Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Prolog ~ Penelope and Aphrodite

A Lamur, Georgia, USA Novel

By Jo Dora Webster

Will Perseus, with Helen's help, find a way
to enter Aphrodite's presence and gain beauty for his mother?

---

This prolog will encompass the beginning of Aphrodite creating another line of priestess who will endure for centuries in the future.

---

Prolog ~ Penelope and Aphrodite

The Grecian plain glistened with the clinging droplets everywhere from the blessing that had been received from the heavens. A poor Grecian boy stood as a guest in the home of his friend, a poor Grecian girl. Perseus listened intently to Helen as she whispered to him about the field that Aphrodite visited each year close to the village.

“I discovered this myself and I have told no one till telling you now. Tomorrow is the day, Perseus!”

“My mother is so lonely. If only she could have the beauty that age and hard work have robbed from her then someone would fall in love with her and she would have all she needs. I know that she won’t ask for beauty for herself. She thinks of everyone but herself.”

"Only your mother or her daughter could petition Aphrodite for beauty. You don’t have any sisters,Perseus. You could be the daughter that asks Aphrodite for your mother.”

Helen dressed Perseus up as a girl. Perseus looked at the reflection in a mirror and admired Helen’s skill. Perseus could pass as a girl before anyone. The only exception was the Goddess herself who could see beyond the exterior to the soul.

"Would Aphrodite ignore this deception to see beyond to my motives for my mother?

"It's up to you. I feel that it would work."

“I think that Aphrodite would listen to a boy rather than one who tried to deceive her. Would you please go to the shrine to Aphrodite and give an offering for my mother and me? Thank you for your help. Seeing myself as a girl makes me wish I were my mother’s daughter. Nevertheless I go in truth and in love for my mother.”

"I had not thought of that Perseus. I even had a girl’s name picked out for you, Penelope. I will do as you ask and may you have favor with the Goddess.”

“Perhaps someday there will be a Penelope.”

Helen helped Perseus remove the disguise and he left dressed as he had entered.

Perseus ran to the field and spied a beautiful maiden in the field. Perseus thought, “This is the Goddess herself just as Helen had told me.”

He came and knelt at her feet. She touched him and told him,“Arise. Why do you come here to me? “

“Lady, I come here to bring a petition for my mother.”

“You did well to come before me in truth even though as a man you are not worthy to come before me. The girl, Helen, who thought that I could be deceived by her handiwork should be taught a lesson.”

“I beg mercy for her, Lady. Her judgment was clouded with her great desire to help me.”

“Mercy shall be granted to her. Come be with me this day and help me harvest the seeds and fluid from these plants. After the work is done I will answer your petition, Perseus.”

The Goddess handed Perseus a vial and pouch, identical to hers, to hold the fluid and seeds and after she showed him the method where no fluid would be lost and no seed missed.

The pair worked in the field thru the noonday. The Goddess told stories of women who had loved and in each story portrayed a different hue of a many colored love. When the Sun hung overhead past its full strength the two had finished the field. Perseus gave the Goddess the fluid filled vial and the pouch that contained the seeds.

“You have done well Perseus. Come eat supper with me.”

They both retired to a grassy spot underneath the shade of a tree with a pond just beyond. They dined sitting on a cover of fine linen partaking of delicacies only known on Olympus. Following the meal, Perseus was overcome with drowsiness.

He spoke, “Lady, I beg your forgiveness but I can scarce keep my eyes open.”

“Sleep now, Perseus. You have my blessing.”

Perseus surrendered and fell asleep, thankful for the Goddess’s understanding. About an hour later the child awoke to find the Goddess smiling at her. There was no mistaking that she was now a girl. Amazingly enough she wore the clothes of a handmaiden almost identical to the outfit that the Goddess herself had worn as she portrayed a girl in the field. Now Aphrodite was clothed in her Olympic splendor. Yet the Goddess had the same demeanor toward her as though she were destined to be in this form all along.

“Now you are worthy, dear Penelope. You have wondered why a Goddess would disguise herself as a maiden and labor herself to gather the fluid and seeds. The fluid is blessed by the Gods to bring beauty. To be exposed as much a mortal woman could not contain the beauty and any man would be transformed. You will find yourself precocious having matured as much as an 18 yr. old even though you are only twelve.”

She withdrew a fluid filled small vial and gave it to Penelope. She wondered more why she had awoken a girl which was the Goddess' gift rather than a tree, an animal or even dead. Perhaps Aphrodite had seen her heart when Helen had dressed her up and known that even though a boy had been on the outside, a girl was within trapped yearning to be released like a butterfly exits her cocoon. The Goddess was gracious to her as all this wonder passed over her in a moment leaving her in awe as she carefully held the precious gift of the vial in her hand.

“I will ask you to bring this vial to your mother later and have her use it as I show you to place 2 drops under her tongue.”

Aphrodite demonstrated by placing a drop under her tongue.

“When she does it that will give her back her beauty during the next time she sleeps. Both of you will need only one drop each year to renew your beauty. I’m also going to give you a few seeds and before the vial is exhausted you should be able to use the plants to refill it. I’m also going to give you a scroll that gives the dosage, effects and warns of the danger.”

Aphrodite gave to Penelope the vial, the pouch of seeds and the scroll, that she had promised. Penelope prostrated before her in a deep curtsey upon receiving all three gifts from the Goddess. She discovered that she now had a sweet feminine voice when she first spoke to Aphrodite.

“Thank you My Lady for granting my petition and my wish and for caring for me this day. Now that I may offer my own offering to you I will be faithful.”

Aphrodite gave her a hug and said, “Come, You will attend me as handmaiden as I bathe then I will send my gifts home with you to your mother. Bathe yourself so that you may serve me.”

Penelope joyfully when she reached the pond removed her new clothes, entered the pond and bathed herself. She then helped the goddess to undress and bathed her in the waters of the pond. When finished they turned back to the shore and robes and towels had been provided. Drying herself and the Goddess she helped Aphrodite dress in more elegant Olympian garb and found provided another clean, beautiful dress for her to wear.

“Thank you so much for the wonderful clothing, My Lady. Your blessing has surely been poured out on me.”

Aphrodite smiled and said, “You must keep the secret of the plants safe because unknowing souls would trample this sacred plain and their greed would bring death. Say no more than you have been blessed by Aphrodite. This that I give you is mine only to give so use it only for your family and its descendants. Penelope, you will always remain a woman to reward your acts toward me this day. If your family betrays this trust I will take away these added gifts of my blessing to your mother for her and your family. Penelope, I have revealed your identity to the priestess in the village should any doubt your identity. I have a necklace to give you to show that you have been my handmaiden and are under my protection.”

Aphrodite placed a necklace terminating in a ruby stone on Penelope. She looked at the necklace which would show to all the favor that Aphrodite had given to her.

“Thank you, my lady for your grace toward me.”

Aphrodite sensed that Helen was nearing the plain in despair for the fate of Perseus whom she had expected back with an answer long ago and she feared something had happened to him.

“Helen is coming to the plain. Along with the joyous news of your blessing there is other news I must give Helen. Go meet her and bring her to me!"

“Yes, My Lady.”

Penelope ran to meet Helen. When she finally caught up she gave Helen a big hug.

“I am now Penelope but this morning I was Perseus. The Goddess granted my wish and now she commands me to bring you to her.”

Helen took her hand without a word and the two ran to meet the Goddess. Helen after questioning Penelope became convinced that she had been Perseus. She was truly struck with Penelope’s beauty and that she had passed from girlhood to womanhood while retaining the innocence of a child. When they arrived Helen knelt at the feet of Aphrodite.

“Arise, my child. You have done well in keeping the secret of this plain and the day of my visits till this day. This day you also planned to deceive me but you repented of it. You offered gifts to my shrine for Penelope and her mother and for you and your mother. You, by your self, have my mercy for your transgressions, Helen."

"Thank you, My Lady."

"I must bring you sad tidings, Helen. Your father has been killed. Lydia is no longer your Mother, she is priestess of my temple in Ephesus. Priscilla is no longer your sister for she is my acolyte of my temple in Ephesus. But Helen you shall not be an orphan. Daphne, Penelope's mother is now your mother and Penelope is now your sister. So have I decreed it and so shall it be to reward you for your keeping of the secret of the plain. Helen you will teach your new sister, Penelope all she needs to know about being a girl, and Penelope will teach you my ways concerning the gift I have given to her mother and to you now, her new sister. I know it is a sacrifice to lose your family but it is how you must serve your Goddess."

Helen replied, “Thank you My Lady and I will be faithful to your instructions that Penelope shall teach me and in serving you.”

“I must go now and so you both are free to return to your home. I know that you both will want to help but I ask you not to return here for it would mean your death to help in the harvest. I will always hear your petitions thru the shrine and will give you answers thru the priestess. If we do need to speak face to face I will come to you. I wish it were not so but all you can do by meeting me here in the future is to lead someone to the secret place. “

Penelope answered for the both of them, “We will do as you command.”

“Go now my children. Farewell till I come to you again.”

Each girl replied “Farewell, My Lady”

They both turned away and started their journey. Helen turned back to look at the plain and saw it empty. Aphrodite had returned to Olympus. Helen felt devastayed! She had lost almost everything. Her father dead and the Goddess had stolen her Mother and sister and divorced her from them. Her sins had found her out. How could she have thought that she could fool a Goddess? But her friend and now sister had interceded for her. She was still human and adopted into a family with the Goddess blessing. She'd have to be brave for now for Penelope's sake. Later she would grieve for all she had lost!

“Are you okay, Helen? This sure changes things for me and for you. Until today I thought that you would one day become my lover and wife, beloved.”

“Now we will be sisters for always, Penelope. I guess that makes both of us looking for boyfriends.”

“Just don’t rush me with the boys. I’m going to have to get used to being a girl.”

“With a body like that once they get beyond you having been a boy you are going to be rushed by them.”

“Then I’ll deal with it. Well sister, dear you will have to deal with it too since you too will receive the Goddess' gift!"

"How are we going to deal with our family with the gift?"

"Both you and our mother, will take it tonight then we will all be beautiful in the morning.”

“We all are so lucky.”

Helen and Penelope came to Penelope’s house. Helen could help explain the transformation. Daphne, Penelope’s mother met them at the door and greeted them, “Welcome, Helen. Who is your friend and where is my son?”

“This is Penelope who was your son, Perseus. Perseus found out from me where Aphrodite would be today and he asked the Goddess to grant you beauty so that you would find a husband and no longer be lonely. Perseus helped Aphrodite harvest the beauty fluid and after a nap was transformed to Penelope. I became an orphan but Aphrodite decreed that I should be your daughter and Penelope's sister, Mother”

“I can see that she is my daughter now and you are too!. Welcome home Penelope and Helen!”

Mother and daughters embraced. Penelope was overjoyed at the closeness she was feeling with her Mother and with her new sister, Helen. Helen was distracted from the grief with the overwhelming love outpoured from her new Mother and sister. Daphne wondered at the new bond of parental love she felt towards Helen as deep as for her new daughter, Penelope.

“Mother and Sister, I have a gift to you both from Aphrodite.”

Penelope took the vial and placed 2 drops under both Daphne's and Helen's tongues. Penelope handed the vial, seeds and scroll to Daphne. Helen would enjoy the beauty from the Goddess that her sister already had. Daphne would enjoy bringing a male back into her new family with beauty from the Goddess as her Husband and Penelope and Helen's new father.

“I will explain all to you both. But the most important is that these are to be secret and kept in the family. When you wake from your next sleep, Mother and Sister, the goddess’s blessing of beauty will have happened. “

"Thank you, beloved sister for giving to me Aphrodite's gift and to the Goddess for giving it to our family."

“Thanks be to Aphrodite! Penelope, how will we explain to the village that you are my daughter that used to be my son?”

“The priestess can tell them if we ask her to. Aphrodite revealed my transformation to her.”

“I’m going to place all of the blessing from Aphrodite in this box for safe keeping till we need them again.”

“We only need a drop each year on this day to keep the beauty fresh and new.”

Both Penelope and Daphne told her good night then they all went to their rooms to go to sleep. Penelope and Helen slept together in Perseus' old room. At last Helen could not contain her grief any longer and Penelope cradled her in her arms in bed. Eventually the loud sobs and flowing tears gave way to sighs as the two girls found sleep. As promised when Daphne awoke she became beautiful and young. Helen's sorrow had turned to joy when she saw her new beauty. And the three women welcomed in time a new husband and father but they zealously guarded even from him, the secret of the box containing the vial, pouch and scroll of Aphrodite's gift of beauty.

---

The encounter of Perseus and Aphrodite was only the beginning. Erida who was threatened by this new line of followers of Aphrodite, declares war on all those who would worship Aphrodite. Working through hate and jealousy, Erida seeks to declare war on all those who would worship the Goddess of Love.

---

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter 1 ~ Erida and Alexander

A Lamur, Georgia, USA Novel

By Jo Dora Webster

How will Alexander deal with the curse that Erida caused to be put upon him?

---

Chapter 1 ~ Erida and Alexander

In the past a group of Greek immigrants settled this area and called it Agape Duro. They sensed that one particular grove was blessed by the Goddess and resolved to keep it sacred and unspoiled.

"What brings you here to Agape Duro, sister of Ares?"

"I know my place and can not incite what is not already there in these mortals' hearts."

"Erida, you know that your scream can not overcome my protection. I will not have my town thrown into war."

"Yet I have some who have given their heart to me within. To my own, I need not shout but instead whisper."

"Even if you have wolves in my sheepfold, you shall not disrupt my purpose here, for I will not allow that."

"That remains to be seen, Dite. As to my purpose here, it is done and so simple to affect these fragile mortals by turning off a single gene by influencing the mother to provide the means herself."

Yet Erida had been at work in Agape Duro or Lamur as it was called today. A later influx of french immigrants started calling this place L'amour. An earlier attack by Erida caused much of the history of this place to be lost to the inhabitants. In the recovery from that attack, they took pen and paper and established a town with a mis-spoken and remembered form of L'amour. And thus Lamur came into being as the place was known today

Even though the two being goddesses were evenly matched in power, this sacred ground filled with thousands of years of receiving the power of her presence and the human love here she inspired, was Aphrodite's advantage. Without warning a blast of constructive power greatest of all emitted from Aphrodite. Erida avoided it by escaping in a pocket of space time which the blast sealed up banishing Erida from Earth for now.

"I must discover how Erida thwarted my protections. Perhaps the dryads from 'Zeus' Grove' might be able to tell me what had been missed."

Aphrodite was drawn to another site where Erida had been at work. A solitary oak tree, yet born of "Zeus' Grove" had been a symbol to Lamur Institute and they rolled the tree in celebration of their victories much like the followers of Auburn did with the trees at Toomer's corner. A zealous teen of a rival school had poisoned the tree. It was dying and so was the Dryad who tended it which had been locked inside by the poison. Aphrodite further cloaked her presence by engulfing the tree with her power. She opened the tree and released an aged horribly disfigured and scared dryad from it.

"Poor child, what do you call yourself?"

"Thank you, my Lady. I am Gynylya and also called Lia"

"I will help you Lia, but all is lost unless your tree be saved too. I shall entreat Zeus to intervene to save your tree."

"Thank you, My Lady. It is good."

"Father Zeus, Please hear the plea of your daughter. Erida's follower has cursed this tree so it die except for your intervention. Both the tree and Gynylya must be saved for either to survive. As you heal the tree, I will heal Gynylya so both be saved, if it is your will Father Zeus."

"I so will, Daughter. Let it be done!"

As Aphrodite focused her power to beautify Gynylyta, Zeus rejuvenated the tree so it was healthy and alive. When the tree gained back its power, Lia was restored to her youth and she prostrated her self for Zeus.

"I take great pride in you, Daughter. Erida has wronged us both, so together we shall have an avatar in Gynylya who has been filled with power from both of us. Gynylya will you swear fealty to Zeus and Aphrodite?"

"I will. I, Gynylya, do swear Fealty and service unto Zeus and Aphrodite – To speak and to be silent, to do and to let be, To come and to go, in need and in plenty, In peace and in war, in living and in dying,
From this hour henceforth, until my Lord release me, Death take me, or the world end.

"I, Zeus."

"And I, Aphrodite.

"Hear and shall not forget, nor fail to reward, that which is freely given: Fealty with love, Valor with honor, and Oath-breaking with vengeance. Rise, Avatar Gynylya, favored of both Zeus and Aphrodite. Go in our esteem"

"Aphrodite, instruct our avatar on what we require of her, in our service at this place. I depart."

"Lia, you are to be our eyes and ears here. You must warn us of attacks on the grove and those of my line of priestess here. Repel any that you can in you own power and commune with us to intervene where you are not able."

"I will, My Lady, with all of my being."

"Was it the tree or you Lia who inspired Erida to attack?"

"It was me, My Lady, I had observed women from one line being killed in apparent accidents caused by their daughters who perished with them. That line is your line of priestesses. Now all who remained outside your chosen unborn girl and her mother were Fathers and Sons. Erida has inspired in the Fathers and Sons deep bigotry where they war with any they deem inferior to them. I discovered this and sought to warn your chosen girl's mother. Before I could do so, her follower poisoned the tree, with me inside it trapping me until you and Zeus intervene."

"That was some time ago. What happens now?"

"I watched helplessly as Erida gave the mother the means to imprison your Penelope in the flesh of a boy by introducing something in the womb that turned off the gene that would have allowed her to form normally as a girl. Erida inspired hatred of what she knew was her unborn daughter. She hoped that if she had a son instead that both might be saved. She gave birth and gave her Penelope indwelling boy flesh, the name Alexander."

"I urge you to protect Alexander from the bigotry of the males of his family. Penelope will indeed emerge, for she can not help being her real self. All is not lost, for my priestess, her great aunt Montine resides far away in Denver. Send the child to her when she becomes of age so that she can choose her destiny."

"I will do all that you have asked, My Lady"

"I take my leave of you. Call me back if Erida intrudes again."

So Aphrodite left and Avatar Lia remained with a very big job ahead of her.

**********************

Celia took care for her students very carefully as the headmistress of Lamur Preparatory very seriously. She had come to Lamur AFB on a transfer and served the Air Force school for dependents inside Lamur AFB in various capacities. It was the original site of Lamur Institute which was originally a boarding school and included elementary through college. Pre-school to middle school was what remained when a new Lamur Institute was built outside the Air Force Base. The Lamur Oak was clearly viable through the high iron bar fence that marked the base boundary between the two schools.

The new Lamur Institute was constructed, maintained, staffed and administered by the local board of education,C which was always having funding problems. The new facilities included Air Force provided Dorms on campus for use of any military dependents if their parents were on assignment. The Air Force funded the construction and turned over to the board of Education, dorms for general student use.

Celia was key in encouraging Damion and Chloe Megalos to take advantage of their Air Force benefits and enroll Alexander in Lamur Preschool at no charge since Alexander had been classified as a special needs child. Celia had detected signs of Alexander being rejected at home and with their extended family due to displaying attributes of female gender. The summer after third grade, Alex, as he liked to be called, became involved in an incident of abuse when his uncle who has since been incarcerated, beat Alex for relaxing for a moment and acting like an ordinary girl. After initial reluctance, Alex's parents let him become a boarding school student.

Celia saw her responsibility as being two fold towards Alex. First she made sure the child's female nature had ways to be expressed in a manner where it was not exposed to others, especially to those who might persecute Alex. Second, she made sure that Alex knew how to emulate male behavior and had all the skills that a male child, Alex's age would have. She made sure that Alex would not let down and relax at any time away from the school.

Unfortunately there were summers that both his parents were gone on assignment and Alex had to stay with one of his uncles. While they were careful not to physically harm Alex, they did not feel that verbal abuse would be provable so they made Alex's life even more miserable when he did not have any chance to truly express himself. While the best place for Alex to be was at his Great Aunt's in Denver, they could not place him that far away without parental permission which never came since Damion and Chloe blamed Alex's challenges on her.

One summer when Celia knew Alex was old enough to not unintentionally reveal a secret, She made a new way for Alex to cope.

Celia was watching over Alex as he escaped his uncle's yard, looking for some respite from all the verbal abuse. She caught up to Alex when he was bent over crying and offered her shoulder to comfort him. When he had cried himself out, composed himself, Celia was ready to offer Alex a wondrous chance.

"Alex, do you trust me?"

"With my life, Miss Celia!"

"Good! Follow me!"

Alex followed Celia into the sacred grove. Alex had heard stories of all kinds of strange things happening there. A lot of the children said that it made them very uncomfortable to be anywhere around it. Yet he felt right at home being right in the middle of it. Celia led him to the other side of the grove which was bounded by a steep incline. They had passed the banks of a stream which meandered through the sacred grove and watered all the trees vegetation and wildlife within it.

They came to the stream's source which was a waterfall that flowed into a basin which fed the rest of the stream. Celia led Alex on a hidden path which led around underneath the waterfall. Hidden from view was a framed marble rectangular block flush with the almost vertical incline. However there was no indication of a knob or key hole or anything around it which might suggest a way to open it.

"Thank you for showing me this, Celia. Looks like we have come to a dead end since we have no key to open the door"

"At least you see it is a door. What if you are the key?"

"I'm the key? How could I be the key? Would I just touch my palm to the door and it would open?"

"Why don't you try it?"

"Okay."

"Alex touched the door and found that it wasn't really solid and his palm passed right through it. Next he walked forward and Celia came forward through the apparent door too. From this side, inside the room under the waterfall, it appeared to be open, revealing the path and the waterfall beyond. Then he noticed something amazing. He didn't look like a boy anymore, he looked like the girl that he'd always imagined himself to truly be. Goodness, those pronouns did not seem right now. She looked like the girl she should have been."

"What is this, Celia? I'm a girl and..."

Gail, since that was the name she always associated with her true self, realized it was rude to keep looking at her reflection from the wall and turned to look at Celia. But what she saw caused her to stop and stare as well. You see what she saw was a wild girl in tune with nature like the nymphs or dryads from mythology instead of the familiar face of Miss Celia.

"Miss Celia, is that really you? Is this really me?"

"Yes, I'm still the person you know as Miss Celia. You see this place reveals the true self of who ever enters it. The true me is a Dryad with a funny name but my nickname is Lia either way and I hope you'll call me that. And the girl you see before you reflected is your true self. What would you like for me to call you?"

"Please Miss Lia, call me Gail. Have I really turned into a girl? May I be like this for always?"

"Gail, I'm sorry. You just look like your true self using a glamour which is a kind of majick. It would take more power than this room has to transform you into a girl for always. As for me, I was born a dryad and I use a glamour when I am in the human world. This room removed that glamour when I came inside it. Sweetie, I wish it was completely real, but do you like the way you look now?

"Oh yes, Miss Lia. I love it!"

"Good! For you this place is for learning and discovery. It is always a place where you can take a time out from the sometimes cruel human world. All you have to do is imagine something and it will appear as real as it needs to be for your purpose. Food and things you need to sustain yourself would be real while other things would be a glamour mostly."

"When may I come here?"

"Anytime you desire to or need to come. Just remember to be courteous to those in charge of you even though they are horrid to you sometimes."

"I understand. It's a special place to spend special times but not somewhere to hide away from the world totally. And I do it just the way I did this time?"

Every time you want to get here. Yes."

Gail was very happy to play in the room which became anything her imagination could create. She was aware of the clock and before it approached the time she was expected back, She left. While it was sad to see himself as Alex again, but not so bad seeing Celia back beside her. They walked through the open door but when they looked back from the other side, it looked as solid as it had looked before. Celia took her leave of alex and he scurried happily home, remembering to act like the boy everyone else thought that he was.

In that summer and the summers that followed, Alex went and played in the room. The room was so wonderful that she could play for hours by herself. Gail was a prompt girl and never once was she missed by coming home late.

**********************

As Alex grew up, he started to need to go to the room less and less. By the summer where he turned twelve he only came on his birthday just so Gail could have a birthday party as well as the one Alex received in the human world.

Headmistress Celia called Alex into her office close to the end of the school year after the year he turned thirteen. Alex wondered which uncle he would be staying with this summer since again they were both on assignment as the end of the school year approached.

"Thank you for coming, Alex. I've made arrangements for you to stay over summer until the next school term. This summer you will be staying with your Great Aunt Montine. You are old enough to satisfy the regulations which we have to send you by yourself on a plane to Denver. You'll be flying military passenger service so I know that you'll be well looked after on the trip.

"I'm so glad that I will be able to spend the summer with my Great Aunt Montine. She's a wonderful lady no matter what the rest of the family say. The only thing is that Gail won't get a chance to have a birthday this summer. May I make it up when I get back, Miss Celia?

"Next term you'll be old enough for a pass solo off of the grounds as well so you'll have a chance to do that if you wish."

"Wonderful! Thank you so much for everything, Headmistress Celia."

"You're welcome, Alex. Dismissed."

Alex left the headmistress' office, with his head filled with all the things he'd like to do with his Great Aunt and in Denver.

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter Two: Montine And Alex

By Jo Dora Webster

Will Alex, with Great Aunt Montine's help, discover the things that had been denied to him all his life?

Chapter 2 ~ Montine and Alex

The flight starting with an Air Force Personnel flight from Lamur AFB to Dobins AFRB, the helicopter ride from there to Atlanta Airport and then from Atlanta Airport aboard Delta had been truly amazing. Sitting by his side the whole way was Celia's friend Ariel. Celia had duties which kept her on the base so she had enlisted Ariel to make sure that Alex reached Denver safely.

Time passed quickly on the flight even though it was a three hour and twenty minute flight, they would arrive at a mere one hour and twenty minutes later according to local time since they were passing through two time zones. The time passing quickly was due to Ariel being really fun to talk with her. Dr. Ariel taught Algebra at Lamur Institute but she seemed to know a little about everything. She attributed it to being well traveled due to her other occupation. Ariel was surprisingly closed mouth about it, so Alex pretended that she was a spy doing secret missions.

"How close are you to your Great Aunt Montine?"

"I'm pretty close to her considering this will be the first time that I have visited her in person. We've spent a lot of time together over the years."

"How did you do that? Via video call?"

"Not exactly. I'm not sure how to explain."

"Does it have anything to do with the 'Refuge at Agape Duro' the one with the entrance under the water fall that only you can open?"

"Yes, that's it! How did you know? I didn't even know the place's name until now."

"Let's just say that if I entered that room where you spent so much time that I wouldn't look the same way I do now, like Celia only different. I have my own special entrance that I have been given permission to use."

