Author's note: The first few chapters involve a kidnapping and forced transformation. There is some bondage, and a nasty dominant, but it is NOT the focus of the story. There will also be some use of French in the story. English that is italicized is just the characters speaking translated French. You'll get the hang of it! :)

Chapter 1

The boy woke from his sleep. The room was dark, and a little bit cold. He felt around the bed. He knew he was naked, and the sheet that covered him was not nearly enough to keep him warm.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” he called out. He never did the dark, and what was worse, he didn’t know who he was, or where he was. “Please! Someone! Anyone! Let me the fuck out!”

The lights to his little room clicked on. It looked a lot like a jail cell. There was a steel door, a little toilet area, a bed, a desk with a mirror, and an armoire

Blinking to adjust to the sudden light, he went over to the toilet to relieve himself. He sat down on the cold stainless steel and took care of what he needed to. As he cleaned himself, a cold, mechanical voice intoned “You will move when we tell you, you will eat when we tell you. You are now our property. Do you understand?”

“But where am I? Who am I? Why the fuck are you doing this to me? I want my Mom!” he called, nearly frantic with panic.

The mechanical voice answered. It was obviously an electronically obscured human voice, sounding like a Cylon from the old “Battlestar Galactica” series. “Where you are is unimportant. Who you are is unimportant. You are unit 532. If you need a name, it is Belle. We do this simply because we can, and any disobedience will be punished severely. If you refuse to obey, you will be killed” the voice paused. “You have no mother, no father. There is only the code”

“B-but what is the code?”

“Obey or die…that is all. You are nothing”

“Why can’t I remember my name? Belle isn’t a boy’s name?”

“You aren’t a boy. You are nothing. We will transform you to a form that is useful to us. Now…eat”

A tray with bacon and eggs with toast and some orange juice and milk was slid through a door on the floor. He was famished, and put the tray on his desk, then began devouring the meal. It was actually pretty good, all things considered. He thought about what the voice said. Was he really nothing? He had parents, didn’t he? Why did it hurt to think?

After finishing his meal, drowsiness overtook him. Darkness claimed him once again.

“Very good, Harris. This subject is a one in one hundred find. Fifteen years old, perfect bone structure, not yet into puberty. Excellent work!”

Harris laughed at the predicament the boy found himself in. “Why in the hell do you call him 532?”

Veronica clapped and laughed heartily. “It’s from when we threw him into the van. The time, silly! And if he’s thinking the way we want, he may think that he’s the five hundred and thirty second person to go through this. It’s just another way to wear him down”

“Hah! Okay, I get it. For my part, social networking has made things a lot easier since the old days. Those do gooders in Washington think they have the market cornered in net trickery. I don’t think so!” Harris laughed. “They told me I didn’t have what it took to find predators…They were right. I make so much more money as a ‘predator’, he wiggled his fingers in air quotes, than I ever would as an agent” Harris rubbed his hands together. “Stupid bastards”

Harris Duncan loved turning these innocents into empty headed bimbos. He knew why, too. Bullied as a child, he swore he would take his frustration out on the world. He hooked up with Veronica after meeting her by chance at a convention. They hit it off, and they discovered their mutual passion, and that was domination of the weak.

They had been inspired the profits to be found in the sex trade. The money had been incredible, and the crashes when the schemes were discovered were just as spectacular. Veronica felt she wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of her predecessors. She had researched the perpetrator of that scheme. She liked her, as she was a kindred spirit.

Romance had bloomed and Veronica and Harris were an immediately successful team. There were perverts in every corner of the world. It seemed money equaled perversion in some people. The more money some had, the more disgusting their tastes were. And the more they would pay to satisfy them.

Veronica Duncan had found the object, an ancient talisman, quite by accident in the home of an art collector friend of hers. He didn’t know the value of it, but thanks to her magical training, she did. It would slowly change the sex of the unfortunate soul that was exposed to its power in the correct fashion. She wasn’t able to activate it, but for a reasonable fee, her cousin, a practitioner of the dark arts, could, and indeed was more than willing to. She had a little mean streak as well, nourished by a healthy dislike of males.

Harris and Veronica specialized in transforming boys into girls for four years. The magic police and the temporal authorities had gotten much better at finding and stopping this type of crime. The Duncans had figured out how to keep one step ahead.

Transformees were in great demand in the sex trade. Since their bodies didn’t match their psyche, they were always off-balance. This made them highly susceptible to suggestion, and once broken, quite submissive and dependent on their masters. The lack of a history made them even more expendable and dependent. No identification, no history. They had nowhere to run.

One, properly changed and trained, fetched millions in the market. It didn’t really matter that their new masters or mistresses would tire of them in no more than five years. That just increased the return business.

They had sold six so far, and had amassed a fortune in the “consulting” business of over twenty million euros. The Harris’s dealt exclusively in euros. With the uncertain state of the US economy, it made more sense. Dollars were so passé now.

They found their latest project, a fifteen year old boy named Brian Kalisek, on his mother’s Facebook page, strictly based on a program that scanned the photos for persons with the proper facial features. From there, they went to his page. His photo matched the computer generated parameters, and it was a simple process to locate the child.

Through a series of well planned email contacts, they developed a relationship with the boy. He thought that the person he was talking to was a troubled, abused girl of fifteen named Ariel. They knew he would be unable to resist saving the girl.

Harris was an expert at developing rapport with boys or girls via the computer chat rooms they frequented. It almost got him a career in law enforcement, but the bitch in charge didn’t think he had what it took to be an effective, caring agent. She was right, of course, but that didn’t matter. His talents paid off in spades here.

Veronica called on the intercom. “Harris, Moira is here. Can you get it ready?”

“Sure, babe. You get the device ready” It. He loved it when she called the poor bastards “It”

Moira Mairenn O’Toole finished the spell as the unconscious form of Brian lay on the table in front of her. “That should do it, Ronnie. All of the spells are done. Remember, the changes won’t happen overnight, but neither can they be reversed”

“I understand, Moira. Great work, as usual. The payment has already been wired to your account, along with a nice bonus”

Moira smiled. “Thanks, Ronnie. You know, I could get into a lot of trouble if this was ever found out by the community. I’m breaking about ten laws by doing this”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Like you ever worry about being caught. There’s no way anyone can tie you to what is going on. She switched to a kind of old fashioned spooky radio voice. “You appear and disappear like the mist” She began to laugh at her own joke.

