For Daniel, his twelfth birthday was starting out like every other one. Here was home, with his two sisters and his parents, and a lame cake and no friends. Instead, he had to spend the day faking happiness for his family.

Daniel remembered his birthdays when he was younger, and they were so different. But then, only his sisters knew about the special birthdays, or so he thought. The earliest birthday he recalled was when he was six. His parents were out of town on a cruise — it seemed like they went away every year on his birthday — and he was alone with two older girls. Yuck!

But his sisters had other plans. They wanted Daniel to play “dress up” with them.

“Hey Dan,” sister Maria yelled. “Come into my room and let’s play a game,”

“Why?” he replied. “I just want to go outside and play baseball.”

“No way Dan,” yelled his other sister Dora, “we have such a great day planned, like nothing you’ve ever done.”

“OK,” he muttered, and walked up the stairs into their room. There was something about their room, something that he always liked. Perhaps it was the light pink paint, or the frilly drapes, or the shapely handles on the dressers, he never knew. But the room felt comfy.

So inside he went. There they were, his two older sisters — smiling. What the heck was going on? Daniel wondered.

“OK, let’s play a game,” said Dora. “It’s called dress up. If you do what we say, we’ll let you go outside and play baseball. If you don’t, we’ll make you stay inside and won’t let you watch TV or do anything fun.” Daniel thought about the offer and realized that his sisters were older and bigger, and they could easily prevent the scrawny little boy from doing anything they didn’t like. So he said, “Sure.”

“Good,” said Dora. All we want to do is see how you look with some nicer clothes on. All you ever wear are those dungarees and t-shirts. You’re so sweet looking, so we thought you’d like to see how nice you can look. OK?”

“Sure.”

“Good, so take off all of your clothes."

Daniel looked at them. “Why?”

“Look kiddo, it’s not like we haven’t seen your boy thing before and besides, it’s not very big, because you’re not very big,” said Dora.

“No.”

“Then I guess you’ll be bored,” Maria said.

Daniel looked around, noticed Dora locking the door and realized he was stuck. “OK.”

“Good, so try on this top first,” Dora said. Daniel looked at the pink shirt and put it on. The silky feel felt good, but it buttoned so funny, like they were backwards. “Oh, don’t worry about that,” said Dora, “it’s a special style.” Daniel figured it out and finished. But he couldn’t understand why the shirt had a tie at the waist. “Oh well, at least I can play baseball soon,” he thought.

“Good, now try on these pants." They were black, so Daniel agreed.

“But they don’t have a zipper,” Daniel complained.

“Oh don’t worry,” said Dora, “they’re trendy too.”

Dora shook her head. “No, it doesn’t work, but I know why.” She thought for a second and said, “Daniel, you need a special top underneath, different underpants and a different outfit.”

“Why? You promised I could play baseball.”

“Yes, but only after we finished,” Dora noted. "So put these on."

Daniel realized it was a bra and panties, and said, “That’s a bra.”

“OK, so it is, but if you don’t put it on, you’ll be inside all day. It’s only 10 o’clock, you little runt, so you can spend the next 10 hours inside or do what I say. And you even have a choice — we bought two of them just for you.” Dora showed him his choices.

Daniel started to cry. “No, please no.”

“OK, then go to your room and stay there all day all alone. You won’t be playing baseball that’s for sure, and you won’t have a good birthday either.”

He stood there frozen. What to do. So he tried on the flowery bra. It fit him perfectly.

“Now here are the underpants.”

“Good, now I think you need a different outfit. Try this.”

Daniel froze. “NO!”

“OK, enjoy your room.”

“And I’ll tell Mommy you broke her good vase,” Dora replied.

“But I didn’t, it’s in the hallway fine.”

“Not if I break it and tell her you did it. She’ll believe me because you’re always throwing things in the house, and she told you to stop.”

Daniel realized she had him in a corner. “OK, but then once we’re done I can play baseball?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“OK.”

He put on the dress and it felt so nice. And Daniel actually thought it looked nice too. “OK, we’re done, right?” he asked.

“Oh no,” said Dora. “No sibling of mine will wear that dress with getting hair done and putting on nice shoes. So put these on.”