"Yes, that helps. I used the room to contact Great Aunt Montine when I was Gail. The room transformed to look like her house and a real life image of her, just like I see you, was with me while at her house she had a real life image of me in her house. Both acted just like their counterpart in the other place."

"Yes that room is very special and I can believe that it could do what you describe. How do you think Aunt Montine managed on her end?

"She had some unexplainable majick. She was over seventy but she looked a genuine 30 without any of the 'cheats' used to fake a lesser age these days. She freaked the rest of the family out since her not surrendering to age the way most do was a bit disjointing and uncomfortable for them to be around."

"You did not seem to have the same problem and were very comfortable with her?"

"I had learned to treat her as the matriarch of the family (which she was) in public as I referred to her. while in our times together, I treated her as she treated me which was as a contemporary."

"Was that the reason why, besides you were persecuted, that you spent so much time in the room?"

"At times, especially when I was a little girl, she was like a little girl to me and she was my playmate. Other times she shared stories of long ago which only someone who is mature and has lived a long time could do. She knew that I enjoyed the paradox and treasured every moment we had together."

We went from the plane through the air way to the Airport. Dr. Ariel led me right up to the place where Great Aunt Montine gave me a big hug just like the first time when I first contacted her with the room."

"Oh it is really you after so long, Great Aunt Montine. I love you."

A woman approached us, walking with a purpose and she was just getting close enough so that she would be recognized.

"I love you too, sweetie. Thanks for keeping Alex safe, Dr. Ariel. Oh No! Do you see Erida too. I must deal with her. Alex go with Dr Ariel, now"

Dr. Ariel took my hand and we went through a door into an empty sky lounge. Ariel erected some sort of shield around the room. The TV came alive but instead of showing programming, it revealed what was happening between Aunt Montine and the one she called Erida.

"You've lost old woman and I have finally won. Dite will no longer have a priestess once you've gone. I've taken care of making sure that you have no one to follow you in the way of Dite."

"I'm not dead yet, I may not have a lot of time but I can give my successor a crash course in her birthright. She'll see all of the wonderful things that she has to look forward to as a priestess of Aphrodite."

"It would take a life time of experiences to overwhelm the fear and hate that I have commanded my followers to concentrate on her."

If I can no longer afford to be patient and prudent, I'll find a creative way to see the way of love is far greater than your way of hate.

I was so glad that Dr Ariel was in the room with me. It was bright as day in this room and that cheered me up. Suddenly a lady appeared shining brighter than a supernova flash. I shielded my eyes but I could still hear.

"I banish you, Hate. Arisia Rrab, rise and shine. Everyone who hates and does evil hates the light and will not come into the light in fear that her deeds be exposed. Behold the light!"

I felt Dr Ariel hugging me tightly. Somehow the TV did not transmit the intensity of the light but it did white out the screen so there was no picture for a moment. When it returned to normal only Aunt Montine remained and Erida had vanished.

As we got ready to leave, the room returned to normal. After we passed out the door, I heard an attendant announce that cleaning was completed and the room was ready to be occupied again. We walked to to meet back up with Aunt Montine. As they approached the two of them exchanged some knowing looks

"Thank you for watching Alex and for everything you've done. I had best get Alex home before his body realizes that it is two hours later than it appears to him."

"Thank you Dr. Ariel. It was fun. I guess you are right Aunt Montine, let's go home."

Since we had my belongings, Aunt Montine led me out of the Airport. I glanced back and saw Dr Ariel going down what I thought was a dead end and going out of sight. Since she did not come back, I guessed that she knew something that I did not.

The car ride was long since the airport is quite a distance from the rest of Denver. Finally after all the adventure, I was in her living room, sitting across from her on the couch with my bags by the door.

""Welcome Alex! I am so glad that you were able to accept my invitation to spend the summer with me."

"Thank you for inviting me, Aunt Montine. We can do lots of wonderful things together. I just love spending time with you."

"You can also spend time with girls your age while you are here this summer too."

"Just the girls, Aunt Montine, what about the boys?"

"I wouldn't mind you being with boys, but there isn't any in my neighborhood."

"The odds against that happening must be astronomical."

"What can I say, Alex? It must me something in the water. but they have made the best of it. They formed a teen sorority and they do everything with it together."

"How great is that! I'm the only guy on a block full of girls! I'm going to have fun this summer."

"I'm glad that you are excited, Alex. Let;s get you settled in the guest room for tonight. I'll give you a full tour later. We'll pick out where you would like to stay for the summer."

"That sounds great, Aunt Montine. I guess I am a bit tired from the flight out to Denver and the car ride out here."

Great Aunt Montine and I took my things to the guest room. while it was still early there, it was way past my bedtime by my original time zone. I fell asleep quickly.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

With my internal clock still a bit off, I got up very early and explored the kitchen and found everything to make breakfast. Having secured the ingredients, I prepared a breakfast of omelets, oatmeal and orange juice and was pretty proud of myself. I found a tray and piled everything on it and took it up to Great Aunt Montine's room. I knocked on her door.

"Come in, Alex!" She saw what I had brought and an even bigger smile filled her face.

"Alex, you are wonderful! We can eat at the window table."

A portion of her bedroom had a space where it would have been a hexagon had two of the sides not completed and open to the room on one corner where a breakfast table had an amazing view out the four windows in the wall facets. I set places for each of us and filled the plates and cups with the contents of the tray. While I was busy with the setup, Great Aunt Montine had gotten up and pulled on a robe and joined me. We both sat down and ate the breakfast that I had prepared.

"Where did these cooking skills come from, Alex?

"Mom taught me. She said that any teen should have some cooking skills. She told me that the polite thing to do was to wait on myself some to pull my weight."

"Your mother is a wise woman and please let her know how much I approve in how she has raised you. Thank you."

"I will Aunt Montine. I was wondering where the girls would be so I can meet some of them today."

"They will be at the Delta Iota Alpha chapter Nu Epsilon house. It's seven houses down on the left and has a sign in the front yard. It's a functions and recreation room instead of cohabitation like a college sorority house. It's become the center of social life in the community for the teens."

"How could teen aged girls manage something like that just for their activities?"

Delta Iota Alpha came first to the college, as Chapter Nu Alpha, but the sorority sisters heard about the natural sorority here and they made it an outreach project to turn them into a high school chapter (Nu Epsilon) of their sorority. Together the two groups of girls along with parents alumni and businesses raised enough money to buy a foreclosed house and renovate and furnish it to be a recreation center for the girls and were officially chartered. You can google them and get their internet site for more information."

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

Even knowing a lot about them from Great Aunt Montine and their internet site, I was shy and uncertain of myself. I did not try to run into some of them at the mall or other places. I went instead straight to the Sorority House to meet them. I didn't expect the reception when I knocked on their door. Mrs Norman, the house mother, employed by the sorority greeted me and took me into a small entry room that had a couple of chairs and a table between them and invited me to sit down.

"I'm sorry Alex, but we have no Co-ed activities sanctioned by the Sorority. I can't let you visit here at the house. I wish that we could help you find friends while you are here but by the time we figured out a way to do that you would be gone. The community already being a sorority is why we have this degree of organisation. We are not prepared with plans on how to deal with this. We have to answer to the national and our sponsor chapter in what we do."

"Thank you for seeing me, Mrs Norman. I understand and I feel it is great that the girls have this and I would not want to do anything to give an excuse to someone to take it away. I came to be with my Aunt Montine. I'll leave it to fate if I am able to make any friends my age while I am here."

When I returned, Great Aunt Montine could see my discomfort and directed me to sit with her in the living room. I noticed that she was wearing around her neck on a cord, a small Grecian looking vial, that I'd never seen her wear before.

"Alex how did things go with meeting the neighborhood girls?"

"Not so good, Aunt Montine. They never thought they would have to deal with Co-ed activities so they have no rules to permit it. I met with the house mother and she told me that even beginning immediately to take care of the over sight, the process would take long enough that I would be gone before they managed it."

"They all go to an all girls charter school. In the school year, they arrange co-ed activities with other schools but not over the summer. The girls make do with sorority activities. Of course they individually date and go on family vacations and parties, too."

"I'm not disappointed that I'll be spending all my time with you this summer, Aunt Montine. That was the big reason for coming after all."

Aunt Montine was silent and pensive for a moment. Finally it appeared that she had decided something and she had a big mischievous smile on her face. I loved the things that followed when she got that way so I was prepared for something interesting."

"Alex do you remember when you told me that you had decided that you had no idea what motivated that unknowable species, the teen aged girl.? How would you like to participate in an experiment?"

"Aunt Montine. would that experiment involve me posing as a girl?"

"Yes, you would become a girl. You could join the sorority and then your problem meeting and spending time with them would be solved."

"I'd agree if I could be sure I would look like a real girl and that there would be no way for my disguise to be uncovered."

"Alex, if you trust me, close your eyes and open your mouth and try to touch your nose with your tongue."

I felt silly doing it but I trusted Great Aunt Montine. I felt a few drops of something land under my tongue. I thought by telling her that last thing, what I was really doing was saying no to the experiment since I didn't want to be caught dressing up as a girl. I didn't see what harm it would do so I let my Great Aunt Montine do what she wanted to me.

"Do you feel anything, Alex?"

"I feel a little tingly through my body as though my whole body had fallen asleep instead of just an arm or a foot. I feel tired all of a sudden.

"You might like to go get ready for bed, Alex."

"This really feels weird. I feel a bit dizzy. Could you help me, please? I'll do exactly as you say.

"Of course, I'll help you, Alex. Lets get you up and into your bedroom."

Aunt Montine held my hand and steadied me and led me to my room. Once there she helped me undress. Instead of my pajamas, she helped me put on a pair of panties with a maxi-pad stuck inside it and a nightgown. I did just what I said and did what she led me to do without question or comment. I caught a glimpse of myself in the nightgown and thought that no one would mistake me for a girl. Great Aunt Montine helped me into bed and then covered me up under the covers and tucked me in. I felt wonderful with the feel of the fabric and the kiss on the forehead that Great Aunt Montine gave to me.

"Good Night Aunt Montine. Thank you so much. "

"Good night, Sweetie In the morning, you will be ..."

I must have gone to sleep before she finished speaking since that was all that I heard. As i woke, i realized two things immediately. I was a girl but that did not feel odd or unusual, it just felt normal. I also was not Alex mentally anymore, I was a whole new female person. Alexis maybe? I felt all aches and discomfort, not with my genitals but that something wet and sticky was covering them. Thank goodness for the pad that had not let any of that get on the sheets or the rest of me. I let out a little Ewwweh and my voice sounded normal to me but also very girly. I was proud of myself when I decided what to call out to Aunt Montine.

"Aunt Montine, Could you please help me? I've had an accident."

"I'm proud of you sweetie for not panicking."

" What has happened to me?"

"You are a normal teen aged girl now and you've had your first period. Get up and go have a nice long soak in the tub. I'll get you some midol and some comfortable clothes to put on after you finish your bath."

"Is this permanent?"

"No this is only temporary and should last for a month. With the change there is also something that has changed reality so that you will be recognized as a girl named Gail Adella Landers and no one will realize that Alex ever existed. In this life you are an 18 year old young woman who suddenly lost her parents and has no other family, that I chose to take in my niece to live with me."

"I have a lot more questions but I feel icky so I'll go ahead and take that bath which you suggested."

I got out of bed and walked slowly to the bathroom. I noticed my reflection in the mirror and observed that I was now a young woman and that fact would not be questioned anywhere. That didn't matter now as much as cleaning up and taking that bath. I entered the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I started the bath water and put some scented bubble bath in it that I had found by the tub.

I prepared myself for the bath water then sunk down into the waters and finally relaxed. Too soon for me, just before I had begun to be 'pruney' I got out and patted myself dry. I put on the clothes that Great Aunt Montine had laid out for me including another maxi-pad for my panties.

I went to the living room, wondering what I had gotten myself into, to join Great Aunt Montine to get some more of my questions answered.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter Three: Gail and Montine

By Jo Dora Webster

Will Gail, with Great Aunt Montine's help, discover the mystery of shopping and perhaps a more supernatural one as well?

 

 

Chapter 3 ~ Gail and Montine

 

Great Aunt Montine soon arrived in the living room with a tray from the kitchen. She had me take a lap tray from beside my seat and set it up across my lap. She served me and then pulled up a tray table for herself and served herself. I finally broke the silence instead of starting to eat.

"You tricked me! You knew that when I told you that I would do it if I could be undetectable as a girl that I thought I was saying no."

"You had a priceless expression on your face when you realized what happened. Not even getting your period at the same time threw you. Didn't you secretly wish for this to happen?"

"Maybe? I don't know, Aunt Montine. I'm glad it happened because I feel so alive and right and congruent. I feel a little loss because Alex is dead now. The memories hurt because every thing about them are foreign to me. The only times that don't hurt are when I had been with or interacting with you. I didn't know what to call it then but I've always been Gail with you, haven't I?"

"You don't know or you have not decided yet?. I've always known how to coax Gail to show herself but I didn't create her. You were born being Gail but everyone else taught you that you should be a boy. You were a good girl and wanted to please them so you formed a boy persona to show to the world and pushed the real you so far inside that it seemed like she didn't exist anymore."

"I remember little girl Gail from the secret place my friend Celia led me too. I'm a teen-aged Gail now. If being Alex wasn't real, why do I grieve his loss so much?"

"Being Alex connected you to family and friends and Gail inside treasured family and friends so much that she gave her life so Alex could keep those connections. I'm sorry for tricking you but I wanted you to have the chance to let Gail out so you could decide for yourself about being Gail without all those other voices drowning out yours. That's what summer vacations for a teen have always been about for those who dared discover who they really were inside instead of being the sum of expectations."

"This is a lot more than coping with puberty and starting the transition from child to adult. At least if the real me has always been Gail then that explains why I've not been enthusiastic and put the breaks on any lust my male body has felt. Does this mean I'm going to be liking boys? I've got the body for it now and if my mind goes with it unlike before then something could happen, couldn't it?"

"It could happen but I would not expect it to happen quickly. We might like to go to the mall to get you some clothes that fit. You might not realize it now, but the problem isn't your willingness, but theirs. Not only are you a girl but you are incredibly attractive. You might like to take precautions and ordinary birth control doesn't work on me or you any more. We'll get you an appointment with my gynecologist You'll need to use barrier methods, watching your cycle and spermicide. This is temporary now but if you become a mother it will be permanent."

"Thanks for the warning, Aunt Montine. I will be careful. Guy's are really going to be that attracted to me? Really?

"Believe it, Gail! Guys who are that turned on will try everything. With you being a novice that puts you at a real disadvantage. That's why you'll need to be careful."

"I understand now. Why don't we go choose my room? I guess you wanted me to wait till today so I would realize that I was going to spend some of the summer as a girl. How long will I be a girl? Is the visitor going to come calling again?"

"Gail, as things stand now your visitor will likely come again but that might be the last time. How are you doing with your visitor, dear?

"Even though you have prepared me for it, after it started, I felt so scared. I'm so relieved, knowing I might have to go thru it only one time more. I'm getting used to it and thinking of it less of a bother and more like a promise of even more beauty and life."

"Good girl! Anyway for the rest of what you asked. With the jet lag from your flight, I would have waited anyway to give you the tour. But knowing you would start the summer as a girl is important information I wanted you to have as you are choosing. I guess we can talk and walk at the same time."

"Is it possible that I could spend the entire summer as a girl? Would there anyway to make that happen if I would like to stay a girl?"

"It's possible to extend your time but no way to make it end before it runs its course. There will be signs before you turn back. When that happens, we will discuss what we would like to do."

"I don't suppose there is any use in asking you where the magic comes from or how it works, Aunt Montine?"

"Sorry Gail! Nor at this time. What is it the spies say? Oh yeah. You have no need to know."

"That's okay. The blessing is not unwelcome just because I don't know where it comes from. It's very welcome and thank you so much Aunt Montine."

We both got up and shared a great big girly hug that I enjoyed. I helped Great Aunt Montine by taking the remains of our Breakfast to the kitchen, putting away the food and putting the soiled dishes in the dish washer. I returned and the two of us went up the stairs. The living areas and Great Aunt Montine's bedroom and the guest bedroom where I stayed last night were on the first floor. This was my first look at the upstairs where I noticed a hallway with a number of room doors which were all bedrooms.

Great Aunt Montine took me to the first door and we stepped inside. This was obviously a girl's room with pastel decorations and a girls bedroom suite including a nice vanity. There was a large walk in closet which had been customized to use all the space efficiently. There was a place for everything including places for a large number of shoes. The room fit the new me so I knew that I didn't need to see the rest of the rooms.

"Aunt Montine, it's okay if I don't see any more of the rooms. I love this one and I feel that it is a good fit for the girly girl that I expect that I will be."

"Gail, I feel that this is a good choice for you too. You may leave anything that is distinctly Alex's in the guest room. We'll replace the clothing and other items when we go shopping. You need not be frugal in making do by .using things that fit Alex better. I have set aside a large budget to get you settled and I don't mind you spending it all. I don't want you to fail at experiencing everything a girl does just because you wanted to pinch pennies for me. I want you to do this right since you may never get this chance again."

"Thank you Aunt Montine. I'll go pack a bag and bring those items up here now."

"Please make a shopping list of the things that you would like to replace because they scream Alex. You don't have to list clothing since I know what you need better than you may know yourself yet."

I went down stairs and packed a few things and afterward I made a shopping list that was long. I looked at the bag that I was using and added 'luggage' to the list. I brought them upstairs and Great Aunt Montine helped me put them away. I handed the list to Great Aunt Montine and she smiled at me and nodded when she saw the list.

"Gail, we will be able to get everything that you need with some left over for items we may have overlooked. Let's get cleaned up and changed. I'll lay an outfit out for you on your bed. Then we'll drive out to the mall and start shopping."

Getting cleaned up was interesting but Great Aunt Montine left a step by step list for me. I put on the clothes and filled my purse and was ready except that I did not use any makeup. I looked stunningly beautiful even without it so it was dawning on me that Great Aunt Montine was right about me being a stunner and to keep my guard up. I followed Great Aunt Montine out to the car and off we went.

"Aunt Montine, I still don't understand. What is the big deal about women and shopping? Shouldn't the shopping gene go along with becoming a girl?"

"Don't worry Gail. You have the shopping gene. Once you understand what shopping is all about and immersion in shopping takes place, it will kick in. You'll never know what hit you."

"What do I need to understand?"

"I believe an illustration is in order. Let's go into Claire's and get your ears pierced. Don't worry. the reverse process will make them whole again."

"Let's get my ears pierced!"

We went inside Claire's and it was pretty obvious where we had to go to get it done. We watched as a tall blonde woman was getting her ears pierced. She was sitting in the chair so patiently clutching the Claire bear like a little girl. Her friend was taking her picture as her first ear was pierced with a cute happy smile on her face even though I knew her ear had to be stinging. The girl doing it stopped and turned to us.

"Hello ladies, may I help you?"

"I'd like to get my niece, Gail's ears pierced."

She handed Great Aunt Montine a clipboard and directed me to the starter earring display.

"If you'll fill out this form and pick out which earring that you'd like for her, you can be next after Allison there."

The attractive, sophisticated blonde with the cute shoes and camera waved. I smiled at both of them and waved back. While Great Aunt Montine was filling out the clipboard she came over to me and pointed out a large heart shaped earring with facets cut into it so that it shone like a large diamond when the light caught it.

"Would you like that one, Gail?"

"Oh yes! Thank you!

Just then the gun misfired and did not pierce her other ear all the way through. The girl doing it was upset but the blonde in the chair sat patiently smiling. While the shop girl was getting things ready for another attempt, an illusion appeared in front of me of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen but her features were obscured in a light brighter than the sun yet I was not blinded by it. The woman's image faded but the bright aura rested on the woman in the chair clutching the bear. Somehow I knew that the only way that the aura around her would finish with her is if I kissed her on the lips. I was sure it was just the woman since just then the girl came into view in front of her with the second successful try piercing her ear. The woman exchanged places with Allison and they traded the Claire bear and the camera.

"Wish me luck, Ari, I haven't gotten my ears pierced since I was 6 years old. You were so calm through the entire thing."

"For Luck, Allie."

Ari kissed Allison on the cheek. The sales girl positioned the gun to give Allison the second ear piercing that she wanted in the first ear. While setting up for the second ear after a successful first, I closed in and kissed Ari full on the lips. The aura permeated all of Arl and vanished. I smiled at her and she smiled back at me.

"Thank you. I'm afraid I don't remember your name?"

"I'm Gail. You've been such a brave girl. I felt that I had to kiss and make it better"

"Thank you for your gift, Gail. I feel amazing, so it must have worked."

Ari was changing but she didn't seem to notice. She was trying to get a good pic of Allison getting her other ear pierced. I noticed things that I hadn't before. Her large hands and feet became smaller. Her hairline, nose and chin changed. The grey faded from her hair and from her brows she seemed to become even more blonde and the shag cut grew out until her hair reached the middle of her back She shrunk a few inches as she became thinner and more delicate. Her breasts grew 3 cup sizes and her hips flared out giving her a perfect figure. The bulge on her throat went away as her shoulders narrowed. I guess she might have been 45 before like her friend but now she appeared to be at most 25 years old. her clothes altered so they fit her perfectly but also were appropriate for her new age. The thing about it was that no one else noticed it, not even Great Aunt Montine. I was so consumed by all this that I missed them calling me for my turn and Great Aunt Montine led me to the chair.

"Are you ready for this, Gail?"

"I'm ready. Thank you."

She pierced both my ears and handed me a mirror. I admired the earrings in my ear and I was overjoyed on how they sparkled. I realized that Great Aunt Montine wanted me to see how an accessory like jewelry added to my beauty and that made me feel good and those who enjoyed my beauty were happy too. The women who cooperated to help me felt happy too. So a shopping trip was to spread happiness around.

"Do you understand now, sweetie?"

"Yes, shopping together brings happiness in cooperating to enhance beauty in each other. The things we get give us happiness when we enjoy our own beauty. It brings happiness to others who enjoy the beauty. That's like those boys who are over there staring at my boobs. I can tell they are really happy right now. Let's go before one of them works up the courage to say hello."

"My niece is growing up! You get a gold star for that answer. So let's go shopping!"

And we did! We went by the cosmetics counter in Macy's and I got a makeover and purchased my cosmetics. We lost the boys when we went to the nail salon for a Mani / Pedi. We had our hair styled at the salon. We went to the gynecologist where I got a full exam. Oh joy! The doctor fitted me for a rubber baby buggy bumper and gave me a lecture on birth control without the pills. The IUD's looked like an option but Great Aunt Montine vetoed that for now. And small world we met Allison and Ari at the desk checking Ari in for an exam as we were checking out. We had a great time buying a small but versatile teen girl wardrobe for me. And the best thing while I was happy to be gaining all of those nice things was that Great Aunt Montine introduced me around as her niece, Gail Adella Landers.

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter Four: Gail and Jane

By Jo Dora Webster

Will Jane, with Gail's help, find the beauty in herself that she captures with her painting of others?

Chapter 4 ~ Gail and Jane

 

Once we were home, we piled all of the purchase on the chairs in the living room. I was then initiated into the ritual of the after shopping fashion show. I already knew everything fit since I modeled all our purchases for Great Aunt Montine in the dressing room. I was to find out that what this was about was to find different combinations of items that worked together. The fun thing was that we got to talk while I was modeling, not just about how the outfit worked but other things, too.

"Okay, now that I'm a girl, how are we going to get me into a situation where I get to meet the neighborhood girls and get asked to join their sorority."

"Promise to not start a pillow fight with me?"

"If Ariel could be patient with the shop girl she had never met before, I have many more reasons to be patient with you, Great Aunt Montine. What is it?"

"Go look out the window into the back yard and tell me what you see."

"I see a green house that's connected to the main house with no doors in it to the back yard and an outdoor Olympic sized swimming pool. With the hot weather, we could hold a pool party. How would we invite them since I don't know any of the girls?"

"The same way I always do. Just put the sign up in the front yard that says: Pool Party with the date and time. By the way that green house is off limits to everyone including you. I have some delicate rare plants in there that extreme precautions must be taken for their survival. Do you understand?"

" I understand and will obey you. I won't ever try to go inside the greenhouse or allow anyone else to go in there either. Now wait a minute! If you had the pool here, then you knew that all we had to do is to do is throw one to introduce me. Even if I couldn't participate in Sorority functions, they could let me know when mixers held in other communities where they had boys occurred and I could interact with them on that basis and get to know some of the boys around too."

"If I had told you that, I wouldn't have gotten you to agree to be my neice for the summer and you would never have let Gail out of her exile. Do you forgive me, Gail?"

"Of course I forgive you,. You let me out to play and I love you for it. But what is Alex going to say? He's the one you really need to ask for forgiveness. I love you, Great Aunt Montine!"

"I guess I'll have to wait to find out what he says. Gail, you can have a party and invite everyone over. Since I have planned these before, I'll help you with the preparations and the planning. Once they have a chance to meet you, I'm sure they will tap you to be initiated into the sorority."

"That sounds wonderful! Maybe we could get started on the planning tomorrow so we could have it on the weekend. Maybe Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM?"

"We can do that! All of your outfits have been wonderful darling. Consider yourself successfully initiated to the art of the post shopping fashion show. Let's gather your things and take them upstairs."

"I'm not looking forward to walking up and down stairs in these heels to get everything up to my room."

"Sweetie, why would you do that when you can put everything in the elevator and call it up to the bedroom floor?"

"What elevator,?"

"This elevator, sweetheart."

She directed me to a closet but looking closely at the wall ornament next to it, I found that it was indeed a call button. We loaded all the items into the elevator. There was no room for us to ride up so we closed the door then walked upstairs. She showed me where the elevator was upstairs. (It was actually what I thought was a hall closet next to my room. We removed the items from the closet and put them in their proper place in my bedroom or bathroom. Once we finished, I had a little of everything that I needed. I'd fill in the gaps once I found out what I would need as a member of the sorority. I was beginning to show how tired I was by the time we were finished.

"Gail, you look really tired. Why don't you draw yourself a nice bath and then get ready for bed. Everything else can wait till the morning. Good night, Sweetie."

"Thank you, Great Aunt Montine. That's a wonderful idea. Good night."