Moira cautioned Veronica “It’s never that easy, Ronnie. Remember that. These schemes are always profitable for a time, but when they go south, people die. I’d hate for that to be you”

Veronica flipped her hand dismissively at Moira. “Worrywart” She hugged her cousin and bid her goodbye.

532 stirred, and then felt his way out of his cot. The lights hadn’t been on in what seemed like days. He knew his way around the cell now, and after taking care of his business, sat down at his makeup table. He was dressed in a very feminine, very frilly short nightgown with matching panties.

Everything he wore was white, and any stains were cause to be punished severely. He wanted his mom more than anything, and he cried more and more easily every day. His chest itched and his bones hurt. His insides always felt sore.

It seemed like he had been here forever. He had no idea how long he had actually been held captive. At first, he tried telling them boys didn’t wear makeup and girl clothes, but that resulted in him being strapped to the wall and being whipped until he passed out. He didn’t complain again.

Now, he was having a lot of trouble even saying anything. He could think of the words, but they wouldn’t come out. It was very frustrating. He was also having a lot of trouble keeping his emotions under control, crying a lot more than he ever did before. He didn’t know why. They were trying to kill him, he thought, which made the tears flow..

Weeks passed. The days were endless repetition with makeup, dressing, learning everything a girl should know. His body ached all the time, but they wouldn’t stop. His hips, his chest, his tummy, everything ached. Pain was a constant companion, as was the need to sleep. He slept most of the time, ate a little and performed his mind-numbing chores.

The clothes were embarrassing, but it was better than going around naked all the time. He either wore girls’ clothes or nothing at all. It was too cold to go naked. So what if he had to wear dresses. They were really kind of pretty, anyway, and he did like to wear the pretty things.

It seemed he was treated better when she obeyed. The meals were okay, but he missed her mama and daddy. He couldn’t remember their names, only her mama’s face. He held on to it like a life preserver. No matter what that voice told him, she was somebody, and someone was missing him, she just knew it. It was what kept her going.

Much later, he didn’t know how much later, her chest began to hurt less. He had boobies now. Really nice ones. They looked cute. Especially in a push up bra. The Mistress liked push up bras. She told her she looked pretty.

He hadn’t spoken in such a long time. She was alone with his thoughts.

The light came up slowly, allowing her to adjust to the brightness. “Practice with makeup” announced the mechanical voice. 532 just sighed and began to practice according to the program on her iPad. The cover was a cute pink, and she loved to read all about the newest fashions out of Paris when she was allowed to browse the internet.

After two hours of makeup practice, 532 was informed that he was to read quietly until instructed differently. The first thing she saw was a Fashion magazine. It was the French language edition of Vogue. She found an article on the new summer casual look. Halfway through the magazine, she suddenly realized he was reading and understanding French. She went through the magazine, article by article, ad by ad, and realized he understood French! She wondered if he could speak it as well.

“Bonjour! Suis-je parler français ?’

This is too weird, she thought. Maybe I can speak again. He tried to speak in English. “Bonjour?” No, that’s not right. Try again. “’allo?” It wasn’t right. She had an accent, and she really had to struggle to think of what to say. What were they doing to him?

Rage suddenly erupted through him. “Qu’as tu fait pour moi?” (What have you done to me?)Then, crying, she collapsed on his bed. The lights blinked off. Punishment was coming. She knew she had a date with the whip.

“Veronica, how are the changes coming?” asked Harris.

Veronica smiled as she reviewed the latest measurements. “Very nicely, sweetheart! This one will do very nicely. Our customer will be very pleased. The language spell kicked in today. She is distraught. It made me sooo, ahhh, very anxious, my dear”

Harris ran his arm around Veronica’s narrow waist. “Leave the girl alone for now. I have other problems you can work on…” He led her to the bedroom.

The next morning, Harris got the call from their customer. He was calling to check on the status of his “order”.

The “customer”, an Indian businessman, had ordered a human double to the fairy tale princess Belle from “Beauty and the Beast”. He was one sick bastard, and had killed eight women in his quest to create her. The pictures of the botched plastic surgeries had been tough to look at even to the hardened psychopaths that Harris and Veronica had become. They also knew that Belle would be dead in a year. He was very hard on his “princesses”.

Their version of Belle would be as close to the cartoon version as was humanly possible. The bone structure of the subject was perfect, and they were pleased that the changes were going according to plan. While the spell was slow acting, the power of the change was irreversible, and as long as the changes were happening, the victim was practically immune to long term damage. It made the whippings more effective, as the wounds would heal perfectly and without scars.

Veronica was a pure sadist at heart, and the thrills she got listening to the keening wails of Belle as she was tortured never failed to push her over the edge several times every session.

Belle sold for ten million, and the changes requested were complex. The time required would be over two years. They would use her during this time, as she would be immune to disease during the changes. They would put her to work during her changes, at gatherings of wealthy pedophiles and sadists. She would command top dollar, as she would be effectively a pre-operative transsexual, a desired commodity in the market.

After six months in captivity, Belle’s body had developed into the equivalent of a fourteen or fifteen year old girl. She was 5 feet 4 inches tall had small 34B cup breasts, a 23 inch waist and 35 inch hips. Her brown hair was down to the middle of her back. Her male organs, now useless, were still there, albeit shrinking.

There was more programming to come, and their little darling would be helpless to fight it.

She woke up this day feeling very uncomfortable. Her ankles were attached to her thighs and her arms were bound behind her back. She was on her knees in her bed, and a hood was over her head. Her mouth was taped shut. A collar attached to the ceiling kept her upright.

As she began to panic, the inside of the hood lit up. It was a virtual reality setup, and it began to play pornographic scenes. It showed women, no, not quite women, he saw, but girls like her-submitting to strange acts that disgusted her. She tried closing her eyes, but was rewarded with a terrible shock to her breasts and genitals. A muffled scream was all she could manage.