Daniel saw her take out the shoes and, realizing that he had lost this war, put them on.

“And now your hair, let’s fix it up. It’s nice and long and needs to be combed and made prettier. OK?”

All he could think about was baseball, so Daniel agreed. Thirty minutes later he really wondered what he agreed to.

“See,” Dora said, “your hair looks so much better, don’t you think so Maria?”

“Yes,” she answered and gave Daniel a hug. "You’re so pretty, you look so sweet, and can I call you Dana?”

“No,” said Daniel. “I’m Daniel.”

“Look at you,” said Maria. “In that dress and with that pretty hair, you like my little sister. And you look happy. You’re smiling.”

“No,” Daniel said.

“Look Dana,” said Maria, “don’t you remember when you were real little and we used to play dress up, and you loved it. You used to laugh and smile. We’re doing it now because you seemed sad and had no one to play with. We just want you to be happy, and you look so pretty.”

Daniel realized she was right. He was happy. He had the attention his sisters, and they were being so nice to him. “Yes,” he sighed.

“Good,” said Maria, “but keep this our little secret, OK?”

“Yes,” said Daniel.

“Now can I go out and play?” he asked.

“Oh yes, go right ahead,” said Dora. She took his hand and began walking him to the front door.

“Not like this!” he screamed.

“Oh Dana, you forgot, I said you could go out and play if we played dress up, but I never said you could change your clothes, did I?”

Daniel thought for a moment and realized she was right. She tricked him.

“It’s OK,” she said, “instead we can play some more dress up today, and we’ll keep doing this. You look so happy and we know you like it.”

Daniel agreed. And they played all day. He played jacks, and they played with dolls and his sisters showered him with love and the day passed so quickly that by the time it was bedtime, he had forgotten what he was wearing.

“Dana, it’s bedtime, and we have a surprise for you, another outfit just for bed."

”Why?” he asked.

“Well,” Dora said, “it’s much more comfy than the rough boy stuff you usually wear, and it’s prettier. And you can keep on your undies if you like.”

Daniel thought about and said, “OK.”

Maria went back to her dresser and pulled out the surprise. Daniel looked at it, loved it and smiled. “Thank you sis, you’re the best.”

The next day they played some more, and Daniel grew to love his sisters more than he ever imagined. And they treated him like the little sister they always wanted. As Dana grew they continued to play dress up, and added some additional fun and things to the mix. To Dana it was wonderful.

TO BE CONTINUED (WITH LOTS OF TWISTS)

When Daniel awoke, he looked down. "Argh. Why am I wearing this thing?" He immediately tried unbuttoning the frilly pink nightgown, to no avail, before realizing that it had no buttons. "Why am I wearing this thing?" he muttered.

Finally, he realized that he had to pull the gown over his head, hurling it across the room. Then he looked down. "Oh my God," he screamed, seeing the pretty pink bra and panties.

He immediately went to his drawer, and rummaged through until he found what he wanted - his jockey shorts, and a plain white T-shirt. He put them on, grabbed a pair of dungarees, some white socks and his sneakers, and put them on. He sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the mirror. Then he looked straight ahead and saw his face. "Oh my God, what happened to me?" he yelled.

His hair was so girlie. He touched his head, and realized that it was him, that his hair was parted in the middle and that his hair had been brushed that way. Then it all came back to him. Yesterday. Yesterday.

"Oh my God," he remembered his sisters' trick. They made me put on those clothes and ruined my birthday. They wouldn't let me play baseball, and I had to wear that dress - oh God that dress - all day. And all the other girl stuff too. But today would be different, he vowed to himself. Today he would do what he wanted.

Then the door opened, and Dora and Maria walked in.

They were much bigger than he was, and older - and stronger. Daniel looked up.

"Good morning Dana," said Dora.

Daniel stared straight ahead. "Good morning Dana," Dora said again, this time a bit louder.

Daniel stared straight ahead. "Good morning Dana," Dora said again, this time much louder. As she yelled, Maria walked over and sat down next to Daniel. "Didn't you hear Dora talking to you?" she asked. Daniel continued to stare straight ahead.