I gave her a hug and a kiss good night and then I prepared to take my bath and get ready for bed just as she suggested. Once I was under the covers, it wasn't long before I was fast asleep.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

When I woke I looked out the window to see that the sign for the pool party at the time I suggested on Saturday was already out on the lawn. I wondered about what had happened when I was the channel that the power came through to turn a transwoman into a born woman, as I was going to sleep. I dreamed that I had seen a goddess but it had not been clear which one. Maybe what I did to Ariel was what Great Aunt Montine had done to me. Maybe I gained the ability to do it when I became female. If it was different, I didn't want to spend the summer in the booby hatch so I resolved to keep it my secret. I had placed a tampon in before I slept and now it needed to be replaced. I guessed it was time to get ready to face the world, and Great Aunt Montine for another day. I did just that and was eventually ready to descend the stairs and join her in the kitchen for breakfast

"Good Morning, Sweetheart. How did you sleep?"

"Good Morning, I slept well. What can I do to help you with the preparations for our pool party, Saturday."

"Gail, Yesterday you worked on bringing happiness by your adornment. Today I would like for you to do that for your mind. You look like a beautiful girl now. You've done a lovely job on your makeup and in selecting your outfit and accessories. Try thinking about things the way girls have always thought of things. You can do that in an entertaining way by enjoying chick flicks and chick lit. You'll find a suggested viewing and reading list links to the content on the desktop of that cute laptop we got you yesterday."

" You are so smart! You want me to get an idea of what girls think about so I will be up to speed when I get to meet them on Saturday. I guess it would not hurt to be able to curl up on the bed and take it easy while my visitor is still here either. Thank you. I'll do my best"

"Extra credit for considering female centric and inclusive religion if you are able to finish your other assignments. I love you, Gail!"

"I love you, too!"

I went back up to my bedroom and got comfortable alternating between reading books and Magazines and watching films and TV. I found that I had turned into a speed reader with a photographic memory. Watching the video at regular speed, gave me a chance to take the information that I had gained. At the end of the day Great Aunt Montine and I had a chance to discuss my day learning and she told me that I had passed with honors. She gave me another assignment to view the internet from a female perspective including setting up my social media presence and personal web page and start interacting with girls and women online. I was in the middle of it when she brought up a glass of milk and a slice of chocolate pie.

"Sweetie, I'd like for you to take a break. You've done such good work today. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks. That looks so good and you are so good to me."

"You are welcome, Gail. How are your studies going? Have you given any consideration to religion?"

"I haven't drawn any conclusions. The subject is fascinating and I have some interesting things that I could speak to other girls about if it seems appropriate."

"Good girl! I'll let you get back to your studies. Please don't stay up too late, sweetie. Good night. I love you."

"Good night. I love you, too"

While I was surfing the net, I was also looking for a higher power who might be motivated to possess me in order that their purpose was accomplished. Adding all of my impressions together, I identified the power who acted through me as the Goddess Aphrodite. I felt that I needed more information about what happened before I took my story to Great Aunt Montine, so I withheld what I had decided.

While I had not been devoted to any religion before, I resolved that I should enter into worship of Aphrodite. She was doing good work that I actually wanted to help with like the way she set Ariel free to be a born woman. I surprised myself by stopping before it got too late and prepared myself then snuggled under the covers to sleep.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

It was Saturday, the day of the party, and I was so excited. I managed to catch a few of the girls from the sorority online the night before and introduce myself. They promised to spread the word to the others about being Montine's niece and that I would be at the party too. I picked out my party swim suit and outfit and took care of everything in the bathroom. I dressed comfortably to join Great Aunt Montine for Breakfast.

"All I want you to do, Sweetie is to have fun and get to know the girls. I'm very used to being the Hostess for this and I rather enjoy it."

"Thank you. I know a few of the girls from chatting with them online and seeing their profiles and look forward to meeting them and the others in person."

"Wonderful. When you finish breakfast, go ahead and get into your bikini and take all the time you need to look your best and don't forget your heels and your beach bag."

"Thank you, I'm finished so I'll go get ready now."

I got up and gave her a kiss on her cheek and went back to my room to get ready. Heels with the Bikini's seemed a bit much. I mused that it must be an occasion for them and on top of that if there were a new girl, it gave them all a chance to see her strut her stuff. I dressed to the nines or considering the outfit almost undressed to the nines. I had my cover up on so I didn't feel so exposed. I came down and missing her in the Kitchen went out to the pool area. I found her arranging goodies on a cart by the umbrella shaded tables by the pool.

"You look lovely, Gail. You'll fit right in with all the girls."

"Thanks."

"Looks like you are just in time, here comes the early birds!"

There was a passage around the outside of the house that opened up another entrance to the pool area around back. Three girls came through the gate they opened and I recognized them immediately as the three girls that I had met online last night.

"Jessica, Jennifer and Stephanie! Oh I am so glad to see you and meet you in person!"

The girls all squealed with excitement and we met together in a big group hug. When we disengaged , Great Aunt Montine came around and greeted them and found out what they would like to drink. We were chatting away when another girl came through the gate and we all got up to greet her.

"Gail, this is Jane, our liaison with the Sorority at the college that helped start our chapter here. Jane this is Gail, the niece of our hostess for today Miss Montine."

"I'm very glad to meet you, Jane. The girls and my Great Aunt have told me what a wonderful work that your sorority has done in establishing the chapter here that was very much needed and wanted."

"Thank you, Gail. It was our pleasure. "

Gail pulled up a chair and joined us all around the table chatting about what was going on at the University on Summer break and what chances for recreation and fun they were looking forward to having. It all seemed great fun to me. While I wasn't too sure of the mixers and balls that had been arranged which boys from outside the area were invited to attend, I tried not to let my enthusiasm slide and took it all in as a great adventure.

Sometimes alone and sometimes in a gaggle of girls, they came through the gate and the party really took off. I really liked all the girls and especially Jane. She seemed a bit of a contradiction. She stuck out on first glance as being very plain when compared to all the beautiful girls there. In fact when interacting with Jane her inner beauty was so overwhelming that she far out-shined all the rest of the girls there. She was totally genuine and that drew me to her and while I mixed with all the girls she was never far from me the whole party.

As much as I liked gracefully traversing the pool side mingling perched on my heels, I was glad when the cover ups and the heels came off and we all started enjoying the pool. When the swimming was over, Jane called us all together. I wondered what that was about but would soon find out.

"The girls have asked me to be their spokeswoman now. While we have been enjoying the wonderful party that Miss Montine gives us each year, we have been whispering about something important. Gail would you please join me in front of the group?"

"Sure, Jane"

I got up and stood beside Jane so I could also look out into all the lovely faces of the girls.

"On behalf of the girls assembled here, they would like to invite you to be a pledge in their sorority chapter. Do you accept?"

"I accept with great pleasure. Thank you for trusting me with this great honor and I vow to always bring credit to the sorority. Thank you, Jane."

The girls all gathered around me for a big group hug. Jane was also appointed to give me the news about my initiation. That initiation was the second scariest thing that I had gone through. The first was my period beginning on the first day.

I was supposed to for the initiation pose for a life study class at Jane's college art department. Great Aunt Montine produced legal guardianship papers for Gail Adella Landers so she could sign for me so I could pose. She still would be able to if it had been for Alex, since Great Aunt Montine had thought to obtain temporary guardianship of me. Jane took the paperwork along with the permission form that Great Aunt Montine signed to the class and I was all signed up to be a life model.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

It was quite a character builder but I became less conscious of my new body so it helped me adjust. I was relieved to find that Jane was one of the students doing drawings in the class. She was a very accomplished artist and always turned out beautiful work. I was in my robe and slippers waiting for the class to start when Jane arrived with what looked liked framed art covered in a large drape. There was a convenient easel in the room where she placed it down.

"Are you going to let me see your work, Jane, or are you waiting for a bigger audience?"

"This painting is for you, Gail. I hope you like it.

Jane unveiled the painting. It was beautifully done in oils and it was me! Jane had taken her drawings from the life study class and painted a beautiful nude of me. I showed my pleasure in my expression as I gave Jane a big hug. Even more I was amazed that the glory of the Goddess surrounded Jane and I quickly followed through with the compulsion that I kiss Jane on the lips. I turned back to look at Jane with tears of joy in my eyes.

"Thank you so much, Jane. It's so beautiful!"

"Every young woman should have a nude done of her in her teens so she can have a reminder of where she had come from. It's beautiful because you are beautiful, Gail"

I gratefully accepted her loving gift. Jane didn't notice but she was blossoming before my eyes. Jane's incredible inner beauty was now matched by her outer beauty. I was so glad for the Goddess' gift to Jane.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

Somewhere close two goddesses looked on upon the blessing of Jane. Aphrodite looked on with pride that her power had been channeled through Gail to bless Jane with outer beauty to match her inner beauty. Erida looked on in disdain upon Gail, but she still had a sign of hope in her revenge.

"Dite, that proves nothing that your power helped those two girls by Gail's prayers. We both knew she was the priestess heir and that her time in your refuge has bonded her closer than any of your other priestess. But she still has to choose this life and the war I incited between her and her birth family still wages on."

"I am patient Erida. I will do good through her while she is her true self. Unlike you, I do not need to incite emotion to do my bidding and the truth will win out in love as it has through the centuries."

"War sustained by hate is strong enough to subvert these weak mortals. As much as she loves others, she still does not love herself and seeking the approval from those who hate her will be her undoing. You will see in due time."

"While there is life there is hope. Your overconfidence will be your undoing, Erida."

"And your faith in these weak mortals and their pale shadow of love will be yours, Dite"

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter Five: Gerald and Gail

By Jo Dora Webster

Will Gail, with the sorority's help, find the joy in enjoying the company of boys?

Chapter 5 ~ Gerald and Gail

 

I was in and for the next month I learned so much about teen aged girls. I knew that I had overcome my shyness in being around these beautiful girls. Being able to mingle with them as one of them,

I discovered that in a great many respects they were no different than I as a boy had been. They just had a few different experiences and the effects of those made the real differences.

My Great Aunt Montine helped me socialize with them by providing me with a prefilled debit card that I could use for purchases. When the girls wanted to go out and socialize, I was always financially able to go along.

I had to show restraint on shopping trips but I was able to slowly add to my wardrobe. It was a welcome interruption from my pause to think all curled up on my bed when the phone rang with Jennifer on the other end.

"Hello Jennifer!"

"Hi Gail. I'm so glad to have caught you at home. A bunch of girls are going to meet up at Olive Garden at 6 pm to start an evening out. I can give you a ride there and back. We'll be home by midnight. Will you be able to come?"

"I'll go ask my Aunt Montine if you can hold the line a moment and give you an answer"

"Sure, Gail, go ask her and I'll wait for the answer."

"Be right back!"

Instead of yelling out for her like I had heard some teen girls do, I went downstairs to find her. She was in the kitchen preparing something yummy.

"Aunt Montine, the girls in the sorority are going out tonight. We're going to start at Olive Garden at 6 pm and Jennifer is going to give me a ride and promises we'll be home by midnight. May I go out with them?"

"Of course, Gail. I'm glad that you can go out and have fun with the other girls in the neighborhood. Just remember what I've taught you and you'll be fine. Go with my blessing and have fun, sweetie."

"Thanks so much Aunt Montine. I'll be good and have fun!!"

I gave Great Aunt Montine a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I rushed upstairs to tell Jennifer the good news.

"Jennifer, she said that I can go. I'm so excited! What kind of clothes will the other girls be wearing?"

"Sexy casual as opposed to frumpy casual. Not quite date sexy but we will be going somewhere where we might be asked to dance. You know something to pick up guys in without looking like a tart or a trollop."

"I have just the outfit, Jennifer. Thanks so much for inviting me. When will you be by to pick me up. Let's say 5 pm just in case since this is your first time going out with us. That way if we need to make any adjustments you'll have time to change before we really have to leave to get there."

"I'll be ready at 5 pm. Thanks so much for looking out for me Jennifer. bye bye."

"That's what older sisters are for: To look out for their little sis. Laters! Bye!"

The butterflies began. I could not see how I could cope with the new experience except that my sisters would be there to help me. I kinda hoped to have more time hanging out with the girls before we started in on mixing with boys.

.Of course this group date was going to be the easiest way of easing into dating. I was glad that I would not be stuck with a particular boy. I tried not to dwell on that.

Turning to my selection of an outfit, I knew that I could not avoid a skirt and heels but I thought I would get away with a blue jersey shirt dress that had a high neckline and hemline below my knees with blue pumps with square one inch heels.

Big mistake on my part as I was to find out when I met Jennifer at the front door. Unlike my loose fitting and covered up look, She was tight and showing. Oops!

"Gail I am going to save you from the fashion disaster that you were about to experience. Let's go up to your room and help your fashion sense a bit."

We both made it up to my room and Jennifer began looking in my closet and drawers. She showed signs of approval of her discoveries which I wasn't too sure what that meant for me.

"Okay, Gail. Take everything off down to your underwear. I'll check your closet and drawers to see if I can pull together and outfit for you more like mine. What I'm seeing here already has potential"

With my clothes removed I stood before her in my plain white panties and bra. When she saw me I saw her frowning and wondered what was next.

"O Gail, you are a beautiful girl! Why don't you have yourself on something nice. You'll see. Wearing something nice underneath is important even when no one but you sees them. Get out of those and I'll find you something special to wear."

She found the sexy bra and panty set from Vicky Secret. The girls had made me buy the set along with a garter and stockings. She handed it to me to put on which fortunately I had no trouble doing with her there with me.

"Now this outfit was more what I had in mind that I have laid out for you. Go ahead and put it on, Gail"

She had laid out a micro mini denim skirt and a very low cut sleeveless blouse that shimmered in the light and fit me so close I couldn't tell where it ended and I began. To finish it off she picked out some 3 inch stiletto heeled pumps.

"You look hot, girl! Your makeup is okay for now. I'll help you turn it into an evening look after dinner."

"I agree that I'm hot! Too hot for Aunt Montine to let me out of the house. She'll make me change."

"I've got a solution for that. Let's slip back on that shirt dress and heels that you were wearing before over your present outfit. I can help you off with it once we are out of the house. We'll just put your stilettos in this tote bag that I found."

"With my hair brushed back into place, it looks like I'm ready to go, Jennifer."

"You can carry your normal purse for now. I'm slipping in the clutch that matches your stilettos in your tote bag. You're ready. Let's go, girl!"

I managed to make it down stairs again fine but I would be glad to get the extra layer off. We met Aunt Montine since she appeared to be waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs.

" I see you girls are ready to go. Have fun!"

If Aunt Montine knew what Jennifer had done to me, she didn't let on. I was relieved to be out in the car and away. Jennifer had me take off the dress and replace the stiletto heels on the way to Olive Garden.

"Now that wasn't bad was it?"

"Thanks for your help, Jennifer."

"At least you got the cover up right. It's like you never have been on a group date before. Most of our social events start out as group dates by necessity since there are no boys in our community and we have to go outside the community to interact with them. You'll see that it will be fine. "

"That's what I want too. I guess that I've been letting my nervousness get the better of me. If you see me making any rookie mistakes that I should know better about, please remind me. I'd rather deal with being reminded than the consequences of doing something stupid."

"You are a natural! Our sorority has a reputation to uphold and, as our newest initiate, we want you to reflect well on us. Learn not to be shy but assertive and enjoy the company of boys without taking any disrespect from them. You'll fit right in with the rest of us before you know it. "

"I'm so glad you all want me to be with you. I won't let you all down."

"That's the spirit! Okay we're here. You can slip the clutch into your purse for now and bring that inside. Once we have you made up for the evening, you'll be able to transfer the minimum to the clutch and carry that on our group date."

I swiveled and landed on my stilettos and got out of the car following Jennifer inside. the first thing that I noticed was Jane who was working as a waitress there from the look at her outfit. Jane greeted us at the door with a smile.

"Can I borrow Gail for a while, Jennifer? Jessica is already here and I can take you to the table that the sorority has reserved."

"Of course, Jane. You are looking good. They treating you well here?"

"The best! I decided I needed to update my resume photo after I blossomed and got hired on the spot. Everyone's been so nice. I get off at 6 pm so I'll change and go out with you all this evening."

"That's wonderful, Jane!"

Jane and I dropped off Jennifer at the table and she led me through an 'employees' door into a break room. Both she and I sat down, and I guessed what she wanted to talk to me about.

"There are 2 things that I'd like to talk to you about. One is about that kiss and what came after that happened to me me. I was just in awe about what happened that I got a bit hung up in myself. I wanted to say thank you."

"Thank the Goddess!"

"We are very blessed."

"No, I mean that you should thank the Goddess. I'm not sure which one since she has not revealed that to me but I am only her factor."

"Do you mean that in the medieval sense, like a business agent, not the source but only the conduit? How does that work?"

"Got it the first time! Yours was only the second time for me to witness her blessing and the first time it happened the same way. Out of the blue I saw an aura of power around you and a compulsion to kiss you. I resisted the first time but found that I was unable to do anything else till I gave in to the command. But she chose you and gave you the blessing, I'm only her factor."

"I will thank the Goddess for her goodness and thank you for serving her, Gail. Well the gift was welcome what ever the source but even more amazing now. That leads me to the second more mundane reason for talking to you."

"What is that?"

"We need someone to fill in on the 11 am to 2 pm shift for week day lunch for two weeks. After that the girl who was doing it can resume. The other girls who want a job already have one and it's difficult to fill a job like this.

"That sounds like a good chance for a short term job, Gail"

The Manager found out about it today. I could give you a ride here in the morning and all you'd need was a ride home at your shift end. If you'll let me bring you to the manager and recommend you, I believe you'll get the job. Would you like to try?"

"I believe this would be a good experience for me plus allow me to pay for some of my own expenses. Yes I'd like to apply. How do I proceed?"

"I'll get you an application form to fill out and show you where the manager Mr Gus Roper's office is located. Once you fill out the application, knock on the manager's door and wait for him to tell you to enter. Give him the application and he will interview you for the job."

"Thank you Jane for thinking of me for this. Do you have to go off break now?"

"Yes for me to leave at my normal time and be able to go with you all tonight. See you later Gail, and good luck!"

I took a pen out of my purse along with my cell phone and opened up my address book. Jane returned with the form and left it for me and she departed with a smile and I smiled back at her. First thing I did was to call Great Aunt Montine to make sure it was alright. She gave me her blessing and promised to pick me up at shift's end.

Then, I began to complete the form with the aid of my address book. Soon it was done and I took it to Mr Roper's office and knocked on his door. He asked me to come in and I placed the application on his desk and took a seat in front of him. He scanned the application for a moment then looked up and smiled at me.

"Hello, I'm Gus Roper, manager of this Olive Garden. I'm glad to meet you, Gail. Your timing is excellent as we are in need of someone to fill in at lunch till the lady who was filling that position is able to come back to work. I see this will be your first job. Why do you feel that you can handle the duties we'll ask of you?"

"You will note that I indicated some volunteer experience that I felt was applicable with the SCA. Let me tell you about that. The SCA is a volunteer oriented educational group focusing on Medieval times."

"Is the SCA something like the renaissance faires we see from time to time?"

"Unlike fantasy groups like the renaissance faires we specialize in a realistic recreation avoiding the harmful. In our weekend events, which my parents take me to attend, We do a big 6 course feast on Saturday evening. I volunteered as a server at those events which in modern terms was a banquet for 120 people."

"How does that experience relate to being a server in a modern setting?"

"Our role in the recreation was to be as attentive in our service as one would expect from the period. Behind the scenes there were used a 21st century kitchen to prepare those Medieval delights. I'm used to serving in the restrictions of a costume, so the uniform here would be pleasant to work in."

"How do you feel about working as a server in this environment?"

"I count it a joy to bring happiness to people by attentive service to them of food they will enjoy. I'd like the chance to be able to bring some of that joy here as I serve within the atmosphere of this wonderful restaurant."

I neglected to tell him that those times serving was as a boy but with the flowing garments that were the garb there, it might as well have been a dress with tights. He questioned me at some length before I saw the light in his eyes that told me that he had made up his mind and I was going to be offered the job."

"Miss Landers, I feel that you will make a delightful addition to our staff. I'm offering you the job. It's going to be three weeks weekdays between 11 am and 2 pm for minimum wage plus tips. Do you accept?"

"Yes, Sir. I accept. When may I start?

"Tomorrow and for that day only I'll want you in at 10 am for paperwork and orientation. I'll bring your friend Jane in to help with your orientation at 10 am. Please see Jane before you leave to pick up your uniform. Please tell her to see me. I'll have your name badge and everything else you'll need in your welcome packet. Welcome to the team, Gail. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you Mr Roper. See you tomorrow."

I got up from my chair and left. Once the door closed behind me I let out a quiet "Woo hoo!" When I left the office area, I saw Jane coming out of the kitchen. I came over to her.

"Jane, i got the job! Mr Roper would like to see you in his office. He'd like for you to help with my orientation and get me set up with some uniforms before I leave."

"That's wonderful, Gail. Congrats! I'll go see him now. You know where the girls are and I'll get you from there when I'm ready to set you up with your uniforms."

"Thanks, Jane. See ya!"

I walked over and joined the other girls at the table. Of course Jennifer and Jessica were there. But also Stephanie, Rebecca, Kristi, and Amy. I was surprised to see Pam but I should not have when I noticed the sorority's Stretch van outside.

Pam was the house mother for the sorority and she was the only one allowed to drive the sorority's van. I should have realized that for an outing like this one that we'd all be going in the Van. I waved to them all and took a seat.

Jennifer asked,"What took you so long, Gail? What did Jane want?"

"I applied for a temporary job as a waitress here and I got it! I'll have some money of my own to use for shopping!"

"Good for you, when is Jane going to be through? While I want to wait on her, I'm starving."

"Soon, I feel like her shift time is over but the Manager is going to ask her about coming in early to train me tomorrow and to get me some uniforms. After that she'll be free. I owe Jane for letting me know about the job."

"Jane is alright and since she blossomed she is such a looker. The boys won't know what hit them when she shows up in school this fall."

Jane appeared just then and motioned for me to get up and follow her. So I got up and followed her.

"The Manager got us set up both up for an hour early tomorrow. We're going to find out what size you are and set you up with your uniforms."

"Great! Lead the way!"

Jane determined my sizes and pulled from supplies three uniforms for me. She also provided me a brochure with the other specifications for how I should look for the job.

"The first day wearing just flats were okay but you'll be expected to have footwear after that which complied with the dress code."

When we were finished, Jane was able to clock out and then she went to get changed into what she would wear to go with us this evening..

I took my new uniforms and went by the table to get Jennifer's keys to put them in the car. It was fortunate that they were giving their food orders so I gave mine too.

Jennifer gave me her keys and I went out to the car to leave my uniforms. Once I had returned, and gave Jennifer back her keys, I saw that Jane was approaching the table too.

We all were gathered at the table with Jane and I joining them so the festivities for the night could begin. The conversation as we ate was pleasant but unremarkable until Jane rung her glass with her spoon and got all of out attention.

"Sisters, we are gathered together to have a good time, but our number is not complete and our dear initiate, Gail Landers has only one more thing to do in order to make it so."

"Hear, hear!"

"By the power vested in me by the sorority, I must declare to you, dear Gail, your final task before you can become a full sister. You have shown yourself worthy by the way you learned body awareness and pride in your self. Now it is up to you to prove that you have it in you to interact successfully with those who are not sisters in any sense of the word, that is men."

The sisters cheered and clapped for me. In their faces was evidence of the amusement to come which they knew but I did not. I turned my full attention to Jane as she continued to speak to me.

"Your task tonight is to pick out a man who by your charm and wiles you will convince to swap underwear with you. How you do it is up to you but he must also be willing to let one of your sisters confirm that he has done so. In addition you must let your sisters confirm that you too have complied with the test. Let me say that no sexual favors are required to be exchanged to meet the requirements of this test. If you understand the test and its conditions, Gail, explain it to me in your own words?"

"I understand that tonight while we are out, I am to choose a man and by what means I deem necessary, I am to exchange underwear with him. In order to do this I am not required to have any sexual relations with him. Once complete in order to comply with the task both the man of my choosing and myself must have the underwear we are wearing be verified by one of the sisters present."

"Correct. Gail, do you accept this test?"

"I freely do and look forward to joining you all as a full member of the sorority."

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

I enjoyed a wonderful dinner as I composed in my mind how I would select the man I would focus on and also what methods that I would employ to gain his cooperation. After dinner we all loaded up in a bus and went across town to a teen dance club provided by a church in the area.

For a church ministry, it was very progressive in that the music was very current and none of it in the christian genre. They did all they could to make it the opposite of what you would expect from a church place. It was safe with no alcohol or drugs and the extremes of violence and sexuality were missing. It was just what any responsible civic group would do if they opened a teen club.

The presence of the teen club and the draw of the pool at the house, made me wonder what Great Aunt Montine's real purpose in giving me the choice to be a girl. She led me to believe that I would have no way to interact with anyone my age unless I was a girl which was plainly false. I was so worried what the men of the family might say if they saw me like this. Family was everything to me and I had no wish to be cast out of mine. I would give Great Aunt Montine the benefit of the doubt for now.

I had freely chosen but I did not have all the facts. I would wait to confront my Great Aunt Montine with this for now. It was up to me to get to the matter at hand in performing the initiation for now. Jennifer was by my side coaching me on what to expect.

"Gail, look at this crowd! You see that most of us are 16, 17 or 18 like you and I are. There are a few college aged like Jane who are here with younger friends and of course the adults who are watching over things to keep it safe."

"There are a few early teens here too. Jennifer, maybe some boys like that would be easier for me to get to know."

"Look at that boy over there. He looks so out of water. Not many of the 13 year old boys venture in to a place like this yet. They prefer to stay at the top of the Tween food chain instead of swimming with the teens. There are a lot of boys around. You should mingle and get to know a few of them."

"That sounds like a plan, Jennifer. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck, Sis!"

Now I was out on my own. I could not really argue with Jennifer pegging me as a 17 year old girl. That's what my ID papers said I was in my current name. The transformation had aged me. I was thinking with a 17 year old girl's brain so I had the gender expression and maturity that went with that brain.

I was 17 due to the magic that Great Aunt Montine gifted to me. But I had the memories of a 13 year old boy as well so I could understand that 13 year old boy much better than any of the older boys there. I reasoned that it was worth while getting to know him. I wanted to make this night something he would always remember fondly. I walked over to him, where he appeared to be holding up the wall, and held out my hand to him.