A female voice droned in her ears. “Don’t close your eyes again, Belle, or the next one will be much worse. Watch the scenes, dear, and learn what you need to do” Tears trickled down her face as she realized what was to become of her.

Veronica watched in delight as her little pet helplessly watched the acts being depicted on the screen. She could hear her muffled whimpers, thanks to the microphone in the VR hood. The scenes she was watching weren’t faked, and were actual footage of previous rape parties from her other projects. She was getting aroused thinking about the little it down in her cell squirming, trying to get away from the knowledge that she would be the one getting raped in the not too distant future.

The language spell was working to perfection. Belle’s identity was being systematically stripped from her, replaced with something of Veronica’s own creation. She was to be the perfect slave.

Harris was out recruiting some participants for Belle’s “coming out” party. Veronica’s arousal was getting intense, and watching the little girl struggle on the bed was almost more than she could bear. She pulled open the drawer on her desk and retrieved her little wand for such times as this.

Three more months had passed. Belle had undergone intense training to serve as a proper sex slave. The training was handled personally by Veronica, and it was the reason she lived for these transformations. She watched as Belle, with her beautiful, innocent face, learned to service men in every way she was physically capable of. She was so starved for human companionship that she willingly submitted to the training, just to have someone to talk to.

‘Je fais de ce droit, maá®tresse?’ Belle asked as she handled the artificial phallus. Her French programming was fully integrated, and she now found it so frustrating to speak English that she mostly spoke French unless Mistress ordered her to try English, which she did from time to time to have an excuse to punish her.

“Yes, Belle, that is correct. Very good job”

Belle smiled, proud that she pleased La Maitresse. Some of the things she was made to do were uncomfortable, especially when she had to put things in her rear end, but maitresse was so kind. It was for Belle’s own good.

‘Quand vais-je avoir á  faire cela pour un homme, maá®tresse? Bientá´t ?’ (Will I have to do this for a man soon, Mistress?) She returned to her duties orally training with the object.

“Very soon, pet. You are such a very good little girl. I am so proud of you. Answer me in English, pet”

Belle had to think. She could understand English, but to speak it, was tres difficile. “Thank y-you Maitresse, no, Mistress” she struggled to get the words out.

“Oh, Belle, your little accent is sooo darling! The men will just love you”

Belle blushed. “Merci, Maitresse”. She then held her hands in front of her mouth in embarrassment. “I am s-sorry, Mistress. Thank…you” she then curtsied as she had been taught.

Veronica never tired of that. She had stolen this wretched thing’s very life, and this thing was actually thanking her. Harris was going to break this wretch in tonight, and Veronica was going to watch. Little Belle had proven her abilities with women several times; Veronica had seen to that. Tonight, however, she would be introduced to her husband, and he was one sick bastard.

“Belle, I want you to wear your little black dress tonight. Wear your special black lingerie and black stockings. I also want you to wear your 5 inch stilettos, okay?”

“Oui, Maitresse”

Harris returned from his travels to Belle, standing very demurely, head down, hands folded in front of her, with a red bow on top of her head. She was wearing the black ensemble that Veronica had shown him earlier.

A note was attached to her left breast. It said “My name is Belle. Would you please use me tonight, Master?”

“Are you ready, Belle?”

“Oui, Maitre. I w-want…to s-serve…you t-tonight” He was pleased that the language programming had taken. She was really struggling to speak English. He could she that she was shaking like a leaf.

He took the girl into his bedroom…

The next morning, Belle was tied to the “horse”. Her hands and feet were fastened to the four legs of the horse, a padded version of a sawhorse and her body lay lengthwise on the crosspiece. She had been beaten severely on the back and rear end. Her jaws were on fire because of the ball gag inserted in her mouth. It was a little better than the large ring gag he had fitted her with to rape her orally. She thought she was going to choke to death on his penis, but he took her to the point of passing out and kept bringing her back.

Her face was streaked with old tears, blood and dried ejaculate. She had two black eyes and a broken nose. Belle had taken so much time to be beautiful for her Master. She thought, “What had I done wrong?” He had ripped her dress off and slapped her until she bled, then subjected her to the worst night of her life, raping her repeatedly with any toy that would fit inside her. Her stockings were torn, and her feet ached from wearing the heels all night.

Veronica had watched the whole display. She had pleasured herself all night, then helped her husband clean himself up, and made love to him afterwards. She came in to the room where Belle was bound and shook her head.

“Tsk tsk tsk. What happened, little girl. Did we displease Master?”

Belle tried to lift her head, but dropped in exhaustion. “mmmphhg-g-g”

“I think you need a little more motivation, pet. You must have done something. I don’t want to do this, but I can’t have you displeasing the Master or the customers” She reached for the narrow riding crop and swished it in the air for Belle to see. “Belle, this is for your own good…”

Belle squirmed and screamed into her gag. The riding crop struck her bottom with incredible force. Her pain was excruciating. The blows just kept coming. Without pity or remorse, they rained down.

After fifty strokes on her bottom, back, legs and arms, blood was leaking out of nearly every stripe. She had passed out around the fortieth blow. Due to the regenerative properties of the transformation spell, she was already beginning to heal. Still, this session had nearly killed Belle.

Veronica had two orgasms beating the girl. It was magnificent. Harris had untied the unconscious girl and they had taken her back to her cell. Thanks to her programming, she would assume she caused the beating and rapes, and would try harder to satisfy her tormenters.

Chapter 2

Belle woke the next day. She was still in incredible pain from the soft tissue injuries. Her muscles were on fire, and the burns on her wrists and ankles from her struggles against the bonds were very painful. Using the wall to support herself, she slowly made her way to the shower. The remains of her lingerie were easy to strip off. She turned the water on and staggered in. She screamed as the hot water set her damaged nerve endings on fire. Slowly, Belle adjusted to the water. She slid down the wall of the shower and cried.

“Mama, Papa” she thought. “Please give me your strength. I need it now more than ever. I will see you again. I just have to go with the flow. I mustn’t fight it. They want me to fight it. Don’t fight it…”

Three weeks after her session with the whip. Belle was completely healed and had not one scar to show for her ordeal. She was ready for the first of the private parties that Harris Duncan had arranged. This little party would net the Duncans nearly seven hundred fifty thousand dollars. Every pedophile and pervert in the area paid for the privilege of abusing Belle.