Finally, he yelled. "I'm not Dana, my name is Daniel, and I'm a boy." There, he thought, he said it, and that was it.

"Oh really, Dana," said Dora. "Don't you remember yesterday? You chose to stay in that pretty yellow dress rather than go play baseball? Remember?"

"That's not fair, you wouldn't let play in my dungarees, so I had no choice," Daniel yelled.

"That's not how I remember it," responded Dora. "You had a choice and then you liked it, especially when we played with you, didn't you? Remember when you hugged Barbie and kissed Ken? I don't think you hated that, did you?"

Daniel sat still. "Now what?" he thought, not saying a word.

"Listen Dana," Dora said.

"Stop calling me that," Daniel yelled.

"Excuse me sis," said Dora, "you behave and no yelling. Besides, mom and dad are away for another day, so Maria and I are in charge. Remember Dad said you had to do everything we told you. You wouldn't want him mad at you, would you?"

"But, he didn't know you would dress me up."

"And he won't believe you, if you told him," Maria quipped. "So let's have some fun." She kissed him on the cheek, and gently grabbed his hands. "Look, kiddo, we want you to have fun and we thought you did last night, and I think you kind of enjoyed it, didn't you?"

The room was silent, and after a few seconds, Daniel nodded. Maria smiled, kissed her little brother again and said, "See, you really did have some fun. So let's have another fun day, OK?"

"No," Daniel said, "I'm not your doll. You can't force me to do anything."

Maria kissed him again. "You're right, we only do things if you approve. If you don't, then we stop. Agreed?"

Shrugging, Daniel said "agreed" very softly.

"Good," said Maria. "You need a bath, don't you? You didn't take one last night, did you?"

"No."

"Guess what, we've already started the bath for you. Let's go," Maria said, taking his hand and pulling him off the bed. Daniel loved her smile and really couldn't resist her charm, so he got up and came along.

They walked down the hall into the bathroom. There he saw Dora, turning on the water. "You're going to take a bath, little Dana," she said, "a nice bubble bath." Daniel immediately noticed the Mr. Bubble container and assumed that he would be taking his normal bubble bath. But then he noticed that Dora had a bottle of Betty Bubbles Perfumed Bubble Bath in her hand, and was pouring it in the tub.

"Why can't I use Mr. Bubbles," Daniel protested.

"Oh silly," Dora replied. "We girls prefer a bubble bath that smells pretty, and besides, no one will know. Doesn't it smell pretty Dana?"

He had to admit it smelled nice, and said so. Dora and Maria smiled. "Get undressed and get into the tub," Maria said gently. "And don't worry, we'll turn around so we don't see your teeny boy thing," she giggled.

Daniel cringed when he heard her, but took off the clothes he had on and got in. As he did, he saw Dora pick them up and take them away. "What are you doing with my clothes?" he protested. "Nothing," she said, "we'll get your clothes for you when you're done."

He was naked and in the tub, and really couldn't do anything, so Daniel nodded. Next thing he knew, Maria was by his side, and telling him to get his head wet. "Why," he asked. "Silly girl," she said, "you need to wash your hair." Daniel nodded, not replying to the "silly girl" comment.

"Ok, first we're going to wash your hair," Maria said, "After all, look how pretty my hair is." Daniel nodded. Maria took some shampoo and began to pour it on Daniel's head. She lathered it slowly, gently rubbing it in everywhere. First his scalp, then his forehead, then the side, until she had carefully and lovingly washed every part of Daniel's head. "He has such pretty hair," she thought, "and it will look so pretty when it's cleaned properly."

"Daniel, it's really important to wash your hair," Maria noted, "so that you can impress the guys, I mean girls," she giggled. Then she rinsed his hair and began to shampoo it again.

"Everybody's hair is different," Maria noted, "but let me tell you some tips so that your hair will always look great. Don't over-wash your hair, but wash it when it's dirty. Otherwise, it gets yucky, like yours was getting today."