"Hi, I'm Gail Landers, I'm new here to this club and I would guess that you are new here, too."

He accepted my hand and shook it and looked into my eyes instead of towards my chest as he did it. Points to him for that! From what I could read on his face and body language he was feeling a mixture of terror not knowing what to do. Also there was awe that I had selected him to talk to. Of course he was getting a bit turned on but he surprised me with being able to temper his enthusiasm in favor of just getting to know me.

"Hi, my name is Gerald. You're right that this is my first time here. I came with my big brother. I'm glad to meet you Gail."

"I'm very glad to meat you, Gerald. I feel like we could help each other. We both want to make a good impression on our peers here. What I would be willing to do for you is to be your girl for the night. We could have every dance you wish together and I'll let you kiss me all that you want. Any more than that would not be believable anyway and we want your peers to believe we are together."

"Why me?"

"I knew a boy like you who was good to me. Also you've been talking to my face instead of my tits. I feel like I can trust you to enjoy our time together without taking advantage of me. You have more to gain from making this more about showing that you can treat a lady right so that girls your age will start noticing you than trying to use this to keep me."

"Why would they believe I would let a great girl like you go?"

"What I'm going to ask you to do at the end of the evening will be a good excuse for you to part with me. It will help me with my initiation with the sorority I want to join."

"What do I have to do for your initiation and for my part in our deal?"

"You have to trade underwear with me then show one of my sorority sisters that you are wearing them. I'll get her, you and I in a private area. We can wait till near the end of the night for the switch so you can slip out with your brother before anyone notices. You can tell them that I was too kinky for you."

"Okay, I'll do it. It's not my thing but I can stand it to spend an evening with you. I wish we were the same age but you are right it would never work for us to be together. What are you? 17?"

"You are a good guesser and an excellent sport. I'll find a place where we can trade in private and bring in a sorority sister to verify that we've done their little stunt and it will be over. Till then let's just enjoy each other and pretend we are the same age."

"I can do that. I'm a very lucky guy. Shall we dance?"

Gerald led me to the dance floor where I found out that he was a very good dancer. It was too bad that I wasn't 13 at the moment and that I had agreed to the sorority's stunt. But the best I could do for Gerald was to put all that out of my mind and make this the best evening Gerald had ever had.

It was working as I observed the girls around, a lot of them gave me nasty looks and were jealous of me in Gerald's arms. Hopefully they would all be trying for Gerald's attention when this was over.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

"Would you like to take a rest, Gail? Would you like something to drink?"

"Both, thanks. May I have a diet cola?" I'd like to go to the Ladies room.

"Of course. I'll be right back."

Gerald was being a perfect gentleman and I found out he was a great kisser too. On my trip to the restroom, I found that they had thought of everything and had a family restroom. Evidently they used this place for non teen occasions too.

It was open and it could be locked from the inside. Just the place to trade and then get some one, hopefully Jane to verify it. while I felt I could trust any of my sisters, I felt like Jane being older and my BFF would keep it on the lowdown. As luck would have it, Jane was within sight when I left the room. I motioned her over and I leaned in to whisper to her.

"Jane I'm going to bring a boy over to the family rest room to trade underwear with me. If you could give us 15 minutes then do a 'shave and a haircut two bits' knock leaving off the last knock. I'll let you in and you can verify that we have complied."

"I will do that for you girl friend. Good luck."

I smiled at her and I returned to where Gerald was expecting me. He approached with a smile and 2 drinks in his hands and he offered me one. I accepted the drink that he offered to me then leaned in to whisper to him.

"It's time, Gerald. Still want to go through with this?"

"I do. My brother is waiting for me in the car so we can get out of here quickly. Let's do this."

"Thanks! Okay follow me."

I led Gerald past Jane who was pointing to her watch as we passed. We entered the restroom and I locked the door behind us. Now was when I would find out just what kind of deal that I had made. There was an enclosed stall around the toilet and a table to let down to change a baby and of course a wash basin with soap and paper towels."

"You may have the stall, Gail. Just put your things over the top and I'll trade your underwear with mine. I'll open the table to put my things on while I change out here. Any suggestion on how I should wear your bra?"

"Thanks Gerald! Just put it on with the straps up and the cups around back and the catch around front around your waist. Then turn it around so the cups are in front then slide it up your chest enough so you can get your hands through the straps. Pull the straps in place and then adjust it so the cups are over your nipples. Got that?"

"Yeah, thanks."

I ducked into the stall and closed the door. I was busy getting undressed and draping the clothes over the top of the stall. I was fortunate that I wore real stockings and garters since they counted as a foot covering and not underwear.

The bra was very lacy but had no under-wire or shape in itself. On Gerald it would be like a training bra and actually make his pecs seem smaller.

I placed the bra on the top of the stall wall and it was taken and in its place was a A line t-shirt. I put on the T shirt and then pulled off my panties and hung them on the top of the stall. They disappeared and in their place was a pair of boxers.

I took the boxers and put them on. I didn't stop to dwell on the fact that I was wearing boy's underwear again and just replaced my dress which fortunately did not need a slip. I was ready so I called out to Gerald.

"Are you decent?"

"Yeah, I'm decent. You can come on out. This really feels weird to me!"

I came out and saw Gerald and his face looked troubled but unless you knew what to look for, no one would notice. That is none of the guys would notice but girls would. I was relatively incognito but the girls in the sorority would notice since they would know what to look for. Just then the shave and a hair cut knock without the last bit occurred and I unlocked the door and it was Jane.

"Good timing Jane. We just finished. This is Gerald. He's willing to show you that we traded underwear."

"Gerald if you will pull down your pants and unbutton your shirt, that's all I'll need from you."

Gerald complied and Jane saw him wearing my panties and underwear. Jane nodded and indicated he could get dressed. Gerald dressed and looked at Jane for further instructions.

"That's all I need from you, Gerald. Thanks for being a good sport about this. I saw your brother waiting for you near the door so you can make your getaway. I'll check Gail after you leave."

"Thanks Gerald. Here's something to remember me by!"

I leaned in and gave Gerald a good night kiss. We both enjoyed it and we broke the embrace. Gerald grinned at me and waived goodbye. He tore off thru the door and I imagine that he made it out and into the car before many saw him. Jane locked the door and then turned to me."

"Now, its your turn. I'll help you lift your dress so I can see."

We worked together to lift my dress over my head and Jane was able to see me wearing Gerald's underwear. She nodded to me and we lowered it back down over my head. I went to the mirror and got my hair and makeup fixed then I turned to Jane questioningly"

"You passed the test, Gail. You are in! I'll tell the other girls on the van going home. Now get out there girl and enjoy it. You've earned the right to let your hair down and have fun."

We hugged and then I got my clutch and we went back out into the club. Just as Jane suggested, I enjoyed myself. I could not help some of the things that were going thru the rumor mill among the ladies not in the sorority but I hoped that I had given Gerald the boost in getting a date that I hoped and promised.

Finally it was time that we all had to leave at 11 pm so we loaded up in the van and went back to the restaurant. On the way as promised, Jane announced that I had passed the test and that I was eligible to be inducted into the sorority. Finally Jennifer and I were in her car and I was on the way back to Great Aunt Montine's house. when we pulled up and stopped Jennifer gave me a hug.

"I am so proud of you, Little sister. We'll make plans soon for you to be inducted into the sorority."

"Thanks Jennifer! I won't let you down. Good night "

I know, Gail! Good night."

As I came through the door, Great Aunt Montine was there to smile at me. I smiled back and joined her in sitting in the living room with my purse and the bag containing my uniforms beside me.

My mood was not one of excitement over just taken another step across the threshold of girlhood but one of mourning as though I was losing more and more of myself. Great Aunt Montine saw the look on my face and questioned me about it.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Did someone hurt you? Didn't you pass their last test for being inducted into the sorority?"

"I'm happy that I passed the test but there seems to be something wrong with me. I just can't get into boys like they would like me to do. I managed to pass the test without seducing a man. In fact the boy that I got to help me isn't that different from me, the real me, as Alex. This has been so exhausting and you know that I have that new job to start tomorrow too."

"What else is wrong?"

"Guess I'll just come right out and say it. I have realized that even though this body has no issue with kissing a boy and so much more, I 'm not sure myself. Not that I feel lesbian, cause for now I'm not attracted to girls at all. It's all so confusing."

"Sweetie, I'm sure that nothing is wrong with you. You've had a lot of life packed into these two weeks since you arrived. There was all of that getting used to being a girl. Then doing your best to fit in with the other girls to impress them so they would accept you as one of them. But look how that has turned out."

"Guess you are right about that,"

"You have great friends in Jane and Jennifer and all of the girls think you are adorable. You have a new job so you can make money to spend. You have taken your first steps with a boy. You don't have to let the first boy you meet be your boyfriend. If you are patient you'll meet someone who can be a real boyfriend to you and you can be a girlfriend to him. If you don't over think things and let nature take it's course all will be well."

"Aunt Montine, couldn't you have taken me to the teen club and attend the pool party as Alex? I know that I would have missed out on finding out about girls that way. I could have avoided spending the summer alone without all this. I'm looking forward to being Alex again after this is over."

"Gail, I don't feel you are saying what you really feel. You're overwhelmed. You've had an emotionally exhausting day. I'm sorry if you feel a bit caught in between what was and what you could be. Let me think about that to see if there is any way to free yourself up to totally enjoy yourself. But for now I have something for you to help you be fully rested and a new you in the morning. Can you do that for me, Sweetie?"

"Sure Aunt Montine. You can give it to me. I'll need to be at my very best, tomorrow."

"Just close your eyes and stick out your tongue, trying to touch your nose with it. This has to be administered sublingually for it to work. Good Girl!"

I felt a drop under my tongue and everything felt tingly for a moment and a calmness came over me. I couldn't remember what was so urgent about telling Great Aunt Montine that I felt I was losing myself as I intended to do but had not yet. I could not suppress a big yawn but I demurely hid it behind my hand.

"I feel better, but I had best get myself to bed before you have to make one for me on the couch. Good night Aunt Montine!"

"Good night, Gail. Sweet Dreams!"

I walked gingerly up the stairs carrying my purse and my new uniforms. As I was getting ready for bed, I felt like I had no choice but ride this out until I turned back. I'd shared with Jane how that I knew that the goddess could help others through me. Even that miracle frightened me, for my lack of control.

It seemed to me that if given a chance to extend my girl time more, I would politely refuse. Really. that was only how I felt right now. Tomorrow was another day. A big day! I finished getting ready for bed so I could curl up and lose myself in sleep for now.

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter Six: Adella and Dennis

By Jo Dora Webster

Will 17 year old, Gail, in being aged to a
25 yr old Adella find harmony in interacting with a man?

 

Chapter 6 ~ Adella and Dennis

 

When I awoke, I knew that things has changed and instead of retreating from being female, I had ventured further into that realm. I had awaken from dreams of romantic fantasies. My former life was so fuzzy that I felt it was only a dream that I had. My problem relating as a girl to boys it was gone. Yet that unison of mind came at a cost, first of which was that I had lost so much of my true self as to silence Alex in my mind. My shyness with boys, make that men, had gone and I longed for a mature male companion.

Now I was only Gail, change that and make it Adella since I had also matured physically as well. I got out of bed with a more mature feminine grace and examined myself in the mirror. I had aged. The person before me was not a girl but a 25 year old woman. I could tell that all of my clothes would be too tight in the chest and hips. I'd need a DD bra when a b cup had been fine before. My size 5 panties would need to be traded for some size 8 ones. I slipped on my shoes and they still fit and wonder of wonders I had the same waist size which looked so small compared to the curves that I enjoyed now.

"Darn, Darn, Darn Darn Darn, DARN!!!"

I looked at the clock and it was 7 am. Good! It wasn't too early to call Jane. On the way to the phone I noticed a dress laid across a chair and a bag which contained a brand new bra and panty set that fit the Adella, me. I'd have something to wear till Jane got here. We were the same size now so I'd see if she would let me borrow one of her uniforms for work. I called Jane on the phone and waited for her to pick up.

"Hello, Jane. This is Gail. Remember you changing sizes when you blossomed? Well the same just happened to me. Could you let me borrow one of your uniforms and come early to bring it to me?"

"Hi Gail. Well that is surprising. I don't suppose you'll have to do that makeup job to make you seem older anymore. Sure I can come early and bring you a uniform of mine to wear. Maybe we can work on a makeup look to allow you to look younger and not attract so much attention to yourself. At least enough so the manager doesn't notice."

"That would be great, Jane. Do you know if my name badges have been made up yet? I might like to change what I go by."

"I'll put your name on with a P-touch as part of your orientation. what would you like to go by, now?"

"I'd like to go by my middle name, Adella. Sounds more grown up and it will remind me that I am a bit more grown up now. Will that work?"

"Of course, Adella. I'll come over earlier and we can get you into uniform and see what works now for your makeup. You'll be fine. See you soon. Bye!"

"Bye Jane!"

I hung up the phone, glad that Jane had come thru for me again. I went thru all my morning activities for daily living and dressed in the lingerie and the dress that Great Aunt Montine had provided. I remembered this dress hanging in her closet so it was reasonable to assume that we were the same size now. I looked at myself in the mirror and before me was a sharply dressed, very beautiful woman. I blew her a kiss and then went down stairs to face Great Aunt Montine. I found her in the kitchen preparing breakfast and she looked up and greeted me.

"Good morning, Sweetie. How did you sleep?"

"I slept well and got quite a surprise this morning. Thanks for the clothes, Aunt Montine."

"You are welcome, dear. Well, how do you feel?"

"How do I feel? What did this body cost me in time spent as a woman? I feel like I have all but lost myself. Aunt Montine, please promise me that no matter how much you feel it will help me that you won't prolong my time as a woman again. Please?"

"Sweetie I won't prolong your time again. You were doing so well so I felt like this is what you wanted. You'll only be female a total of 6 weeks so you still only have one more period to go thru as promised. I didn't know you felt that way"

"Thank you, Aunt Montine. I appreciate the gift that you've given me but I feel I need to be back to my self when it becomes possible. By the way since I seem to be 25 now, I'd like to be called Adella, now."

"Adella, you are 25 now both physically and emotionally and a beautiful woman. We are the same size now so you can borrow from my closet and we'll get you some more lingerie. In the process of turning back you'll spend some more time at 17 so you might like to hold onto your clothing that you have now."

"Thank you, Aunt Montine. I guess I can cope with that by dressing and acting older for as long as I can. You have such beautiful clothing, that it will be a pleasure to wear it. I promise to take good care of your things. I'll have everything that I'll need for the mixers that the sorority holds and for sorority meetings."

The doorbell rang and I jumped up to get it. As expected it was Jane with a bundle in her arms. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and I led her upstairs to my bedroom. We got me sorted with one of Jane's uniforms and I was lucky that we were the same size now. We finished up my makeup and then Jane revealed, Adella the waitress to me in the mirror.

"You look wonderful, Adella. I've got to say that uniform is you. You seem a bit more sexy and flirty today and that's a great attitude to have being a waitress and serving the public."

"Thanks Jane for your help and the compliments. I do feel a bit more sexy and flirty in general and this uniform helps me express that. Can we get to the restaurant early to sort me out some uniforms that fit? I can bring back all of the uniforms that you got for me yesterday. I can't believe that I blossomed like that overnight. I imagine that you can identify with that, Jane?"

"There is a bit of catching up to do with this magical wonders going on like both of us know. It's kinda like that character Arisia from the Green Lantern Corps who used her ring to change herself physically from a teen to an adult. It took a while for her mind to catch up with really being an adult."

"At least with both of us doing it we can compare notes and best of all since we are the same size we can borrow from each other's closets."

"That's the spirit. I guess we can go now since the manager will be there early today anyway doing the week's supply order."

I followed Jane downstairs with my load of ill fitting uniforms in one arm and my purse over the other shoulder. Great Aunt Montine had excused herself when I had gone to the door. She wasn't now any where in sight and hopefully she felt that giving me some space to deal with my new situation was a good idea. Jane led me to the car and I tucked the uniforms in the back seat. Once we were both gracefully inside the car, she drove to the restaurant.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

Jane rang the bell at the employee entrance to Olive Garden. The Manager, Mr Roper, let us in. He showed a little lust for a moment as he examined my boobs but looked up and steadied himself as he began to speak to us in a professional manner.

"Why are you ladies here this early?"

"It's my fault, Mr Roper. I pulled the wrong size uniforms for Adella, here. It floored me when I discovered she's the same size as me. Those were misfiled in the bin and I should have checked them before we left yesterday. She's wearing one of my uniforms now and we came early to return the wrong size uniforms and pull replacements the right size for both of us."

"Adella. Your middle name, Correct? That's a more mature name for a more mature woman. Is that the name you would like to be called by here?

"Yes sir, Adella is my middle name and I would like to be called by it here at Olive Garden."

"Of course you may, Adella. I'll make the notation on your file. You both may go ahead and clock in. Jane, once you finish getting the uniforms exchanged and confirmed that they are the right size, go ahead with orientation for Adella. Please take some extra time with the unit on handling advances from customers. Adella if you learn that well, you can turn that to your advantage of earning more tips for yourself and more business for Olive Garden. Go ahead, ladies."

We made our escape to the training room. We checked the fit on the new uniforms and we found they fit me perfectly. We went thru the paperwork and the training. Jane was very helpful on teaching me how to turn an amorous customer into a big tipper by handling things before they got out of hand. She also told me that I would have plenty of chances to practice what I learned since I was a babe and the uniform enhanced that even more. The finishing touch was for Jane to take the P-Touch and make my name tag which said I am Adella. Jane led me out into the restaurant and I helped her prep the dining room for the customers who would soon be there.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

I met a lot of amazing people while I had my first day as a waitress at Olive Garden. I had already decided to do a lot of flirting with the male customers. Of course I was going to give excellent service whether Woman or Man. With my body and the way my uniform showed it off, it was easy to get even more from the men.

But the one I remembered the most was Dennis. My heart skipped a beat and I began feeling all glowing and gooey when I first saw the hot guy who the hostess had seated in 4B in my section. I glided over to him to take his order. His face lit up when he saw me and appeared interested in me as well.

"Welcome to Olive Garden. I'm Adella, your server. Would you like to order now?"

"I'm Dennis. I believe that I can order now if you could explain this lunch special to me."

He pointed to the 'Create your own Lunch' special on the menu. I brought my head down to his level being sure he got a good look down my neckline and pointed to things on the menu as I explained with a great big smile.

"It's a choice of our famous house salad or one of these four delicious soups. AND you have a choice of one of seven delicious entree's all for only $6.95!"

"What a deal!" I hoped he meant me instead of the special. A girl can hope.

"Would you like some more time? Is there anything else you'd like explained?"

How is it that a beautiful Greek woman, like you Adella, works in an Itallian restaurant?" I smiled at him, longingly. He called me beautiful! At that moment, I wasn't thinking big tip, I was thinking, how can I get him to ask me out on a date.

"I'm of Mediterranean heritage so it's a close fit for me. I love the wonderful Italian food they serve here so I'll be watching my figure, Dennis."

"Why don't you let me watch it for you? Wait, I already am, Bella Adella. For my order I'd like the house salad AND the grilled steak and portobello half panini, lunch Special and sweet tea." I blushed at the compliments and nodded as I took down his lunch order. I gave Dennis a big smile. I wanted to give him something else but I was working.

"Thank you, Dennis. I'll bring your salad out directly."

I went to the computer terminal and entered Dennis' order. When I entered the Kitchen, his salad was ready for me to pick up. I noticed Jane entering behind me to pick up a salad as well.

"Girl, you've got it bad, already! Who is that hunk in 4B?"

"His name is Dennis. Jane, what do I do?"

"Slip him your number, discretely and hope he calls you."

"Thanks, Jane."

I flirted as I served his lunch and never let his sweet tea glass get empty. I slipped him my phone number at the end of his meal. He left me a generous tip but he didn't call and he didn't come back to eat at Olive Garden.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

I dated men and enjoyed myself. Then I started to go thru the cycle of emotions that came from being in lust and out of lust. The names were not important since they did not mean anything to me. They all ran together so much that I called them all Darling so I would not slip up and use the wrong name. Of course with my special circumstances, I did not sleep with any of them. They got tired of being teased without what they were really looking for and left me. There was always another to take his place.

My attention always came back to Dennis. I could not deny that I deeply loved him. I was in heaven when I was with him that one time. Just when I thought he must hate me, he came back into my life. We literally bumped into each other at the grocery store. I was not looking where I was going, carrying an empty hand basket and he was holding a loaf of bread and we colided. Neither of us were hurt but we were both shocked to see each other. I had been hoping to see Dennis out of the restaurant but not like this.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

Finally we decided that the most natural way to express our love was to do it physically. But knowing how important it was to avoid that fertile time of the month we decided to wait till afterward. We waited and hoped and finally my time had passed and we picked out a romantic setting for our union. It was glorious I knew that it would be a long time before I had anything like to compare it to if I had any say so in the matter..

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

The last days were wonderful. We had always lived each day as though it were our last. Finally Great Aunt Montine told me that I only had one night and one day left to me as Adella. I would need to make my goodbyes to my lover, my BFF and my friends.

It was with relief that I realized that Dennis, when he originally heard from me that the end of my visit was approaching, had arranged for a day off and that we could spend this last day together just the two of us.

I know it wasn't fair but I resolved to put off the grieving for as long as possible. It wasn't until both of us were in his home after a joyful day together and me in my nightgown in his bed that I broke the news to him.

"Dennis, I told you in the beginning that I have obligations back east and that my obligations there will make a long distance romance impossible. I'm sorry but my time here is coming to a close. The truth is that my family is in witness protection and I have a different identity entirely. It will be as though Adella has died."

“Though Lovers be lost, Love shall not, and Death shall have no dominion. I never really understood that line from 'Beauty and the Beast' till now, Adella. I love you.”

"I love you too, Dennis. Since you still feel that way knowing it will be our last, then I would be overjoyed for you to share my bed."

"I will grieve your loss afterward but for now I will savor the moment."

Our love making surpassed in the extreme joy and abundant satisfaction any that we had before in our time together. I did not want to hurt him more since I would be leaving. He made me realize that I would only hurt him more by withholding my body from him while I still had it to give.

As we cuddled in the aftermath of our great sensual outpouring, Dennis surprised me by giving me a kiss goodnight and breaking his silence.

"It is better to love and lost than to have never loved at all. I am at peace with my heart tonight. I love you Adella and I shall continue to love you all the days of my life. Remember the happiness we shared as I will and that will sustain you. Sweet Dreams, Adella"

"Sweet Dreams, Dennis"

I was up and out before the dawn. We had already said our goodbyes and I felt that if I didn't leave then, that I would stay with him till I changed back the next morning and I had no wish for Dennis to remember me as 13 year old Alex. I could not give Dennis much now, but I could leave him his dignity.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

I went to Jane's room at the sorority hoping that she would be in and not in class. Luck would have it that she answered the door. I guess everything showed on my face since she gave me a great big hug when she saw me.

"You poor dear! Come to breakfast with me and tell me all about it. Let me get my purse and we'll go."

All I managed to say was, 'Thank you.' Jane guided me to her car and we were soon sitting at a booth at Waffle House.

"It's alright Adella. You can tell me anything. You know that don't you. I think of you as my very own sister. Spill it, please, sis."

"Jane, my time here is up. My parents and I are in witness protection back east. I have to disappear now without a trace so I can be with them again. I am so sorry that I didn't tell you before now."

I began crying and Jane got me up and I was getting tears all over her shoulder. Her presence comforted me. For a while neither of us said anything but at last I had cried myself out.

"Hush now, sweetie. It's okay. That's a large burden you are carrying."

That's all I needed to hear from Jane. I was able to compose myself and we sat back down in the booth.

"When do you leave?"

"Tonight! They are going to contact me at Aunt Montine's with the details as I need them."

"Then today the sorority is going to give you a send off that you'll never forget. I'll take you home so you can rest up. Someone will be by to bring you to the gathering. I'll call to let you know when so you can be ready to party with your sisters one last time."

"Thank you, Jane. You don't know what this means to me. I love you, sis."

"I love you too, Gail Adella. Let's get you home."

Jane drove me home after we had finished breakfast. I went up to my room and fell on the bed exhausted and soon fell asleep.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

The phone rang waking me and it was Jane telling me that it was time to get up and that someone would be by for me in two hours. I hung up the phone and thought about going to sleep. Great Aunt Montine came in and led me to the shower. After a blast of cold water, I was awake and so I got ready to go to the party. She left on an errand so it just left me to answer the door when my ride arrived. I opened the door and it was Jennifer!

I said goodbye to everyone who knew me as Gail and Adella that day.

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter 7 ~ Dennis and Alex

By Jo Dora Webster

How will Alex cope with picking up the pieces after Adella’s departure?

---

Chapter 7 ~ Dennis and Alex

When I woke the next morning I had returned to be a thirteen year old boy. I was convinced that Gail Adella indeed had died when I brought out the portrait of her and lusted for her. I was Alex again. All was normal yet I remembered vividly my experiences as Gail and understood her emotions and desires then even though the ones I had now were different.

I went through my old morning routine. I pulled on my a-line t-shirt and boxers and athletic socks and finished with a polo shirt, khaki's and tennis shoes. This was a lot simpler than my previous morning routine. I was glad that this was again very comfortable for me. I came down for breakfast and Great Aunt Montine no longer had that look of misgiving.

"Welcome back, Alex. Now that you have what you wanted, are you sure you made the right choice?"

"Aunt Montine, I want to thank you for the wonderful 6 weeks that you have given me. You told me yourself that I had chosen to be outwardly the boy you see before you in order to retain a connection to my family. That connection is very important to me and more important than a life as Adella, now.”

” You are welcome, Alex. I had suspected that would be your answer, but at least now you have a taste of what being your true self is like. The magic remains, while I can wield it, to return you to being Adella if ever your priorities change.”

”I still wonder how the magic was performed and I don't have a clue of the origin. That's not important now."

"You have a very adult way of looking at this. That's why it surprises me that you couldn't risk any more time as a woman."

"It was the right choice for now. I know I'm a boy and I'd like to find out what being a man would be like. I would lose a whole lot to be a woman of 25. I don't know now if what I'd be gaining would be worth all of myself that I would lose. When I'm an adult for real, I'd like to have that choice again and I might make the other choice."

