversational mood and Brenda, our lovely chief cook and bottle washer could chat for England. Hannah was quiet too and I sensed that she was worried about what Dad’s reaction might be. I had put on a loose t-shirt and crop shorts that were marginally male in style, but not overly so. Under the t-shirt I had put on a rather tight sports bra. I was a bit concerned about whether it could be seen but on inspection, it seemed invisible.

As I ate my cornflakes, I wondered for the thousandth time what my dad would say when I told him what was happening. Would he hate me for not being the boy he thought I was? And, what about my weird medical symptoms?

I loved my dad, would he now love me?

‘Hey, enough of the negative thoughts already. You are beginning to depress even me.’

‘I knew that it was too quiet. Where have you been?’

‘Don’t know. I sort of zoned out for a while. I think I had a nap or something. I seem to recall a dream with Mummy and Daddy in it. Weird or what?’

‘I thought you slept when I did.’

‘So did I, but I don’t make the rules. I am as ignorant as you are about all this.’

I sat there for a while longer, drinking my tea and staring at the clock every ten seconds, or so it seemed.

Julia came in.

‘Hi Sophie.’

‘Hi. Any news about Dad?’

‘He’s coming into Exeter International on one of the company jets in about an hour’s time. He will fly the chopper down from there. He should be home in a couple of hours, I should think.’

I sighed. I didn’t like the thought of waiting. It was a bit like going to the dentists, the sooner it’s done the sooner its over.

I couldn’t just sit there, twiddling my thumbs; I had to do something.

‘I’m going for a bike ride, coming?’

‘Eh, what? I hate bike rides, lets go for a swim.’

Ignoring the nagging going on in my head, I looked at Julia expectantly.

‘Oh, all right, I’ll go and get changed. Meet you at the garage in fifteen minutes?’

‘Okay.’

I ran up to my room, conscious, more than ever that my breasts were swaying about slightly even under the tight embrace of my sports bra.

‘Swimming would be better. Its good for you and doesn’t put a strain on our joints.’

As I changed into my cycling kit, I tried to get Hannah more enthusiastic about it.

‘Look Hannah; I love cycling. I’m good at it and every time I go out I feel better. With swimming, all I get is water going up my nose and in my ears and then there is a distinct possibility of drowning. You can’t drown when you are cycling.’

‘Yes you can if you fall into a river and then there are those mad drivers who either hit you or come so close that you can get knocked off your bike with the draught.’

‘Sorry Hannah I love my cycling and it helps me, a lot. I tell you what, we’ll go swimming as many times as we go cycling. You know I hate it as much as you hate my sport, but we have to compromise here.’

‘Can I have that in writing?’

‘What, about me hating swimming?’

‘No, silly, that we will swim as much as we cycle.’

‘Don’t you trust me?’

‘Nope!’

As soon as I got in the saddle and we were going up a steepish hill, I nearly forgot our troubles and started to relax – mentally that is. I defy anyone to relax when cycling up a steep Cornish hill.

I could hear the complaints in my head and I tried to ignore them. Once we had reached the top, with me being in smug mode as, for once, I had beaten Julia to the top, I spoke to Hannah.

‘Look Hannah, can’t you just switch off or go somewhere in our brain and shut the door and let me get on with it? I could do the same when we’re swimming, if that’s possible?’

‘Maybe, we should try to do something when we are alone, in bed or something. Remember, I was able to control our body when you were asleep and you didn’t even know that our eyes were open, by the way, you snore!’

‘I do so don’t!’

‘Is that correct English?’

‘I don’t know or care. I do not snore.’

‘How do you know, you’re asleep?’

‘That’s beside the point.’

‘Are you okay Sophie?’

I looked up to see that Julia had caught me up. As it was a quiet road we were now riding two abreast.

‘Erm, yes, I was just thinking about my dad and what he’ll say. Thanks for calling me Sophie. It means a lot to me.’

‘To be honest, you look more like a Sophie than a George and if I think about it, you have for a long time, only I didn’t realise it. Lets face it, your erm, breasts are a wee bit noticeable now, even though they are compressed. That’s the problem with tight polyester and lycra fabrics; they show every lump, bump and curve. Now don’t worry about your father. If I am any judge of character, he will love you as his child, no matter what gender you are.’

‘Are you sure you haven’t hinted about what is happening to me?’

‘No, I haven’t. If your life was in danger or if I had concerns for your safety, then I would have been obliged to tell him. He told me when I took on this assignment, that I was to respect your privacy and not tell him anything that he didn’t really need to know.’

‘That’s a strange thing to say.’

‘I think that he did not want to be seen as prying. I had to tell him that I had some concerns about you though and that is why he is coming home. I think that even if he had important business to attend to, he would still have come home. He thinks the world of you and I am sure that you are the most important person in his life.

‘Aww, isn’t that sweet.’

‘Shush, Hannah, you’ll give the game away.’

‘Spoil sport!’

‘We had better get back, your dad will be arriving soon.’

‘Okay Julia, race you to the house!’

‘Oh hell!’

‘Do shut up moaning, Hannah.’

Snot fair!

We did race back and this time, Julia beat me. I think that my mind was a bit distracted. Well that’s my excuse, anyway.

Soon I was back in my room, having a shower and wondering what to wear. Hannah was no help.

‘I still think that you should wear a dress. Start as you mean to go on.’

‘I don’t want to give him a heart attack.’

‘He’s as strong as an Ox.’

‘This isn’t up for discussion. Look, let me do this my way.’

‘If you say so,’

‘Now don’t get all huffy on me. He will know soon enough. It’s going to be a shock for him to learn that his son is in fact his daughter. Let’s take it slowly and then see how he reacts.’

‘Okay, you’re the boss.’

‘Am I? I sometimes wonder. Look, this is hard; please just be helpful and supportive and give me some mental hugs, if I need them.’

‘Like this?’

I felt a warm glow go through me and a feeling of a gentle hug. I don’t know how she did it, but it definitely worked for me!

‘Wow, this is nice!’

‘Mmm, like, well cool; I just imagined that I was standing in front of you and that I could put my arms around you. It feels nice, doesn’t it?’

‘Mmm, we must do this often. It’s addictive. It’s a pity I can’t do the same for you.’

‘That’s okay. I can feel your lurve,’

‘Ooh, a Kodak moment!’

‘Silly cow.’

We both giggled.

After my shower, I put on the same t-shirt and crop trousers that I had on before my bike ride. I really didn’t want to give my dad a heart attack before I had a chance to explain myself. Mind you, the clean sports bra that I was wearing was like the others; getting more than a little bit uncomfortable, as they were all the same size and getting tighter and tighter as my breasts continued to grow.

‘Remember, you’re wearing one of my old sports bras; it was small for me before I left for school the last time. You need to order some more.’

‘I will, if I manage to live through the next hour.’

‘Don’t be such a drama queen.’

Just then I heard the sound of a helicopter. I went over to the window and saw it flying over the house. It was Dad’s; he flew it himself. He had a private pilots licence for helicopters and airplanes.

‘Well, here we go.’

I felt reluctant to go and greet him. I was so scared as to what he might say or do. But he was my father and it would be better if it all came from me rather than anyone else.

‘Hannah, please let me do this for myself. If you interrupt me, I might not get through this.’

‘I won’t say a thing.’

‘Good.’

‘Not a word shall pass my lips; although I haven’t got lips; well I have, if you count on the fact that I’m sharing yours, sort of.’

‘Hann…’

‘There is no way I would put you off your stride…’

‘Hanna…’

‘I will be as silent as the grave, which is a creepy thing to say, but I say silly things when I’m nervous…’

‘HANNAH!’

‘Hey, what? You don’t have to shout, you’ll give us a headache.’

‘Please keep quiet. This is hard enough without you wittering on.’

‘I do not witter, I have never wittered; but I will keep quiet and let you handle it.’ there was a pause. ‘Good luck Sis.’

‘Thanks.’ I replied.

I walked down the stairs through the kitchen, saying, ‘hi,’ to Brenda who was bashing some dough into submission and then went out onto the lawn.

The rotor blades were still turning and I could see Dad through the window. Phillip, his PA was sitting next to him. Phillip was with Dad more than I was lately and I felt a pang of jealousy that was not very fair, as I liked Phillip, he was almost like an uncle to me.

Dad saw me and waved and I waved back.

A few moments later, leaving Phillip behind, he jumped out of the helicopter and swiftly came over to me.

‘Hi George, how are you mate?’

He gave me a hug and that was nice.

‘Fine Dad; thanks for the quad bike.’

‘No problem Son; we’ll have a go later shall we?’

‘Okay, that will be great.’

‘Come on then. Lets go and grab a drink then we can talk. Goodness, your hair has grown; we’ll have to get you to the barbers or something.’

‘Erm yea, right.’

With his arm around my shoulder we went inside and then into the kitchen.

‘Hi Brenda, how are you?’

‘Fine thank you; did you have a good trip?’

‘Great, I think that the new stuff is going to be a hit.’

‘That’s nice dear.’

Brenda was noted for her lack of anything technical unless it was in the kitchen, where she used all the latest gismos available. It was generally believed that her mobile phone ran on gas.

Dad poured some coffee from the perc and I grabbed a diet, caffeine free coke from the fridge.

Soon we were sitting in the large sun lounge, which had nice views over the garden and down to the sea. This was another favourite room in the house for me, but my thoughts were more on what I was going to say to Dad rather than where we were at present.

Dad looked tanned and healthy; he always did. He was a fitness freak and went running whenever he could; there’s no accounting for taste...

‘How was the launch Dad?’

‘It went very well. All the reviewers liked the tablet and watch combo and there’s a lot of interest, especially in the States. And China. However, I’m more concerned about you.’

Just like Dad not to waste time with small talk. I knew him so well; he didn’t mince his words even when it was a family matter.

‘Julia has spoken to you?’

‘Yes, well you knew that because she’s told you already. Come on George, what’s all this about? Julia said that she didn’t feel that it was for her to say anything but expects you to come clean.’

I looked down at my bare feet; I didn’t like wearing shoes in the house and slippers are for old people unless they…

‘George?’

I looked up at him.

‘Sorry Dad.’

This was it. The time when I was go tell him my secret. A secret that I had kept from my parents for as long as I could remember.

I could feel my heart thumping and I was sure that he could hear it. I came out into a sweat and my chin began to wobble. A tear slipped down my face and then another until I just broke down.

I could somehow feel Hannah giving me one of her metal hugs. She had kept her promise and not said anything to distract me, but I could sense her love and support for me.

Then I felt Dad sitting next to me and I was in his strong arms as I cried my eyes out.

‘George, what is it Son? I have to know. I need to help you. Whatever it is, I promise that I won’t be angry. Come on now, dry your tears; please, I hate to see you like this.’

Somehow, I got back some control over my emotions. The tears had helped and it was if a safety valve had been released.

I was resting my head on his chest and making his shirt wet with my tears. I didn’t care about that or anything else; I just had to tell him now, while I still had the courage.

‘I…I…I’m not a boy.’

There was a pause.

‘Well, technically you are, but you will soon be a man…’

I sat up and faced him. Then it all came out, the words tumbling over each other as I tried to explain.

‘Dad, I mean it. I am not a boy; I am a girl. I have been a girl inside for as long as I can think of. Hannah and I used to swop clothes a lot and we fooled you and Mum. I’ve always believed that I was a girl. I know that you think that I’m a boy but I’m not and never have been and now things have happened that shows that I’m a girl both inside and out. I have been wearing girl’s clothes in private and when I thought that I could get away with it for years. Its not the clothes though, I just felt inside that I am a girl and now things have happened…’

He looked at me strangely.

‘You must have thought that your mum and I were idiots.’ He interrupted.

‘Sorry?’ I sniffed.

‘We have known for years that you and Hannah swapped roles. Do you think that parents don’t know their children?’

‘Y…you never said anything.’

‘No, we didn’t. We thought that it was a phase that you were both going through, but it was obvious after a few years that it was more than just a phase, especially for you. We could tell that Hannah was playing at being a boy. She was so girlie that she could never quite be as good a boy as you were as a girl. You have always been a little, erm effeminate. We thought when you went away to boarding school, then as you would be around boys all the time, you would change, but judging by the reports we received, you haven’t really.’

‘Reports?’

‘Yes, do you think that we would have sent you away to school without having some sort of report system to let us know how you were getting on?’

All the time we had been talking, I could sense that Hannah was dying to say something to me. But Hannah was big on keeping promises and she didn’t butt in once. I expected to have plenty of verbal bashing later, but at least for now I could concentrate on the things my father was saying to me.

‘I suppose not.’

He looked at me, compassion written all over his face.

‘So, you think that you are a girl and it isn’t something that you will grow out of?’

‘No.’

‘You are still very young; too young to make a rational decision.’

This was it; crunch time.

‘Dad, when I said that I was a girl, I meant it, I am a girl not only in my head but, m…my body is changing.’

He looked at me sharply.

‘What do you mean?’

I stood up and faced him and then I slipped off my t-shirt and then the sports bra.

He went pale and I thought for a moment that he was going to faint. It wasn’t every day that your thirteen year old child showed off his, or maybe more accurately, her breasts.

‘H…how?’

‘I don’t know, they started to grow a little while ago and before you ask, I haven’t been taking any drugs. Erm, also, I…my erm, testicles have gone and my penis is…has nearly disappeared too.’

‘That can’t be…’

This was my father before me and he had seen me naked before, when I was little. He had done the caring father bit and had changed my nappies and he had also seen me a few other times on the beach as I grew older and still at the stage when I was not so shy of my body.

He had to see and had to know what I was talking about.

Without over- thinking it and before I lost my courage, I dropped my cropped trousers and panties and then he could see for himself.

He averted his eyes.

‘Look Dad; please.’

He took a deep breath and did just that, his eyes opening wide with shock at what he saw.

‘Jesus,’ he said, ‘you swear to me that you haven’t been taking anything?’

‘I said so already.’ I sniffed in reply.

‘Please put your clothes back on.’

He stood by the window looking out as I re-dressed myself. I didn’t know what he was thinking. I just hoped that he wouldn’t reject me. I had enough pain in my life and if that happened, I just didn’t know what I would do.

I put my t-shirt back on but didn’t bother with the bra. The days were gone now, that I would ever try to hide my breasts or rather, wear ill-fitting bras.

I looked at his back and then, hesitantly, went over and hugged him from behind.

Dad, d…do you hate me?’

He turned around and then gathered me up in a fierce embrace that drove the breath from my body.

‘Don’t ever say that. I love you more than life itself. We will get you looked at medically. We need to know what is going on inside your body. You are a girl and that is that. The sooner we sort this out then the sooner we can get on with our lives. We have lost your mum and Hannah and it’s only us now. We will stick together to get through this and I will do anything to make you happy and if that means you being a girl, then that is what you will be.’