Belle got dressed in a gold evening gown, her hair put up in a bun, with little tendrils of hair framing her face. She was the picture of the Princess she was supposed to be. Her body was even more feminine, a result indirectly of the beatings she took. The more she was abused, the faster the transformation would take place, as the healing process worked. Her breasts were now a full B, and were growing into a C cup.

Veronica opened the door to Belle’s cell and Belle immediately stood to attention.

“Sit down, pet. I need to put some drops in your eyes. We are going out tonight”

Belle said nothing, as Maitresse had not given her permission to speak. The drops went into her eyes, and Belle’s vision dissolved into a murky white. Her beautiful brown eyes hazed over to white. She was blind. The drops were a gift from Moira. They were a potion specially crafted for this effect.

Panic spread into Belle’s features. In French, she whispered, “I’m blind”

Veronica held Belle’s hand. “It’s okay, pet. The effect is only temporary. I can’t have you getting in to trouble, and blindfolds are so restrictive, so, I use this medicine. You’ll be back to normal tomorrow”

Tears trickled down Belle’s cheeks. They had stolen her sight! In the back of her mind, she could still see mama. She was telling Belle it was going to be okay.

“No crying, pet. I want your face perfect for tonight. A lot of clients are expecting to see a beautiful young girl. You are going to make a lot of men happy tonight. Some ladies will be there too. They will love your little outfit. Now, let’s get you ready”

Veronica bound Belle’s arms in a white leather armbinder. A white ball gag was placed in her mouth, and a hobble chain was attached to the cuffs on her ankles. A collar was placed on her neck and a gold chain was attached. She was led away, struggling to maintain balance on the five inch spike heels.

The party guests were a cesspool of the worst sexual perverts assembled in one room. Belle was led in, blind and dressed only in her lingerie. Her bonds were removed earlier. The room went silent, and the bidding for the first one to use her was started.

She was subjected to cruel games, taking advantage of her sightlessness. She was terrified, and the more she was stressed, the less English she spoke, so by the end, no one could understand her. Veronica openly used her vibrator on herself during the “games”, as she was sitting on a makeshift throne above all of the action watching it all. Harris kept the violence to minimum, so as to avoid irreparable harm

By the time the evening was over, Belle had been raped thirty six times, and had been beaten nearly comatose. She had been given a date rape drug during the evening, so mercifully she wouldn’t remember most of the night.

One patron of the evening’s festivities was disgusted almost to the point of physical illness. The Duncans knew him as Drake Franklin, CEO of a telecom corporation in Dallas, but in reality he was a private investigator and undercover specialist named Kevin Howard. He had gotten word of the “party” from a confidential informant who had been instructed to look for these types of events. In return, Kevin would “look the other way” in certain other circumstances. This little arrangement had paid off big this time.

Kevin had seen the two Duncans bring in the blind, helpless girl. His heart nearly broke as the crowd descended on her like a school of piranha. How she survived the evening was nothing short of a miracle. In the confusion, he had managed to slip away unnoticed.

Kevin got on the phone to his employer, Pluton Security, specifically an entity named Cerberus. He specialized in dealing with sex rings and forced prostitution. Cerberus dealt with them in ways that the law enforcement community would not approve of. Simply put, when Cerberus got his hooks in, the undertaker was the next and only way out. This was clearly a job for him.

A male voice answered Kevin’s call. “Styx Club”

“I have two coins for the Ferryman” It was the code for a potential operation.

“Okay. Cerberus will be in touch. Stand by; the call will be at 1350 hours”

“Got it. Make sure he knows Persephone needs her dad”, code for a victim in danger.

Cerberus. His real identity was a closely guarded secret. Rumor had it that he lost his daughter to a sex slaver, and had never found her. He later found out that she had committed suicide. The story went that the people responsible for her kidnapping were found after a thorough investigation. They did not survive.

Cerberus was never seen without his mask. It was a simple mask, like a modified hockey goalie mask, with two mirrored lenses for the eyes and no other holes. It was also pure black. He wore a leather tactical suit to make combat easier, and to keep his weapons. A deadly hand to hand combatant, he was also a master of several types of weapons. It was rumored that he was a former Navy SEAL or Green Beret, but no one knew for certain.

Kevin’s phone rang at precisely 1350 hours. The gravelly voice on the other end spoke. “Okay, Kevin, what do you have for me?”

“Well boss, I got a tip about a possible sex party in the Highland Park area of Dallas. I was able to get access. What I saw made me sick me. Our friends the Duncans brought a girl, make that a t-girl, to the party. She was blind, not more than sixteen years old. Boss, they nearly killed her”

“Girl, no more than sixteen, you say?”

“That’s my guess, Boss. I’m thinking she was foreign, but I don’t know. I could tell she was trying to speak English at first, but as she got more panicked, she broke into French”

“French?”

“Yeah, I speak it. Grew up in Quebec, but I guess you know that already. She was begging for her life, Boss. It was all I could do to leave her. They tortured her. Out and out torture. I couldn’t do anything”

“I know, Kev. You did what you could. I happen to know what rock those two maggots are living under now. I have an idea what is going on, but I have to admit, the French thing has me a bit stumped. Good work, Kev. I’ll take it from here”

“Get them boss. This was the worst thing I’ve ever seen”

“I will”

Cerberus scratched his chin. French. The timeline was right for the Kalisek disappearance. It fit their MO. He had just found where they were only recently, unfortunately not soon enough for the others they had taken. They had been associated with another bunch that got into this sort of thing. But the French thing? The boy didn’t speak French. He thought, and then it came to him. There was a case a few years back. Language programming. They had figured a way to program a new language on top of the native language. The victims never quite shook the programming.

If they could do this, they have moved up the ladder. He thought. He should have just ended them when he had the chance last year. But no. He didn’t kill anyone without absolute proof. The girl, that complicated things a little. If it was the Kalisek boy, then damn. He would be one messed up kid. There are places for him or her to get some help, but she’d have to consent.