"I would never force you into something I could tell you didn't like. I'll do what I can so you can have another chance later if you want it."

Aunt Montine, Thank you with all my heart for all you have done for me and especially for your gift of Gail’s summer."

Great Aunt Montine gave me a big smile and an even bigger hug.

"I love you Alex, just as you are. I promise that one day that you will know the secret of the magic that I used."

"I do miss the closeness. We were like sisters especially when I was Adella. I'm so glad you still love me, Aunt Montine! You mean a lot to me. I love you, too."

"I smiled a big smile at her and gave her a big hug. She returned the hug and gave me a kiss on my forehead. I knew then even though things would never be the same as when I was her niece that everything was okay.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

I didn't want to spend the rest of my time in Denver, thinking about my time as Gail and Adella. I knew about the teen club so I decided to go there to see if Alex could make friends with some of the people that Gail had known.

I remembered when Gail had first gone there and met Gerald. What surprised me is that a stunningly beautiful woman was making her way over to me. My teen hormones were running wild. As she got closer, I recognized her as Jane.

I shyly turned away from her, even though I realized that the reason that it had taken me a little while to see her as Jane was that I was fixated on her boobs. I was hoping to meet a girl my age to make friends. I was just not ready to meet Jane as Alex, so I did my best to make myself unnoticeable. However Jane had other ideas and she was coming right up to me and spoke to me.

”Hi there, Don’t you know that it is not polite to stare at a girl’s boobs like that. Let me let you in on a secret. There is a reason I keep my boobs covered up. When these babies are uncovered, psionic beams shoot out and turn any guy’s brains within range into mush. You don’t want that to happen to you, do you?”

Jane had a cute giggle which morphed into a laugh as the silence continued. I was speechless and that’s exactly how Jane wanted me to be. My goodness she was a college woman and I was all of 13. What possessed her to give me the time of day. While I finally erupted in a guffaw, she very patiently was waiting on my response. I had to finally, say something.

”You are so right. My cousin would have read me the riot act had she caught me doing something as crass as that. I don’t have an excuse for my behavior. I’m so sorry to have treated you like that. I’m not used to having to deal with raging guy hormones and I’m failing less at being a gentleman but I won’t be satisfied till I have them under control.

”I don’t think any of us totally get them under control. At least, you see what the problem is and that can help you prepare to manage them even if you can’t bring them under control.”

”I hope that you don’t take this the wrong way. I was just wondering. Why are you spending time with me?”

”Why not you?”

”I’m just a child and you are a woman. I was just wondering how you could relate to someone like me. Why are you making the effort to get to know me?”

”My friend did something similar for a boy very much like you. She said that she learned something by making the effort to get to know him. I miss Adella and looked up to her, and doing something that she might do, gives me some happiness.”

”Adella? My cousin that went back into witness protection to be with her family was named Adella. I miss her so much.”

”Are you the nephew living at the mansion for the summer? I’m Jane. What’s your name?”

”My name is Alex.”

”Well Alex, your cousin Adella was my best friend. I miss her so much. Maybe we could be friends, too.”

”I’d like that very much, Jane. When will I see you again or more importantly, where?”

”I work at Olive Garden so you could visit me there and we could arrange to have some time together to console each other over Adella leaving.”

”Okay, I’ll see you there, sometime. Thanks for being my friend, Jane.”

”Thanks for being my friend, Alex.”

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

I knew Jane's schedule over at Olive Garden, so I went to eat lunch there so I could see her. While I had no hope of dating her for real, we would be friends since I was Adella's cousin for her sake. Of course as Adella, I would not want to date her so this came out about even for me or as close to even as it could be.

”Welcome to Olive Garden. I’m Jane and I’ll be your server today. Hi Alex, It’s great to see you again. I’m glad that at least one man is looking me in the eyes while I’m wearing this uniform.

”Guess that I’m a quicker study than I thought. That and not wanting those psionic beams to mush my brain. I’m glad to see you again, Jane. I’d like the lunch special with some sweet tea, please?”

”I’m very glad to see you again, Alex. Would you like to spend some time talking after I get off from work?”

”I’d like that very much, Jane.”

”Thanks. I’ll be back soon with your sweet tea and get the kitchen working on your order, Alex”

Jane was back soon with my sweet tea with lemon on the side and some other goodies for the table. She gave all of her tables special attention and mine was no exception. She seemed to be getting on with her life. I was glad of that even though I missed the closeness of being a girl having another girl as a BFF.

The fiction of going into witness protection made things easier to make a clean break even though I was still here since Adella was the kind of girl who would not risk her families safety with email no matter how many anonymizer's and IP spoof servers that it might go through to get to the destination.

I kept telling myself that I was being friends with Jane to help her with her grief that I caused. Deep down I missed my life as Adella. Life is so unfair sometimes. Why couldn’t I keep my family and still be Adella? Jane came back with my food. Her smile lighted up the entire room and it was contagious and I smiled right back at her.

”Here’s your lunch, Alex. I hope that you enjoy it. Are there any other things that you would like to go with it?”

”Everything looks perfect, Jane. Thank you very much. I can’t think of anything else that I would like right now.”

”I was thinking that perhaps there might be a way for you to understand the mystery of the teenaged girl. I’ve got to go shopping, so perhaps we might go shopping together and you can observe some teen girls in their native habitat.”

I smiled really big when I heard that since Great Aunt Montine had said something similar to me at the beginning of all of this. Been there, done that and got the negligee thank you. It would be a really good place to talk to Jane so I decided that I would go for it. Sort of.

”That sounds a bit scary to me, Jane? Are you sure that is wise?”

”You’ll love the info that you are able to find, Alex. You’ll go with me?”

”I would not miss it, Jane. Thanks for inviting me. When should I meet you?”

”I’ll be off at 5 o’clock. Call me over if you discover you need something for your meal.

Jane was off waiting on other tables. I saw Dennis come in and go sit at one of Jane’s tables. He didn’t look too good so I guess he was taking Adella’s leaving pretty hard. I wanted to run to him, look in his eyes and tell him that I would never leave him again. But I couldn’t. I was no longer Adella. I distracted myself with eating the wonderful meal. We did our best to serve the best food at Olive Garden. Not we, they. I did not belong anymore. It hurts.

I composed myself before Jane was through taking Dennis’ order and her attention was back on me for a moment as she went into action getting things for Dennis. The meal was wonderful.

Even though it hurt knowing the true situation, I did want to be there for both Jane and Dennis in the only way that I could. While Great Aunt Montine did the deed, I was complicit. She could never have done it without my being willing. I made my bed and now I had to lie in it and deal with the consequences of my actions.

I guess that I was delaying talking to Jane again, since I did not call her over. I finished my meal quickly. With my plate cleared and the tip hidden underneath it, Jane noticed and brought me my check.

”Here’s your check, Alex. I hope that you enjoyed your meal.”

”The food and the way you cared for me were wonderful, Jane. Could that be Adella’s Dennis over there? He looks like the picture I’ve seen with the two of them together. I’ve never had the chance to meet him."

”I can introduce you two. Why don’t you visit with him while I bring you the charge slip to sign?”

”I’d like that. Thanks Jane.”

I picked up the bill wallet , placed my card inside and handed it to Jane. We both walked over to Dennis’ table where Jane introduced me to him.

”Dennis, this is Adella’s cousin, Alex. He wanted to meet you and I hope you don’t mind me bringing him over. Alex, this is Dennis.”

”Hi Alex, I wanted to meet you. I wondered why our paths never crossed while I was dating your cousin. Jane, I’m glad you brought Alex over. Would you like to sit for a moment while Jane brings your card back?”

”Hi Dennis, I wanted to meet you too. Thanks for inviting me to sit down.”

Jane left to bring me back the charge slip to sign. I sat down opposite Dennis. I could not help but think back to the wonderful times I had sat across from him and lost myself in his eyes. It was a little jarring since all the love was still there but there was zero attraction. I was permanently in the friend zone if I could get there but it was of my own doing. I hope this goes well.

”Do you like baseball?”

”I love baseball!”

”Would you like to meet at Coors Field to see the Rockies whip the Braves? It would give us a chance to talk and get acquainted. I sure miss your cousin so maybe we could swap stories about her?”

”That rocks! I want to go. Thanks for inviting me, Dennis.”

"No problem, Alex. Here’s my card. Call me this evening and we’ll work out the details."

Jane walked up with the bill wallet with pen and charge slip inside. I signed the slip , took my card and returned the bill wallet to Jane. I got up and excused myself and left Olive garden leaving behind two smiling faces. I went home to the mansion and pondered what does a guy wear to a shopping trip to the mall?

As much as I wanted to get Great Aunt Montine’s wisdom on dealing with my two best friends, I was still a bit angry at her for the whole Adella thing. I guess it was lucky that Jane and I (as Alex) never had any chance at any romance before Gail and mostly Adella becoming her best girlfriend. The difference in age was too great especially at this time in both our lives for me to romance her.

It seemed to me that the best thing that I could do with my knowledge of both of them would be for me to help them find each other. I would work on pointing Jane to Dennis during our shopping trip. I would work on pointing Dennis to Jane during our baseball game. After that all I would need to do would be to get them to go out on their first gate and somehow I knew that fate would take over from that point.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

I solved the dilemma about what to wear. Really I did not have much choice since one set of guy clothes pretty much look like any other. I accepted my role as caddy to Jane in the shopping trip. While Jane was motivated to follow Gail Adella’s example in being nice to the novice boy (which was me now), I wanted to direct Jane’s attention toward Dennis as well as share her grief for Gail Adella’s parting. As we went from place to place in the mall we had a chance to talk.”

”There is Claire’s over there, I bet what you really want, Alex, is a nice set of earrings in your ears together with a trip to Vicky’s and finish it off with Macy’s best LBD. Am I warm?

”I can tell that you are still grieving for Gail Adella, Jane. But it won’t help to turn me into a replacement for her. A knockoff rarely meets expectations of the original. Besides wouldn’t she be angry at you for messing with her favorite cousin’s gender?”

”You are right of course, Alex. I do miss Gail Adella so much. And you are right that she would be mad at me for turning her cousin into a knock off of her. Can we still be friends. I guess there are other ways that I can teach you about what girls want besides the total immersion method.”

”Of course we can be friends, Jane. I miss her so much too. You know the way that I saw Dennis looking at you, it seems that he’s considering making you his friend. How would you feel about that?”

”Of course its too soon now even if I were willing. I just could not do that to Adella, to take her boyfriend.”

”She told me, Jane, that she wanted you and Dennis to be friends. You could comfort him and if you both received the blessing of love, she would be very happy for you. With her having to give him up, she wanted a good woman to be there for him and in her book you are the best woman ever, Jane.”

”That’s so sweet of her, Alex. I’ll give him a chance and try to help him for Adella’s sake. It would make me happy too if the outcome that Adella wants for us might come true.

That was enough for my mission to be accomplished. The shopping trip was successful in my book. While Jane tried to push me at some of the girls there my age, I managed to stay on focus to spend time with her helping her to heal and I feel like it may have worked.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

You know the kind of grunting and motions that guys make as they are going thru a crowd. The guys really don’t like to give way nor take it in a friendly mood when forced to give up some of their personal space. As we made our way to our seats at Coors Field to see the Rockies play the Braves, it was exactly like that for Dennis. I guess I could blame it on a little Gail Adella influencing me but I put on a reasonable facsimile.

“Dennis, what is with you, man? This is guy heaven and you haven’t even smiled yet. Let me get the beer wench in the hot pants over here and get us both something cold,”

“Nice try, Alex but you have to wait about five years until you get to taste a beer. It is a good idea for me to loosen up. I’ll let you call her over but the only beer bought will be for me by me, Got it Alex?”

“I got it! Can’t blame a guy for trying. I guess you have pulled yourself out of your funk to have caught that so quick. “

”I guess so but your cousin was the one. I know with my head that she would want me to be happy but I’m not sure how to be happy now. Hey watch out Alex! Ball!”

I already had my glove on and judged where it would fly. I leapt up out of my seat and speared the ball in my glove and squeezed it tight. I saw Dennis and I on the Jumbotron. I brought the glove down so I could take the ball out of it and raised it high to prove to the world that I had caught the ball,

This one came from El Oso Blanco — Evan Gaddis. I knew enough to hold on to that ball and get him to sign it after the game. The Polar Bear was showing the promise to go to Cooperstown when his playing days were over. Wow, could he hit, and the next pitch was one that Gaddis hit out over the fence for a home run! I wish that I had not chosen to make like a Rockies fan while in enemy territory but I was glad that Evan was playing for the Braves in Atlanta just a stones throw from Lamur, GA where I usually lived.

“Way to go, Alex! We’ll get the usher to let us know how we can get Evan to sign it, I can tell that you want him to sign it by how tight you are holding on to the ball.”

Just then I was gripping it so tightly that it popped out of my hand as I was jostled from beside me. Dennis made a perfect catch and handed it back to me.

”I guess holding on to anything, even happiness, can let it slip through your fingers, Eh? I guess I should ease up and relax a little. Maybe you should too?”

”You have me there, Alex. What did you have in mind?”

”Adella told me before she left that she hoped that you would give Jane a chance. She’s been hesitant too but I told her what Adella said. She’s looking at you in a different light and it appeared to me that she liked what she saw very much.”

”I’ll give you that, Jane has been growing on me. If Adella picked her out for me, then I trust her. But there is something more isn’t there?”

”You’ve seen Stephanie around. She’s a girl my age that I met at the teen club. I would really like to take her out but we are both too young to car date yet. I was hoping that maybe you and Jane would like to … uh … well …”

”Double with you and Stephanie? I think maybe us riding shotgun on the two of you might be just the thing to let Jane and I get over our doubts. It’s a good plan Alex. You ask Stephanie and I’ll ask Jane. If they both say yes, I’ll have to square it with your Great Aunt and her parents. If they all agree then it will be a go! Good job Alex!”

We got kind of bored with the Rockies leading by three after the seventh inning stretch. The Rockies had brought in their reliever and so had the Braves. While we were up already we decided to go check out the stadium and perhaps get a snack to tide me over at the concession, We had made our way into the standing room pavilion in the outfield by the time the Braves were up in the eighth.

The Braves had loaded up the bases and up to the plate came El Oso Blanco again. With the crack of the bat and his swift compact swing told me to be looking for the ball here in center field. I handed the foul ball to Dennis and judged my leap again just right in a near repeat of what I had done to snare the foul ball.

When I pulled the ball out of my glove to show it, I did it only for a second, Then I joined the other Braves fans doing the Tomahawk Chop and doing the Florida State Seminoles chant that the Braves had adopted when Neon Deon from FL State was playing for both the Braves and the Falcons.

I know that I disappointed the home town crowd who wanted me to throw that ball back on the field. But once they realized I was just a transplanted Braves fan then the understood. Dennis was so embarrassed by me but it was all in good fun.

An Usher came up with a certificate for the ball attesting that it was an official home run ball hit out of Coors Field today by Brave Evan Gaddis. He also held out two baseball caps, one a Rockies cap and the other a Braves cap. I took the Braves cap as she expected me to do. Then she led us both to a special place by the Braves dugout to watch the rest of the game and be ready for Evan Gaddis to sign my ball when he had a chance.

I was beaming with pride as the Braves had already made it through the bottom of the eighth inning one two three on like 5 pitches by one of the new whiz bang relievers. Unfortunately the Braves were retired in order as well taking about as much time. Evan who was catching spent the inning first taking off the gear and had to almost immediately put it back on for the bottom of the ninth. But before he put it on he came out to sign his grand slam ball for me and the foul ball that I had caught as well.

The Rockies lost by that one run that Evan Gaddis had driven in with the Grand Slam. It was all good for both of us. You see we both had contacted our ladies by cell and both had agreed to the double and were excited. Dennis had even contacted Great Aunt Montine and since she already trusted him dating Adella, she gave her blessing. Stephanie’s parents talked to both Dennis and me. They agreed to the double, pending we both come to a family dinner before hand which they also invited Jane and Great Aunt Montine to come, too.

Dennis and I bonded over the game and the plans for the double, which became the basis of a good friendship between Dennis and I. I had grieved as much over Adella and the relationships that she left broken that I could never mend as Dennis had his loss of Adella. I had switched from grieving for Dennis to grieving with him over Adella.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

My pointing them at each other seemed to be successful even before the Double Date. We all met up with Stephanie’s parents and they put on a great dinner party for all of us. When Great Aunt Montine vouched for both the maturity of Dennis over his treatment of Adella, and that she knew me to be a perfect gentleman and very sensitive to caring for ladies, Stephanie’s parents gave their consent.

For our part both Stephanie and I were looking forward to the Double Date. We both had conspired to make that the thing that broke the ice between them once and for all. While we both found the other very attractive, this was not about us getting together. That made it so the pressure was off both of us for the date. We both had to fake a little anticipation just to keep up appearances but we both knew the real score.

Dennis ate regularly at Olive Garden. Jane had found out that Dennis was an avid archer and she joined in on the archery practice group that Dennis was already a member. Even though they spent a lot of time together they had not bridged the gap from friendship to romance. But both were ripe for doing just that and we hoped that the Double Date would push them over the edge.

Had Great Aunt Montine just pointed me to the real social scene of the community at large instead of focusing on the sorority of the local neighborhood, that whole experiment could have been avoided. Now with being one of the girls for a time, I knew where the real social scene was in the area and I joined it. Now conspiring with Stephanie, I spent the majority of the time at the Teen Canteen with her. Part of it was to keep up appearances but as time went on, I could not deny a real attraction to her.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

Finally both the day was here for the double date and all the preparation was over. Even though I put a little extra effort for this double date than normal, I knew that my preparations were nothing compared with the ones that Jane and Stephanie had conspired together to make. Jane was fully in older sister mode taking Stephanie under her wing to aid her chances to land me while Stephanie was playing Cupid to make sure that Dennis fell in love with Jane at first sight of her.

While I was in the car with Dennis on the way to pick up both Jane and Stephanie, I offered up a silent prayer in hopes that I might still be heard.

”Goddess Aphrodite, I beseech you to hear my petition even though my outer shell no longer is filled with your gift of beauty, my inner woman is true to you. I beg a boon for my friends Dennis and Gail who were harmed the most by my beauty departing. Each has a spark for the other, please fan those sparks into your full flame of love which only you can give so that they be forever devoted to each other. Please grant me wisdom so that I may not offer myself only to withdraw that offer from Stephanie or the rest of the friends that Gail was granted here. When I offer myself may it only be in accordance and blessed with thy perfect Love. Please grant my petition, Aphrodite.”

”What was that Alex? I hope you said one for me too?”

”Yes it was a prayer and I included you in it too.”

”You are a lucky guy, Alex to have a girl like Stephanie interested in you. I’m lucky too to have Jane.”

Since Jane was helping Stephanie get ready, we only had one stop to make to pick them up. We both did the traditional sitting on the couch waiting thing while Stephanie’s father, who was a military man, put the fear of Goddess into both of us. I guess that he was being Jane’s Father, who was back home, by proxy tonight.

When he departed to check on how they were doing, It gave us a chance to whisper.”

”Hang tough. It’s a rite of passage for males and we are getting the complete deal, Don’t worry, you’ll get your chance to scare your daughter’s date and then the score will be even.”

”Look Dennis!”

Stephanie’s Mother had exited the room at the top of the stairs with a smile on her face.<?p>

”They are ready, Honey. Get ready for their big entrance. “

Stephanie’s parents descended the stairs and one picked up a camera and the other a video cam and started capturing the moment. We watched wide eyed as the two most beautiful women in the world, Stephanie and Jane, walked gracefully down the steps in their most exquisite gowns. Us guys were done up as if for a prom but the ladies were the ones who really shined.

“Wow, Stephanie, your smile is so radiant and so is the rest of you!”

“Thank you, Alex. You look sharp.”

”Jane, your beauty was never greater before this hour which overwhelms me!”

”Dennis you are both handsome and smart to get us tickets to the ballet so we could really dress up nicely. I guess we need to line up so Stephanie’s parents can take the traditional pictures of Stephanie and Alex,”

We both avoided the pinning thing by getting wrist corsages for the ladies. We helped them slip them on their wrists and we lined up. When all the pictures were done, Stephanie's mother who was also in the Military, took over the final briefing before they let us all go out the door. We managed to help the ladies into the car after holding doors for them and closing them when they were safely inside. Then we got in and Dennis drove us to the Arts Center where the Ballet was being performed.

The date was a success in that we expected that Jane and Dennis would bind into a couple over the evening. They did so famously and both Stephanie and I were very pleased with our ability to play cupid.

What neither Stephanie nor me had expected that the same setting had the same effect on both of us. I saw Stephanie in a new light and I felt an overwhelming love toward her. I saw the same look of love in Stephanie’s eyes directed toward me. As the performance went on, there were plenty of times where PDA’s seemed appropriate to the emotion revealed in the performance. At the end of the performance, we too were a couple. Only we both held back knowing that the summer’s end would separate us.

~ ~ { { - O - } } ~ ~

In the aftermath of our Double Date, Jane and Dennis became an item. At first it was their shared grief that bonded them. Fortunately before that faded, they also discovered that they really had both common interests and chemistry together. But the key to all of it was that when Dennis and Jane saw each other for that Double Date, it was as if that was the first time that they really saw each other. It was love at first sight and from the way that they related, I was sure that Aphrodite had heard my prayer and had given them a forever love.

I believe the prayer I prayed for myself worked. I knew that I felt true love for Stephanie but I felt that it was unwise to start something that was soon to be terminated with all that distance. However, we all found out that Stephanie’s parents who were both in the Air Force were mysteriously reassigned to Lamur AFB in my home town of Lamur, GA, Stephanie’s family had already found a house near ours in Lamur and they all were working hard to get things packed for the movers. When the summer ended, they were due to be back on active duty at Lamur AFB and Stephanie would be going to my high school.

Stephanie confided in me that she had been holding back because she knew I would be leaving after the summer but she loved me too. Wow! We started going steady right there and then. Having been a girl, I knew what she needed from me and I gave her that as well as the restraint to not pressure her over a line neither of us should cross that young. I was the perfect gentleman that Great Aunt Montine had declared me to be when we all met for that Dinner Party..

I did not at this time have to worry over my life as Alex disappearing. Somehow I knew that at some point in my life I would have to surrender all in service to the Goddess. I hoped that before that happened that I might bring some of my family along to knowing that the true me was Gail Adella. I hoped that time would allow me to not lose everything as I might have if Gail Adella had never left.

The story that Gail Adella had to disappear again into the witness protection program and further attempts to find her could put her in danger, made the rounds of Gail Adella's friends including the sorority. When the sorority had become convinced that Gail Adella had indeed disappeared from the face of the earth, they planned a memorial service to celebrate their memories of her.

They had permission to hold it in the local Baptist church. Great Aunt Montine and I sat together with Gerald and of course Dennis and Jane. The five of us were seated together in the place of honor as Gail Adella’s family. They held it very informally staring out like a memorial service with the prepared program but evolving into a wake as the impromptu sharing of stories began.

When the memory portion came up they went around the circle of friends and family. Each gave either warm moments or anecdotes from Gail Adella's time with them. I knew that I wanted to convey to them again Gail Adella’s feelings toward them all. I waited to the end and read the entry that Gail Adella had made in her diary that last evening before the change from Adella to Alex had taken place as though it were a personal letter to me from her. This day was my most important memory of Gail Adella that was not from being her.

The wake was what convinced me that Dennis and Jane had once and for all turned loose of Gail Adella. I felt that this was the best for their well being. My conscience was clear even though my great love as Gail Adella for Dennis and being BFF with Jane were the main obstacles to my returning to life as Alex. Now that I knew that Dennis truly subscribed to the idea that it was better to love and lost than not to have loved at all. I felt content that Gail Adella had passed from being an object of affection to one of the great memories of their lives.

Shortly after the wake was over, Stephanie saw me off as I flew back to Lamur, GA. I was so excited that she would be following in a few days when her family had gotten everything packed to move to Lamur. Great Aunt Montine said her goodbyes from the mansion prior to my departure to the airport. She never left her home for any reason so I understood her not going to the Airport to see me off. I had said my goodbyes to everyone else at the wake. I would miss Denver and planned to return to visit along with Stephanie to see our friends. However I vowed that I would never let my Great Aunt transform me into Adella Gail again.

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter 8 ~ Celia and Alex

By Jo Dora Webster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How will Alex cope with learning what Celia will tell him?

Chapter 8 ~ Celia and Alex

---

I finally got back to my dorm room at Lamur Preparatory. I was anxious to get here so I could follow Great Aunt Montine's instructions to not read the letter until I was back in my dorm room alone.

Dear Alex, I'm sorry that I failed you and gave you too much a look ahead at what you could be, that I failed to tell you what your problem was and some way to deal with it. You see you were cursed by Erida goddess of hate and war. You have XX chromosomes like females do but Erida turned off the gene that makes a girl develop as a girl and you developed as a boy instead in the womb. You are also a chimera in that the XX genes in your brain were turned on to make you have a female brain. When the Hebrew God gave you a female soul to match your female brain Erida could not make you totally a male.

You know magic is real but so are Gods and Goddesses Like Jehovah, Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite and unfortunately Erida is real too. Dr. Ariel who showed you my fight with Erida is an Avatar of Hera Celia is an avatar of Aphrodite and Zeus. Together with their God and Goddesses they might be able to break the curse and allow you to be permanently turned to your female form by ending the curse on you. If you are really lucky ending the curse on you might end the curse on your immediate family.

I want you to go see with the aid of Dr Ariel who you can find through Lamar Institute a geneticist named Crista Newman that Dr Ariel knows. I think that if you can trust me again by finding out your real genetics then you will know that the rest of what I am telling you is real.

I won't try to deceive you. if you follow the path that I suggest things will get much worse before they get better. You will have to be taken from your parents and placed in a loving home because your parents will abuse you even more than your uncle's family. When Erida has to leave Lamur alone your family will be yours again as you are truly. The road will be rough and treacherous to get there, I love you always, Great Aunt Montine.

If only Great Aunt Montine had told me this before, things might be different for me. From what she told me I am intersex or at least transgender. I need to get the proof of what she is saying into my medical records It's too bad I wasn't a chimera down there too then there would be no doubt that I am intersex. Come to think of it I have a strange scar on my bottom. I could have had both sexes and they robbed me of my female sex. Thankfully Great Aunt Montine let me keep Gail's phone and change the number so I could use it. She put in Dr. Ariel's and Celia's number too. I'll get the ball rolling.