We sat down again and had another hug as we both cried. I would have loved to have told him about Hannah, but I couldn’t; it would have been too cruel, even if he did believe me. Some day I might tell him, but these were the first steps on a long journey and any further revelations would have to wait.

After a while, we both managed to get our emotions in check and then Dad got all efficient and business like.

‘Right, lets start getting things sorted. First, you need to be checked out by a gender specialist. In the past, when we thought that you had issues, we consulted the best in the business. She’s the top doctor in her field and will know what to do. She advised us at the time to wait and see. She felt that you had to approach us about your problems. Then Mum and Hannah died and everything went a bit mad there for a while. I assume that Julia knows about your dressing and other things?’

I nodded.

‘Well, she knows about my breasts, but I couldn’t say anything about down below; I was embarrassed and didn’t want her to think that I was some sort of freak.’

‘You are not a freak. You have medical issues that will be sorted. Now, do you want to stay as George at the moment or be Sophie?’

‘Sophie,’ I replied without even thinking, then I twigged, ‘How did you know my name?’

‘Lets just say that you were more closely observed than you thought you were, for your own good.’

‘Did Julia know that you knew about my dressing as a girl?’

‘No, it would not have been fair to you. She never told me of her specific concerns about you either and I respect that, as I wanted you to be able to trust her. I wanted you and her to be friends, especially after Marie and Hannah got killed. Look honey, would you like to go and get dressed – as Sophie?’

‘What will everyone think?’

‘If you are shy, ring me on the intercom, I’ll be in my office, and I’ll come up and then we can talk some more and decide what you want to do.’

‘Okay, if you really want me to Dad.’

‘Sophie do you remember when you started calling me Dad?’

‘Yes; you said that big boys called their father Dad rather than Daddy. That hurt a bit because I wasn’t your big boy; I was your little girl and I couldn’t say anything. I was so jealous of Hannah because she always called you “Daddy” and Mum “Mummy”, its a a small thing but it mattered a lot to me,’

‘I said that because I was concerned that you were too effeminate and I thought that you calling me Dad and your mother Mum might help you to be more masculine and also I was testing you to see if this dressing as a girl was just a fad. I shouldn’t have done that. Just like the quad bike thing and getting you presents that were definitely aimed at boys rather than girls. I would love it if you would call me Daddy again, unless you felt that it was silly and you are too old for that.’

‘Oh Daddy!’

It was another big hug moment.

I pulled away and looked at him; his eyes were red. I had never seen him like this. He normally kept his emotions in check.

‘Can you give me twenty minutes?’

‘Is that twenty girl minutes or normal minutes?’

‘Silly Daddy!’

Soon I was up in my room and a nanosecond later, Hannah began talking.

‘Wow, that went well. Fancy him knowing about our gender swapping? I told you that he would be good about it; isn’t he such a sweetie? What are we going to wear?’

After much haggling, we decided on a simple lemon sundress. First I put on a strapless bra, an impulse buy that I had been a little large when I had bought it, but now fitted nicely. It came with matching panties, which, like the bra, fitted better than before. I was in urgent need of a shopping trip to stock up on more clothes and undies plus a few other nice things, as a girl can’t have enough clothes and shoes.

Once dressed, I decided that a little makeup would not be a bad idea. I wasn’t the type of girl to slap on lots of layers, as I believed in the more is less principal and although I say so myself, I have nice clear skin. So laying it on with a trowel was not necessary.

My hair, as my father had noted, was now quite long and very full after the weird changes to my body. I brushed it until it shone and promised myself that I would have to visit a salon.

‘That’s a cool idea, then we can have a facial, pedicure and manicure and…’

‘I thought that you couldn’t hear my inner thoughts.’

‘That wasn’t an inner thought, you practically shouted it.’

‘Hmm; anyway, how do we look?’

‘Cool.’

‘Is everything nice, cool to you?’

‘No, sometimes its well brill and hot.’

I groaned. If all this teen girl speak was catching, I would start talking like that, ‘ye know what I mean like, cool?’

‘You’re getting in the swing of things Sister Dear.’

I groaned.

Anyone want a live-in-the-head type sister, going cheap?

‘Only birds go cheap, and anyway, I’m quite expensive, I have you know.’

‘Will you please stop this spying on my inner thoughts thingie?’

‘Who me?’

I sighed.

When we were perfectly satisfied with my or rather our look, I slipped on some white sandals and then called Daddy on the internal phone.

‘I’m ready Daddy.’

‘Okay, I’ll be up in a sec.’

After a final look at my reflection in the mirror and liking what I saw, I went out into the lounge area, walked over and unlocked the door and waited for my father.

‘I’ll keep quiet for a bit. I don’t want to distract you, but remember we are a beautiful girl and he is going to love what he sees.’

I paced the room, trying to imagine what Daddy (I loved calling him that again) would think.

There was a knock on the door.

‘Come in, it’s open.’

My voice sounded squeaky for some reason.

I stood in the middle of the room, my hands clasped before me. My knees were trembling slightly and I could feel a rivulet of sweat running down my back. I felt very exposed and vulnerable in my thin summer dress and I wondered if I should be doing this. After all, as far as my father was concerned, a few short minutes ago I was George, a boy and not Sophie, obviously a girl. I know that he said that he had accepted me as a girl, but he hadn’t seen what I was like now.

He walked in and stopped in the doorway. He went pale and I thought that he might faint. He staggered and clutched at a chair to avoid keeling over.

‘You like?’ I said rather ineffectually.

Hannah broke her self-imposed silence.

‘Oh Lord Sophie, I think that he sees me!’

---

 
To Be Continued..?

Please leave comments and kudos...thanks!

Previously…

I stood in the middle of the room, my hands clasped before me. My knees were trembling slightly and I could feel a rivulet of sweat running down my back. I felt very exposed and vulnerable in my thin summer dress and I wondered if I should be doing this. After all, as far as my father was concerned, a few short minutes ago I was George, a boy and not Sophie, obviously a girl. I know that he said that he had accepted me as a girl, but he hadn’t seen what I was like now.

He walked in and stopped in the doorway. He went pale and I thought that he might faint. He staggered and clutched at a chair to avoid keeling over.

‘You like?’ I said rather ineffectually.

Hannah broke her self-imposed silence.

‘Oh Lord Sophie, I think that he sees me!’

And now the story continues…

‘Daddy, are you alright?’

‘Y…yes, sorry Sophie its just…’

‘I look like Hannah?’

‘Yes, its uncanny. Sorry sweetheart, I know that you aren’t her, but it was just the shock.’

‘That’s OK; I always looked like her. We were twins after all.’

‘Are twins!’

‘Be quiet Hannah, you are not helping.’

He sat down, still looking at me with a sort of stunned expression.

‘You are very pretty and remind me a bit of your mum.’

I went over and sat beside him, my head on his shoulder.

‘I miss Mummy.’

He hesitated for a moment.

‘I know honey, and I miss her and Hannah too. Anyway, enough of this maudlin talk, I think we need to discuss what happens now.’

‘What can we do? I don’t want to be seen as a freak.’

‘You are not a freak. You are a very pretty girl going through some rather strange changes. I must admit that when Marie and I looked into what was happening with you, there was no mention of possibility of spontaneous changes happening like this.’

‘Its puzzling and rather scary Daddy. I want this to happen, but it seems all so unreal and I don’t know where this is all going to end.’

‘Well first things first; I take it that George is gone now and Sophie is here to stay?’

I nodded, not daring to say anything.

‘Are you sure; you are still very young, no matter how grown up you feel?

‘Oh Daddy, I have always been a girl. Having to pretend to be a boy has been awful.’

‘Okay then. I want to go at your pace and not bully you into something that you aren’t comfortable with, okay?’

‘What will everyone say when they see me?’

‘You mean the staff?’

‘Mmm.’

‘Well, they either accept you or they are gone; but I have a feeling that they will be supportive.’

‘They have always been nice to me.’

‘You are a nice person.’

‘Ooh Daddy!’

‘Never mind the ooh Daddy bit. You are nice and always have been. You were always gentle and sensitive, something that a large proportion of boys aren’t, including me, if my memory recalls.’

Embarrassed by all that praise being heaped on me, I got up and went over to the cooler.

‘Do you want a drink?’ I asked.

‘A coke would be nice.’

I opened the mini-fridge door and took out two cans, handing one to my father.

‘Thanks Sophie, now, where were we?’

‘Deciding what to do,’ I replied as I smoothed down my skirt at the back and sat down beside him.

‘Okay, if you agree, I’ll call a meeting of the staff and tell them everything they need to know, including the fact that you will now be presenting as a girl; agreed?’

I nodded as I sipped my drink.

‘We need to get you medically sorted out as soon as possible. With the changes to your body going on at such a rapid rate, we have to make sure that you are monitored and looked after. I will make a few calls in a minute. As I say, I have had contact with several experts and we need to get them on board now.’

‘Will I have to go to hospital?’

‘Yes and I think today if possible; we’ll see what the doctor has to say and be guided by her, if that’s okay. The one thing about being as well off as we are, is that we can go private and have the best of treatment. Unfair, I know to those who can’t afford it, but I didn’t make the system and you are my number one priority. Look, you stay here for a bit while I do some things. Will you be okay for a while?’

I nodded.

He came over and kissed me on the forehead.

‘Daddy, what about school?’

‘We’ll sort that side of things out when we know what is going to happen to you medically, but for now, we’ll play it by ear. You don’t have to go back if you don’t want to and anyway, you would look a bit silly as the only girl there.’

I giggled; I was getting good at that.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll fix this,’ he said with a warm smile.

I just smiled, choking back the tears. My emotions were all up and down at that moment.

With a final hug and a ‘wait here for a while,’ he was gone.

‘Hannah, are you there?’

‘Yea, that was heavy, wasn’t it?’

‘Just a bit.’

‘Don’t worry Sis, Daddy will sort things out; he’s a fixer.’

‘I hope so. I’m scared Hannah.’

‘Me too, but there’s no point in worrying about it. Lets wait and see if he can weave his magic. Look, I’m feeling a bit tired after the exercise you’ve made us do. I’m going to sleep or zone out or whatever I do. Prod me awake by shouting out my name or something. I’m sure I’ll hear you.’

‘All right.’ I replied and then I could feel her sort of drift off and I felt as if I was by myself again; a weird feeling after being sort of connected to her for a while and one that I didn’t particularly like. I had gotten used to Hannah being with me and I missed her now she had done the zone out or whatever…

I went over to the window and looked out; it was still warm and sunny. This summer had been a hot one and I was glad that we had aircon in every room; especially at night when otherwise it would have been too hot to sleep.

Opening the sliding doors, I went out onto the balcony and sat down on a lounger. My thoughts turned to what my father was doing right then. Knowing him, it would be all action and decision-making. He would make the necessary phone calls to the medical people and then call the staff together for a chat about what was happening to me. I wondered what they would all think about my being a girl not a boy and whether there would be surprise or revulsion.

I couldn’t stand the idea of being rejected but I knew that some people might regard me as a freak. I should develop a hard shell of indifference about what people thought about me, but I knew, in my heart, that I wouldn’t take rejection very well.

The intercom rang.

‘Hello?’

‘Hi Sophie, how did it go?’

‘Oh hi Julia, Daddy was brill.’

‘So its Daddy now?’

I laughed.

‘It always was in my head, just like I always thought of my mother as Mummy, not Mum.’

I felt a pang thinking about my mother just then and I realized even more, how much I missed her

‘Well your father has just called a meeting, so I had better go. I just wanted to touch base to see if you are all right.’

‘I’m fine, although a bit nervous as to what people will think about me.’

‘They’ll think that you are a sweet girl who can’t ride a bike.’

‘Flaming cheek,’ I said laughing, ‘just you wait!’

Waiting was what I had to do. Hannah, when she drifted back, tried to help but realized, I think, that this was something that I had to deal with.

‘Dad will sort it out, he’s good at that sort of thing.’

‘How can you say that? He’s never had to sort out the fact that I’m fast becoming a girl rather than a boy.’

‘You sound almost like you don’t want to be a girl now.’

‘I do; you know that, but I wanted to do this on my terms and at my pace, not wake up one morning sprouting breasts and have a fast shrinking willie.’

‘Yea, but think of it this way, you would have had to wait until you were eighteen before you could have any official hormones and the only thing you could have legally had were blockers. Also, what’s the betting that you are changing more inside than you know about.’

‘What womb and all that?’

‘Yes; don’t tell me you haven’t thought that it might happen.’

‘Okay, so I have. Look, what freaks me out is that people might think that I’m a erm, freak.’

‘That’s why Daddy will have to make sure that we aren’t treated like that. I’m willing to trust him, are you?’

‘Yea, I suppose.’

For an hour or so, I just sat on my bed and read a teen mag and listened to music on my mp3 player. Hannah was sort of not around, or I wasn’t aware of her. As I mentioned before, sometimes she did this weird disappearing act, where I don’t think that she’s in my head and then, I become conscious of her being with me again.

I felt a bit off and my tummy ached a bit. Mind you, I ached all over and it felt a bit like the flu. I was lethargic with it and then without realizing I went to sleep.

I woke up to some gentle shaking. I was clutching a pillow to my stomach and wasn’t quite with it for a second. I had been dreaming about my mother for some reason but whatever else the dream was about, faded from my memory almost immediately.

‘Sophie, are you all right?’

Reluctantly opening my eyes, I realized who it was.

‘Daddy?’

‘You look a bit peaky.’

‘Mmm, not feeling very well?’

He felt my forehead and I told him where I ached; like all over, but especially around my tummy.

‘Okay honey, a doctor is coming over and should be here in an hour. She’s good, very good and she can advise us as to what we should do next and help you with your aches and pains. If she thinks you need to go to the hospital, the chopper will get us there, quick time, but first she wants to evaluate you.’

I sat up then and was a bit light headed, but I ignored my body and then just asked the question.

‘Does everyone know about me now?’

He looked at me and smiled and then nodded.

‘H…h…how are they about me?’

‘Honey, I know my staff and I can tell you that I would have been extremely upset if they had been anything but supportive. Everyone knows about your condition, if that’s what we should call it. I explained that you have had issues most of your life and it looks like there may be medical reasons for that; hence the doctors visit.

‘They all want to help and no one will be shocked or surprised if you dress more girly. Brenda wanted to come up and give you a cuddle; you know how motherly she is. Julia is very protective and would do anything for you. The others have all showed their support in their own way and I have to say that I’m proud of every one of them.’

I lay back down as I was feeling rather tired now the worry of outing myself had miraculously gone away. Even my aches and pains seemed to have lessened and for that, I was thankful.

My father seemed to be distracted for a moment and then he looked down at me.

‘Get some rest honey. I’ll show the doctor up when she comes.’

‘What was that about, Sophie?’

‘Hi Hannah, just Daddy. He said that everyone is cool about us…I mean me.’

‘Great, I wonder what they would say if they knew that I was inside your head.’

‘They would be as freaked as we were.’