Veronica and Harris were showering after a particularly strenuous bout of sex. She was so turned on by the poor blind girl trying to protect herself, that she practically attacked her husband after she was put away. Belle would be out of commission for a week or more after her adventure last night, so Veronica would have to look at the tapes of the evening to restart her engine, and she would do so several times before the next gathering.

“You are turning into one crazy bitch, you know that?” said Harris.

Veronica smiled and tweaked his nose. “I didn’t hear any complaints last night, lover”

He smiled predatorily “You’re crazy, but you’re mine all the way”

They giggled and proceeded make love yet again in the shower. She was amazed by Harris’ ability to recover after sex.

Cerberus put out every feeler he had in the area. Nothing was scheduled for now, but he would be on alert until there was. The Duncans were too greedy to pass up another opportunity to exploit their “guest”, and Cerberus was a patient man. He could wait.

One month had elapsed since the party. Veronica had trained Belle the fine art of walking in ballet boots. The pole dancing training had been going on for nearly six months, and Belle was turning into a world class pole dancer. Her face was nearly done, and her body was almost done. The female organs hadn’t formed yet, but her ‘strenuous’ workouts had really accelerated the process. Her little male organ was basically just a large clitoris now, and she had allowed Belle to experience her first orgasm as a nearly complete woman.

Belle was programmed to be very vocal in her lovemaking, and Veronica smiled as Belle screamed during her orgasm. She kept crying “Oui! Oui! Mon Dieu! Oui!”, and a bunch of other French nonsense. It didn’t matter. She would be the perfect toy for Narang.

Veronica had allowed Belle to service her. Belle was getting very good at knowing where to touch her. She took care of her mistress in a very short time. Veronica simply patted her head as if she was a dog, and left her as if she were nothing.

To Be Continued

Author's note: There is hope on the horizon for Belle. Some more darkness, so beware. Not explicit, but it is essential to the tale.

Chapter 3

Cerberus found out the location of the next gathering. He would mention to the police about the “festivities”. These people were guilty, but the law could handle them. They wouldn’t be delivered to the Ferryman tonight. This time.

He had the Duncan’s house under surveillance. It was a large rented mansion in Highland Park. He was ready to take them out with a minimum of fuss. The thermal imaging verified the presence of three bodies in the house. He could see one body, probably Veronica, engaged with someone, also female. Abuse? Possibly. If so, one more nail in her coffin.

Cerberus suffered from chronic pain. He was used to it, but it tended to make him very dangerous to people he didn’t like. The pain in his body only served to deepen his resolve. He always went about covered, his face always behind the mask. He was terribly scarred, the scars on his soul were deeper than the scars on his flesh. His weapon of choice was the katana, chosen because of its razor sharp edge. He could cut a man in two without as much as a second thought. He also carried his sidearms, two Desert Eagle .357 Magnums. Big guns, for maximum psychological effect. They could also punch through most body armor with the armor piercing rounds he used.

Cerberus could only wait as the time of reckoning drew near. Wait and think. Think back to when he was Dr.Tucker Spiros, a Greek history researcher. He knew about the rumors about his past, about him being an ex navy seal or Army Green Beret and it all worked out in his favor that people tended to believe it. The truth was far darker, and far more tragic.

Tucker was researching the cult of the Underworld and Hades worship at Cape Matapan, at the southern tip of Greece. Known in the ancient world as Tainaron, it was the mythical location of the gates of hell.

He had brought his wife, Timothea and three daughters, his nineteen year old twins, Adriadna and Agapita, and their youngest sixteen year old Persephone. He loved Greek culture, and wanted his girls to appreciate it as well. They were a great help on the digs, and were developing into quite the researchers themselves. Timothea was a godsend with her sharp eye for detail and dedication to teaching her children about their heritage.

All his girls were classic Greek beauties, with long wavy black hair, all of them; Timothea included, and could have jumped from a classic Greek work of art. Tucker so enjoyed having his family on digs with him. His daughters were becoming fine field archaeologists in their own right, and were planning on majoring in Greek Studies in University back in England, they had been a little behind in their studies and had just finished A levels.

Then came the trip into town that changed his life forever. They needed supplies, and Timi, his wife decided to go to town. The girls had to go along, as they were suffering from pit fever, their term for being on the dig too long without a break. Timi said something to him as they left. He couldn’t remember what. He thought it was I love you.

They left, and Tucker continued to work. The statue he had found was exquisite perfectly preserved. It was clearly a representation of Hades, and said as much on the inscription. “Keys to the Gate” was another part of the inscription, partially worn away, and “Reverence” was another word. They had clearly stumbled on a major find. This must have been a holy site or temple, unusual, since Hades was feared above all the gods, his name seldom even mentioned.

He was cleaning the statue, delicately, almost reverentially removing the dirt. It was an exciting find, a representation of the god Hades. The statue radiated a kind of aura that Spiros could actually feel, like a static charge that made the hair on the back of his hand stand up. He found an inscription on the base, and he was translating it as he coaxed the dirt out of the lines of text. “The Possessor of this Great Icon will Have the Power of Hades”. There was more, and he was in the process of deciphering it. He looked at the eyes of the statue. It almost seemed as if the eyes flashed at him just before his world went dark in an explosion of pain.

He slowly aroused from unconsciousness to see his family, his wife, tied to the ground, naked. His precious girls were tied to each other. They were gagged, their eyes wide with terror. He was bound to a chair. There were five men with guns joining them.

“Wake up, Doctor” the voice was arrogant, mocking. It was their leader, apparently, a smooth, polished man, not unlike Clark Gable in looks. He had a faint accent, possibly South African.

“W-what are you doing? What do you want?”

“I already have what I want. We have been watching your girls for some time now, and I have buyers for all three”

Cerberus remembered struggling with all his might against the ropes that held him “You son of a bitch! Let them go!”