"Hello Dr Ariel this is Alex Megalos. I'm calling about something my Great Aunt Montine wrote to me"

"Hello Alex this is Dr Ariel. What can I help you with?"

"She told me that I have XX chromosomes and that something happened to turn off the genes which would allow me to develop as a female. She also told me that I'm transgender and that I have a female brain. She said that you might know a geneticist that could verify that named Dr Crista Newman. Can you get me in to see her?"

"Of Course! Let me make arrangements and I will call you back to let you know when I can take you. Is that Okay?"

"That's fantastic Dr. Ariel ! I look forward to your call. Good Bye."

"Goodbye."

"Hello Celia this is Alex. Could you come to my dorm room and read this letter that Great Aunt Montine sent to me?"

"Of Course, Alex. I'll be right there. Bye."

I was glad that Celia was coming because I knew that she and Dr. Ariel were my friends. I didn't have to wait long before there was a knock on my door and I let Celia in to my dorm room."

"Celia, this is my great Aunt Montine's letter. Please read it and let me know what you think."

"Of course."

She sat down beside me on my bed and read the letter.

"Everything that she wrote to you is true. I'm sorry that we did not share all of it before now. I have your medical power of attorney so we can get you seen by Dr Crista to check your genetics and her husband Hugh is developing an experimental bran scan that can verify your brain gender. So far as that unusual scar on your bottom they closed your vagina when you were a baby. You are intersex from your medical records. and it was Erida that made them do it."

"Gods and Goddesses exist too? Can we ask them to help me with Erida? "

"They do exist! Of course we can ask. Are you ready to deal with the rest of it?"

"That lifting the curse could turn me into a whole 13 year old girl. I can handle that even if I could not deal with being a woman, now. And if my family is abusive and I get taken away from them and I get foster parents I'll deal with that because I will still have my friends like you and Dr. Ariel."

"If you are sure then we will go through with getting the medical information and also trying to remove Erida's curse on you even if your parents are still under Erida's control?"

"I'm sure. Thank you Celia. I feel like I will be okay now. Thank you for coming."

"My pleasure, Alex. I'll go so you can settle back in and unpack."

Celia left my dorm room. Not a minute had elapsed before Dr Ariel had called me back.

"Alex I talked with the Newman's and they can both see you at the medical building next to the hospital at 9:00 AM. I'll come by at 8:30 AM and pick you up and deliver you back to the school."

"Thank you, Dr. Ariel See you at 8:30 AM tomorrow. Bye!"

I had found out that it was okay for Stephanie to get a phone call from me but it would come out of her daily allotment of 30 minutes of phone calling per day. She especially told me to call when I got back to my dorm so I knew it was really okay for me to call. I felt special that she wanted to use her phone time with me. I wanted to tell her about the science things about the way I was born to see if she would still like me.

"Hello Stephanie this is Alex. Can you talk right now?"

"Now is a good time. My phone times calls so I can stay within my allotted time.

"I found out some things about me that I did not know that my great aunt wrote me about that I'm going to get confirmed by some doctors tomorrow. I am intersex and my parents did away with my female parts on my bottom when I was a baby. I've got XX chromosomes but a gene didn't turn on so I didn't develop as a girl and I have a girl's brain. Is it okay that I'm weird and I might really be a girl?"

"Alex I would love it if you were a girl then you could be my BFF. I don't think that it is weird. You must have some awful parents that they forced you to be a boy and did not wait to see how you would turn out. As for you having a girl's brain, that explains why you are nicer than all the other boys and smarter. I thought that I would never have another BFF like Gail but having you as a BFF would be just as nice. If you were to transition to being a girl have you thought of what your name would be?"

"A name just popped into my head like it was who I was destined to be. My name would be Penelope or Penny for short. I was gonna say Alexis but I think it would be lame to have the same nickname. Everyone would still treat me like a boy calling me Alex. If I'm a girl I would want to be treated like a girl."

"Penny is an awesome name. I guess you found out from your great Aunt because your parents don't want you to be a girl. That's tough!"

"I used to act girly when I was relaxed but after my uncle abused me for being that way, I learned to put on a façade as a boy. You really think you would still like me if I transitioned into becoming a girl?"

"Of course, silly! You may not realize this yet but girls stick together, they cooperate, they help each other. I'd love to be able to teach you the things you need to know about being a girl. You've just got to call me tomorrow after you hear from the doctors to see what you can do about it. Okay?"

"Okay. Could you call me Penny? Just so I could try out having that name?"

"Of course, Penny. I can't wait to get out there so we can talk in person, Penny!

" I miss you more Steph. I'll call tomorrow. Bye Steph!"

"Bye Penny!

My time was slipping away. It was a 3 hour plane ride to Atlanta plus another hour to fly to Lamur and add 2 hours for getting back to eastern time so 6 hours were taken up flying besides the hour that the train trip took getting to the airport and 2 hours to get through security. I quickly put away the things out of my suitcases and by that time it was time to go to bed. I set my alarm for in the morning so I could get ready to go to the doctor tomorrow. I got ready for bed and into my PJ's . I turned down the covers and snuggled into bed. Before long I was asleep

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter 9 ~ Ariel and Alex

By Jo Dora Webster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How will Alex cope with learning what Doctors will tell him?

Chapter 9 ~ Ariel and Alex

Dr. Ariel came to my Dorm Room at 8:30 AM as promised and I was up dressed and ready to go with her. We arrived with fifteen minutes to spare for our 9 AM appointment and Dr. Crista Newman issued us into her office herself early. She took a swab of the inside of my mouth and then led us down the hall to a combination Lab and computing facility. She ran the sample herself. After a bit of number crunching a report with the results came out. We went back to her office before getting the results.

"We have confirmation of the information that your Great Aunt had from her sources. First you have XX chromosomes in your body. Second the genes that should have had you developing as a female in utero were turned off. Third, a medical records search for you confirms that you did have a set of female genitals which were removed when you were a baby. That's about all that I can tell you. We'll have to wait for you to see my husband, Dr Hugh Newman to confirm at least that you have a female brain. To confirm that you are a chimera would take sampling at least brain tissue and that procedure is not warranted at this time. It would give you peace of mind but not contribute anything for your treatment. You are intersex. Therefore if you decided to go ahead with correction to female norms HRT plus GCS would be prescribed. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Thank you doctor, I have no questions. I'm glad that you have diagnosed me as intersex and that everything that my Great Aunt told me has been confirmed. Dr. Ariel is there anything you would like to ask or comment upon?"

"I just want to thank you for coming in early today to see us Dr. Crista. Your input has been invaluable in getting us going in the right direction to help Alex."

"Have you thought of a female name yet, Alex?"

"Penelope or Penny to my friends, Dr Crista. Thank you so much for taking such good care of me."

" I'll take you down now to my husband's office and lab on the next floor up"

"We followed Dr. Crista upstairs and she led us to Dr. Hugh's door before returning back downstairs. When we went through the door, Dr. Hugh greeted us and he took us directly into the laboratory where there was a non standard especially enhanced MRI machine that Dr. Hugh had customized to do 3-D high resolution scans of the brain. I laid down on the MRI platform at Dr. Hugh's direction and was pulled into the machine on my back. I was in there a slightly longer time than a conventional MRI but soon I was pulled out of the MRI and was directed to get up so I did.

"Let's go back to my office where we can review your brain scan together."

We went back to Dr. Hugh's office where we saw a brain scan projected as a hologram.

"What we see projected is your brain, Penny, which is a female brain. We know it is a female brain because it lacks the area which males have which is the seat of aggression. When we have enough data, I'll publish my findings and then this test will be accepted as the definitive way to diagnose gender variant patients. Until then it's just experimental but I have high confidence that everything will be proven to the satisfaction of the scientific community."

"Wow. Thank you Doctor! I never imagined that I would get such dramatic confirmation that I am a girl. I am just floored!"

"Thank you Doctor, If there is anything that either I or Lamur Institute can do for you, just ask. We are in your debt for seeing us this quickly and using your equipment to help Penny."

"Of course. It was my pleasure. Thank you for coming to see me."

We left Dr. Hugh's office and Dr. Ariel took me back to my dorm room. It was 11 AM here so I knew that Great Aunt Montine would be up in Denver and that we needed to talk on the phone.

"Hello, Great Aunt Montine, It's me!"

"Is that you Alex?"

"You were right Aunt Montine, I am a girl. Two doctors confirmed it this morning, I'm intersex with a girl's brain. I'd decided to call myself Penelope and Penny to you and my friends. My family besides you are filled up with Erida's hatred towards me so they will never accept me."

"Penny the real question is if you accept yourself?"

"I do, Aunt Montine, I do! So much so that I am going to ask Dr. Ariel and Lia if they will entreat Hera and Aphrodite to unite to break Erida's curse on me and for me to become the 13 year old girl I should have always been."

"I know that I overdid it now turning you into adult women. Do you forgive me, Penny?"

"Always Aunt Montine. I never want anything to come between us. I'm sorry I got so cross with you. I didn't understand that my parents would still love me as Penny except they had been poisoned with Erida's hatred. Do you really think that it is possible for them to be free of Erida's Hatred?"

"All things are possible, Penny, only believe."

"I do believe. I do believe. With your love and the support of my friends, I'll get through the hard times. Great Aunt Montine, is it okay if I tell Stephanie about me being Gail Adella. I would just say it was magic without giving away the secret of the magic. Stephanie says that when I'm a girl we could be BFF's BFF's should tell as much of the truth as they can. Even though I feel like there is more to it, all I really know is that it is magic. Is it okay if I tell her it was magic?"

"You must swear her to secrecy first but you can tell her that you were Gail Adella and say only that it was magic. I am proud of you Penny for wanting to share this with Stephanie. Don't be alarmed if she starts out by feeling betrayed that you did not tell her sooner about it . I feel that she will come around especially with her wanting to help you become the best Penny that you can be."

"Hopefully next time I see you in person, I'll be released from the curse and I will already be Penny for real. We can have a great time together and we won't need any magic because I'll already be my true self."

"I'll look forward to that visit Penny. We'll just forget about the magic until you are ready to learn about it. You will follow in my footsteps as a priestess of Aphrodite just as women in our heritage have done for generations. It will give me great pleasure to give my birth rite to you."

"Thank you Aunt Montine. I am so glad we made up. Now I know that just like before when I think of you it will only be happy thoughts and the great love we have for each other. I love you. Good bye, Great Aunt Montine"

"I love you, too, Penny. Good bye!"

I noticed that there was a message on my phone when I got off the line with my aunt. I heard beeps but I wasn't sure it was another call till it was too late. I retrieved the message and it was from Stephanie.

"Hi Penny, I just love calling you that, please send me a message when you get this and I will pick it up the next time I am able. You already know that going from Denver to Lamur involves a whole day's worth of travel and this is my parent's and my travel day. I can't wait to see you tomorrow in person again. Please tell me all about the doctors and what they found out about you. I've got my fingers crossed that you will be a real girl like I am. We'll have so much fun as BFF's. Let's make arrangements tomorrow morning to meet in person. I love you Penny. Bye Bye"

I thought a little bit on just what I wanted to say to Stephanie. Once I had got my message composed, I called and got her voicemail as the two of us suspected.

"Hi Stephanie. Tag you're it! I'm being silly. Anyway the doctors confirmed everything my Aunt told me. I got a brain scan and I do have a girl's brain. My DNA sample said that I am 'XX' with genes turned off so I would appear to be a boy. My parents had the doctors take away the girls parts I had on my bottom as a infant. All in all that confirms that I am an Intersex girl. I had a fight with Aunt Montine before we left. She tried to let me know that I was a girl then but I would not hear of it cause my parents would literally disown me if I were a girl. We had a nice long discussion on the phone and made up. She's even calling me Penny like the Doctors and my friends are now doing. Life is good for now. Anyway I'll call you tomorrow to set a time and place for us to meet up. I love you Stephanie. Bye Bye!"

I was trying to decide what I wanted to do next when there was a knock on my dorm room door. I answered it and it was Celia and I invited her to come in. We sat down together on my bed and we began to talk.

"Penny, you missed breakfast, I've come to take you to lunch. I know that you have had a full morning but you don't need to skip meals."

"Before we go could I ask you a couple of things? Did you get a report from the Doctors on me?"

"Sure, Penny, you can ask. The Doctors proved out everything that your aunt told you. You are an intersex girl. What else?"

"Aunt Montine and I made up on the phone today. She told me I could tell Stephanie when she gets here tomorrow that I was Gail Adella. I was hoping that I could do it at our special place so she could see my true self and realize that magic is real at the same time, Please?"

"Swear her to secrecy just like you will before you tell her about your aunt's magic and you can take her there. I'll allow the cave to show its magic to her just like it shows it to you. Anything else?"

"When can you and Dr. Ariel set up an audience with Hera and Aphrodite so I can petition them to have the curse removed from me?"

"We can arrange it day after tomorrow. It will be in Hera's inner sanctum in Her shrine since she is Aphrodite's Mother but Aphrodite will be there too since you will take over for your Aunt as Aphrodite's priestess. You will need to set up a full shrine to Aphrodite here at Agape Duro to take the place of Aphrodite's shrine in Denver when your Aunt passes on. You will have much work to do and you will need a special place to do it. Don't worry Aphrodite will provide what you need to make the shrine."

"Do you know where I will be placed with foster parents when my parents disown me and abuse me once I am physically Penny?"

"How would you like to have the Newman's (The Doctors that you saw this morning) be your foster parents? They just got approved of for being Foster parents but they haven't had any children placed with them yet. They have one daughter named Julia, Julie to her friends, who is a rising Sophomore at Lamur Institute.

" I would love that. Would they keep me here at Lamur Preparatory?"

"You would not have to change schools and you would be coming home to then on the weekends and holidays instead of staying here all the time like you do now" One last thing for after lunch. You should pack your personal items up for after you have your audience with the Goddesses. You will be a real girl then and you'll have to move to the girl's dorm. Instead of having a single room you will be sharing with Stephanie. Stephanie has been offered a scholarship like yours so she can attend school with you."

"That's great news Celia that Stephanie will be with me and we'll share a dorm room when fall term begins. I guess I'm ready for lunch now. May we go?"

"Let's go to lunch!"

We left the dorm room and went to the faculty cafeteria where all the students and teachers left on campus ate their meals. Lunch was fantastic the way it always was whether in the student or faculty cafeterias. After lunch I got ready for my pep band class which I had as an activity year round when I was here. Next I had an hour in the computer lab. I loved to program and I was working on my very own MMORPG. I had a great idea for it that was not available anywhere yet and that's saying something. Next I had gymnastics in the gym and lastly I had Jazz Dance in the Dance studio. Supper time was next and I had supper again sitting with Celia.

"I see you made all your drop in classes this afternoon, Penny. Don't forget that they are drop in classes and attendance is not required. You will be very busy tomorrow showing Stephanie around campus and taking her to see our special place. You will be busy with your audience with the goddesses the next day and if all goes well you will be busy shopping for a new wardrobe and trading in your uniforms for the proper ones for you going forward. Please don't burn yourself out trying to do everything at once. You are on vacation and you can take time off when you need it from your studies."

"Wow! I didn't realize it but you are correct of course. I'll make sure I'm all packed after supper so that will be taken care of already while I am so busy the next few days."

"I've had empty boxes delivered to your dorm room. Please label things with Alexander's non school clothes and Alexander's uniforms so the uniforms can be put back into stock and your old clothes put into storage in case your parents want them. If they don't call for them we will donate them. That should allow plenty of room for your other stuff to be packed in your suitcases since you won't have to pack any clothes. I'll make sure your new uniforms will be hanging in your closet in your new dorm room so you'll have something to wear till you get to go shopping."

"Good night, Celia. I'm off to get packing and on to bed."

"Goodnight, Penny. Pleasant dreams. "

I arrived at my dorm room and started packing up my clothes that were not my school uniforms and the underwear that went with them. I found the boxes and labeled them by what they contained. Those boxes I sealed. I even had PJs assigned as part of my school items so I was set . I packed my excess uniforms up but left those boxes unsealed just in case I used more uniforms than I planned on using for the next few days. The rest of my items packing went smoothly and of course if I needed any of those Items I could dip back into my suitcases, only leaving out my toiletries to be packed in my toiletry bag at the end. Toiletries were also provided by the school so I knew that at the end I could trash anything inappropriate for the new me and know that they would be replaced in my new dorm room.

When I finished up packing it was indeed time for bed. I looked forward to spending the day tomorrow with Stephanie. I resolved to make our trip to the special place first so that I could tell Stephanie about me as soon as possible. With that decision behind me I soon fell asleep upon getting ready and entering bed.

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter 10 ~ Steph and Penny

By Jo Dora Webster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How will Penny tell Steph about her secret lives?

Chapter 10 ~ Steph and Penny

I arranged to meet Steph in the courtyard facing the Agape Duro forest. I wanted to show Steph the secret room first then tell her mostly everything.

"Steph, do you trust me?"

"Always, Penny."

"Good! Follow me!"

Steph followed Penny into the sacred grove. Penny had heard stories of all kinds of strange things happening there and she shared them with Steph. A lot of the children said that it made them very uncomfortable to be anywhere around it. Yet she felt right at home being right in the middle of it. Penny led her to the other side of the grove which was bounded by a steep incline. They had passed the banks of a stream which meandered through the sacred grove and watered all the trees vegetation and wildlife within it.

They came to the stream's source which was a waterfall that flowed into a basin which fed the rest of the stream. Penny led Steph on a hidden path which led around underneath the waterfall. Hidden from view was a framed marble rectangular block flush with the almost vertical incline. However there was no indication of a knob or key hole or anything around it which might suggest a way to open it.

"Thank you for showing me this, Penny. Looks like we have come to a dead end since we have no key to open the door"

"At least you see it is a door. What if you are the key?"

"I'm the key? How could I be the key? Would I just touch my palm to the door and it would open?"

"Why don't you try it?"

"Okay."

"Steph touched the door and found that it wasn't really solid and her palm passed right through it. Next she walked forward and Penny came forward through the apparent door too. From this side, inside the room under the waterfall, it appeared to be open, revealing the path and the waterfall beyond. Then she noticed something amazing. Penny didn't look like a boy anymore, she looked like the girl that she'd always imagined Penny to truly be."

"What is this, Penny? You are a real girl and I'm the same as I always am. Penny, is that really you?"

"Yes, I'm still the person you knew as Alex and now I am really Penny. You see this place reveals the true self of who ever enters it. The girl you see before you is my true self."

"Have you really turned into a girl? May you be like this for always as my BFF?"

"Steph, I'm sorry. I just look like my true self using a glamour which is a kind of majick. It would take more power than this room has to transform me into a girl for always. Steph, I wish it was completely real, but do you like the way I look now?

"Oh yes, Penny. I love it!"

"Good! For me this place is for learning and discovery. It is always a place where I can take a time out from the sometimes cruel human world. All you have to do is imagine something and it will appear as real as it needs to be for your purpose. Food and things you need to sustain yourself would be real while other things would be a glamour mostly."

"Steph, do you believe magic is real now?"

"I do, I really do!

That's good because what I need to tell you is about magic but not the magic here but about the magic that my Great Aunt Montine has in Denver. Great Aunt Montine wanted to teach me about being a woman so she changed me into one. She changed me into Gail Adella. I believed if I stayed Gail Adella my family would disown me. I wasn't ready to be a grown up. I begged her to change me back into Alex and we had a fight over it. Because I told her that I didn't want to be Gail Adella again we came up with the story about Gail Adella faking her death and being put into witness protection. Do you believe me Stephanie?

I believe you Penny. Oh goodness I believe you. I'm glad that you waited to tell me at this special place. If you had told me before I believed in magic, I would have been angry at you for not telling me the truth. Oh Goodness, Penny I so loved you as Gail. It makes me feel so much better to know that Gail lives on inside you. Gail and I were BFF's so I guess that makes us double BFFs. Thank you for telling me the truth, Penny.

There is a little more which is a bit hard to take. The Greek Goddesses are real too and this place is dedicated to Aphrodite. Great Aunt Montine is her priestess and that has been passed down from mother to daughter from the ancient days in Greece. The Goddess of Hate, Erida stopped the line of daughters by making them all sons like I was made to be. Erida cursed me and that is why I'm not a real girl. My friends who are Avatars of Hera and Aphrodite are going to get me an audience with the Goddesses to beg my curse be removed . When they grant it I will be a girl from then on just like you.

Penny I believe you. You must have had a hard time keeping all that inside and not having anyone your age to share it with. Now you do BFF, Now you do! I love you Penny!

I love you too Steph my BFF. I will be away tomorrow at Hera's shrine to meet with the Goddesses and when you see me afterward I will be Penny for real like you see me now. If you have seen all you want to see here, I believe we can get back in time to get breakfast. Okay?"

"Okay!"

We left the special room and retraced our steps back to the Lamur Preparatory campus. I led her to the Faculty Cafeteria and we were in time for breakfast. We each got a tray full of breakfast items and we began to eat.

Everything I told you including the place we went has to be kept secret for the safety of ourselves and the ones that we love, Steph."

"I'll keep it all secret for always, Penny. I guess we get to take the standard tour of the school from here."

"That's right Steph. When I become Penny for real, we can share a dorm room. Would you like that?"

Oh yes Penny, I'd love to have my BFF for my dorm mate. Are you going to be able to show me our dorm on this tour?"

" The Headmistress has given me dispensation to show you our dorm room today. I'm going to save the best for last."

We toured the classroom building first, then the STEM building, then the Fine Arts building and then the Language Arts building. After viewing the Workforce building , we turned outdoors to view all the sports fields. Steph was so glad to find out that there was more than one Field Hockey pitch available. She was an avid participant and she wanted to teach me the sport so that we could try out for the team together.

Next we toured the indoor athletics venues and I showed her especially the gymnastics and the dance studio. Steph was glad that there was a girls basketball program and she wanted me also to try out for the team after we worked on the basics so I could catch up with her skill level.

We made it back to the cafeteria for lunch which was very delicious and Steph commented on the high quality of the food served. While we were in the area we toured the rest of the support buildings like the student cafeteria, the library and the auditorium as well as passing by the supervisory offices. We went by the boys dorm and finally we went inside and explored the women's dorm. Finally we saw the canteen and activity room.

We came upon dorm 117 which was vacant and would become our dorm room. My new uniforms were hanging in my closet and my uniform under ware was in my drawers I had brought a tote bag so I could get one uniform with accessories to take with me to my audience with the Goddesses.

We planned out what kind of amenities we wanted for our Dorm Room and compared what items each of us had to contribute. I realized that I did not even know what kind of things I would want as a girl living in a dorm room. As Steph made suggestions I wrote them down and I volunteered to get many of the items since I didn't have any female specific items to bring and share plus some items we both would need to have gotten.

We had Stephanie's parents invited to eat supper at the faculty cafeteria with us so we had to get over there at that specific time so we left the dorm room and headed over to meet them. We met her parents and we all ate together a wonderful meal. Afterward Stephanie and I said our goodbyes since she would be going home with her parents.

I felt good knowing that Steph still loved me even after I had revealed all that to her. We finished the tour of the entire school so our time was well spent. After supper I headed back to my dorm room. I decided to go to bed early knowing that I wanted to be at my best since I was to attend an audience before two Goddesses. I got ready for bed then climbed between the sheets. I must have done something right since by the time my head touched my pillow I fell fast asleep

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Chapter 11 ~ Zeus and Penny

By Jo Dora Webster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How will Penny convince Zeus, Hera and Aphrodite to help?

Chapter 11 ~ Zeus and Penny

It was a high day in the greek religion that Penny got herself ready in Alex's clothes. Waiting for her in her Dorm room was Ariel and Lia to take her to Hera's inner sanctum.

Penelope Anna Megalos stood before her mirror hoping that for the last time she would see reflected Alex's image. She was in Alex's school uniform. She lacked a purse but was carrying a bag containing one of her uniforms which she hoped to be able to wear after her encounter with the Goddesses and perhaps an encounter with the Mighty Zeus, Hera's husband since Lia was also Zeus's Avatar in addition to being Aphrodite's avatar. Ariel was the avatar of Hera. Together she hoped that they would break the curse that Erida, Ares Sister had placed upon her. She had a long life ahead of her if she were able to become worthy to be the next in the family's line of Priestess for Aphrodite in Montine's stead. She had high hopes that if the curse upon her was lifted that also the hatred from Erida which burned in her family would be quenched as well.

"I am ready to go. Thank you for doing this for me, my friends."

"Let us go then" said Ariel. She took the lead with me behind her and Lia behind me as we went deep into Agape Duro.

Finally we came to a pool and Ariel turned back to Lia and me and said, "Dive in behind me and enter the door underwater that I shall open and follow me through into the dry chamber." Ariel dove down and opened a door in the pool wall and swam thru the open door, Following her we swam up and broke the surface of the water walking onto dry land where we found a beautiful Greek temple to Hera. In that antechamber a dry warm wind dried all of us within minutes and our clothes were in as good order as when we dressed in them this morning. Before we were led into the temple, Ariel had a Grecian robe for each of us to wear which had been left for us to change into Lia dropped her glamour and dressed in the Grecian robe. as did Ariel and I did as well, leaving our clothes in the baskets that the robes had occupied. I left my bag of Penelope clothes in the basket with my Alex clothes.

Ariel told us, "We are expected, let us enter with Lia on your right side , Penny and I on your left side. The doors will open of their own accord as we approach them going from the temple common into the inner sanctum."

It happened just as how Ariel described it and we found ourselves in the presence of Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite and Erida held in a rainbow colored cage. We all curtseyed in unison and held our place.

Zeus spoke, "The petitioner may come forward and kneel before us."

I rose and walked before them and kneeled at Zeus' feet and prostrated myself before him. After a moment had passed, Hera reached down and lifted my chin up and smiled upon me so that I could gaze upon them.

Zeus continued,"Erida, sister of Ares, you stand accused of breaking my edict and forcing mortals into your service in Agape Duro and in the mundane settlement of Lamur, GA, US. In addition you stand accused of cursing the line of Aphrodite's priestess which originated in the classic time and extends to the present. You also stand accused of deforming this child and spreading hatred among her family. You are ordered to undo the harm that you have done immediately. I will render you powerless to act against the inhabitants of said town and Agape Duro to infinity and beyond!"