"Next, only apply shampoo to your scalp and massage gently. Don't pile your hair on top and scrub it, as this will only create knots. Work the shampoo gently down to the ends of your hair and rinse thoroughly. Even though you don't have to lather, rinse and repeat, you'll love doing it because when you do you get that special 'clean' feeling," she noted. "Later on, if you get a perm, I'm only saying if," Maria noted, "you may want to consider skipping the shampoo entirely. Sounds strange I know, but curly hair is often very dry, and washing with conditioner alone will freshen your hair without drying it out. I cut out shampoo for 4 months once and it definitely worked."

Daniel was mesmerized by Maria's soft voice and gentle touch. She went on. "Rinse your hair in cold water. Make sure you remove all your conditioner and finish with cold water. A cool rinse of water will close the cuticle and seal in the moisture to each strand. It's ok to shampoo your hair in hot water but finish it with a cold rinse."

"Finally, never brush your hair when it's wet. Instead use a wide comb to gently smooth your hair. Be careful about towel drying too," she cautioned. "Don't rub your hair with a towel, you'll only cause damage and make your hair look dull. Instead gently squeeze out the excess moisture and allow it to air dry. With your pretty hair, it will look so nice."

"OK, Daniel?" He nodded.

"Now, let's clean the rest of you," Maria said. "Remember, you've heard mommy how important it is for us to be clean, and when Dora and I are clean, we feel so sweet and feminine." As she instructed Daniel, she gently washed his back and face and then handed him the soap, saying, "OK, you can clean your little patch down below," she giggled and turned away.

The soap smelled so pretty, he thought, like flowers. Daniel smiled at his sister. "Thanks sis," he said. Maria kissed him on the forehead. "You smell so nice. Why don't you stay in for a bit?" Daniel agreed, and his sisters left the room.

About ten minutes later they returned with two fluffy towels. "Here," Maria instructed him, "wrap this one around your head, and the other around you, being sure to cover up your little titties." She giggled, and Daniel just nodded. He loved when Maria was so nice to him. And because Dora was often mean, he liked it too when she was nice, and she was being so nice, he thought.

Eventually, Daniel toweled himself dry. Next she began to brush his hair, slowly, explaining, "Remember how Marcia Brady used to put a brush through her hair 100 times each night. Surely you can do it at least a few! Follow these steps and you'll have no more clumps, just smooth, silky hair. First, use a comb and separate your hair into three sections. This will help create volume. Let go of the three sections, but make sure that the sections are still intact. Put the bristly side of the brush up against your hair. Start at the roots and work the brush through your hair to the tip. Do this with each section one at a time. Make sure you remember where the sections were." Daniel watched Maria demonstrate what to do, and then he did it himself. "Good girl," she said. Daniel smiled. "You look great," and she turned Daniel toward the mirror. His jaw dropped. His hair was gorgeous, it was prettier than the girl Nancy he had a crush on.

He just stared at the mirror. What happened to the Daniel he knew?

He heard the door open, and turned quickly. It was Maria, who handed him the panties and bra he had on the day before. "Here, we washed them," she noted. "You can't wear dirty undies. Never know what they'll say if you're in an accident," she laughed, recalling their mother's frequent statement.

"Why?" Daniel said.

"Please, sis," said Maria, "you enjoyed it yesterday and besides, Mom and Dad are coming back tomorrow, so we can't play dress up for a while, can we?"

He stood there pondering the conversation and realizing that he probably had no choice and that it was fun playing with his sisters, he put them on. "You look nice," Maria said. "Now, let's get some clothes on you so we can go out shopping."

"OK," Daniel agreed, thinking he could wear the T-shirt and dungarees over the undies. And besides, they felt nice on, so he didn't mind. There was something really comfortable about the bra, he just didn't know what it was.

In came Dora, but she didn't have his dungarees or shirt. But Daniel noticed she didn't also have that yellow dress. What was she carrying? It looked like pants and a shiny top, but they were definitely not boy clothes. "What are these?" he asked.

"Oh," Dora said, "we thought you didn't want to wear a dress so we brought you these. They're Maria's, from when she was your age. We saved a lot of clothes just for you. You're going to have so much to wear, wait until you see," Dora laughed.

She showed him the pants and shirt.

"They're so girly," he protested.