“No, Doctor, that won’t happen. I just want you to witness what happens next. You see, I guess you could say I’m total bastard, and the god you study is nothing compared to me. I’m going to take everything you have, and I’ll give you the privilege of watching while I do it”

“NO! You can’t do this! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!” He struggled at his bonds in an adrenaline fueled rage, actually bending the steel of the chair, but not enough to free himself

The man laughed mockingly. “No you won’t, Doctor” Boris, do the honors with Mrs. Spiros. Watch, Doctor. Close your eyes and she dies”

He remembered every detail. It was burned into his mind. His beautiful Timi was raped by that animal. He screamed, cursed and struggled, but it was no use. His daughters were crying and struggling. Trying to get away, trying with all their might to help their mother. When Boris was done, he calmly got up, adjusted his trousers, pulled his pistol, and shot Timi in the head.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” He screamed. The girls were wild with fear. They were trying with all their might to get free. He remembered their wrists, red with blood from their struggles. Their blood dripping into the ground. His blood, soaking into the ground.

The leader whispered in my ear “My name is Frederick De Haan. Remember it when you see Hades, or whoever greets you in the next world. Now don’t be sad, your three beauties will be well taken care of, as long as their new masters allow them to live. Good bye, Doctor”

He remembered the screams of his little girls as they were dragged away. And he would avenge them. He remembered as the kerosene was poured over his body. As the fire was lit, as he burned…as he died.

The pain of the fire faded. All was darkness, quietness he was walking in twilight, in a kind of fog. Then, he saw the river as he exited the fog. There wasn’t a light in the sky, yet he could see. There was a city in the distance, lighting the way. Out of the mist on the river, a boat came for him. The Ferryman was at the stern, faceless in his hooded robe. Tucker was holding the statue. How? He was dead.

Dr. Spiros looked at the Ferryman. “Chiron?” he asked.

The Ferryman nodded and held out his withered, bony hand. He apparently saw the statue, then withdrew his hand and motioned for Tucker to get in the boat. He was about to get in, when a low, still voice, almost a whisper broke the silence.

“Spirosssss”

He stopped and looked around. In the blackness behind him, he saw two red eyes about ten feet off the ground. Whoever was talking was big. “What do you want?”

“Youuu, Spirosss. You” the voice never wavered. It was quiet and emotionless.

“Make your point. I’m late for an appointment on the other side” He was devoid of emotion. All he had was gone.

“Do you not fear me, Spirosss? Do you not fear destruction or Death?

“I fear nothing. Not anymore I have lost everything. I welcome Death”

The voice intoned “I know, Spirosss. But hold! All is not lost” Behold!”

A hand rested lightly on his shoulder. “Daddy? Is that you? He turned. It was his beloved Persephone”

He was strangely unemotional “What is she doing here?”

She looked around, confused. He couldn’t help noticing how pale she was in the light. “Daddy, I died up there, I think. When I saw them did those terrible things to Mom and you, I couldn’t breathe. My head started hurting and suddenly I was here. I’m scared, daddy”

A single tear trickled down his cheek. “I couldn’t save them, honey. I couldn’t save you”

“Its okay, Daddy. Don’t cry. We’re together now. That’s something”

“True, Spirosss, You couldn’t save them. However, I offer you a chance at vengeance. A chance for justice, to destroy those infidels who desecrated my ground. A chance to serve me. They killed your Persephone on my ground. She carries the name of my wife. They challenged me. This will not stand. They must be punished. They desecrated my ground, my icon, the statue you hold”

“Why don’t you just strike them down yourself?”

“They have left my hallowed ground. I cannot interfere in the matters of man since the decree by my brother centuries ago. But I can use you. Your hate is strong. Two of your daughters still live, and will soon be sold as slaves. You hold Spartan blood in your veins, mortal. The blood of Leonidas, of Agamemnon. Your own blood screams from the ground for vengeance. Will you allow your daughters to be slaves of the barbarians?”

“How? I’m dead. Persephone is dead. Timi is dead”

“Tuck?” He turned to see his Timi slowly walking toward him.

“Timi! His tears flowed freely. He wondered how you cry in hell. “I’m sorry. So sorry. I failed you”

“Don’t worry about it, Tuck. You couldn’t have done anything. You have to save our girls. These men mean to sell them. OUR GIRLS! This will not do! Find the men and kill them. Do what he wants. Don’t worry. We’ll be waiting for you. This is only temporary. Death is only the beginning for us”

He looked back at the eyes in the shadow. Then back to Persephone and Timothea. They were already in the boat, heading to the other side.

Persephone was waving “Stop them, Daddy! For us! We love you!”

His heart was filled with hatred for the men who did this. He looked toward the shadows, where the eyes continued to stare. “Okay, I’m yours. You had just as well come out where I can see you. I know who you are”

“And who is that, mortal””

“Hades, Lord of the Underworld”

The voice was as unemotional as before. “You know that none may mention my name”

“You hold no fear for me. I welcome you. I will serve. Tell me what I must do”

“You must look on my face. You must look on my face and know no fear”

Without hesitation, Tucker called. “Very well. Step into the light. I would see you”

“Remember. You will be my messenger. You are the hound of hell. You will reap until I have no more need of you. You will not die until I am ready for you. Gain your vengeance and serve me well. Reap who you will, but reap you must. You will be scarred, you will know much pain, but you will have your vengeance”

He knew what to say next. It was as if he was reading a script. “Step into the light, Hades, taker of souls. I would look upon your visage”

The god stepped into the light. His face was indeed terrible to behold. Indescribable in its horror. Dr. Tucker Spiros, however, was not afraid. He had looked Death in the eye. He didn’t blink.

Cerberus had not thought about that time for several years. He was beyond pain, beyond remorse. He had his revenge, and rescued his twins. He had personally sent the men who kidnapped them and murdered his wife and daughter to hell. He crushed the skull of the arrogant bastard who immolated him. The cockiness left his face shortly before his eyeballs exploded out of their sockets.

That was 5 years ago. They had no idea he was still among the living. It was better that way. They had gone on to follow in his footsteps. They both had families now. This gave him the only satisfaction he had known since the day of his death. Hades was not done with him yet. Somehow he was still needed by Hades. Cerberus, the hound of hell, would continue to reap.

Slowly, he returned to the job at hand. Putting his eye back to the thermal imager he picked of the images of his quarry. They hadn’t left yet. He returned in thought to an earlier time. “Timi? Will you even recognize me when I return?”

The limo pulled up to the house. A cold rain began. It was almost as if Gaia herself knew what was going to happen this night. Two large men got out of the car.