"I hear and I obey father. Let Penelope now be restored to true love's form, forever. Let my curse upon the original Penelope's line be lifted, forever, Let my spirit of hatred be banished from her family, forever. I renounce my claim of bondage to any within the boundary of Agape Duro and Lamur, GA, USA forever. Now let all be done according to your will, Father.

A flash of lightening and a clap of thunder radiated out from the temple into the whole earth. When it touched me, I was immediately transformed to the very image of my 13 year old female self that I had seen in Aphrodite's shrine, the secret place. My spirits rose when I realized that Erida's hatred had been banished from my family and the curse upon our line was lifted. What I did not realize is that seven young women had also been released from their bondage in "The Club" forever.

"Father, I have done as you asked, may I be released now?

"Daughter you have lost. You forget your duty toward all the petitioners.

"Father I relinquish any claim of revenge against the lady Penelope, the lady Ariel and the Dryad Gynylya and to their families and friends forever where ever in the universe their travels take them and I hold all of them harmless in this matter, forever."

A flash of lightning and a clap of thunder originating at the temple radiated out into eternity. I felt like I had dodged a bullet that Zeus had enforced his will against Erida taking revenge against me and mine.

"Erida let you be released and banished from ever returning to this area forever. Let it be done!"

Erida and the rainbow cage vanished. I thought that the proceedings were over but I was wrong. Zeus spoke to me and the words of the oath entered my mind for me to speak.

Penelope, will you swear fealty to Zeus, Hera and Aphrodite?"

"I will"

"I, Penelope, do swear fealty and service unto Zeus, Hera and Aphrodite –

To speak and to be silent,

To do and to let be,

To come and to go,

In need and in plenty,

In peace and in war,

In living and in dying,

From this hour henceforth, until my God release me, Death take me, or the world end."

"I, Zeus."

"I, Hera"

"And I, Aphrodite."

"Hear and shall not forget, nor fail to reward, that which is freely given:

Fealty with love, Valor with honor, and Oath-breaking with vengeance.

Rise, Priestess Penelope, favored of Zeus, Hera, and Aphrodite. Go in our esteem"

I rose and walked back to my place beside Lia and Ariel and curtseyed. Zeus Hera and Aphrodite disappeared. we made our way out to the Temple Common and then back out into the antechamber where the baskets which held our clothes remained. I dressed in my new girl's uniform and it fit perfectly. I placed my male clothes into the bag and folded the Grecian robe and put it back into the basket. Ariel and Lia were done dressing as well. Lia put her glamour back into place as Ariel led us to a ladder which had a trap door that Ariel opened and led us though out back into the forest. I don't know how but I was managing with the 2 inch heeled Maryjane's of the uniform flawlessly even climbing the ladder. Soon we were out of the forest and back to the Lamur Preparatory campus. I broke the silence we had kept ever since we departed the temple.

"Dr. Ariel and Celia, words can not express the gratitude that I feel for both of you. Thru you and my Gods, my world has been rocked! Thank you!"

Dr. Ariel gave me a hug and replied, "It was my pleasure to help you, Penny. I will take my leave of you both. I have duties at Lamur Institute to take care of for now." She left the two of us standing at our school entrance and she drove off.

Celia also hugged me and replied, "It was my pleasure as well to help you Penny. I had your luggage transferred to your girl's dorm room " and the boxes taken out as well so you are officially moved out of the boys dorm and into the girl's dorm. I expect your family will be sending
for you for the summer so we'll see you in September. The dorm room is always yours when ever you need it, Penny"

I went to my dorm room and made a facetime call to Stephanie first. It pleased me that Stephanie gasp when she saw me and I loved seeing her too.

"Penny is that really you?"

"It's really me Stephanie. I'll tell you all about it later. They fixed me and they fixed my family too. Celia says to expect my family to call for me for the summer. I'll be at my house in town just like you will be for the summer. Our dorm will be waiting for us in September. I need to call My aunt and share the good news but somehow I feel she already knows."

"Penny, be good. I love you. See you soon. Goodbye"

"Steph, I love you too BFF. Good bye"

I next phoned Great Aunt Montine with a normal phone call.

"Hello Aunt Montine this is Penny in the genuine flesh. They heard my prayer and the curse is broken on our line and Erida's hate is gone from my family and I will be Penelope Anna for the rest of my life."

"Hello Penny. That is good news indeed. I felt it the moment that it happened. Thanks be to the goddess! I felt it when you were made priestess of Aphrodite as well. I am so happy for you sweetheart. I have a letter that I will send you explaining everything by way of an emissary of Aphrodite and she will bring to you the sacred artifacts passed on from mother to daughter over the ages. I'm not going anywhere and you can visit me in Denver when ever you need me. Thank you sweetheart for calling. I sense that your mother is about to call you so I will let you go. Goodbye, Penny Goddess bless you."

"Good bye Great Aunt Montine, Goddess bless you."

True to her word moments later I received a phone call from Chloe Megalos, my Mother.

"Hello Sweetheart, this is your mother calling. The Hatred left us a little while ago. I've been crying and ashamed at how we have been treating you. Can you forgive me?"

"Hello Mother. a miracle made me your daughter, Penelope Anna Megalos. Of course I forgive you. I love you. I forgive and love all of our family. Please call me Penny."

"Thank you Penny. I am so glad that you are finally your true self. We are going to have so much fun getting you used to being a girl. We're going to have to have a mega shopping trip to celebrate your transition. "

"Mother, I'm not a transgirl, I'm a born girl. I'll need your help with my first period real soon."

" Penny. that's even more of a miracle. Even periods are a promise that one day you'll be able to have a baby. That's a blessing that I dared not ever have for you. You are a true miracle. Penny, we want you to come home for the summer and on weekends and Holidays during the school term. Your Father and I will be coming to get you today so I hope you are packed."

"I'm still packed from moving into the girl's dorm today so I'm ready to come home. I met a wonderful girl named Stephanie in Denver. We are BFF's and her family is military and they are now stationed at Lamur AFB I hope that she will be welcome to visit us as well "

"Stephanie will be welcome in our home any time, Penny. Your father and I will be over in a few minutes to pick you up. Good bye, Penny, I love you. Welcome home!"

" Goodbye , Mother. I love you. It's so good to be home."

Aphrodite appeared in my dorm room looking like the maiden who appeared to the first Penelope in ancient times.

"My priestess you did so well in our audience. I am so proud that you are one of my own. I have many things to share with you but they can wait for you to experience the love of your family first, which is very important. Let me take you to the gates of your school with your luggage so you will be ready to meet your parent's anew. You risked a lot to be my priestess and it pleases me to give everything back to you tenfold. I will not forget the fealty that you swore to me this day and I will keep my commitment to you."

In an instant we were at the school entrance with my luggage.

"I will keep my commitment to you, my Goddess all the days of my life."

"Goodbye my priestess!"

Goodbye my Goddess!"

Aphrodite vanished and my parent's car drove up. My father got out of the car and took my suitcases from me and loaded them in the trunk. Mother got out and they both gave me a hug. My father spoke for both of them.

"Welcome home Penny, my beloved daughter!"

Beauty and the Vial: Tested

Epilog ~ Penelope and Montine

A Lamur, Georgia, USA Novel

By Jo Dora Webster

What will be Penelope's reaction
to her Great Aunt Montine's gift and letter?

---

---

Epilog ~ Penelope and Montine

Coming home was an eye opening experience and one born out of need. Mother and I called Stephanie and we went emergency shopping because I only had the outfit that I was wearing of school uniform to fit me and I had left the rest of my uniforms in my dorm room at Lamur Preparatory. It was a whirlwind experience done at a high end department store.

First they shopped for an outfit from the skin out and had me try everything on so Mother and Stephanie could learn my sizes. Next Mother and Stephanie divided and conquered and each accumulated a cart full of clothing for me. It was explained to me that we would have a fashion show later and leave the tags on so we would be able to return the items. They also divided and conquered in the store's cosmetics and toiletries areas. Once they were satisfied we all checked out and hauled our purchases out to the car.

Returning home and going thru the previously mostly bare family room was all the high end furniture and accessories which had previously been in Daddy's private Man Cave. We found that the bedroom furniture set and all of my gender neutral belongings had been transferred in to the former man cave, which Momma told me was now their guest room, by Daddy who had been busy! We found Daddy in my room taking down and boxing up the male items in my room. He stopped to give me a hug and explain what had been going on.

"Penny, your mother and I wanted to give you a girl's room so you'll be staying temporarily in the new guest room while I paint and we get purchased and shipped here the furniture for your new bedroom. All your boy's items are only going to be boxed up and left in the garage so if you decide you want any of them for your new life you are welcome to reclaim them. The clothes were boxed up for us to donate as well as us donating your boys clothes from school since you've changed so much that nothing would fit you and that's a good thing."

"Thank you Daddy. Do you think that you could help us move all our purchases from the car to the guest room. It's a huge amount to me but Momma and Stephanie told me that this haul is only essentials to hold me over until we can have a Wardrobe shopping trip later. I love how you show your love by doing things for me. I am overwhelmed by the love that I am feeling now."

"Of course, Penny. Let's get you settled in for the next several days."

Daddy helped get all the things to the guest room while Momma, Stephanie and I hung things up and put things in drawers. While we were working, Momma explained that the four of us would sit down around the computer and pick out what paint color I wanted in my new room and pick out the furniture set that they would purchase for my bedroom. Then we three would have our fashion show while Daddy got back to work getting my room ready to paint.

Several days later the painting was done and the furniture, shipped and set up and all my things moved back into my new bedroom. It was the same time that the emissary of Aphrodite that Great Aunt Montine promised to come visit me arrived. I received a sealed letter from Great Aunt Montine. I was also presented with a box by the Emissary. She left me after her work was concluded which allowed me to ponder both items in privacy. Etched into the cover of the box was the name Daphne in Greek letters. It was a replica of the original box that had contained the items in ancient Greece as was the pouch that held the seeds inside and the scroll that contained the instructions.

Well I decided to look at the scroll and try to decipher it and I saw a picture of the vial held so that it dropped 2 drops under the tongue.
I remember that was the method that Great Aunt Montine had used to turn me into Gail and then Adella. I had no desire to turn into a grown woman form again. I had no wish to remove ten years of age from a kiss from a dryad. I liked myself being just the age that I was now.

I really wanted to know what the writing on the scroll said so I went back to the other item, the letter from Great Aunt Montine, It was a sealed large blank envelope which I opened and found inside an envelope in Great Aunt Montine’s handwriting addressed to me. I began to read parts of the letter.

Dearest Penelope, I want you to know that first last and always I love you and I have felt your love and to know you has given me and I have seen in you great joy. I have treasured the times that we have spent together and know that each time brought us closer. Only you in our family could appreciate my uniqueness and see not only the beauty of the body but also of the soul. I thank you for that and despite our ages I have felt we are kindred spirits. It has been hard knowing that with my not having daughters or children at all when my parents had only a son and a daughter.

The son married and had 3 sons one of whom was your father. They all combined to have 7 sons with you being the only child of your father. I had nothing against the wives but they had joined the family by marriage instead of being born into it as I had been so my condition was especially alien to them and none of them could relate to me as woman to woman.

Not only did having no women in the family except by marriage add to the prejudice against me but also it gave me no one in the family that I felt comfortable confiding in till you turned 6 with your precocious high IQ and your understanding and unconditional acceptance of me. When you gave your permission to become Gail that summer I told myself it was for your good so that you would overcome your shyness and relate to girls your age as you had related to me but I knew that I wanted a daughter and Gail was my daughter for that brief time.

I came to learn the lesson after you returned, Penelope, that I was as guilty as others of prejudice, judging that having a daughter or niece or grandniece to be better than having a kindred spirit. You also embrace the feminine and are richer for it.

I wished for you to have something of mine as a remembrance of me and of all the time we spent together. I had a difficult task but an easy decision regarding a special object that had been passed down from mother to daughter or at least from aunt to niece or grandniece in our family that truly dated back to ancient times. To look at our family now you would never guess that we were all descendants from a Greek woman’s daughter but we were. The Greek blood in our veins has been diluted to make it almost nonexistent yet it is there. Let me tell you the story of how the box came to be and of a poor boy named Perseus and his friend Helen.

I recognized the story of Perseus and Helen as one that Great Aunt Montine had told me as a child. In fact it is the same story that is revealed in the prolog of my story you are reading. I guess she repeated it in the letter so I would remember it, If you like you may read the story again from the Prolog and return here to continue following me reading Great Aunt Montine’s letter.

As you can tell things work out well for Daphne, Penelope and Helen thanks to the favor of the Goddess Aphrodite in providing the miracle liquid. I as inheritor of the ancient blessing had to decide who would be my successor so that it might be passed on to succeeding generations. Though I willingly would have shared the secret with the wives in the family their rejection of my condition made it likely that they might betray the secret so I withheld it from them and also the box as an inheritance. I was confronted with giving it to one of my seven great nephews in trust for the next generation. Fortunately you made the decision easy by being a kindred spirit chosen by the Goddess Aphrodite to be my successor. I knew I could count on you to see the true value and to keep the secret and pass it on to the right person in the next generation.

I caution you, Penelope, as my mother cautioned me and so on since Penelope and Helen were warned by the goddess herself. The Goddess Aphrodite has given you for your family a vial of the fluid, a few of the seeds to replenish it, and a scroll to explain it. You must keep the secret of the plants safe because unknowing souls would trample the plants and their greed would bring death. Say no more than you have been blessed by Aphrodite. This that is given to you is only Aphrodite’s to give so use it only for your family and its descendants. If your family betrays this trust Aphrodite will take away these gifts of her blessing to you for you and your family. So that you may know all I will now give you the translation of the scroll.

My eyes widened as I read the translation of the scroll. The only way that I would know more would to continue reading Great Aunt Montine’s letter.

As you can see now my magic in changing you to Gail was none other than the beauty fluid. That first evening I used 2 drops under your tongue to transform you which was a temporary dose that made you a girl for a month. I began to realize that you were still bound by your male self-image and for you to really experience being a girl I had to intensify your transformation while keeping it well below the 6 drops that would cause a permanent change. The third drop caused you to finish female puberty and feminized your sex drive so that along with a woman’s body and emotions you had a woman’s desires. I told you that in time I would reveal to you the secret and if you had ever asked again for the magic to be performed on you I would have told you all before proceeding.

Let me make my personal recommendations on how you should use it. Using it on females is covered well in the scroll and in all the centuries not one of our ancestors have passed on any recommendation to conflict with the scroll’s 2 drop for first application and 1 drop per year thereafter. There is an oral tradition on using it on males since the scrolls do not say it and we do not know how much absorbed thru the hands by Perseus is equivalent to how much sublingually administered.

Should you desire to cause a man to become a woman temporarily now I would recommend up to a maximum of 4 drops to become a stunningly beautiful woman. Should you decide to cause a man to become a woman permanently use 6 drops for a permanent transformation and a maximum of 2 additional drops to become stunningly beautiful. The fifth drop administered to a male is in unknown territory.

It may intensify and prolong a temporary transformation but more likely it may start a permanent transformation to a pre-pubescent girl - like state.

Remember that as long as a dose is in effect and another is administered then the result is the same as though both were given at the same time.

I do not know of by my own experience or by oral tradition any substance to counter or weaken the effects of the liquid. If you by accident or design take an overdose your only hope is that for you uniquely the limits may really be higher but please do not bet your life on it. There is an oral tradition of only deaths resulting from females overdosing. (A big enough overdose by a male is equivalent for a portion of the dosage will result in transformation to female and thereafter the same conditions apply.)

If you find someone in an overdose situation this is different from the action waiting until sleep. The best method is to not interrupt the sleep cycle and one will either wake extremely beautiful or dead. Not sleeping causes a chain reaction that consumes the body and results in a horrible death so one can’t avoid the consequences by not sleeping.

I put down the letter at that point with still more left to be read. If I administered one drop each year I would retain undiminished that striking beauty given to me by the forced action of Erida by the three who I had sworn Fealty to: Zeus, Hera and Aphrodite.

I now was the guardian of this treasure and I made a mental note to see if I could avoid any mishap with the person that I would pass the box to when my time came. I know that Great Aunt Montine had waited in case a niece was born but passed it on to me when I was reborn as Penelope. I was determined to try to pass it on while I lived and could make the recipient listen before they had been given this fluid which was both medical miracle and poison.

The lateness of the hour began to catch up with me and I began to yawn. I caught myself and realized that I was going to have to make do with what was in the house to get started with tomorrow. I knew that the rest of Great Aunt Montine’s letter would be touching and valuable but I put it aside to go to the cedar chest at the foot of my bed. I removed the contents and a false bottom to reveal a number of keepsakes carefully enclosed in boxes of a variety of shapes sizes and colors.

I found just what I wanted, a baby doll nightie and a pair of matching panties that Great Aunt Montine had been so sweet to give me. Prior to that I had been content to sleep in an oversized T-shirt but she told me that when girls become women lingerie is such a treat for the body and soul. I put them on and turned to the mirror. I was as beautiful as ever and I felt nice.

I looked thru the chest and found a few more items, peeking inside the boxes, that I thought that I could use tomorrow. I replaced the false bottom and filled the chest with its former contents and closed it cherishing the aroma that had wafted from inside. I could no longer fight sleep so I climbed snug into bed wondering what tomorrow would bring.

In my dream, I remembered the miraculous summer when I was 13 that I spent with Great Aunt Montine. I also dreamed that Great Aunt Montine had died. She died of congestive heart failure at the age of 120. Even right before her death she looked like a thirty year old swim suit model. As sweet as she was, no one made Dorian grey jokes about her. Her unnatural appearance seemed to deepen the gulf between her and the rest of the family. The only one of her relations who dared cross that gulf was me so it was no surprise that I was willed all of her vast estate. Even though I realized it was only a dream, I was overcome with grief.

With the grief I was allowed release as I collapsed face down on the bed and erupt into tears. I gave voice with a loud shriek to the sadness that overwhelmed me with Greek words which must have manifest from some genetic memory which I could mentally translate into English.

"Oh my Goddess! I have failed you! Thy handmaiden seeketh thy wisdom and beauty. "

Before I could wonder at my outburst, I felt a hand touch and comfort me.

"Be well my daughter. I have come."

Just the sound of her voice calmed me in spite of the sense of awe that enveloped me. I stopped crying and got up to face her. Before me was the maiden from the field that Perseus met before becoming Penelope. It was Aphrodite herself. I prostrated myself at her feet.

"My Lady! Thy servant listens eager to obey!"

"Child your wisdom does you credit. I bid you rise and we must talk woman to woman, Penelope"

I did as she commanded and looking into her eyes, I found peace. All of the many questions fled from my mind and my thoughts were uncluttered as I listened for her next words.

"You are so like that first Penelope so many years ago. It grieved me that there were none found worth in the female line to carry on my purpose for giving her the vial and the seeds so many years ago. That is until the curse of Erida was removed and you have proven a worthy successor, Penelope "

"My lady, thy handmaiden awaits to do thy bidding."

"I call you to be my priestess and to bring my worship to this present age that has forgotten me. I leave you my gift of the vial and seeds for the female line which you join."

"I have much to learn, My Lady, both of your worship and the ways of women. Let it be unto me according to thy will. What is your bidding, My Lady?"

"First, read the remaining part of your Great Aunt Montine's Letter. It reveals the resources that the sisterhood has accumulated for my bidding from ancient times as well as the records of all which you must know to be my priestess. Second, Go to your Great Aunt Montine's home and learn all it's hidden secrets from your mentor and predecessor. Learn from her as well since she has wisdom commensurate to her years"

"I hear and I will obey all that thou hast said, My Lady."

"I leave you now my daughter, knowing that you will serve me well for many years. Go in my good pleasure!"

For the first time since she appeared with me in the house, I felt compelled to take my eyes off her and glance in the mirror. it brought me joy to think that Aphrodite had blessed and chosen me for such an important undertaking. I quickly turned back to where she had been seconds before and she had vanished.

All I really knew that I had some interesting days as Penelope ahead of me to find out the secrets hidden Great Aunt Montine's house as commanded by Aphrodite. No time like the present to be at it so I looked where I left Aunt Montine's Letter. I held it and read it from the beginning to make sure I hadn’t missed anything in the light of today's revelations. I should have been too mind blown to read anything after coming face to face with Aphrodite but the peace the Goddess bestowed remained with me enabling me to read.

Beauty and the Vial

The Original Short Story

By Jo Dora Webster

Will Perseus, with Helen's help, find a way to enter
Aphrodite's presence and gain beauty for his mother?

---

---

---

A Lost Story Returns to its Author

Imagine my surprise when a story I posted to a BBS and lost in a hard drive crash was found on Usenet. The story migrated from where I posted it on The Sierra Connection BBS to Usenet where Frank found it and posted it to BCTS. When I told Erin I was the author, she agreed and assigned the story to me. I have made spelling and grammatical corrections and replaced the old pen name with my current one.to the short story which appears below.

Exploring the impossibilities,
Jo Dora Webster

"That's the thing about faith... if you don't have it, you can't understand it and If you do, no explanation is necessary."

Star Trek Deep Space 9 "Accession"

---

---

---

BEAUTY1.TXT

Beauty and the Vial

By Jo Dora Webster

Chapter 1

Penelope and Helen

The Grecian plain glistened with the clinging droplets everywhere from the blessing that had been received from the heavens. A poor Grecian boy stood as a guest in the home of his friend, a poor Grecian girl. Perseus listened intently to Helen as she told him about the field that Aphrodite visited each year close to the village.

"I discovered this myself and I have told no one till telling you now. Tomorrow is the day, Perseus!", Helen spoke in a whisper.

"My mother is so lonely. If only she could have the beauty that age, and hard work have robbed from her then someone would fall in love with her, and she would have all she needs. I know that she won't ask for beauty for herself. She thinks of everyone but herself.", whispered Perseus.

"Only your mother or her daughter could petition Aphrodite for beauty. You don't have any sisters, Perseus. You could be the daughter that asks Aphrodite for your mother." explained Helen.

Helen dressed Perseus up as a girl. Perseus looked at the reflection in a mirror and admired Helen's skill. Perseus could pass as a girl before anyone. The only exception was the goddess herself who could see beyond the exterior to the soul. Would the goddess ignore the deception to see beyond to his motives for his mother?

Perseus told Helen," I think that Aphrodite would listen to a boy rather than one who tried to deceive her. Would you please go to the shrine to Aphrodite and give an offering for my mother and me? Thank you for your help. Seeing myself as a girl makes me wish I were my mother's daughter. Nevertheless, I go in truth and in love for my mother."

Helen replied, "I had not thought of that Perseus. I even had a girl's name picked out for you, Penelope. I will do as you ask and may you have favor with the Goddess."

Helen helped Perseus remove the disguise and he left dressed as he entered.

"Perhaps someday there will be a Penelope.", Perseus whispered to Helen as he left.

Perseus ran to the field and spied a beautiful maiden in the field. Perseus thought, "This is the goddess herself just as Helen had told me."

He came and knelt at her feet. She touched him and told him, "Arise. Why do you come here to me? "

"Lady I come here to bring a petition for my mother."

"You did well to come before me in truth even though as a man you are not worthy to come before me. The girl, Helen who thought that I could be deceived by her handiwork should be taught a lesson."

"I beg mercy for her, Lady. Her judgement was clouded with her great desire to help me."

"Mercy shall be granted to her. Come be with me this day and help me harvest the seeds and fluid from these plants. After the work is done, I will answer your petition, Perseus."

The Goddess handed Perseus a vial and pouch identical to hers to hold the fluid and seeds and after she showed him the method where no fluid would be lost, and no seed missed.

The pair worked in the field thru the noonday. The goddess told stories of women who had loved and, in each story, portrayed a different hue of a many-colored love. When the Sun hung overhead past its full strength the two had finished the field. Perseus gave the Goddess the fluid filled vial and the pouch that contained the seeds.

"You have done well Perseus. Come eat supper with me."

They both retired to a grassy spot underneath the shade of a tree with a pond just beyond. They dined sitting on a cover of fine linen partaking of delicacies only known on Olympus. Following the meal Perseus was overcome with drowsiness.

He spoke," My lady, I beg your forgiveness, but I can scarce keep my eyes open."

"Sleep now, Perseus. You have my blessing."

Perseus surrendered and fell asleep wondering thankful for the Goddess's understanding.

About an hour later the child awoke to find the Goddess smiling and saying, "Now you are worthy dear Penelope. You have wondered why a Goddess would disguise herself as a maiden and labor herself to gather the fluid and seeds. The fluid is blessed by the Gods to bring beauty. To be exposed as much a mortal woman could not contain the beauty and any man would be transformed. You will find yourself precocious having matured as much as a 18 yr old even though you are only twelve."

She withdrew a fluid filled small vial from around her neck and continued, "I will ask you to bring this vial to your mother later and have her use it as I show you to place 2 drops under her tongue."

Aphrodite demonstrated by placing a drop under her tongue then she continued, "When she does it that will give her back her beauty during the next time she sleeps. Both of you will need only one drop each year to renew your beauty. I'm also going to give you a few seeds and before the vial is exhausted you should be able to use the plants to refill it. I'm also going to give you a scroll that gives the dosage, effects and warns of the danger."

Penelope replied in a sweet feminine voice, "Thank you my lady for granting my petition and my wish and for caring for me this day. Now that I may offer my own offering to you, I will be faithful."

Aphrodite gave her a hug and said, "Come, you will attend me as handmaiden as I bathe then I will send my gifts home with you to your mother. Bathe yourself so that you may serve me."

Penelope joyfully when she reached the pond removed her old male clothes and entered the pond and bathed herself. She then helped the goddess to undress and bathed her in the waters of the pond. When finished they turned back to the shore and robes and towels had been provided. Drying herself and the Goddess she helped the Goddess dress and found provided a wonderful dress for her to wear.

Penelope gratefully said, "Thank you so much for the beautiful clothing, my Lady. Your blessing has surely been poured out on me."

Aphrodite smiled and said, "You must keep the secret of the plants safe because unknowing souls would trample this sacred plain, and their greed would bring death. Say no more than you have been blessed by Aphrodite. This that I give you is mine only to give so use it only for your family and its descendants. Penelope, you will always remain a woman to reward your acts toward me this day. If your family betray this trust, I will take away these added gifts of my blessing to your mother for her and your family."

Aphrodite sensed that Helen was nearing the plain in despair for the fate of Perseus whom she had expected back with a answer long ago and she feared something had happened to him.