‘True; mind you, it’s a win, win situation. I get to be sort of alive through you and you get the benefit of my knowledge, wisdom and all round coolness.’

‘You are more like an ear-worm.’

‘Charming, I love you too!’

‘So,’ I said, subtly changing the subject, ‘where did you go off to?

‘What do you mean?’

‘You’ve just popped back into my head again.’

‘I never left.’

‘Yes you did, I could tell. I felt sort of empty.’

‘Aww, isn’t that sweet.’

So?’

‘What?’

‘Where did you go?’

‘Erm, not sure. I can’t really remember. It was like a dream and I think that I saw and spoke to Mummy; as I say, just a dream. I can’t remember the details. I still miss her. Remember, to you she died a while back but to me, its like almost yesterday.’

I felt her pain and tried to comfort her by imagining her in front of me and giving her a hug.

‘Thanks sis.’

‘That’s what sisters are for; mind you, I thought that sisters just argued?’

‘Not us, as long as you agree that I’m always right.’

‘What if you’re wrong?’

‘When have I ever been wrong?’

‘’Do you want me to list them alphabetically or numerically?’

‘Ha, ha.’

I had a bit of a lie down and must have slept for a bit. When I woke up I was feeling much better and my aches and pains had mysteriously gone away.

Almost to the minute on the hour, Doctor Sawyer arrived with her assistant nurse and my father tagging along behind. The doctor was about forty had a nice smile and didn’t look much like a doctor, more like a PE teacher. She was a bit muscular for a woman, and looked über fit. She had a doctor’s bag and looked as if she knew her stuff.

‘Are you feeling better, honey?’ asked Daddy.

‘Yes, I’m fine now. It must be all the stress that caused me to have a funny turn.’

‘That’s good, I’ll leave you to it then,’ said Daddy, looking a bit uncomfortable, ‘just call if you need me.’

He smiled and gave me the thumbs up sign. I just smiled weakly and finger waved as he went out leaving me to the tender mercies of the medical profession.

‘Here we go!’

‘Keep quiet Hannah, she’s a doctor she might think that I have voices in my head.’

‘You have!’

‘Hannah!’

She giggled and I sighed.

‘Will she ever grow up?’ I thought.

Coming back into the real world, I noticed that the nurse was much younger than the doctor and very pretty in an obvious way, not that I was jealous, of course. Then the nurse (call me Anna) smiled and winked at me and I felt all guilty at my uncalled for and catty thoughts.

‘Well Sophie, I understand that you are having a few issues according to your father?’ asked the good doctor.

‘You could say that.’

‘Right, whilst Anna gets all her bits and pieces together, lets have a chat; shall we sit? Good, tell me all about it.’

And that’s what I did. I told her about how I had always felt that I was a girl inside and the tricks that my sister and I played on our parents like switching clothes to confuse them. Then I told her the highly edited version of what was happening to my body. She seemed to be surprised that I was developing as a girl so quickly…she wasn’t the only one surprised.

‘All right, could you get undressed and let us have a look at you? You can change in your en-suite and you might feel more comfortable if you put a robe on.

Anna had some electrical equipment that she was fiddling with and I wondered how much of that was going to be used on me. Then I saw the syringe and vial thingies. Did I ever tell you that I didn’t like the sight of blood, especially my own? I could see that I was going to be made a pin-cushion when I had an armful of blood taken out of me.

I went into the en-suite and got undressed.

‘Hang in there kid.’

'It’s all right for you; you can go away somewhere in my head, shut the door and think nice thoughts while I’m tortured by the Spanish inquisition.’

‘No-one expects the Spanish inquisition!’

‘Oh, shut up!’

‘Hmmph.’

I now had no clothes on and I could see that my transformation was nearly complete, there was little of the boy left in me and my shape had changed to that of a young girl, complete with small but definite breasts. Where I once had a penis, there was just a little nub and my scrotal sac was forming itself into something a bit different and with an indentation where I just knew a vagina was waiting to burst forth. Well not maybe burst but implode, or maybe…

This was getting me nowhere. I wondered if the doctor and Anna would need smelling salts at the sight of me. I knew that I could with something to drink that was a tad stronger than coke; maybe a treble gin and tonic? Nah, don’t like alcohol, makes me go funny. The one and only time I tried it was at school behind the cricket pavilion with Smith Minor; he snagged a bottle from his dad’s drinks cabinet. At least I wasn’t sick after, like Smith Minor…

‘Get on with it Sophie, they won't bite!’

‘How do you know?’

I put on my dressing gown, all pink and silky and then walked out to meet my fate.

I wont go into all the tests; it was boring, a bit painful when I had several vials of my precious blood taken and then it was rather uncomfortable when I had a digital rectum examination.

Then I laid down on my bed and Anna smeared some cold gel over my belly and used a portable ultrasound thingie to see what lay beneath the skin.

There were a few non-professional ‘ooh’s’ and ‘aah’s’ coming from Anna and a puzzled frown was on the face of Doctor Sawyer. I wondered what they were seeing, I hoped that it wasn’t something life threatening…

A few moments later Doctor Sawyer and Anna when into a sort of huddle for a bit. There appeared to be a whispered but slightly heated discussion going on.

It was obvious that both doctor and nurse were surprised at what they saw, inside and out. I think that they were expecting someone with a bit more of a, shall we say, male physique, instead they had little me, almost all girl by now.

The medical team de-huddled after a short while and then came over to me.

‘So, erm Sophie, how long have these changes been taking place?

‘A few days.’

‘What, you mean months, of course?’

‘No, days.’

‘That can’t be possible.’

‘Well, it happened,’ I replied, getting a bit annoyed at the implication that I was lying.

‘Have you been taking a drugs?

‘NO!’

‘You tell ‘em Sophie; stuck up cow!’

‘Riiight , replied the doctor, looking less than convinced, 'well, please get dressed now and I ask your father to come in.’

I did as requested but first washed off the greasy gel for my belly. I wondered what the doctor would say to Daddy.

After putting back on my panties bra and yellow sundress, I applied some lippy and then brushed my hair through. I now felt a bit less like a test subject and more like normal, if normal was the right word for me.

Looking at my reflection, all I saw was all girl and no boy. I hoped and prayed that in would be accepted as such.

‘We will be accepted; Daddy will see to that.’

I took a deep breath and then walked back into the bedroom.

Daddy was there and was poring over some paperwork with Doctor Sawyer whilst Anna’s was putting her instruments of torture back into the bags.

Daddy turned to me and smiled.

‘Are you okay?’

‘I think so,’ I replied as I went and sat by the window.

A few moment later everyone was sat down and I awaited the verdict.

‘Well,’ said Doctor Sawyer, ‘I have been a doctor for many years and I think that this is a first for me. Sophie, you appear to be spontaneously changing into a girl. That is obviously impossible and you must have an underlying reason for this to be happening such as some form of intersexualism, although the apparent changes that you have been experiencing is beyond anything that I have seen or heard of.

‘I need to see your medical records, of course and I will also need to have some further tests done as a matter of urgency at the hospital before I can fully formalize what you are going through. I can say though, with some assurance, that you are quite unique and when I publish my findings…’

‘No,’ said my father.

‘Sorry?’

‘There will be no publishing of findings. I would hold you to your Hippocratic Oath and would expect, no demand that any and all medical issues relating to my daughter be strictly confidential. Your hospital was built with funds supplied by me and I am, as you know, a director of the hospital and on the board of governors. If you cannot fulfill those conditions then regretfully, I would have to look elsewhere for any help, support and treatment of Sarah.’

To say that the doctor looked like she had been slapped in the face with a wet haddock would be an understatement, but she did look a bit green around the gills…

‘I would never…I mean, the patient is always the priority. Nothing would ever be divulged to a third party.’

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ replied my father, dryly and then continued, ‘I would expect all members of staff to maintain secrecy otherwise things would become very uncomfortable for all concerned.’

‘I can assure you that no member of staff would breach confidentiality.’

‘Good, so what happens next?’

Doctor Sawyer looked at me.

‘We need to get you to hospital. I am concerned about the rate of changes to your body and we need to make sure that you have no underlying problems that need addressing. Also, I think that it would be advisable to see a psychiatrist who specializes in gender matters to be on hand…

‘I’m not mad!’ I said, standing up suddenly.

‘No one said that you are, but you must admit that your body has made some startling changes and we need to make sure that you are able to cope with those changes.’

‘That makes sense, Sophie.’

‘I suppose so Daddy, but I’m scared that everyone will think that I’m a freak.’

He came over and hugged me. I must admit to having a bit of a cry then.

‘Anyone who knows you are aware that you are not and have never been a freak. You are a brave girl trying to come to terms with something that might make the strongest person weak and you are coping very well under the circumstances.’

‘Oh gosh, Daddy is such a sweetie-pie’

I couldn’t disagree with Hannah.

Arrangements were made to go by helicopter to the hospital and soon I was making my way downstairs with Daddy. Doctor Sawyer and Anna went on ahead and were waiting for us.

I was so wrapped up in myself, that I didn’t realize that the hall was full of people. Then the clapping started.

I could feel myself go red. All the staff were there, Julie, Brenda and everyone.

As I reached the bottom of the staircase, Brenda came up and gave me a big hug.

‘You look very pretty Sophie. You make a lovely girl.’

‘She was hugging me so tight, I wondered if I might become an ex-girl, if she didn’t lighten up.

‘Thanks,’ I muttered into her ample bosom.

Julia was coming with us as she was my minder and she took my hastily packed bag and carried it out to the chopper while I said goodbye to everyone. They were all so nice and I must admit that I was tearful.

No one seemed to mind.

As the helicopter took off, I looked down at the people waving us off and I wondered how things would go at the hospital. Hannah had been very quiet.

‘Hannah, are you okay?’

‘I hate flying.’

I could feel her fear.

‘Oh sis, I forgot; go off and have a nap or whatever you do. I’ll wake you when we get there.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yea, go and chill out.’

‘Okay, see you.’

And then in an instant she was gone and my head felt empty again. It was a funny feeling and not very pleasant. I had gotten used to having Hannah around and once again, I wondered where she went off to.

The flight didn’t take that long and soon I could see the big H of the helipad at the hospital. Daddy had held my hand most of the way and had tried to talk to me about work and the new things in the pipeline that would make Apple green with envy, but to be honest, I was too wrapped up in my concerns to pay much attention.

The large, newish, state of the art hospital was now directly below. As we came into land, I wondered what would happen to me, what tests I would have and how long it would take for me to be transformed into a girl. Also I realized that would have to be very careful not to give away the fact that my sister was living inside my head and sharing my body.

---

 
To Be Continued..?

Please leave comments and kudos...thanks!

Previously…

The large, newish, state of the art hospital was now directly below. As we came into land, I wondered what would happen to me, what tests I would have and how long it would take for me to be transformed into a girl. Also I realised that would have to be very careful not to give away the fact that my sister was living inside my head and sharing my body.

And now the story continues…

The room could have been mistaken for a one in a plush hotel, not somewhere where sick people went. It had plush carpets, expensive furniture, tasteful pictures on the walls, state of the art TV and entertainment center; this wasn’t the National Health!

The room also boasted an en-suite which was nice and I looked forward to having a nice relaxing bath later on if I got the chance.

Daddy had a few things to do with paperwork and stuff and so, after a brief hug, he went off and left me to get settled in.

I had just settled in bed wearing one of those silly backless hospital gowns when a nurse came in.

Once she had dealt with things like blood pressure, temperature and asking rather intimate question regarding my last bowel movement and the size and condition it had been in, I was left to myself.

I won't go into all the details regarding the various tests I had because it was only of interest to myself, Hannah, Daddy and the medical staff.

Needless to say, I puzzled them, not surprising as I was kind of puzzled myself! Hannah didn’t seem all that bothered and just accepted that we were different and should move on and embrace the changes in our body; yes, I still considered it to be our body now and I agreed with her that I should just go with it. The past was the past and we needed to move on and embrace our new condition.

Mind you this I and we business was getting a bit tiresome and somewhat confusing and goodness knows how others reading this account of our lives would ever make sense of all this!

I was in hospital for a total of three days whilst the medical ‘experts’ tied to work out what was wrong with me, if anything. On the second night at approximately 2.30 at the morning, I awoke suddenly.

‘Sophie, wake up!’

‘W…what is it?’

'We’re complete!’

‘What do you mean complete?’ I replied, yawning and sitting up.

There was a faint glow from a light in the corner and I was able to see things around me, just.

'Our girlie bits are fully formed.’

I was suddenly very awake and without thought, my hand strayed under my nightie and in my panties as I felt around…

It was true, where once was a penis now there was a rather damp slit. I felt uncomfortable exploring about too much, it smacked of being a bit pervy, even though the said equipment was mine and I assumed that it was perfectly legal for me to touch it.

For some reason, I burst into tears.

‘Why are you crying, isn't what you have always wanted; to be a real girl?’

‘I know what I wanted; I don't know if I’m crying because I’m happy to be a girl or sad because I have lost a bit of who I was.’

‘Blimey, that's a bit heavy. Look, it was meant to be, that's what I think. Fate, God helping, I don't know what, but here we are, so we need to get on with it.’

It took a little while to get back to sleep. Everything was going on around my head. What had happened to make me into a girl, a real girl and not one that had to go through the operation to get anywhere near where I was now?

Had it been God's intervention, magic, something else? I didn't know and wondered if I ever would. The locket obviously had something to do with it. Millions of lockets similar to mine had been made, they couldn't all be magical; that didn't make sense.

None of it made sense and it took a while for me to calm down. I wish that I had Hannah practical down to earth look on life.

Hannah had always been the sort of matter of fact person who took everything in her stride. I suppose that I was the follower where she was the leader. It had been her who suggested that I first try on her clothes and I went along with it. It was only after a short while, that I realised that I was more girlie than boylie, if there was such a word.

I sighed and turned over. It took me a while to go back to sleep.

The following day, when I told Daddy that I thought that I was now a complete girl, things got a bit exciting. The doctors reiterated their feelings that the news should be told to the world and papers written about my unique case. Needless to say, Daddy repeated his threats and that, as they say, was that.

Doctor Sawyer, being the lead physician, sat us down and told us the verdict following the extensive tests I had been subjected to. I had been worried about some sort of cancer thing going on with my body and causing the rapid changes that had taken place.

'Well Sophie, you don’t need to worry. For reasons unknown, your body has decided to change from male to female. There have been incidences of a similar nature in the past but none, as far as we are aware, as dramatic or rapid as yours.’

‘So you are saying that my daughter is perfectly normal?’

I felt a sort of squishy feeling when Daddy said that. He had accepted me for what I now was, a girl…’

‘Yes, God knows how, but she has the body of a normal girl. I would like to keep her in for a few weeks to do some further tests…’

‘Why, didn't you just say that she’s normal?’

‘Yes, but it just doesn't make sense and…’

‘Daddy, I want to go home.’