"Well look at you," Maria said, "with that hair, would you expect to see boy's clothes? And besides, we'll have fun, we'll go shopping. We need to get you some of your own clothes too."

"Do I have to?" he pleaded, but he didn't have much fight. The bra and panties did feel good, and whatever Dora and Maria lined the bra with made him look like he had little boobs, so he knew he couldn't wear boy's clothes. But these were so girly. "Come on kiddo," Maria said, "you'll look great in them. Try them on." Then she handed him shoes, "See we even got you sneakers that matched." Daniel looked at the high tops, and gulped. But he had to admit they were really, really cute.

Daniel tried the clothes on and they fit perfectly, too perfectly he thought. "You look great," Maria said, and gave him a giant hug and kiss. Daniel loved when she did that. "Now let's go out."

Daniel was nervous, but Maria made everything feel so good that he just went along. And out they went to the local shopping center, to Korvette's the department store nearby. During their outing, they bought panties, training bras (and a few regular bras - Dana wondered why) and a few outfits, and even some clothes for Dana to sleep in. Throughout the trip, Dana was transfixed, it was like he was someone else, and his sisters were treating him like gold, and he was their play toy.

They got home and unpacked all the clothes. And Daniel panicked. Where will keep everything? Mom and dad will find out, he thought. Dora saw his worried look and said, "Don't worry, we'll keep everything in our room, and we'll even show you how to put on the stockings and other things we bought you. It'll be our little secret. And if you're really good, we'll show you some of the other things girls do that boys don't so you can learn how we grew up." Daniel was in heaven, but he was also slowly beginning to think of himself as Dana. He worried, how was he going to do that?

Next thing he knew, Maria was back, and she had the PJs they bought. "Time for a slumber party," she said. "Here, put these on, remember we all bought a pair," and Dana smiled. He and his sisters were bonding like never before. He took off the top and bottoms, touched his lightly padded breasts and put on the PJs. They were so cute, he thought.

They ate dinner, played jacks and dolls and Daniel was in heaven. His sisters had made him the center of their world. But then reality hit. "What about my hair? Mom and Dad will notice," he screamed.

"Don't worry," Dora said, "we'll brush it so it looks like your old yucky boy's hair. They won't be home until the morning."

Daniel nodded, a bit nervously. But he was beginning to trust his sisters, in a way he hadn't before. After all, they loved him.

Before he went to bed, he looked in the mirror. He did look cute, and he loved how everything felt. It was then that Dora asked, "Are you happy Dana?" He smiled, and she hugged him. "Good, then this is our little secret. But remember Mom and Dad can't find out, but we'll do this whenever they're away and either Maria or I don't have a date, OK?" Dana agreed.

The next day, when Mom and Dad came home, Daniel was back in his dungarees and while Mom thought his hair looked a bit shinier, she didn't say a word. She also noticed that Daniel seemed happier than he did when they came back from other trips and chalked it up to his maturing. But he was different, and she couldn't figure out why.

Meanwhile, whenever they could Dana and Maria and Dora played dress up, and Daniel loved it. He hated having to wear his boy stuff but did when necessary. They played almost every weekend, and he savored those moments when Maria brushed and combed his hair, and sometimes she even painted his nails. And when he did, she noticed that he had the cutest little smile.

On his 13th birthday, Mom and Dad went away on another vacation; Dora and Maria promised Daniel that, now that he was a teen, he would have the best birthday ever, even if his parents weren't around. Daniel was in heaven.

Meanwhile, Dora asked him if he really enjoyed their games, and he said "yes, Dana loves our dress games." In response, she gave him a big hug. She also explained that now that he was becoming a teenager he might get acne. But she also told him he could take other vitamins to prevent his skin from breaking out and that she would give him one every day, if he wanted. Daniel had learned to trust his sisters, and took the pills willingly.

In the next chapter, Daniel transitions into becoming a teenager and deals with changes, including some he wasn't expecting.

Dana's life changed from that wonderful last moment, in ways he/she never realized. On his 13th birthday, with Mom and Dad away, Dora took control, requiring Daniel to take double doses of her birth control pills, the ones she had been stockpiling rather than using. But to Daniel, these were just vitamins, he never saw the package.