"Helen is coming to the plain. Go meet her and bring her to me." commanded the Goddess.

"Yes, my lady." Penelope replied and she ran to meet Helen.

When she finally caught up, she gave Helen a big hug and said, "I am now Penelope but this morning I was Perseus. The Goddess granted my wish and now she commands me to bring you to her."

Helen took her hand without a word and the two ran to meet the Goddess. Helen after questioning Penelope became convinced that she had been Perseus and was truly struck with Penelope's beauty and that she had passed from girlhood to womanhood while retaining the age of a child. When they arrived, Helen knelt at the feet of Aphrodite.

"Arise, my child. You have done well in keeping the secret of this plain and the day of my visits till this day. This day you also planned to deceive me, but you repented of it. You offered gifts to my shrine for Penelope and her mother and for you and your mother. You have my mercy for your transgressions colored for the love of your friend and wanting to help her mother. To reward you for your keeping of the secret of the plain and in exchange for your continued silence I will give you for your family a vial of the fluid and a few of the seeds to replenish it. You must keep the secret of the plants safe because unknowing souls would trample this sacred plain, and their greed would bring death. Say no more than you have been blessed by Aphrodite. This that I give you is mine only to give so use it only for your family and its descendants. If your family betray this trust, I will take away these gifts of my blessing to you for you and your family."

Helen replied, "Thank you my lady and I will be faithful to your instructions and in serving you."

"Penelope can instruct you in these gifts as I have instructed her, Helen."

Aphrodite took her vial and placed it around Penelope's neck. She filled another one and placed it around Helen's neck. The Goddess took 2 small pouches that contained a few seeds and gave it to each girl and then gave each girl a instruction scroll.

"Penelope, I have revealed your identity to the priestess in the village and I have a necklace to give you to show that you have been my handmaiden and are under my protection."

Aphrodite placed a necklace terminating in a ruby stone on Penelope.

"Thank you, my lady for your grace toward me.", Penelope said as she looked at the necklace.

"I must go now and so you both are free to return to your homes. I know that you both will want to help but I ask you not to return here for it would mean your death to help in the harvest. I will always hear your petitions thru the shrine and will give you answers thru the priestess. If we do need to speak face to face, I will come to you. I wish it were not so but all you can do by meeting me here in the future is to lead someone to the secret place. ", she commanded.

Penelope answered for the both of them, "We will do as you command."

Aphrodite smiled, "Go now my children. Farewell till I come to you again."

Each girl replied " Farewell, my lady" and they joyfully started the journey to the village.

Helen turned back to look at the plain and saw it empty. Aphrodite had returned to Olympus.

"These sure changes things. Until today I thought that you would one day become my lover and wife, Helen.", said Penelope excitedly

"Now we will be best friends for always, Penelope. I guess that makes both of us looking for boyfriends." replied Helen.

"Just don't rush me with the boys. I'm going to have to get used to being a girl."

"With a body like that once they get beyond you having been a boy you are going to be rushed by them."

"Then I'll deal with it. How are you going to deal with your family with the gift? My mother, sister and I will take it tonight then we will all be beautiful in the morning."

"As will my mother. We both are so lucky."

Helen and Penelope came to Penelope's house first so that Helen could help explain the transformation. Daphne, Penelope's mother met them at the door and greeted them, "Welcome, Helen who is your friend and where is my son?"

"This is Penelope who was your son, Perseus. Perseus found out from me where Aphrodite would be today, and he asked the Goddess to grant you beauty so that you would find a husband and no longer be lonely. Perseus helped Aphrodite harvest the beauty fluid and after a nap was transformed to Penelope."

"I can see that she is my daughter now. Welcome home Penelope!"

Mother and daughter embraced.

"Mother, I have a gift to you from Aphrodite."

Penelope took the vial and placed 2 drops under her tongue. Penelope handed the vial, seeds and scroll to Daphne.

"I will explain all to you but the most important is that these are to be secret and kept in the family. When you wake from your next sleep, Mother, the goddess's blessing of beauty will have happened. "

"That's wonderful, Penelope! How will we explain to the village that you are my daughter that used to be my son?"

"The priestess can tell them if we ask her to. Aphrodite revealed my transformation to her."

"I'm going to place all of the blessing from Aphrodite in this box for safe keeping till we need them again."

"We only need a drop each year on this day to keep the beauty fresh and new."

Helen said, "Well I'm going to go tell my family of the gift that Aphrodite gave me for my family. Bye!"

Both Penelope and Daphne told her goodbye then they both went to their rooms to go to sleep.

Chapter 2 Gail and Montine

It was a replica of the original box that had contained the items in ancient Greece as was the pouch that held the seeds inside and the scroll that contained the instructions. Etched into the cover of the box was the name Daphne in Greek letters. This was all I, Alex, knew about the box that had been willed to me from my great Aunt Montine which appeared in the description of the box from the will.

Great Aunt Montine had always been beautiful and even ageless externally though eventually she had died of congestive heart failure when she had reached the age of 120. Even then just before her death she had looked good enough to appear in a swimsuit issue of a magazine looking about 30 years old. She had been the Dick Clark of our family but as sweet as she was no one made Dorian Grey jokes.

I had been the closest to her in our family too because they thought her not surrendering to age to be uncomforting. I had learned to treat her as the matriarch of the family which she was in public while in our times together a contemporary. She knew that I savored the paradox eager to hear of times gone by and having her eagerly speak of the now.

Little did they know that she possessed some unexplainable magic and even now I am unable to decide whether it was real or a dream. I spent a summer when I was 13 with Great Aunt Montine and I had decided that I had no idea what motivated that unknowable species, the teenaged girl.

Wonder of wonders on the block where Great Aunt Montine lived that summer all the children were daughters. That had motivated them to form a sorority which was the main social group for the children there. Being the only male teen should have been great but I was shy and uncertain of myself and there were no social gatherings that I would be invited to so I could not get to know them individually.

Seeing my discomfort and knowing that I wanted to learn my great aunt asked me if I would like to participate in an experiment. She wanted me to pose as a girl for a while and join the sorority. I agreed on the condition that my disguise would be flawless. Thinking that was the same as saying no I slept and, in the morning, I found that I appeared to be a teenaged girl. Great Aunt Montine told me that it was all an illusion that would fade in time but everyone on the block would accept me as what I now appeared to be for that time period. How long would I be this way I questioned. She told me that she thought it would be only a month.

Great Aunt Montine and I had a great time buying a small but versatile teen wardrobe for me. She introduced me around as her great niece. Gail Landers and I was soon tapped for initiation into the sorority. That initiation was the second scariest thing that I had gone thru. (The first was my period beginning on the first day. Even though great aunt Montine had prepared me for it I felt so scared and then relieved knowing if she were right, I would have to go thru it at most only one time more.) I was supposed to for the initiation pose for a life study class at a nearby college art department.

Rather than having to get around my parents since Great Aunt Montine had thought to obtain temporary guardianship of me, she could and was willing to sign the releases so I could pose. It was quite a character builder, but I became less conscious of my new body, so it helped me adjust.

One very talented female art student gave me a painting that she had made from her sketches. She told me that every young woman should have a nude done of her in her teens so she could have a reminder of where she had come from. I gratefully accepted her loving gift.

I was in and for the next month I learned so much about teenaged girls. I knew that I had overcome my shyness for in a great many respects they were no different than I as a boy had been. They just had a few different experiences and the effects of those made the real differences.

I also learned the secret that I had missed on boys mixing with them socially. They of necessity went as a group to social events outside the community. This caused my greatest agitation since as the newest initiate they wanted me to reflect well on them and also to learn not to be shy and enjoy the company of boys.

I had already on that first day of shopping had gone to see a gynecologist and had an exam and since we both agreed that I might not tolerate birth control pills. Since I exhibited the same chemistry as great aunt Montine that could not tolerate it, we opted for a 4-pronged defense. Rhythm, rubber baby buggy bumper (diaphragm), spermicide and a male or female condom or both. At the time I did not see any way that I would allow myself in a consensual situation.

One day after I had confided in great aunt Montine my problem relating as a girl to boys it was gone. Mind and body were in unison and I found myself having romantic fantasies and for the first time I was only Gail and a girl, and the former life was so fuzzy that I felt it was only a dream that I had. From that time on I had lost my shyness with boys. Then I started to go thru the cycle of emotions that came from being in love and out of love.

Shortly after that I found that all my clothes became snug in the chest and hips, and I had to get some D cup bras when before a b cup fit me fine. This was a blessing because it enabled me to start borrowing from great aunt Montine’s closet and the dresses that I found there that fit me gave me everything that I needed to wear to support the social life that I had gained beyond the mixers that the sorority attended and the sorority itself. I dated boys and enjoyed myself.

There was one boy in particular, Dennis, who I deeply loved and was in heaven when I was with him. Finally, we decided that the most natural way to express our love was to do it physically. But knowing how important it was to avoid that fertile time of the month we decided to wait till afterward.

I knew that my time was coming to a close and I started to tell Dennis that I would soon have to go far away, and it would be impossible to stay in touch. In fact, it would be as though I had died. He used that quote quoted in Beauty and the Beast. “Though Lovers be lost, Love shall not, and Death shall have no dominion.” I told him that if he still felt that way knowing it would be our last then I would consent, but I did not want to hurt him more since I would be leaving.

I let all this out on great aunt Montine, and she told me that she had miscalculated and that I would have a brief reprieve after my second period but would not remain to have a third. Two weeks more she guessed.

We waited and hoped and finally my time had passed, and we picked out a romantic setting for our union. It was glorious and I have not experienced anything like it since then. The last days were wonderful for we lived each as though it were our last. After one night’s sleep I found my body was back to the teen proportions that it started out as and knew that the end was near.

I said goodbye to everyone as Gail that next day and had the last day of last days with Dennis that had become a part of me. We parted in the joy of our relationship leaving the Grieving for later when I told him that this was it. That during the night I would have to leave and never return.

I was right three nights later because when I woke the next morning, I had returned to be a teenaged boy.

Until that time even though my body seemed to be undergoing a reverse puberty yet still I was Gail and I grieved for the loss of Dennis till I woke on that third day as a teenaged boy again. I was convinced that Gail indeed had died when I brought out the portrait of her and lusted for her.

All was normal, yet I remembered vividly my experiences as Gail and understood her emotions and desires then even though the ones I had now were different.

I thanked my great aunt for the wonderful 6 weeks that she had given me and wondered still how the magic had been performed but she never gave me any clue.

I became good friends with the Dennis that Gail had fallen in love with, and it seemed that my company eased his grief. I had switched from grieving for Dennis to grieving with him over Gail. I became integrated into the social scene there and dated several of Gail’s former sorority sisters. After a week of grieving, Dennis accepted my offer of double dating a pair of wonderful girls from the sorority and after that Dennis seemed to enjoy other girls' company again and led a pretty full social life. I was glad for Dennis and in turn he helped me over some of my hurdles as well, but I never was to come to the same place with any of the girls that I had dated. At least I reasoned that if I had not brought any of them that happiness at least I would not bring them the grief. And I knew that even though we might be separated at the end of the summer at least neither would be entirely impossible to reach.

I attended one more meeting of the sorority just before I left to go back home. When the sorority had become convinced that Gail had indeed disappeared from the face of the earth due in part to a rumor that persisted that she had entered the witness protection program and further attempts to find her could put her in danger they planned a meeting to celebrate their memories of her.

They had permission to hold it in the local Baptist church and even though it was open to the public the only people that had been invited besides the sorority were me, great aunt Montine, Dennis, and Gerald who had dated Gail the most before she had met Dennis.

They held it as a meeting of the sorority and even though they did not give away any secrets it followed the format familiar to me which meant that they were comfortable including us in on it. When the memory portion came up, they went around the circle giving warm moments or anecdotes from Gail’s time with them. I knew that I wanted to convey to them again Gail’s feelings toward them all so when the invitation came for those who were not sorority members to speak, I waited to the end and read the entry that Gail had made in her diary that last evening before the change from pre-adolescent girl to boy had taken place as though it were a personal letter to me from her.

This day was my most important memory of Gail that was not from Gail.

It also was what convinced me that Dennis had once and for all turned loose of Gail and that was the best for his wellbeing and my conscience though at the time I knew Gail had resisted all the way for that reason and now I knew that Dennis subscribed to the idea that it was better to love and lost than not to have loved at all. It was merciful that Gail’s grieving had been cut off after 3 days. If she were still living in the present, I would not be able to be as certain that she would have put this behind her.

If anything this summer brought great aunt Montine and I as close as sisters. I thanked her with all my heart for all she had done for and meant to me during this summer and especially for her gift of Gail’s summer. She smiled and hugged me and promised that one day that I would know the secret of the magic that she had used. I spent other summers with her but even though we talked of Gail the magic never was repeated and we both knew that it would cause more problems than joy for her to arrive again because I knew that it would be cruel to resurrect her if she were not back to stay.

Chapter 3 Great Aunt Montine’s Legacy

Well I decided to look at the scroll and try to decipher it and I saw a picture of the vial held so that it dropped 2 drops under the tongue. Well, I reasoned if 2 drops worked good then 8 drops would work great. So, I took the vial and was going to let 8 drops fall under my tongue. After the first drop though I stopped and reconsidered. It had been so impulsive of me to want to experience the vial’s contents to the max. Fortunately, the voice of reason won out and I hoped that the one drop that I had taken would not be enough to do anything to me.

I really wanted to know what the writing on the scroll said so I went back to the box that the replica box had been packed in. As I suspected I had left something behind hidden in the packing. I found a sealed large blank envelope which I opened and found inside an envelope in Great Aunt Montine’s handwriting addressed to me. I began to read parts of the letter.

Dearest Alexander, I want you to know that first last and always I love you and I have felt your love and to know you has given me and I have seen in you great joy. I have treasured the times that we have spent together and know that each time brought us closer. Only you in our family could appreciate my uniqueness and see not only the beauty of the body but also of the soul. I thank you for that and despite our ages I have felt we are kindred spirits. It has been hard knowing that with my not having daughters or children at all when my parents had only a son and a daughter.

The son married and had 3 sons one of whom was your father. They all combined to have 7 sons with you being the only son of your father. I had nothing against the wives, but they had joined the family by marriage instead of being born into it as I had been so my condition was especially alien to them and none of them could relate to me as woman to woman.

Not only did having no women in the family except by marriage add to the prejudice against me but also it gave me no one in the family that I felt comfortable confiding in till you turned 6 with your precocious high IQ and your understanding and unconditional acceptance of me. When you gave your permission to become Gail that summer, I told myself it was for your good so that you would overcome your shyness and relate to girls your age as you had related to me, but I knew that I wanted a daughter and Gail was my daughter for that brief time. I came to learn the lesson after you returned, Alexander, that I was as guilty as others of prejudice judging a having a daughter or niece or grandniece to be better than having a kindred spirit. Though you are a very masculine person in body and soul you also embrace the feminine and are richer for it.

There was not a lot of property and though as doting a great aunt I have been concerning you I knew that you had no need for the material substance of my estate. Nevertheless I wished for you to have something of mine as a remembrance of me and of all the time we spent together. I had a difficult task but an easy decision regarding a special object that had been passed down from mother to daughter or at least from aunt to niece or grandniece in our family that truly dated back to ancient times. To look at our family now you would never guess that we were all descendants from a Greek woman’s daughter, but we were. The Greek blood in our veins has been diluted to make it almost nonexistent yet it is there. Let me tell you the story of how the box came to be and of a poor boy named Perseus and his friend Helen.

As you can tell things work out well for Daphne, Penelope and Helen thanks to the favor of the Goddess Aphrodite in providing the miracle liquid. I as inheritor of the ancient blessing had to decide who would be my successor so that it might be passed on to succeeding generations. Though I willingly would have shared the secret with the wives in the family their rejection of my condition made it likely that they might betray the secret, so I withheld it from them and also the box as an inheritance. I was confronted with giving it to one of my seven great nephews in trust for the next generation. Fortunately, you made the decision easy by being a kindred spirit I knew I could count on you to see the true value and to keep the secret and pass it on to the right person in the next generation.

I caution you, Alexander, as my mother cautioned me and so on since Penelope and Helen were warned by the goddess herself. The Goddess Aphrodite has given you for your family a vial of the fluid, a few of the seeds to replenish it, and a scroll to explain it. You must keep the secret of the plants safe because unknowing souls would trample the plants and their greed would bring death. Say no more than you have been blessed by Aphrodite. This that is given to you is only Aphrodite’s to give so use it only for your family and its descendants. If your family betrays this trust Aphrodite will take away these gifts of her blessing to you for you and your family. So that you may know all I will now give you the translation of the scroll.

As you can see now my magic in changing you to Gail was none other than the beauty fluid. That first evening I used 2 drops under your tongue to transform you which was a temporary dose that made you a girl for a month. I began to realize that you were still bound by your male self-image and for you to really experience being a girl I had to intensify your transformation while keeping it well below the 6 drops that would cause a permanent change. The third drop caused you to finish female puberty and feminized your sex drive so that along with a woman’s body and emotions you had a woman’s desires. I told you that in time I would reveal to you the secret and if you had ever asked again for the magic to be performed on you, I would have told you all before proceeding.

Let me make my personal recommendations on how you should use it. Using it on females is covered well in the scroll and in all the centuries not one of our ancestors have passed on any recommendation to conflict with the scroll’s 2 drop for first application and 1 drop per year thereafter. There is an oral tradition on using it on males since the scrolls do not say it and we do not know how much absorbed thru the hands by Perseus is equivalent to how much sublingually administered.

Should you desire to become a woman temporarily now I would recommend up to a maximum of 4 drops to become a stunningly beautiful woman. Should you decide to become a woman permanently use 6 drops for a permanent transformation and a maximum of 2 additional drops to become stunningly beautiful. The fifth drop administered to a male is in unknown territory.

It may intensify and prolong a temporary transformation but more likely it may start a permanent transformation to a pre-pubescent girl - like state.

Since you have already been transformed by the drops in your childhood then your transformation will be immediate to the degree of beauty you obtained then. In other words, you will become a “grown up Gail”. The number of drops will determine how long you will stay as “Gail”. You will have to experiment and see how long each dose will work for you.

Remember that as long as a dose is in effect, and another is administered then the result is the same as though both were given at the same time.

I do not know of by my own experience or by oral tradition any substance to counter or weaken the effects of the liquid. If you by accident or design take an overdose your only hope is that for you uniquely the limits may really be higher but please do not bet your life on it. There is an oral tradition of only deaths resulting from females overdosing. (A big enough overdose by a male is equivalent for a portion of the dosage will result in transformation to female and thereafter the same conditions apply.) If you find someone in an overdose situation this is different from the action waiting until sleep. The best method is to not interrupt the sleep cycle and one will either wake extremely beautiful or dead. Not sleeping causes a chain reaction that consumes the body and results in a horrible death so one can’t avoid the consequences by not sleeping.

I put down the letter at that point and considered my ill-conceived attempted administration of the eight drops of the liquid. Had I followed through with taking all eight drops, after I slept next, I would have become a woman permanently. I would have been a strikingly beautiful woman this year and if I administered one drop each year, I would retain undiminished that striking beauty.

Now I would have to live with the consequences of my action of taking the one drop. A rush of excitement filled me over the prospect of the transformation that would take place while sleeping this very night. I wondered how long the one drop would last for me now that I was quite grown up.

And I would be one with the persona of ‘Gail’ who I remembered but everything was second hand now. It would be glorious to be Gail not only for what I experienced as her then but also what I could experience through her now.

I considered the extreme luck that had prevented me from impulsively taking the 8 drops or more. I now was the guardian of this treasure, and I made a mental note to see if I could avoid my near mishap with the person that I would pass the box to when my time came. I know that Great Aunt Montine was waiting in case a niece was born but I was determined to try to pass it on while I lived and could make the recipient listen before they had been given this fluid which was both medical miracle and poison.

The lateness of the hour began to catch up with me and I began to yawn. I caught myself and realized that I was going to have to make do with what was in the house to get started with tomorrow. I knew that the rest of Great Aunt Montine’s letter would be touching and valuable, but I put it aside to go to the cedar chest at the foot of my bed. I removed the contents and a false bottom to reveal a number of keepsakes carefully enclosed in boxes of a variety of shapes sizes and colors.

I found just what I wanted, a baby doll nightie and a pair of matching panties that Great Aunt Montine had been so sweet to give me. Prior to that I had been content to sleep in an oversized T-shirt, but she told me that when girls become women lingerie is such a treat for the body and soul.

I changed that night in more than one way for having the experience. I put them on and turned to the mirror. I seemed a bit ridiculous in appearance but I felt nice, and I knew that when I woke up that I would look as nice as I felt now.

I looked thru the chest and found a few more items, peeking inside the boxes, that I thought that I could use tomorrow. I replaced the false bottom and filled the chest with its former contents and closed it cherishing the aroma that had wafted from inside. I could no longer fight sleep so I climbed snug into bed wondering what tomorrow would bring.

To Be Continued...

------------------------------------

This file came from

Sierra Connection BBS

Serving the Gender Community from Nevada

702-825-4220 8-N-1 28.8 VF (4 Nodes)

Home of the Fiction Story Writing Contest

Home of the Gif Beauty Contest

---

---

---

My First Attempt to Extend the Short Story

The book, "Beauty and the Vial Revealed," is the final result of my taking the short story contents and telling the rest of the story. In the book, I augmented the short story's chapter one and made it the book's prolog. The short stories' chapter two and three's content is mostly followed in the body of the book but is altered to make another ending and additional elements possible.

What follows is my first attempt to extend the original short story. You may read this as an addendum to the short story which appears above.

Exploring the impossibilities,
Jo Dora Webster

"That's the thing about faith... if you don't have it, you can't understand it and If you do, no explanation is necessary."

Star Trek Deep Space 9 "Accession"

---

---

---

Chapter 4 Awakening and an Audience

I fell asleep a 60-year-old Alexander and woke very much a thirty something voluptuously mature Gail. My female mind had returned, and I cursed my male alter ego for being so unthinking in playing with the gift of the vial. Fortunately, with my enhanced wisdom also came a woman's emotions. With the grief I was allowed release as I collapsed face down on the bed and erupt into tears. I gave voice with a loud shriek to the sadness that overwhelmed me with Greek words which must have manifest from some genetic memory which I could mentally translate into English.

"Oh my Goddess! I have failed you! Thy handmaiden seeketh thy wisdom and beauty. "

Before I could wonder at my outburst, I felt a hand touch and comfort me.

"Be well my daughter. I have come."

Just the sound of her voice calmed me in spite of the sense of awe that enveloped me. I stopped crying and got up to face her. Before me was the maiden from the field that Perseus met before becoming Penelope. It was Aphrodite herself. I prostrated myself at her feet.

"My Lady! Thy servant listens eager to obey!"

"Child your wisdom does you credit. I bid you rise, and we must talk woman to woman, Gail"

I did as she commanded and looking into her eyes, I found peace. All of the many questions fled from my mind and my thoughts were uncluttered as I listened for her next words.

"You are so like that first Penelope so many years ago. It grieved me that there were none found worth in the female line to carry on my purpose for giving her the vial and the seeds so many years ago. I warned of my displeasure if the sacred trust was endangered and so I revealed to her that it was again time to start over. I cursed all the males including Alexander with sterility knowing that you, Gail would come from him."

"My lady, thy handmaiden awaits to do thy bidding."

"I call you to be my priestess and to bring my worship to this present age that has forgotten me. I leave you my gift of the vial and seeds for the female line which you join."

"I have much to learn, My Lady, both of your worship and the ways of women and a life half gone to accomplish such a task.".

"Gail, I know it would cause you grief to reveal yourself to those who grieved you so long ago. You have known too much grief in your life, like the day when you discovered you could not give your beloved, Jenna a child and you adopted your daughter Helen. And the grief that you both suffered when a drunk driver killed Jenna."

"Thank you, My Lady. Beyond the grief there was joy. Alexander was able to be both a father and a mother to Helen. There was the joy of her growing into a woman and her marriage to a good man, Newton who has given her the child she carries within her. "

"Helen and Newton have received my favor. While I must take Helen's father, Alexander from her, I give to her another older daughter and sister to the daughter she carries within her. When you fulfill what I command, Gail, you shall become Helen's daughter, Penelope.”

"My Lady, in becoming the child, Penelope, will I lose both Gail and Alexander?"

" It is not my will for you to lose yourself, for you will need your lives as Alexander and Gail to help give you the wisdom to do my bidding. Doing as I instruct; you shall become a six-year-old girl and I will use the time of your childhood for you to learn a girl's ways as well as study my ways so you can be my priestess and factor in this world."

"Be it unto me according to thy will. What is your bidding, My Lady?"

"First, read the remaining part of your Great Aunt Montine's Letter. It reveals the resources that the sisterhood has accumulated for my bidding from ancient times as well as the records of all which you must know to be my priestess. Second, after you have returned to being Alexander, go to your daughter, Helen and reveal to her that both you and her family has been blessed by Aphrodite. You may reveal and let her experience the blessing of beauty that the seeds and vial provide as a way of proving to her that you will at my direction becomes her daughter. Third, Alexander must put his affairs in order including leaving your Great Aunt Montine's house to Helen in trust for her daughter Penelope till she comes of age. Before he leaves Alexander must bring Helen and her family to this house to live and Fourth, Alexander must take five drops and when she wakes in the morning after, she will be Penelope, Helen's six-year-old daughter."

"I hear, and I will obey all that thou hast said, My Lady."

"I leave you now my daughter, knowing that you will serve me well for many years. Go in my good pleasure!"

For the first time since she appeared with me in the house, I felt compelled to take my eyes off her and glance in the mirror. Instead of my image bringing me sadness for what I had lost those many years ago, it brought me joy to think that Aphrodite had blessed and chosen me for such an important undertaking. I quickly turned back to where she had been seconds before and she had vanished.

All I really knew that I had some interesting days as Gail ahead of me to find out the secrets hidden within this house as commanded by Aphrodite. I had faith to know that I could face Helen when I told her the story which most would dismiss as fantasy that my daughter would soon become my mother. No time like the present to be at it so I looked where I left Great Aunt Montine's Letter. I held it and read it from the beginning to make sure I hadn’t missed anything in the light of today's revelations. I should have been too mind blown to read anything after coming face to face with Aphrodite but the peace the Goddess bestowed remained with me enabling me to read.