‘ You tell ‘em Sophie, don’t let some snotty nosed doctor try to get you to stay here. I hate hospitals, full of sick people and it smells hospitally…’

‘Quiet Hannah, I can't hear myself think.’

‘Doctor, are there any medical reasons why Sophie can’t go home?’

‘No, but…’

‘But me no buts Doctor. Sophie is going home.

‘Ooh, Daddy is quoting Shakespeare…’

‘That’s not Shakespeare, we had it in English Lit, although I can't remember exactly who said it.’

‘No one likes a smart Alec,’

‘Ssssh, Daddy is in mid rant…’

‘...with her permission, I will allow you to visit and maybe have some further tests at a later date, but only if she is happy to do this. For now, it has all be very traumatic for her and I feel that I would be best for Sophie to go home and then she can come to,terms with what has happened to her. Do you agree Sophie?’

I just nodded…I was in mute mode.

Things got moving then. I was allowed to dress and put on figure hugging jeans and a glittery pink t-shirt that proudly proclaimed that girls have more fun.

Father Dear just shook his head when he saw me but Hannah said that we looked cool and sophisticated, especially after applying some make-up including the all important glossy pink lippy with matching nail polish.

Daddy had ordered up the chopper (as you do) so I had the time to make myself look nice, even though he kept looking at his watch and pointing his eyes skyward. What is it with men, have they no patience?

With goodbyes and hugs with the nurses, I was finally on my way and soon we were in the air heading for home. Doctor Sawyer wasn’t around and I wondered if it was something we said?

Things were a quiet as they can be on the flight back home. I could tell that Daddy wanted to talk about things but I wasn't very receptive to chatting.

Hannah was quiet and I sort of sensed that she had done one of her disappearing acts. For once I was glad as I had things whirring around in my mind and I was still confused, shocked and not sure why I felt up one minute and down the next.

When we arrived back, I said that I was a little tired and just wanted to rest in my room. Julia, who had come with us on our trip to the hospital seemed to realise that I wanted some time to myself and asked Daddy if she could have a private word.

I mouthed, 'thank you,' as she led him away towards his office and I made my way upstairs.

With relief, I found myself back in my bedroom. Laying down on my bed, I sighed. I felt like I had been on the go for ages even though I had been lazing about in bed for a few days. For goodness sake I was just 13 and I felt like, I don't know, 30 maybe?

What was I like? I should be as happy as a thingie in a whatsitsname. I was a pure 100% girlie girl. I was now what I always wished I would be. On top of that, I had my sister back; okay, she was in my head, but what the heck, that was better than losing her completely...

I must have drifted off.

Mummy was sitting on the bed, looking at me. For some strange reason, I wasn't at all surprised that she was there.

'Hello Mummy.'

'Hi Sophie. We'll this is nice.'

'What is?'

'Me seeing you. I must say that you make a lovely girl, but there again I always thought that you were.'

'What do you mean, always were?'

'A girl of course. You always thought that your dad and and I didn't know about your dressing habit, but we did. I only regret that we didn't do something about it sooner.'

'Mummy, I'm a real girl now. I sort of changed suddenly. I don't know whether I should be sad or happy. I'm confused.'

'I am not surprised dear. It's all about the unknown and remember you have hormones coursing around your body. I remember that; I was a right cow to my parents and everyone else at your age. Enough about me, you are now on a journey that wasn't really planned. You should have had more time to think and plan what was going to happen to you but now. It's all sort of forced itself on you.'

'So I'm not being silly then?'

'No honey; just take your time getting used to things and then it should all work out.'

'Thanks Mummy. I miss you.'

'I miss you too honey. But I'm always here for you, even if it's only in your dreams.'

She looked just as I remembered her. She was even wearing the same clothes that she wore when I last saw her. She was so pretty and she had such a kind and caring face. I loved her to bits and I just wanted to get up and hug her, but of some reason, I couldn't move.

She stood up and came over and then bending down, she kissed me on the forehead. I felt a slight tingle go through me and then I woke up. She was gone.

I looked around. was it a dream? it all felt so real.

'Hi Sophie, are you okay?'

'Yea, I'm fine, just had a weird dream about Mummy.'

'What about her?

'She sat on the bed and talked to me about my changes. It seemed so real.'

'I have dreams like that too.'

'Do you?'

'Yes, I just said so, didn't I?'

'Alright, touchy. Pardon me for speaking.'

'Sorry, I'm not normally this bitchy.'

'True, you are normally worse!'

'Ha ha.'

'Anyway enough of dreaming. I wonder how everyone is coping with me being, erm, like this?'

‘Like what?’

‘You know a full member of the girls club?’

‘It not a club, silly, it’s a gender.’

I sighed.

‘Yea, I know that. It’s just...’

‘You have an attack of the nerves or the screaming ab-dabs haven’t you?’

I nodded.

‘Not surprising considering what you’ve been through. You’ll be OK. There’s not many people who can say that they have been through what you have; you know, meltamorphawatsitting or whatever it’s called.’

‘It’s metamorphing, I think.’

‘Swallowed a dictionary or something?’

‘Ha ha, I have you know...’

There was a knock on the door.

‘Come in.’ I called, wondering if the conversation I had with my sister had been overheard. I wasn’t sure if I had been speaking out loud or not.

Julia came in.

‘Ho, hi Julia.’

‘Hi yourself, how are you feeling?’

‘Not bad, a bit low after all that’s happened. It’s all a lot to take in.’

‘Well everyone’s on your side, you know that.’

‘Yea, I hope so.’

‘Still having doubts?’

‘Sort of.’

‘Well, what you need is something to get all this angst out of your system. Tell you what, how about a quick ten mile bike ride over a few hills?’

'NO!'

‘That sounds great,’ I replied, ignoring the internal groans coming from my dear sister.

‘Twenty minutes long enough to get changed?’

‘Yes, I’ll see you by the garages.’

With a smile, Julia left me to go and change whilst Hannah went into immediate whining mode.

‘I cannot believe that you are going to force me into going on that flaming bike. you know how I hate getting all hot and sweaty.'

I sighed.

'Hannah, we'll have a swim later, okay?'

'If you say so.' she sniffed.

'I do, now let me get changed!'

Daddy was busy doing something or other when I went downstairs. I popped my head around the office door and there he was, phone glued to his ear. I smiled and gave him a finger wave.'

'Hang on,' he said into the phone, 'going for a ride?'

'Yup.'

'You've just come out of hospital. Are you sure that you are up to this?'

'Yes, I wont be going fast and Julia will look after me.'

'Alright, have fun.'

'Okay, I will.'

He went back into business mode and I made my way to the garage where Julia was waiting. She looked at what I was wearing critically.

'Your jersey looks a bit tight around the chest area and your bottom appears to have inflated a bit.' she remarked.

'I know, its all tight in places where it wasn't as tight before. I will have to go and get some new kit. It will have to do for now.'

'Pity!.'

'Shh, Hannah!'

'Right, lets get going!' said Julia, full of enthusiasm.

I felt my cares go away as we rode up and down hills and through the tight, bendy lanes of Cornwall. Hannah had gone and hidden in one of the recesses in my mind and I was glad as I didn't want to have to placate her every five minutes. I tired quite easily and Julia could tell and so we eased the pace to little more than a gentle training ride.

It was good to be out in the countryside and I could almost forget what had been happening lately, but not quite. The last time I went for a ride I was still, notionally anyway, a boy. I now no longer felt any protuberances, if that's the word, between my legs and I was conscious of my budding breast swaying slightly, even though I was wearing a training bra.

We peaked a hill and some idiot in a souped up hot hatch came over the top at speed and his wheels literally left the ground. He missed Julia by a yard and me by a foot. To say I was shaken would be an understatement.

Just a few feet between being alive and being dead.

We stopped briefly to get our breaths back and recover from our near death experience but soon felt slightly chilled as the sweat...sorry perspiration started to dry on our body. We decided to carry on.

As we continued, with sudden insight and a lightening of my heart, I realized that it was nice to be alive and enjoying my riding. Okay, things had changed for me. I was a girl and lets face it, that was what I wanted. I decided there and then, that I would accept what had happened and just get on with things and embrace my new future with my sister, as long as she stops complaining about my healthy sporting preferences!

We cut short the bike ride as I wasn’t exactly fit at that time and I was still a bit shaky from the encounter with that stupid boy racer. That, together with a couple of days in hospital, not to mention all the tests and the dramatic changes to my body, had all taken their toll.

'Thanks Julia,' I said as we put the bikes away.

'Feeling better?'

'Yes, tired but better. It really clears your head, a bit of exercise, doesn't it?'

'Yes it does, as long as you don't get run over by mad, bad motorists!'

We parted at the house and I went up to my room with admittedly rubbery legs. Soon I was stripping out of my yucky cycle gear and getting a well earned shower.

'That's better,' said Hannah.

'Oh, you're back are you?'

'In the flesh...well your flesh, anyway.'

'Had a nice snooze?'

'I hope that that isn't you being sarcastic, young Sophie?’

‘Who me?’

Yes you.’

‘Never, anyway, where were you then if you weren't snoozing?’

There was a pause.

‘Well it was strange. All right I think I was a sleeping, well there’s not much else to do when you are riding about on those silly two wheels...’

‘Get on with it then.’ I said as I dried myself with a towel and then got to grips with the hair dryer.

‘I was getting to that. Anyway, I sort of zoned out and there was Mummy. She was trying to say something to me but I couldn’t hear her voice. Anyway, she smiled and then waved and then she sort of gradually disappeared. Talk about strange.’

‘So do you meet other ghosts when you’re zoned out like that?’

‘I’m not a ghost!’

‘Maybe not, but where you are, sort of inside my head, isn’t normal.'

I worried that I might have offended her but I could hear her sigh.

'Nothing about this is normal. Don't you think I haven't thought about if I'm some sort of ghost, ectoplasm or something else? But I feel as real as you do. When you touch something, I touch it. I can feel us breath in and out. I feel pain, especially when you go for a flaming bike ride. When you let go, I can control us a bit. Its hard to do, but I have a feeling that if I practice hard enough and with your help, I can do most of the things you do. Does that make sense?'

'Yea, I suppose so. We are two crazy mixed up kids. Anyway enough of that, we need to get dressed. Daddy might come barging in and see us in the nuddy!'

There were a few disagreements about what we should wear and that was not unusual because we both had slightly different tastes in clothes. Hannah had always been more of a casual dresser, although she liked to glam up when the occasion arose, but I was always unashamedly a girlie girl; pink still being my favourite colour even at the advanced age of thirteen.

Eventually we chose pink top and a short denim skirt and that suited both our tastes. One thing I didn't have (or is that two things?) was ears pierced and that was what was on my list of things to do. I was going to have a mega-salon experience as soon as practicable and I didn't want anything or anyone to hold me back. Surprisingly, Hannah was in agreement, so there was hope for her yet!

After brushing my hair and applying some essential but minimal make-up, I was ready to face the world.

'Hannah.'

'What?'

'I don't want to sound off, but can you try to keep the noise down when we are with anyone else like Daddy.'

'Why?'

'You put me off and I lose track of what I'm saying.'

'Yea, Mummy always said that I was very good at interrupting. I will do my best, but if you say something silly, I may not be able to stop myself.'

'Fair enough.' I replied as I brushed through my hair.

I went downstairs, my short heels clicking on the parquet flooring. I liked that sound as it was very girlie and as I may have mentioned before, I am a very girlie person!

I followed my nose and it inevitably led me to the kitchen. Brenda was stirring her cauldron, well a large pot on the Aga; it smelt yummy.

'Hello Sophie, are you hungry?'

'Starving, riding a bike does that for me.'

'Well all the others have already eaten, you were a long time getting changed.'

'Being a girl does seem to take longer, doesn't it?'

She laughed.

'One of the downsides of being a girl. When you were thought to be a boy, you would have taken ten minutes to get ready and wouldn't have then fussed about how your hair looked and of course, you had no make-up to contend with.'

'I still prefer being a girl and anyway, I was never what you would call a normal boy.'

'True, there was always something different about you, in a nice way, of course.'

We both laughed.

I had my soup in the kitchen, together with Brenda's extra special home made bread. It wasn't like your normal soup, it had lots of things in it and it was more of a solid meal rather than a soup. With the bread, it was all very filling and I even decided not to have a pudding afterwards, as I was so stuffed.

'Thanks Brenda, you are a star.'

'Get off with you, you know I love cooking.'

I hugged her and then went to see where my father was. As usual, he was in his office and he was having a video conference with half a dozen people, so I decided to leave him to it and then went to find Julia.

She was working out in the gym, which was situated next to the indoor swimming pool. Our gym was state of the art, had all the usual torture apparatus and lots of electronic gizmo’s to hopefully get the most couch bound person, fit and well. I liked the stationary exercise bike most and I had spent many an hour on it in the depths of winter when I couldn't go out on my real bike.

Julia was doing her taekwondo or origami thing on the mat and had twisted her body into a shape that was far from natural. My eyes watered just watching her.

'I bet that hurts,' said Hannah.

Julia noticed me and un-knotted herself.

'Want to try?' She asked.

'Another time perhaps.'

'Coward.'

'Does it show?'

She nodded and we both laughed.

She stood up and walked over to me, wiping her face with a towel.

'So, feel a bit tired and sore after our bike ride?'

'A bit,' I confessed.

'Not surprising really, after all that has happened. Take it easy and see how you feel in a couple of days.'

'Okay, that sounds good. Anyway, what I was going to ask is; can we go into town and get some new cycle kit tomorrow? I know that I can buy it all online, but I prefer to try the clothes on and see what they look like before I spend my cash.'

'I don't see why not. I'll arrange the security side of things and as long as your dad gives you the go ahead, we should be fine.'

'As I said earlier, I wouldn't mind some time in the salon, my nails are disgusting and I want to do something with my hair, it still looks a bit boyish.'

'You would look like a girl with no hair all all, but it sounds like a great idea. I'll try to get an appointment with Maxim for you.'

'I don't mind the salon bit, as we could do with an intensive care treatment on the nails, but do you really have to shop for cycling gear? Now a nice posh frock, now that’s more like it.'

'Are you okay Sophie, you seemed to be away with the fairies just then.'

'Erm no, I'm fine, just wondering what style that I want, hair I mean. I'll leave you to continue torturing yourself; see you later.'

'Do you think she suspects?' asked Hannah as we made our way outside.

'Oh, that I have you swimming about inside my head? I'm sure that that was the first thing she thought of.'

'Swimming, did you say swimming?'

'You have a one track mind sister dear. I'm still tired after the bike ride. Maybe we can have a swim later.'

'You sound like my mother...sorry I shouldn't have said that.'

'I know,' I replied sighing, 'I miss her too.'

Walking out into the sunshine, I went down the path that led to the beach. Overlooking the sea was a garden seat, a favourite spot of mine. Sitting there, looking out to the sea, was Daddy. He must have finished his conference call. I went up to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He jumped and then turned to me.

'Oh hi Sophie, I was miles away.'