“Bodyguards, huh?” He spoke without emotion. “It won’t do you any good” he said to himself.

Belle got dressed for the party. She was forced to wear a skimpy maid’s uniform. She couldn’t stop crying. It was frustrating. She knew what was going to happen to her at this “party”, and she dreaded it. Wasn’t a party supposed to be fun? Why couldn’t she just die? What had she done to deserve this? She was beginning to lose hope that she would ever make it back home.

She managed to get her emotions under control. If her makeup wasn’t done properly, she would be punished. She dabbed her eyes and returned to her task.

Mistress opened the door to her cell. “Time for your drops, pet.”

Belle hated the drops. They hurt like hell going in, and she couldn’t see for 18 hours after they put them in. Overnight, hell. They lied to her again.

Veronica said brightly “Okay, pet. Time to go. You’ll have so much fun tonight, and we’ll have so much fun watching you”

Belle hung her head and nodded. “Oui, Maitresse, Thank you”

Harris and Veronica escorted their charge to the limousine. The bodyguards looked with lust at the young girl as she was ushered into the car.

“That is one nice piece of ass” thought the larger of the two bodyguards. It was the last thought he would have in this world. An arrow pierced his skull and exited his left eye. A second later, the next bodyguard was down, an arrow passing cleanly through his neck.

“What in the hell is going on?” muttered Harris, not realizing the guards were dead.

“Come on Harris, Get them going! We’re going to be late for the gathering!” Veronica whined.

Harris made an exasperated sigh. “I’ll see what’s going on, Veronica” He got out of the back seat, moving toward the front of the vehicle. Then Veronica and Belle heard, “What the fuck?” This was followed by a sick thump, followed by Harris’ head rolling past the door.

Chapter 4

Veronica screamed when she realized what had happened. Belle flinched and curled into a ball, unable to see anything.

A masked figure swung into the door’s opening. “Hello, ladies. Veronica, you come with me. This petit will stay here in the car, where it’s warm. Bon, petit fille?”

“Oui, monsieur” came the quiet reply.

Veronica was astonished “How did you know she spoke French?”

“Don’t worry about it. We need to talk. Inside, if you please”

After they entered the house he could see that Veronica was edging toward the panic button. With one swift motion, one of the Desert Eagles was out and a round was placed into the alarm pad. Veronica jumped and screamed as the gun discharged.

“That takes care of that. Now, for the big question, if you’re ready. I know that young lady in the car is, or was, Brian Kalisek. What I don’t know is how you did it, and what needs to be done to undo it. Consider your answer carefully, Veronica. I won’t ask again”

Veronica was petrified. He knew everything. How? She had no doubt he would kill her if she didn’t answer correctly. “It’s true. We kidnapped him to satisfy an order for a transformee for an overseas client”

Cerberus spoke in an impassive voice. “So, nearly getting busted for the same thing back east wasn’t a wakeup call, eh? Couldn’t resist screwing up more kids? And for what? A few measly dollars? Do you even know how unimportant that shit is? Don’t you know what lies beyond that which you can see?”

She was confused now. This guy was crazy. “w-what do you mean?”

Cerberus knew he was wasting his time. “Okay, Veronica, this is what you must do to live. Log on to your bank account in the Caymans or whatever offshore location you keep it, and type in your account number” Veronica hesitated. “Now, please. Your life depends on it. Ask your husband if I won’t kill you. I can bring his head in if you like”

That was motivation enough. She hadn’t expected to be caught. There was nothing tying them to the abductions. It was perfect. Perfect! How had it gone wrong?

“Excellent, Veronica. Balance, please?” Veronica typed in the information required.

“My, my, Veronica, you have been busy, haven’t you. Twenty one point six million. Euros! That’s what, thirty million US? Very good. One moment please” Cerberus inserted a flash drive which ran a program to transfer the money in that account to one he set up for just such an eventuality. In a moment it was done. The screen hadn’t changed, and Veronica thought that the money was still there. It wasn’t. And soon, she wouldn’t need it

“Okay, Veronica. What do we do about the young girl in the limo?”

“The changes are permanent. I found a magic talisman that enables us to transform male to female. The changes are slow, and at the end of the transition, the boy will be quite thoroughly female. Biologically, down to the DNA. She also doesn’t remember who she was, at least on a conscious level”

“Interesting. What about the language?”

“A mind control program, magically enhanced. My cousin, Moira, is a magic user, and installed it in Belle’s mind. She can understand English, but can only speak it with difficulty”

“You are one sick fuck, you know that? Absolutely bat shit. So these changes are permanent as well?”

“She could possibly be re-taught to speak English, but will probably always have an severe accent. Look, the customer wanted it. He’s got some crazy obsession with fairy tale princesses”

“I’ll find out who he is. He’ll pay too. Where is this Talisman”

“In the safe”

“Get it, please”

She went to the safe in the wall next to the computer. After she punched in the combination, she opened the safe and tossed the talisman to Cerberus, who caught it, and placed it in a pocket. “There, are you happy?”

“Not yet” he replied laconically.

Veronica was thinking that she might just get out of this after all. Harris dying was unfortunate, but she could find another to share her appetites. “So, can I keep the girl? You’ve got what you came for, I’m sure”

“Almost. You see, I haven’t properly introduced myself. My name is Cerberus. You’ve heard of me, haven’t you? The guardian of the Underworld? The hound of hell? Well, that’s me. Tell me. Do you wonder why I wear the mask?”

Veronica was becoming more frightened by the moment. This clown had an agenda. That made him dangerous.

“No one who sees my face can live. I used to be like everyone else, until people not unlike you robbed me of everything. I died that day. That day, I became what you fear most. I am the shadow you see out of the corner of your eye. The presence you can’t quite see. Look at my face, Veronica. This is what evil does to those it infects”

He pulled his mask off. The face that stared back at Veronica caused her to recoil in terror. Burned beyond recognition, a face closer to a charred skull stared back. Burned flesh hung in places to the bone. Lipless teeth grinned. In place of eyes, flaming holes burned. Veronica screamed.