In addition, the dress up games were mandatory during Mom and Dad's vacation, including trips out of the house. Meanwhile, Maria was becoming very close to Daniel, who she now saw only as her little sister Dana. The brother, that yucky boy who got dirty was gone. In his place was a fetching young girl.

"Dana, don't you think it's time you had the talk?"

"Sis, what do you mean?"

"Come on, you are about to become an adult, and you have to learn about the birds and the bees. Daddy isn't going to tell you, neither is Mom, they are so straight laced. But I can teach you, and tell you the truth."

"Really, what will you teach me?"

"Oh, lots. But first, let's agree on some rules. This is between you and me. Dora can be mean, and could get jealous. After all, she has trouble getting dates, and guys love me."

"OK, but first let's talk about my clothes."

"What about them?"

"The kids at school have noticed my clothes are a bit girlie, especially one boy, Mark, he has been so nice to me in ways no guy ever has."

"Which one is Mark?"

"He's the guy with wavy hair and that gorgeous jean jacket. Remember, he's the one who calls me Dana Dear?"

"Yes, I recall. But why does he think you're wearing girls clothes?"

"Oh, he holds the door for me, has carried my books, and compliments me on everything I wear, especially my blouses and undies."

"He noticed them? They are androgynous."

"Well, he said the buttons are backward, and also that the underwear is lace, doesn't have a slot and has a pink flower in the front."

"OK, but let's talk about what's going to happen. With Dora's vitamins, you are going to be so happy, you will get to have a body like ours, and your thingy won't grow. Heck, it's so small anyway, girls wouldn't have wanted it. Now you can be like me and have fun with real men. Until you're old enough, you can have boyfriends, just no funny stuff. I waited until I was 16."

Maria took out a book, "Everything Girls Need To Know For Puberty Survival: Answer To Every Question About What's Happening To Your Body In Puberty For Girls."

"Read this, and I'll fill in the fun stuff the book doesn't talk about, like how to make guys happy. But first, with Mom and Dad away on another cruise, let's pick out our outfits."

Maria then took out five outfits, one for each day. Dana's heart began to race.

The first was a pretty puffy sleeve top and skirt set. And Maria also bought shoes that were so so so cute.

Next was a pink top with the cutest pink and green flower skirt. Dana just stood there.

Next came the cutest white sweater with a pink and black skirt. All Dana could think of was Mark and what he would say when he saw her in that outfit, and the pretty shoes Maria also bought here.

Things got even better. It was a black skirt with the cutest tights, and blue collared shirt with a nice grey sweater. And again, Maria bought shoes that all the other girls would want. Dana couldn't even imagine ever wearing those yucky boy clothes, ever.

And while the last outfit was in many ways the most casual - just jeans and a pretty blouse - Dana imagined herself wearing it, with her budding breasts showing through. How Mark would adore that look.

All Dana could do was dream how Mark would put his arm around her, the warnt of his body coming through when he touched the part of her back that wasn't covered. Tingles.

Next, Maria took out five sets of panties and bras and laid them across the bed. Dani just stared. Maria bought all of this for her. OMG. They were so cute.

One was a pretty blue and white bra, with matching panties. Dani lovvved it.

Next came puberty bras and panties that Maria found, designed just for girls like Dani.

Next was a sexy black bra and panty set designed for emerging girls. Dana remembered seeing other girls with this style, when she snuck a peak. She felt so ashamed, and so happy.

The next set was incredible, pink lace. What if Mark saw these was all she kept thinking.

When Maria unwrapped the last set, Dana fell to her knees. It was a tartan plaid that was lightly lined, so that even now she'd have some curves, and God how those curves would make Mark and the other boys feel. After all, Dana was with boys in her old boy mode and heard them lusting after the girls whose boobies were growing.

Dana was so happy. "These are great!" And those bras and panties, oh god, the other girls will be jealous. And what if Mark sees them?"

"Right dear, the other girls will be jealous, and the boys… watch their crotch and then you can make them happy too. But not until you're older. For now, smile at his bulge and kiss and cuddle. There's plenty of time.

All Dana could do was hug Maria and thank her and thank her and thank her.