'I can see that,' I replied, sitting next to him and grabbing hold of his hand.

'So, how are you feeling?' he asked.

'Better thanks. The bike ride took it out of me, but I'm glad I went, it sort of relaxes me.'

We sat there in silence for a few moments. He seemed to have something on his mind and I wondered what it was that was distracting him so much.

'Are you worried about something, Daddy?' I asked.

'What, oh nothing. Its just...erm, look Sophie, I have something to tell you.'

He looked distracted and sort of far away and then he turned to me, took a deep breath and said, 'its like this...'

---

 
To Be Continued..?

Please leave comments and kudos...thanks!

Previously…

Walking out into the sunshine, I went down the path that led to the beach. Overlooking the sea was a garden seat, a favourite spot of mine. Sitting there, looking out to the sea, was Daddy. He must have finished his conference call. I went up to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He jumped and then turned to me.

'Oh hi Sophie, I was miles away.'

'I can see that,' I replied, sitting next to him and grabbing hold of his hand.

'So, how are you feeling?' he asked.

'Better thanks; the bike ride took it out of me, but I'm glad I went, it sort of relaxes me.'

We sat there in silence for a few moments. He seemed to have something on his mind and I wondered what it was that was distracting him so much.

'Are you worried about something, Daddy?' I asked.

'What, oh nothing. Its just...erm, look Sophie, I have something to tell you.'

He looked distracted and sort of far away and then he turned to me, took a deep breath and said, 'it’s like this...'

And now the story continues…

‘Somehow the papers have got hold of the news about you.’

Suddenly feeling a bit faint, I sat down on the bench beside him, too shocked to speak.

‘Blimey!’

I didn’t even feel the need to tell Hannah to shut up.

‘We don’t know who leaked this...’

‘Dr Sawyer?’ I hissed.

‘She swears not. Anyway, we have already had to fence some questions. I have spoken to our lawyers and restraining orders will be winging their way to various media organisations as soon as possible. You are a minor and there are strict guidelines as to what can and cannot be published. I have interests in many of the media organisations and I will use that interest to protect you. ’

‘I feel sick,’ I said, ‘I will be ridiculed and laughed at. No-one will want to know me.’

He hugged me as I sobbed. It wasn’t fair!

‘It’ll be okay Sis,’ said Hannah, trying to comfort me.

‘What about school,’ I sniffed, ‘they won’t want to know me. I didn’t have that many friends there and the ones I did have will turn their backs on me.’

‘You forget that you went to a boy’s school and I assume that you won’t want to go back there, even if you wanted to?’

I perked up a bit; every cloud and all that...

‘That’s right, but where will I go to school?’

‘We’ll find somewhere that is accepting to your situation.’

‘I could have home schooling.’ I said hopefully, thinking of all the bike rides and lying in until mid-morning if I wanted and Brenda’s cooking and...

‘That’s not a good idea Sophie; you need to be with other kids of your own age and schooling you at home wouldn’t get the interaction that you need. Look, I’m sure that there are schools out there that are accepting and that’s what we’ll look for, both of us; we are in this together remember.’

‘Aawww.’

In my mind I hissed, ‘quiet Hannah, I’m trying to think.’

‘What about Facebook, Twitter and other social media, not forgetting foreign news services?’

‘Once again, my people are looking into that, but anything appearing on any of the social media outlets in this country will be deleted. I do have some influence, you know.’

He smiled. It helped having him as a father. I wondered how much influence that he actually had though. Well there was no point in worrying about it though – not until I had to.

‘So, what happens now?’

‘The news about you will get out eventually, no matter what we do to suppress it, so the best thing to do is to release the news on our terms.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘We will, when we are ready, issue a statement and perhaps give an interview with a sympathetic newspaper about you and how your sex was mistakenly called as male at birth and that in fact that you are genetically a girl. We’ll get the medical people to come out with something that would be an acceptable reason for these rather dramatic changes that have occurred to your body and then you get on with your life. We’ll do that sooner rather than later, as the last thing we want is for idle speculation, gossip and falsehood to be broadcast.’

Later on that day my father and I decided to have a go on the quad bikes – well he wanted to do it and I went along with the idea. I hadn't fancied it, but it made him happy and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Hannah, being a wimp of the first order decided that she didn't like it and went off somewhere, leaving me to concentrate on not crashing as we bowled along the hard wet sand of the beach at a barely legal speed.

I enjoyed careering along at high speed, avoiding rocks and other hazards; it was quite exhilarating in fact. I was so pleased, as it was obvious that I would still have things in common with Daddy even though I was now a girl. I had wondered whether he would want to do stuff with me and it was nice that we had at least this and a few other interests. For example, he liked going out on a bike too, so that would be another thing that we had in common.

That night, in bed, Hannah and I talked about what had been happening. The conversation was internal as I was still worried that we might have bugs in our rooms, although we had been assured that that wasn't the case.

‘It would be awful if news of my miraculous almost overnight change to a girl got out in public,’

’Daddy will make sure that we are well protected. Anyway, as soon as he puts out a statement that you were assigned the wrong sex at birth, things should quieten down a bit. You will still be under the microscope, but it won’t be so bad.’

‘We mustn't slip up regarding you being still alive inside my head, they would put us in a mental home and throw away the key,’

’Daddy wouldn’t let that happen to us, you know that.’

We carried on like this well into the night. Eventually we fell asleep and woke up late. This was unusual for us as we generally got up very early. Hannah persuaded me to go for a swim before breakfast and I reluctantly let her take over as she did her back stroke and front crawl thing while I sort of zoned out a bit. Being in water still sort of freaked me out, especially since I experienced changing into a girl. My body was now far more buoyant than when I was in boy mode and it all felt rather strange and disconcerting. All those extra body bits including the buoyancy chambers that were my breasts, all made me feel very different in the water.

Eventually, Hannah had had enough of pretending to be a fish and we got out of the pool. After drying off, I put on my trackies, not very flattering but comfortable, and we made our way into the kitchen and went over to the toaster and popped a few slices of homemade bread in the slots.

Brenda was in the kitchen, over in the corner doing cookery things and the baking smells coming out of the oven should have carried a government health warning. I would have to make sure that I was around when it all came out of the oven. It was all a matter of timing...

‘Oh hello Sophie, I didn’t see you there; nice swim, dear?’ she asked as she pounded some dough into submission.

‘Not bad,’ I replied, my mouth now half full of toast.

‘Funny, you never really liked swimming like your sister…sorry, I shouldn't have said that.’

‘Why not, it's true? In some ways I still think of her as being with me. I think that she's looking over me as we speak!’

’That’s true… in a way!’

‘Do you think so dear? You look so much alike, it's uncanny. There's something about you now that you are a girl; you seem to be almost two people in one…that's silly talk. I'm sorry I spoke that way.’

’Should we tell her? You know that she's into mystical stuff, séances and stuff like that and she does that thing with that Ouija board that’s downright creepy.’

Brenda was almost like a grandmother figure to us. She had been with the family since well before we had been born and I knew that Mummy and Daddy trusted her and I suppose we all loved her as a member of the family.

‘We’ll talk about it later; it's a big step, telling anyone, but maybe she is the one to tell, I hate all this secrecy.’

All the while, Brenda continued to do her cooking thing, unaware as to what we were saying. She did stop for a few moments and looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and then she just shook her head and then continued on.

‘Sophie, I’m a bit tired, taking over this body when swimming. It seems to take it out of me. I’m going to have a rest or whatever happens when I’m out of it.’

‘Okay, have a nice whatever.’

I experienced once again, that strange empty feeling when she went off like that. It was something that I didn’t like, but it was a small price to pay for having her back with me.

I wanted to see Daddy, as I never saw enough of him and it was nice to have him home, even under those strange circumstances, but I noticed that he was busy in his office sorting out the fallout of the media problems caused by the leak about my condition. With a brief wave, I left him to it and went upstairs and into my bedroom and then, for lack of anything better to do, lay on the bed. Looking up at the ceiling, I once again went over what had happened to me and how my world had been turned upside down.

It was obvious that life was getting weirder and weirder for me. Over a short period of time I had turned into a girl, found my sister living inside my head and then, some scumbag had told a sleazy newspaper about me and what had happened to my body. I suppose it was naïve to think that my secret would stay a secret for ever, but I would have liked some time to get used to all that was happening to me before the whole world was told about it.

Was I happy that I was now a girl? Yes I was, now that I was getting more used to the idea. The only objections that I had were that my changes had happened very fast and that I was scared that I might have some sort of cancer. The latter fear had been dispelled as I was now considered to be a normal (normal!) Healthy girl.

Was I pleased that Hannah was with me? Yes, of course. I no longer felt alone and although our being together like this was strange in the extreme, I still liked it and I knew that I would never be lonely again as long as she stayed. My only fears were that she might be snatched away or that this was only temporary; but thinking like that got me nowhere and I had to assume that she would always be with me.

All this heavy thinking was giving me a headache and I was soon bored with it, so I had a shower, as I could still smell the chlorine from my swim. I took the opportunity to wash my hair and then use some nice conditioner on it. The hair products were the ones that my mother had used and the smell of my hair afterwards, always reminded me of her and made me ache to see her.

After the shower, I felt much cleaner and fresher. After putting on my bra and panties, I walked into Hannah’s room and over to her wardrobe. I found a nice lemon sundress that I liked and I slipped it on. There was pair of white strappy sandals that went with the dress, and so I sat on Hannah’s bed and put them on.

I wondered whether I should call Hannah and wake her up or whatever she did in zone-out mode, but she had sounded tired and I wondered why she felt that way when, in fact, it was my body she was using and not hers; we'll it was hers now, but you know what I mean!

Going back into my bedroom, I went into the bathroom and brushed out my hair, then put on minimal war paint as I wasn’t exactly in clubbing mood (I wish!) and after a good look in the mirror, declared myself fit to face the outside world. By outside world, I mean the rest of the household. There was no way I was going anywhere where I could be seen by the jackals of the press...

‘Not bad, although the lippy is a bit wonky.’

‘Oh, you’re back then?’ I replied.

‘So it seems. What been happening?’

‘Not a lot; I did raid your closet for this dress though.’

‘I thought that I recognised it. We need to sort through everything and get rid of the dross.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Why not, some of the clothes in there are old fashioned, out of date and too small for us. Anyway, we need to go mega-shopping when we get a chance; oh and to the salon for intensive hair treatment.’

‘I know, my spilt ends have spit ends.’ I sighed, ‘so much to do and so little time. But we are not moving from the house until it’s safe to do so.’

I heard an internal sigh.

‘You’re no fun, mind you, not going out means no bike rides, so every cloud has a thingie, whatsit.’

‘Silver lining.’

‘That’s the one.’

‘We could have a go on the static bike...’

I heard a groan and I had a bit of a giggle.

Not much happened for next day or two, or if it had, Daddy wasn’t telling me. I did go on the bike, but I had to use the swimming pool as penance. Hannah was getting much better at controlling things and I found that I could somehow back away and let her get on with it. It felt a bit like a dream state where I closed my eyes and thought peaceful Zen like things, while she swam with disgusting vigour and got water up our nose and in our ears.

It was on the second evening that we decided to talk to Brenda about what had been happening; it had taken that long to decide. Both of us were feeling the strain of everything. Luckily, nothing had appeared in the papers or other media and for that we were grateful. I knew Daddy was now about ready to give out a press release and get someone to interview me in a sympathetic light, but I was still waiting for that to happen.

That left revealing all to Brenda. We both felt that she would be supportive and not go all funny about what had happened.

Well, that’s what we hoped, anyway.

It helped that Brenda believed in the spiritual world, something that I thought was downright weird until all this bizarre stuff started happening. You might wonder why we didn’t tell my father about this before Brenda. He had going through a lot since Mummy and Hannah died and now that my (or our) little troubles had started, we didn’t think that it was fair to speak about it at that time. Brenda was the next best thing to a mother that we now had and we loved her. We hoped that that love was enough for her not to turn against us and scorn us. Let’s face it, even we couldn’t believe what had happened and we really hoped that she would, in spite of everything.

From my bedroom, I took a deep breath and rang her.

‘Auntie Brenda.’

‘Oh Sophie you haven’t called me that in a while.’

‘I know; look, are you busy?’

‘Just reading a novel; I can’t get my head around it, too many suspects. I think that the butler did it but...’

‘Auntie, can you come up to my room, I want to tell you something.’

‘You sound a bit worried dear; are you all right? Do you want me to fetch your father?’

‘No, I just want to talk to you for a bit.’

‘Alright dear, I’ll be along in a jiffy.’

I put the phone down.

‘Well, let’s hope that she’s not going to throw a wobbly about this,’ said Hannah.

‘You are the confident one Hannah; you seem as scared as me.’

‘Well I am. Supposing, just supposing that we are carted off to some funny farm and they shoot us full of drugs and somehow they extract me or something. I could just disappear.’

‘I won’t let them do that.’

‘How would you know? They could drug you up to the eyeballs and give you a lollypoptomy or something.’

‘You mean lobotomy.’

‘That’s what I said,’

‘No you didn’t; you said...’

There was a knock in the door.

I gulped.

‘Here goes nothing.’

‘Keep quiet Hannah, this is going to be difficult enough without you chipping in every few seconds.’

‘Sorriiie.’

Ignoring her sulks, I went over to the door and opened it.

Brenda was standing there.

‘Well, can I come in?’

‘Sorry Auntie,’ I replied as I stood aside.

We both sat down, me on the bed and her on the armchair. Thankfully Hannah stayed quiet.

‘So honey, what is it that you need to talk about. Are you feeling unwell?’

‘No, well not really.’ I replied, fiddling with my friendship bracelet on my lap.’Look Auntie, what I’m going to tell to is going to sound strange and fantastic but I need to tell someone and Daddy is so worried about things. I thought that I could tell you and then maybe you can help me decided what to do.’

‘You’re not in trouble, drugs or anything?’

‘Auntie, I would never do that. Look, can I just tell you what has happened?’

‘Alright dear; I’m all ears.’

I took a deep breath and just told her.

‘I know that this is going to sound fantastic, but you have to believe me that what I am going to tell you is absolutely true. You know that Hannah and are close?’

‘Were close...sorry, I won’t interrupt again.’

‘Erm, well for years Hannah and I had necklaces, friendship ones, one half hers and the other half mine.’

‘I remember, I have seen you wear it sometimes and your mother and father...sorry, I’m interrupting again. Do go on.’

‘After the plane crash, her half of the necklace returned to me in perfect condition, not a scratch or mark on it. Well...’

I told her everything; how my necklace was strangely warm to touch and what happened when it was fused with Hannah’s. I told her about my body changing and the fact that Hannah was living inside my head and how I didn’t believe it at first and then what Hannah did to prove to me that she wasn’t just a figment of my imagination.

To me it sounded mad, and I wondered what she thought. There was no expression on her face and I wondered if she ever played poker, as I just couldn’t read her thoughts.

Eventually I finished my strange, fantastic tale and I just looked down on my lap with my hands nervously playing idly with the joined necklace. I didn’t want to see the scorn and disbelief on her face...

‘Can I have the necklace for a moment?’

Looking up, I could still read nothing from her face. I handed the necklace over and she looked closely at it, turning it over, closing her eyes for a moment and then handing it back to me.

‘You have never been a liar Sophie and I don’t believe that you are lying now. I can sense something...I have for some while now. What that something was, I couldn’t quantify. But my feelings about all this are giving me mixed signals, if that makes sense. You know that have the sight; although it’s not as strong as it was when I was younger. Your father never believed in it, but there is a material man for you; lovely, but lacking in the kind of imagination needed to take a leap of faith and believe in something that isn’t solid and visible. Anyway, forgive me, but I need to make sure that you are not just imagining Hannah’s presence and this isn’t just some sort of wish fulfilment.

‘Okay, what proof do you need?’

‘Is Hannah with you now?’

‘You bet!’

I smiled and just nodded.

‘Is she able to take over your body?’

‘Sometimes; its hard work, but she does it when she wants to swim and I don’t. I sort of take a back seat and let her get on with it when that happens.’

‘Can she speak through you; I mean can she talk using your vocal cords?’

‘I don’t know as we’ve never tried that. We normally just speak in our head.’

‘Our?’

‘Yes, we share my body, so it’s ours not mine.’

She seemed a bit speechless for a moment and then with effort she pulled herself together.

‘If you can, let her speak.’

‘Over to you Hannah.’ I said as I just pulled back a bit somehow and let her do the talking. And it worked, just like some sort of switch. Before I knew it, she started speaking and the weird thing about it was that it felt natural and normal!

‘Hello Auntie,’ she said.

‘Is that really you Hannah?’

‘In the flesh, well not in the flesh, well I suppose I am...sort of.’

Auntie smiled at that Hannahism.

‘Okay Hannah, I am going to ask you some questions that I know Sophie doesn’t know the answer to. Can you remember when George was at school and you’re sent home after breaking a leg on the ski slopes?’

‘Yea, that hurt, my leg bone was sticking out and I fainted and...’

‘Yes dear, never mind that. Your leg was in plaster and I wrote something on it. Can you remember what that was?’

‘I think so...oh yes, you said, ‘I hope that I enjoyed the trip.’ That was quite witty for an old...sorry, elderly, I mean mature woman.’

Auntie laughed and then got serious.

‘While you were away at school, some time before the air crash, you emailed me to get birthday presents for your mother, father and George, can you remember what you wanted me to get for George?’

Hannah giggled.

‘Yes, that’s easy; I wasn’t going to see them before their birthdays so it was easier to ask you to get the pressies. George’s a was a book about swimming!

Auntie laughed for some reason but I couldn’t see what was funny.

‘I still have that book, I thought that George might have been upset to be given it and then I forgot all about it; although Sophie might need it now, more than ever. Turning to your parents, I always thought that it was strange that they both had the same birthday; obviously a happy coincidence. Anyway, what presents did you ask me to get for them a few months before you, erm died?’

‘Oh, Auntie, I’m not dead, I’m sure that you realise that by now. Though how I got to be here after such a long time being- erm, not alive, I don’t know. Anyway, their presents were friendship necklaces, just like the ones Sophie and I had. So I wanted to give Daddy one and Mummy the other. They were apart so often, I thought that it might remind them of each other, just like the ones that George, as she was and I had...’

‘Yes, as your mother was going to be away on her birthday, on business, I gave one to her and on your father’s birthday, he had the other one.’

‘Oh yes, I remember now, they both thanked me and said that they would wear them always...’

Her voice trailed off as I think that we all realised at the same moment that something strange was going on here!

---

 
To Be Continued..?

Please leave comments and kudos...thanks!

---

I apologise for the length of time between chapters. Real life can be a pain sometimes!

Previously…

‘Oh, Auntie, I’m not dead, I’m sure that you realise that by now. Though how I got to be here after such a long time being- erm, not alive, I don’t know. Anyway, their presents were friendship necklaces, just like the ones Sophie and I had. So I wanted to give Daddy one and Mummy the other. They were apart so often, I thought that it might remind them of each other, just like the ones that George, as she was and I had...’

‘Yes, as your mother was going to be away on her birthday, on business, I gave one to her and on your father’s birthday, he had the other one.’

‘Oh yes, I remember now, they both thanked me and said that they would wear them always...’

Her voice trailed off as I think that we all realised at the same moment that something strange was going on here!

And now the story continues…

Auntie Brenda looked at me.

‘Sophie, are you there?’

‘Yes Auntie.’

‘And me, don’t forget,’ said Hannah, confusingly through my mouth. It was all getting a bit weird.

Auntie Brenda frowned.

‘This doesn't work very well. Let me try something.’

Still holding the necklace, she stood up and came over to me.

‘Stay there dear and close your eyes.’

I did as I was told and I could sense that Hannah was as confused as I was.

I felt Auntie’s hand on my head and then I experienced a sort of sucking sensation, I can’t explain it any clearer.

She took her hand away.

‘You can open your eyes again now.’

'What the hell is that?' exclaimed Hannah.

'Don't blaspheme young lady,' said Auntie.

'Hang on,' I said, 'I didn't say that.'

'I know,' replied Auntie, ' I can hear Hannah now, in my head, just like you can.'

‘Testing, testing 1234, can you hear me - over.’

‘Yes I can hear you Hannah.’

‘Without my moving my - I mean our lips?’

‘Yes; its all part of the gift that I have. I speak to those who have departed and evidently Hannah, I can speak to you too. Don’t ask me how, its just something that I had to try and it appears to have worked.’

‘I haven’t departed, I’m still here.’

‘That is obvious Hannah. I can’t explain it; I’m just pleased that my little idea worked. What do you think Sophie?’

For anything better to say, I just said, ‘wow.’

It seemed to fit the bill.

I had another thought; I do have them sometimes.

‘Can you read my mind?’

‘There’s nothing there to read,’ interjected Hannah.

‘Hannah, do not disrespect your sister,’ said Auntie.

‘Oh hell, you heard that; I didn’t even use Sophie’s voice-box either.’

‘And don’t blaspheme young lady.’

I laughed, this three way conversation was getting beyond weird and I was pleased that Hannah’s rubbish wasn’t coming out of my voice box.

‘So,’ I said, changing the subject, ‘there’s an elephant in the room.’

‘Where?’

‘I was talking metaphorically.’

‘Swallowed a dictionary?’

‘Girls, will you please stop bickering. I know that this is all very strange, but we need to sort out where we all go from here. I really think that you need to discuss this with your father.’

‘He’ll think that we are mad.’

‘Yes and anyway, with all that’s happening, we don’t want to cause him any other problems on top of the ones he has right now.’ I said.

‘He needs to know. Its too important not to tell him. He won’t judge you and he will not think that you are funny in the head,’ said Auntie firmly.

I didn’t think that Hannah was quite as confident as Auntie was and I certainly wasn’t, but we would just have to wait and see.

Two days later, Daddy called me into his office. Hannah, the coward decided to do whatever she does when she doesn’t want to do something; she disappeared somewhere. It was a nice trick and I wished that I could do that sometimes.

He was sitting behind his humungous desk looking a bit tired and I noticed that he had rings under his eyes and wondered how much sleep he was getting.

‘Daddy, is something wrong?’ I asked as I sat down on the sofa, sweeping my short skirt under me as best I could, as I didn’t want a knicker revealing moment in front of my parental unit.

‘I’m fine honey; how are you holding up?’

Shrugging, I said, ‘I’m OK; I've been avoiding the papers and the news just in case something nasty was being said about me, but other than that, I’m erm, fine.’

‘Luckily nothing has appeared about you and lets hope it stays that way. Look, I have had a think about things. You know that I have sheltered you from the press as I wanted your life to be as private as possible. I still want that to be the case, but everyone knows that I have a child, a boy child and now, lets face it, you are about as far away from being a boy as its possible to be and sooner or later things will get out.’

‘About my changing into a girl?’

‘Exactly. I wanted to just announce it without you getting too involved. The Daily Enquirer wants to send someone down to interview you. With your permission, I think that we ought to agree, but with provisos; no photos and we agree to whatever is written before it goes to press.'

'I don't know, Daddy. I don't want to be seen as some sort of circus freak.'

'I won't let that happen. but let's face it, as soon as the world realises that I have a daughter and that your privacy is going to be assured no matter what people think, the sooner we can both get on with our lives and we can make plans for you to go to a nice school.'

'A girl's school?'

'Yes, I think so, don't you?'

'Yes, I would be more comfortable in a girl’s school rather than a mixed one. I just hope that I'll be accepted as a girl and not as some sort of freak.'

'No one can mistake you for anything other than a girl, honey. Look, if you don't want to do this interview, I'll understand, but it might just get you some sort of closure and it will help when you go to your new school.'

'How is that, Daddy?'

'Some people there would have read the article about you and they will know your side of things and not rely on some wild, unsubstantiated and false story. The important things is for you to be accepted as a normal schoolgirl.'

Sighing, I said, 'I suppose that makes sense. I hope that Hannah...oh never mind.'

I had nearly put my foot in it.

'What about Hannah.'

'Nothing; it's not important'

You looked at me with a strange expression on his face.

'You still miss her, don't you?'

'Yes,’ I lied, ‘and Mummy too.'

Once again, that strange expression...

I nearly told him there and then. I could have, but I remembered that we had agreed to get the present problems over with before burdening him with something new and very hard to believe. Hell, I found it hard to get my head around all that had happened and I was part of it!

'So when are the paparazzi coming?'

'They aren't anything like those scum; in fact,' he coughed, looking slightly embarrassed, 'I own the paper.'

'Since when?'

'About a week ago. I made the previous owner an offer he couldn't refuse.'

'Oh Daddy, stop with the Godfather references.'

'Its a good film.'

'Never mind that, get to the juicy bit.'

'Actually, clever clogs, I did make him an offer. I threw money at him and he was happy to accept the offer. I have wanted to get hold of a quality newspaper for some time and it was the only one that was politically neutral that was sort of available. Lord Humphries, the owner, wants to get into the broadcasting media and I had heard through business contacts that he was open to offers for his newspaper, so that he could use the funds to finance his ideas. So it was mutually beneficial and we can personally benefit in this case because I won't let anything we don't want published about you to be printed.'

'Will the editor mind you poking your nose in?'

'No, he's a golfing mate and we have similar ideas about what should and should not get published. I have already spoken to him about you and he is very sympathetic. His daughter is gay and he knows all the problems having a child that is slightly different can entailed. Anyway, are you happy to have an interview?'

'I suppose so,' I replied reluctantly.

'Thats good, as Marcia Hayes, the media reporter will be here in about two hours time.'

I looked at him, in terror - I was surprised that my heart didn’t spontaneously burst out of my heaving breast…

Alright, a bit melodramatic but FATHERS! who’d have them?

'What's wrong pumpkin, worried about something?'

'Yes, no, well maybe, but I have only two hours to get ready... Are you mad?'

‘I can get ready in about ten minutes on a bad day.’

‘But you are a slob of a man.’

‘Oy, who’s calling me a slob?’

‘I am, now, if you don’t mind, I have to get ready in half the time I should have and I would appreciate a bit of space here.’

‘Erm, Sophie?’

‘What?’

‘You are in my office and not in your bedroom.’

‘What, oh, OK, but I want it on record that I am not a happy bunny.’

With that I ran out of the office, up the stairs along the corridor, nearly knocked over Julia in the process and finally found my way back to my bedroom.

I slammed the doer and sat on the bed. I was finding g it all a bit hard to cope with.

‘Hormones.’

‘What? Oh you’re back. Where have you been?’

‘Spaced out. So what's got our knickers in a twist?’

I told her and she was as unhappy as me.

‘Men, they haven’t got a clue. I remember Mummy saying to him...well, never mind that now, we need to get ready.’

For some reason, I felt helpless and a bit tearful. and I was sure that Hannah sensed it.

‘Look, I’ll take over and you just watch, if that’s the right word for it. I reckon that you are going to experience what is lovingly called the curse in the next day or two. Something that we girls have to go through with boring regularity.’

‘I’m too young for that!’ I said with horror.

‘Don’t you believe it!’

We didn’t have time for any further discussions as we were fast running out of erm, time.

I just let Hannah take over as I had a quick shower and hair wash, then I sort of zoned out when she put a Tampax in the place where evidently, it should go. ‘Just in case,’ she said calmly when I was feeling anything but calm. Being a girl wasn’t all the fun I thought it would be and I even felt slightly envious of boys who didn’t have to go through with any of that nonsense.

Somehow, I'm not sure how, we were ready with ten minutes to spare. Looking at my reflection I saw a rather pretty girl with an annoying amount of freckles, but with everything in the right place, ears, check, nose, check, eyes...you get my meaning. Anyway, we were ready, or as ready as I would ever be.

I was wearing what ordinary teenagers wear, like, jeans and a top. The top,was pink and the jeans had sparkly bits on the pockets, but apart from that, it wasn't much different from what my contemporaries wore. I wasn't into grunge or goth so I was happy with my...alright, our choice. I would still have liked to wear a nice dress or skirt, but Hannah kept on reminding me that I should fit in and not stand out like a sore thumb.

'You look almost cool,' said Hannah.

Before I could reply the phone rung.

'Hello?'I said

'It's Brenda.'

'Oh hi, Auntie.'

'I heard that you were seeing a reporter, do you need any moral support.'

'That would be nice. Did Daddy say anything to you?'

'He did mention it, come to think of it.'

'My father is devious.'

'He's only thinking of you.'

'I know,' I replied, sighing, , I just wish...'

'That it was all over?'

'Mmm.'

'It will be soon.'

I put the phone down and stared off into space for a bit. Was worried that I might say something stupid or give the game away about Hannah. I started to rub my tummy, as it was feeling a bit tender: as were my nipples for some strange reason; had I eaten something that was a bit off?

‘Yup; that our period starting!’

‘Bloody hell!’

‘Never a truer two words spoken, sister dear!’

'So Sophie, how does it feel to be a girl?'

'What a stupid question!'

'Erm, different, I suppose to what I was used to, but I'm still me inside.'

I was somewhat distracted by what was going on in my body. From what little I knew about periods, mainly information gleaned by the other boys in my dormitory, periods were messy things that involved gallons of blood and experiencing an attitude problem (read temper tantrums and throwing things at innocent brothers. I was now in the middle of one these nightmares myself and I kept glancing down to make sure that I wasn’t covered in gore.

Marcia Hayes was tall, slim, had legs that seemed to go on for ever and was dressed in an expensive looking power suit and high heeled shoes that were more like stilts. Her makeup was perfection and I hated her as soon as I saw her. Auntie got my negative vibes, I think through Hannah, who evidently was able to thought-speak or whatever it's called, without involving me now.

Daddy was sitting at the other end of the room on a sofa and Auntie was in a chair, but closer to me. I was glad that the were both there to give me moral support, but it still felt like I was in this on my own, as the others couldn't really explain what I had gone through.

I could sense Hannah was with me, but thankfully she didn't try to interrupt my thoughts, as I tried to ignore my plumbing problems, stay on track and attempt to explain what had happened to me...well a version that was acceptable, anyway.

I explained that I was never too happy with my body and that I had always thought that something was a bit off. It was only when my body started to change that I knew that my feelings were correct.

'Do you prefer being a girl or would you rather be a boy?

‘Stupid question.’ said Hannah in my head. Auntie’s head snapped up from where she was pretending to read a magazine. She frowned and I assumed that she said something secret to Hannah, as my sister then kept quiet.

‘Sorry,’ I replied, as the reporter looked at me expectantly, ‘I was a bit distracted there. Erm, to answer your question, I think that I prefer being a girl, although it’s early days yet. I was, as I mentioned before, not quite happy with my body and the reason probably was that I was not the boy I thought I was, if that makes any sense. This is all still a bit new to me but I think that I feel happier now than I ever was . ’

There were more questions in a similar vein and then she asked me how I saw my future.

‘I just want to be treated as an ordinary girl.’

Marcia laughed.

‘Ordinary, you will never be. You are the heir to a fortune, you have changed into a very pretty girl and that is just for starters. When you are a bit older, you will constantly in the news and everything that you do and say and wear will be scrutinised. Do you think that you will be able to cope?’

I looked at her and then at Daddy and Auntie.

‘I will just have to won’t I.’

‘Way to go girl; that told her!’

I just wished that I was actually as confident as I sounded.

---

 
To Be Continued..?

Please leave comments and kudos...thanks!

---

I apologise for the length of time between chapters. Real life can be a pain sometimes!

Previously…

‘I just want to be treated as an ordinary girl.’

Marcia laughed.

‘Ordinary, you will never be. You are the heir to a fortune, you have changed into a very pretty girl and that is just for starters. When you are a bit older, you will constantly in the news and everything that you do and say and wear will be scrutinised. Do you think that you will be able to cope?’

I looked at her and then at Daddy and Auntie.

‘I will just have to won’t I.’

‘Way to go girl; that told her!’

I just wished that I was actually as confident as I sounded.

And now the story concludes…

The interview wasn’t that bad really; Marcia was quite nice and she didn’t ask me any awkward questions. I don’t think that Daddy or Auntie would have let her put me on the spot anyway.

As agreed, there were no pictures taken of me. The last thing I wanted was for pictures of me floating around. Privacy was important to me as well as my father. He was in the public eye too much as it was, but that’s the price you pay when you are as rich and powerful as he was.

The reaction to the interview was interesting. My school were somewhat surprised at my almost miraculous gender change. The few boys that were my friends (although the term friend could be stretching it a bit) emailed me to say that they were cool about it, which kind of surprised me, but there you go.

In the media, rumours spread like wildfire about what I looked like and there was speculation as to whether I was going to be as my beautiful as my mother. They dug up a few old photos of when Hannah and I were small but they looked nothing like I was now.

We had to be careful about where I could go. When out, I used a different name, Emily and my mother’s surname, Clarke. Also, I tended to wear a baseball cap that hid my features a bit. I think that it helped because no one caught on as to who I was. Julia was my constant shadow and I had other people who were neither seen nor heard, looking after me and it was some comfort that I had that sort of protection, even though it was at the expense of my privacy.

A few weeks passed. Daddy had to go off to several countries on a whistle-stop tour to promote his latest and greatest tablet and smart watch combo. From what I heard, it was a game changer and it put Daddy’s company right up there with the biggest IT players. Nice for Daddy, but to me, it meant that he would spend even more time away from me.

I wasn’t one to dwell on things though and I was reasonably happy as I now had Hannah with me permanently, all be it inside my head, and both she and I grew even closer to Auntie Brenda, who knew all about us and supported us as much as she could.

We had all decided that when my father came home from his latest trip, we or rather I, would talk to him about what had happened and the fact that Hannah wasn’t really dead but living inside me and sharing my body. I had no idea how that would go, and I just hoped that he didn’t think that I had flipped or something.

Auntie said that she would be there for me and support me in anything I said and that was a great comfort and helped reduce the possibility of too many sleepless nights.

In the mean time I got on with my life and so did Hannah. I went for many bike rides (despite Hannah’s strenuous objections) and improved my times over various distances. Sometimes I went out with the cycling club as Emily Tilney, cousin to George, who just happened to have moved away to London. All these different names could get a bit confusing, but somehow I managed and I was accepted at face value as being a lot prettier than George. I wasn’t sure if I was being insulted!

It was coming to the time when a school was to be chosen for me. I could have gone away to boarding school like Hannah had, but I wanted to live at home. There was a nice private school about twenty-five miles away known as St Swithin’s Girls School. It had a good name and in fact that was one of the schools that my parents looked at for Hannah before it was decided that she should go to the school in Switzerland where she could go skiing. There wasn’t much skiing in Cornwall!

Daddy came home for just one day and we went to the school to see the head mistress. As I didn’t have two heads and was quite clever, I had no problems about being enrolled. From what I saw of the school, it was nice and the girls seemed at least more human than not! The school had all the facilities expected of a very expensive and exclusive school and Hannah seemed to think that it wasn’t a bad dump!

I was due to join the school at the beginning of the new term which started in just two weeks. To be honest, I was looking forward to it, as I was getting a bit bored being at home, even though I had the company of Hannah and we lived in such a wonderful place. I had always liked studying, boring as that may sound; I had a thirst for knowledge that I must have got from my parents.

Daddy came home from his trip just three days before I was due to start school. I had been sort of dreading it. I was pleased that he had come home, of course, but I had made a promise to Auntie that I would speak to him when he arrived home and I always kept my promises.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Hannah, ‘I’ll be there and so will Auntie,’

‘It’s still me that has to do the talking. I can just imagine it, “Oh, Daddy, by the way, funny thing, but Hannah’s here inside me, so don’t worry. Also I think that the reason I changed into a girl was because of my friendship necklace”, he’s going to think that I’m as nutty as a fruitcake.’

‘Not all fruitcakes are nutty,’ said Hannah unhelpfully.

_*_

As I sat with Daddy that evening eating dinner, I wondered how I could broach the subject. I was convinced that he would think that all the pressure had got to me and that he should call in a team of shrinks. I wasn’t very hungry, even though dinner was my favourite, bangers (sausages) and mash with onion gravy.

Daddy, who ate anything that wasn’t actually wriggling on the plate, soon finished his meal and sat back with satisfaction on his face.

‘That was nice. You don’t know what it’s like to come back and eat some good, old fashioned English grub after living off some of the foreign muck I have had to over the past month or so. Not hungry Sophie?’

I looked up at him. It was now or never. Before I was able to say anything, Auntie came into the room to clear off the plates. How did she do that; not come into the room, but know that I was going to tell my father about what had happened?

I took a deep breath.

‘Daddy, can we talk?’

‘Of course honey. Do you want to wait until Brenda goes?’

‘No, she knows what I’m going to say.’

‘This all sounds a bit mysterious; you aren’t in trouble, are you?’

‘No, of course not...’

‘Come on sis, spill the beans.’

‘Quiet Hannah, let me do this my way.’ I said in my head.

Looking at the expression on Auntie’s face, she had tuned into our conversation.

‘Well, what’s up?’ said Daddy.

I looked at him and my resolve nearly faltered and then somehow I got some strength and I carried on.

I looked around. This wasn’t the right place to spill the beans.

‘Daddy, can we go up to my room, I want to show you something.’

‘Of course; do you want Brenda to come too?’

‘Yes please.’

Nothing much was said as we walked up to my room. I think that Daddy and Brenda discussed the weather for some reason, but that was it.

When we finally arrived, we all sat down. Daddy in an armchair, Brenda on the sofa and I sat on my bed.

‘Right Sophie, what’s all this about? If you have done something wrong or you are worried about something, don’t concern yourself, we can always sort it out.’

I looked at Auntie, who gave me look of encouragement.

‘Go for it sis!’

‘Daddy, what I’m going to tell you is unbelievable and could upset you. Auntie knows all about this and I swear to you that what I am about to say is absolutely true.’

I didn’t look at him but just played with the hem of my skirt as I started to explain what had happened.

‘You know that I have a pendant, a friendship one?’

‘Yes, one half was yours and the other part was Hannah’s. Marie and I had one each too.’

He fingered his t-shirt and I could see the outline of his pendant. He, like I, obviously wore it all the time. For some reason, that made me feel emotional for a moment.

I cleared my throat and continued.

‘I always wore mine and after the crash, as you know, Hannah’s pendant was found in the wreckage and then given to me. It was strange; it was unmarked and looked as good as new. Mind you, I never looked at it after that one time, it was too upsetting.

‘Anyway, on my birthday I somehow felt the need to look at it a few times; probably because I was missing Hannah, especially on the special day of our birthday. It was all that I could to put it away in its box again and leave it.

Occasionally that day, I fingered my pendant around my neck and I found that it was strangely warm, warmer than my skin, I mean. I thought nothing more of it and spent the rest of the day doing the usual things, but I did notice that my pendant appeared to continue getting warmer, not uncomfortably so, but I could definitely feel it.

‘After dinner, I went back into my room and changed into a, erm, nightie; sorry Daddy, I always wore girlie clothes when I was alone and knew that I wouldn’t be disturbed.’

He smiled.

‘That’s okay; I kind of guessed that you would. Remember, we had known about your dressing habits for years.’

I smiled ruefully but carried on. Now I had started I just wanted to get it over and done with.

‘After changing, I stood by the window and looked at the sunset and I was deep in thought, thinking of you, the boat for some reason, our family and things like that. Once again my fingers went to my pendant and necklace. I must admit that I was getting a bit tearful by now; not a nice thing on my birthday. Anyway, I had the sudden urge to go over to the drawer and look at Hannah’s pendant yet again. Taking it out of the box, I felt that strange warmth that shouldn’t be there and here’s the weird thing, it seemed to glow slightly.

‘I felt the overpowering need to put it around my neck along with my one I had and I did it without thinking. As soon as I put it on, the pendants seemed to come together like magnets. There was a flash of blinding light and a huge gust of wind coming from God knows where. I was nearly thrown off my feet and I was beginning to feel very strange and not in a good way. I felt that I had to sleep, and so, shivering, I lay down on the bed and was asleep in seconds. Don’t look at me that way Daddy, I’m telling the truth.’

‘Are you sure that you didn’t dream all this, being upset about your mum and sister not being there for you on your birthday and you missing them?’

‘No, what happened did happen. Look at this.’

I showed him the locket with both halves now as one. He said nothing but handed it back to me.

‘Please let me keep on with my story,’ I said, ‘it gets even weirder. As I slept, I kept having funny dreams or I thought there were dreams. It was about Hannah and the crash, I felt like I was somehow with Mummy in the plane just before the crash then everything went black and after that, Hannah seemed to be trying to talk to me but she was a long way away. It was very confusing but felt so real at the time. Eventually I woke up but was still feeling very strange. Then I heard a voice from a long way off coming nearer and nearer. I recognised the voice it was Hannah...’

‘What do you mean, it was Hannah; were you still dreaming or something?’

I looked at him and the doubts and confusion was etched on his face. I could almost hear the gears in his brain working overtime; thinking maybe that his daughter might have a screw loose, lost her marbles or something?

‘I wasn’t dreaming Daddy, I was awake. It was Hannah and she was inside my head. No, don’t say anything let me finish.’

‘Yes Robert,’ said Auntie, ‘let her finish and for goodness sake stop interrupting. You aren’t at a board meeting now, you know.’

I don’t think that Daddy would except that sort of criticism from anyone else, but Auntie Brenda was a one off and you didn’t mess with her, if you knew what was good for you!

‘Yea, go Auntie!’ exclaimed Hannah in my head.

Daddy smiled ruefully, put his hands up in surrender and mouthed sorry.

I wanted to get over this before I broke down, so I hurried on before he could say anything else and while I had the courage to tell him.

‘Where was I? Oh yes, I could hear Hannah inside my head and she was real. I don’t know how it happened but it did. She been inside my head ever since. On top of that, my body started changing into a girl the day after all this happened and you know that the doctors have no idea how this happened, but I know, it was because my body was changing into the person I would have been if I had been born a girl.’

‘So you’re telling me that Hannah is inside you now?’

‘Yes.’

‘I don’t believe it, your imagination...’

‘Robert, she is telling the truth.’

‘How do you know Brenda, oh yes, your silly ideas about life after death, séances and nonsense like that.’

‘Daddy please listen to me.’ I cried.

He turned me with a look I couldn’t fathom.

‘Sophie, you have been under a lot of strain at the moment...’

‘I know I have but I’m telling you the truth, just ask me something, anything that Hannah knows but I don’t.’

He was breathing heavily, obviously upset about what we were talking about.

‘Right, you persist in this nonsense so I will ask Hannah this. A few minutes before...before the final flight that killed her; she rang me from the departure lounge. What did she say to me?’

‘I’ll let Hannah take over my voice...yes Daddy she can do that and a lot more besides. Hannah, do your stuff.’

I relaxed and Hannah started speaking.

‘Hi Daddy, this is strange talking to you like this, but the answer to your question is easy. You said that you loved me and you were looking forward to seeing me again and you said that I wasn’t to tell George, but as a surprise, you were going to arrange glider lessons for us both and if we liked it, you would buy one for each for us. And you also said that as I knew that Mummy hated flying, I was to look after her and hold her hand when we took off and landed and I did that Daddy when we took off, but as...as...we c...c...crashed we were hugging each other as much as we could wearing seat belts. Oh t...take over Sophie.’

I was crying too now and it took a moment to gather myself. Brenda had come over and was hugging me. She was saying something to Daddy, but I didn’t catch it.

Something of what Daddy was saying got through to me as he spoke to Auntie.

‘I don’t understand. It’s impossible, No-one except Hannah and I knew about the gliders; I never even told Marie, as she had a thing about flying and only ever flew when she had to. I never told George...Sophie and didn’t bring it up after the funeral; it was too upsetting, especially after the way Marie and Hannah died.’

‘There more in heaven and on Earth than we will ever know about Robert. I have the gift, something that you never believed in, but I knew that something wasn’t quite right even after I knew of the crash and all those poor people that perished. Sophie and yes Hannah came to me and I was able to tap into their consciousness and although what you have heard is hard to believe, it’s all true. Didn’t you think it strange that almost overnight, George changed from a boy to a girl? There have been cases like this in the past, but nothing like this over such a short space of time.

‘When George was born, there was no doubt in anyone mind that he was a boy, just as there was no mistake that Hannah was a girl. You had a medical staff at the top of their profession looking after Marie during the pregnancy and then at and after the birth of the twins. No mistake was made then. George turning into Sophie, a real one hundred percent girl, was no accident. I’m sure that it’s all connected with the crash and Hannah coming back and living inside Sophie was no strange coincidence but part of everything that has happened. ‘I don’t profess to know why it has happened, but both you and have to accept it and move on, just like Sophie and Hannah have.’

Auntie, with one final fierce hug, let me go and moved back to the settee. I wiped my eyes with a tissue. I knew that Hannah was still there and hadn’t just gone off somewhere, but I also knew that she was too upset to speak.

Daddy looked as white as a sheet, as if everything that he believed in had been turned upside down. He went over to the window and looked out onto the garden and the sea beyond. After a moment he seemed to stiffen a bit and then turned back to us.

‘I...I...I have been having some dreams lately about Marie and Hannah too. I can’t remember much, but it was as if they were talking to me from afar and just couldn’t reach me or come nearer so that I could understand what they were saying.’

I went over and gave him a hug.

He took out the necklace and pendant from under his t-shirt and I could see that it was almost identical to the ones that Hannah and I had except I saw that they said toge fore.

‘When combined with Marie’s pendant they say together forever. They sent Marie’s one back and I have looked at it several times. It’s always bright and clean and doesn’t look like it has been in a crash. Funny this feels quite hot.’

Auntie got up and walked over to us. She touched the pendant and then let go quickly.

‘It does feel hot and there’s something else...I feel a presence. Robert, where is the other pendant?’

‘In my room.’

‘Can you go and get it...no let’s go together. The sooner this is sorted out the better.’

‘You mean...’ I asked.

‘I don’t know what I mean, all I do know is that this business isn’t finished yet and we need to see that pendant...now!’

We left my room, went up the flight of stairs that led to the penthouse, where my parents rooms were. Daddy was strangely quiet but kept holding his pendant. He seemed to be in almost dreamlike state similar to the one I felt before all this happened. Almost as if he wasn’t in control any more. It was a bit frightening to see as Daddy was always in control.

‘What’s going on?’ asked Hannah, sounding a bit frightened.

‘I don’t know.’ I replied, as much in the dark as anyone else.

We followed Daddy into the bedroom. It was a vast one with floor to ceiling windows and an even better view of the garden and the coast beyond than Hannah and I had in our rooms.

Daddy went over to his bedside table and pulled a box out. I immediately recognised it as being identical to the box that I had kept Hannah’s pendant in before it had become fused with mine.

With shaking hands, he pulled the necklace and pendant out of the box.

‘It’s warm and glowing, l...look.’

He held it out and we could all see that he was telling the truth.

He took off his necklace and was about to join it with Mummy’s when Auntie shouted, ‘NO!’

We all jumped at the sound of her voice that sounded upset.

‘You must not do that. There’s something else you must do.’

‘What?’ asked Daddy, ‘If there’s any chance that I can get my Marie back, I want to try it.’

Auntie closed her eyes for a moment.

‘Sophie,’ said Hannah, ‘I’m scared, what if I go away when Daddy joins the pendants?’

‘It won’t happen. You were brought back to me for a reason. I don’t know why, but I’m sure that something good is going to happen. Trust Auntie, she’s never let us down.’

Auntie suddenly opened her eyes and looked at me.

‘Sophie, take your necklace off, quickly; we need to get this done soon.’

‘What?’ I asked.

‘Never mind, just trust me,’ she said almost echoing the words I had just said to Hannah.

I did as she asked. Daddy was holding the two halves of his and Mummy’s pendant and I could see that he was struggling with himself and that he couldn’t understand what was going on; that made two of us.

‘Sophie, Robert, what I want you to do is join all the pieces of the pendants together. Do it now, before it’s too late. You only have a moment. DO IT NOW!’

‘SOPHIE!’ screamed my sister

‘Hannah,’ I screamed at the same time, as the hand holding my pendant was invisibly pulled towards Daddy’s hands. All parts of the pendant were joined as his hands came into contact with mine.

There was a loud clap of thunder and it felt like I had been struck by lightning as a shock went through my body and I blacked out to the sound of Hannah and my screams.

I awoke to the sound of an alarm. My eyes tried to focus but everything was blurry for a moment.

Then I could see clearly. I was in a plane and it was bucking about all over the place.

I was sitting next to my father and he looked a bit scared. Beyond Daddy, sat dressed in school uniform was my sister Hannah and there, by the window was Mummy looming more scared than I had ever seen her. What was happening; was this some sort of awful nightmare? Looking down, I could see that I was wearing the same uniform as Hannah. I was still a girl. This didn’t seem like a dream, it all looked and felt real but even in my confused state, I knew that dreams can seem very real...

BING BONG

‘Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing a little turbulence at the moment, but it’s nothing to be concerned about. There is some heavy weather to the east and we are re-routing to avoid the worst of it. Please do not your seat for any reason and keep your seat belts fastened. There are bags in the pouch in front of you if you need them. If you have any questions, please ask an attendant. Thank you.’

‘This is unreal,’ I thought, ‘What am I doing here. Am I dreaming?’

Suddenly I remembered what had occurred in Daddy’s bedroom when we joined hands and the pendants came together...

I pinched myself and I could feel the pain. Did you feel pain when dreaming? Daddy was sitting beside me and there was Hannah and Mummy. Why was I wearing the school uniform; what was going on and why was the plane bucking about across the sky like that?

‘Don’t worry Sophie, I’ve been through turbulence before and it’s harmless,’ said Daddy with a strained smile. Being a pilot he knew about these things and it gave me some comfort but still didn’t make me feel much better because I still wasn’t sure what the hell was happening.

It didn’t help much that both Hannah and Mummy were using the sick bags and suddenly, I felt the need too!

After heaving up whatever I had eaten at breakfast, my new reality kicked in. I just knew that this wasn’t a dream, it was all too real.

Glancing out of the window, I could see the white craggy peaks of mountains, jumping about all over the place. An optical illusion, as I knew that it was the plane and not the mountains that were jumping about.

I wanted to dwell on the fact that somehow Mummy and Hannah were actually alive, but it was all I could do to worry about the way the plane was acting, rather than going into the deep meaning of all that was happening and why I and Daddy were actually on the plane.

Suddenly the plane dropped like stone and there were screams coming from around the plane as everyone reacted to what was happening. The mountains seemed to be coming awfully close. Hannah was terrified; Mummy looked beyond that, almost in a shocked state. Daddy looked grim, but he smiled when I looked at him.

‘Don’t worry everyone, it’s just turbulence. The crew are trained for this.’

The plane righted itself and everyone gave a collective sigh of relief.

BING BONG

‘Sorry about that,’ said the captain in a calm, reassuring voice, ‘I hope that some of you have been able to keep your lunch down. We will now be climbing and banking to get out of the way of the storm, which developed quickly and was unexpected; but happens, sometimes over the mountains. As soon as its safe, we’ll let you get up and have a stretch, in the mean time...’

There was a noise from the left outside like something hitting the wing and then the plane dropped like a stone again and this time it was worse. The plane went into a dive. Everyone started screaming again as the angle got steeper and steeper. Air masks suddenly dropped out from above and we could hear the screaming of the engines as the pilots tried to get control of the stricken aircraft.

With horror, I realised that I was experiencing what Mummy and Hannah had.

We were going to crash.

All of us.

‘Put your heads down and cover them with your arms,’ shouted Daddy to all of us.

We did as he said and I started wondering why all this had happened. What was the point of it all?

The engines were screeching. Something was being said over the loud speaker but I couldn’t hear what was being said. The screams were horendous. Our angle steepened if anything and I just waited for the end. Daddy’s hand felt for mine and I grabbed it and I felt that he was holding Hannah’s who in turn was holding Mummy’s. It gave me a bit of comfort to know that at least we were all together.

The plane bucked and threw us to the left and right. The angle of the plane grew steeper still and it was just a matter of time before the end. I just hoped that when the end did come, we wouldn’t feel anything and maybe, just maybe, we would end up in a better place, together...

Suddenly, the plane stopped dropping and we seemed to fly level for a few moments and then with the engines still screaming, we gradually, but with increasing speed, started to climb again. We all looked out of the windows and saw, just beneath us, the jagged peaks of the mountains, seemingly so close that we could almost touch them.

We all looked at each other and wondered if it was over...

BING BONG

‘Ladies and gentlemen, sorry that you have all had a rough experience just now. We thought that we were through the worst of it, but it appears that a bird flew into one of the port engines at the same time as we hit more turbulence. Let me assure you that this is an extremely rare occurrence, in fact in all the years that I have been flying this is the first time that this particular set of circumstance has happened to me. We are now flying at reduced engine capacity but this aircraft is designed to fly with two engines and it should not cause us a problem. It might still be a bit rough for a while, due to residue turbulence, but it’s nothing we can’t handle. We will now proceed to land at the nearest suitable airport, which is Lyon for an aircraft inspection. We request that you keep your seatbelts on until we land. Thank you for your patience.’

It was a bit rough for a while with the turbulence but it was a picnic compared to what had happened before.

‘Well,’ said Daddy, ‘that was fun.’

‘That was not fun Robert,’ said Mummy crossly, ‘the girls were terrified and so was I.’

I looked at Hannah, who still looked a bit green about the gills as no doubt, I did too. I wanted to talk to her but it was difficult. I wondered what had happened and how Daddy and I found ourselves on the plane with Mummy and her, but I didn’t have the opportunity to say anything. Daddy did not seem at all phased by the fact that we were on the plane it suddenly dawned on me that he had no remembrance of what had happened in his bedroom. I wondered if Hannah was aware too. Looking at her, I was sure that she had no idea.

I had a thought.

‘Daddy,’ I asked.

‘Yes honey?’

‘What date is it?’

‘The second of July.’

‘What year.’

‘Are you alright Sophie?’

‘Yes, but please Daddy, what’s the year?’

He smiled and shook his head.

‘Two thousand and twelve, of course.’

I was stunned.

I had gone back into the past!

It took a moment to take in that information.

‘Are you sure that you are okay Sophie, you look very pale?’

‘No Daddy, I’m fine, honest.’

He smiled, seemingly reassured and then turned to Hannah and spoke to her, as I attempted to get myself back together again after shocking news.

I had gone back in time

Whilst no-one was looking, I touched down below.

No tell-tale penis or scrotum.

I scratched my breast; it was smaller than before, just little nubs really and they were rather itchy and tender.

I was a girl, no doubt about it.

This was beyond strange.

We landed at Lyon. There were countless fire engines, ambulances and other rescue vehicles on the side of the runway, but they weren’t needed as the pilots landed the plane very carefully and extremely gently.

Everyone on board clapped with relief and to give thanks to the crew who had managed to get us back onto the ground without anything untoward happening.

Another flight was being arranged for the passengers as our plane was now not usable. Two hours later we were on another plane bound for England, first class this time. I had much more room and spent the time looking out of the window and watching the clouds go by.

You may be wondering what my thoughts were, now that I had more time to think about what had occurred.

I suppose that up until then, I had just accepted things without thinking too much. I had been in shock because of the trauma of the near plane crash and the thoughts of my circumstances had been put on hold. One crisis at a time, I suppose. I remembered what had happened to Mummy and Hannah and I had assumed, when I found myself on their plane with Daddy, that for some unknown quirk of fate, Daddy and I were going to crash with Hannah and Mummy. But it didn’t happen like that.

We survived with everyone else and the crash never happened.

After the shock came the delirious happiness that my family were back together again. I got tearful and hugged everyone. My parents thought that it was just shock, but it wasn’t that, I had been given another chance of having my whole family together again and wanted to make the most of it. The fact that I was now a girl, made it all the stranger, but the weird thing was, I didn’t feel strange about that. It was almost as if George was the dream and Sophie was the reality.

We landed at Heathrow and then flew to Newquay Airport. Our car was waiting for us and we just drove home, tired but looking forward to arriving.

I sat in the back of the Jag with Hannah.

‘It’s good that we are off school for six weeks.’ said Hannah enthusiastically.

‘Is it...oh yea, it is.’ I replied.

‘Are you okay Soph, you’ve been a bit strange?’

‘Strange, what do you mean?’

‘Well, at school you were all bubbly about getting home and on that flipping bike of yours, but you haven’t said a word since we got back.’

‘I don’t know. Still about upset about nearly crashing, I suppose?’

‘Daddy said that there wasn’t any real danger. Funny, you are normally fine about flying. Anyway I can’t wait to taste Margaret’s yummy cooking.’

‘Margaret? You mean Brenda, don’t you?’

‘Who’s Brenda?’

Nearly two years passed and I was no nearer to understanding what happened. I was the only one who remembered that I had ever been George; everyone else thought and believed that I had always been Sophie, identical twin to Hannah.

It’s funny, I sometimes had recollections of growing up as Sophie; children’s parties and wearing little girl dresses, stuff like that, but I still recall being George and pretending to be a girl and playing dressing up games with Hannah. I also remembered Auntie Brenda, although nobody else did.

I should have been more upset about my parents and sister not remembering George, but somehow it didn’t seem to matter as we were all together again and for that, I was thankful.

I have grown a bit now and Hannah and I have lost much of our puppy fat as Daddy used to annoyingly call it. My breasts and body shape are that of a normal, early teenage girl. I and Hannah still look like two peas in a pod and no-one except Mummy and Daddy can tell us apart if we wear the same clothes.

One day, I was on my bike and going quite well. Hannah was, as usual doing her million laps of the pool and declined to join me.

‘Too sweaty by half,’ she said disdainfully as she pulled on her cozzy.

Julia, my bodyguard who was a rider like me was up ahead. We were doing one of those ‘chase me’ type of rides where we took turns to see if we could catch the other.

At discrete distance behind, I knew that there was a Range Rover, with other members of my protection team in it, making sure that I was safe from possible harm. I had grown up with this type of thing and it no longer bothered me.

Up ahead was a junction and we had the right of way. Julia had just crossed it. It was a downhill section and I knew that it was a little used road. I increased my speed and was doing close to forty miles an hour. Approaching the junction, I should have slowed down, even though I had right of way, but6 I was caught up in the fun of the chase and I was my fathers’ daughter, I hated to lose. Anyway, there I was, about a hundred yards from the junction, head down to get that extra bit of speed. I looked down at my Garmin and saw that I was now doing 43 and I was well pleased. Then I glanced up and a figure was in the road, just in front of the junction.

A woman.

She was holding her up hand.

It was Auntie Brenda!

I pulled on my brakes as if my life depended upon it; which come to think of it, it did.

My bike slewed around and was facing the other way and I could see the long skid marks where I had done my emergency braking. I could see the Range Rover coming up swiftly and stopping about thirty yards away. My heart was racing and I was short of breath. I turned my bike around just in time to see a lorry rush across the junction right about the time I was going to be there if I hadn’t have stopped.

Auntie Brenda was nowhere to be seen.

Was it just luck that made me stop in time?

I didn’t think so.

I appeared to have a guardian angel and she was called Auntie Brenda.