Refitting the hood to his face, he quietly commented, almost matter of factly “You’ve seen me, Veronica. Tell the Ferryman I sent you”

In one motion, he pulled the sword out of its scabbard on his back, and severed Veronica’s head. Spinning again, he cut her in two at the waist. He placed two gold coins in the lifeless sockets of Veronica’s eyes. Gold meant nothing to him. Wealth was like so much air. He had all the wealth that his master had, and it meant nothing.

He proceeded to download her computer drive to his portable flash drive. The people at the government agency tasked to this might be able to help those sold. Maybe. If they couldn’t, then he would. He set the thermite charges. Then he turned on the gas. 20 minutes from now, there would be a nice little explosion. He and Belle would be long gone.

After everything was set. Cerberus opened the door to the limo. Brian, or Belle, was sitting as he left her. Her hands on her lap, sitting like a proper lady. She was staring straight ahead, clearly frightened. He spoke to her in French.

“Are you ok?”

“Yes, sir. Are you a friend? You won’t hurt me like everyone else, will you?”

“No, I won’t, chere. I have taken care of the two who took you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. May I go home now?” A tear rolled down her face. “Can I see my Mama and Daddy now? The mistress said I had no one, But I remember my Mama and Daddy. Do they miss me?”

Cerberus didn’t feel much in the way of emotions, at least not in the way most do. The fire that put him in his current situation had cauterized his emotions. But the quiet dignity of this girl touched him. “They miss you very much. Do you remember who you are?”

She shook her head. “No sir, I don’t. I think I used to be a boy, but I don’t remember my name”

“That’s okay, Belle. I know you can’t see right now, but don’t worry. I’m taking you away. There’s going to be some fireworks later, and we don’t want to be around when they go, okay?”

“Yes, sir”

She smiled; a pretty smile that Cerberus was sure hadn’t been used much. He pulled out in the limo, and headed to his warehouse. Kevin would be the one to handle this from here. Cerberus would retreat to the shadows, pursuing the ones he had pulled off of the Duncan’s hard drive. He texted Kevin to meet him at the warehouse.

These people had pissed Cerberus off. He decided to make a little stop before he dropped the girl off. He made his way to the location of the party. He had a little gift for the guests.

The location was at a small building in South Dallas. It was close to the Trinity River, and had been abandoned since some floods a few years back. It was only about ten thousand square feet. There were about twenty five cars in the small lot. They were clearly eager for the guest of honor. Tonight, the guest of honor would be Cerberus.

Two guards were at the door, clearly some rented muscle from one of the Hispanic gangs. He strode up to them.

“Hey, ese. No entrada sin invitation” Cerberus dispatched them with two strokes of his katana, then quietly walked through the door. He closed and locked it behind him.

“May I have your attention please!” The people in the room fell silent, as unknown to them, he actually spoke to all telepathically. They all heard him clearly.

“The Main Attraction has been cancelled tonight, but I am pleased to announce that alternate entertainment has been found. He paused for effect. “I, my friends am Cerberus, the Guardian of the Underworld and I am here to send you to my home. Hell”

The few minutes that followed were unbridled carnage. He either shot or cut to pieces every soul that was there to do harm.

He found one small girl that was the captive of one of the “guests” there. He saw her, cowering in a corner. "Who are you with?" She trembled and pointed to a man whose head was no longer attached. He found the keys to the man's car.Tossing her the keys, he said, “Go. Find your family. They want you back” She ran, too terrified to speak.

When he left, not a soul was left alive. Twenty nine men were dead, and Cerberus felt nothing more than if he had kicked an ant mound.

When Kevin got to the warehouse, the limo was already there. He opened the back door, as Cerberus had instructed in his message. He saw Belle, sitting in her little fetish outfit, staring straight ahead. Remembering his French, Kevin spoke.

“Belle?”

She looked blindly in his direction. “Yes, sir?”

“Please, Belle, call me Kevin”

“But the mistress will punish me if I fail to show respect”

“The bitch you call mistress will never trouble you again. Do you understand? Cerberus took care of her and her husband. Remember that. When the police ask you. You tell them Cerberus did it”

“Who is he? My friend from the car ride?”

Kevin smiled. “Yes, him. Honey, you’re free now. I’m going to take you to the police, and I’m going to call your parents. They are very worried about you. Now come on out here and we’ll get you some better clothes to wear”

Belle began to draw up into a ball, as she tended to do when she was unsure or scared. “Please, don’t lie to me. I don’t want to be punished again. I can’t see you, I don’t know…”

“Belle, I am not lying to you. I can’t, and I wouldn’t lie to you. Not now, not ever” Kevin reached to Belle. “Over here”

Belle slid over to the waiting arms of Kevin. He pulled her out, surprised at how light she was. She whispered in his ear. “I-I’m free?”

“Yes Belle, now and forever”

Belle's recovery begins

Chapter 5

Belle collapsed into tears. Kevin just held her, his eyes brimming as well. This made what he did worth the sacrifice.

An hour later, Belle was changed into pink sweatpants that she chose and a white tee. Kevin had given her a mild sedative that would help her sleep. She looked like an angel lying there, at peace for the first time in almost two years. The warehouse, better called a safe house was equipped for this type of rescue, with a limited supply of generic female clothing. It was just a halfway house. Belle was blind for who knows how long, so he wasn’t worried about her seeing something she shouldn’t.

He made his first call to the police. He asked for Detective Alex Larmer, the detective of record on the Kalisek kidnapping. Alex answered. “Larmer”

“Alex? Kevin Howard. I’ve got some good news. Cerberus broke the Kalisek case. I’ve got the child now”

“Cerberus? That crazy bastard? When will he learn to stay out of my cases! The department just got a call from someone claiming to be him about a massacre in South Dallas we’re checking out now”

“I guess he’ll quit when you learn to solve them without his help, Alex. Look, let’s just be thankful he’s back. This is bad, okay? The Kalisek kid is alive, but you need to get over here now. You’ll get the credit for finding the kid. I don’t care about that, but there’s been a complication. Meet me at my apartment, okay? And please, Alex. Just you, okay. I don’t know how to handle this”

Kevin was right about one thing, Alex thought. At least the kid was back. “Okay, Kev. I remember where you live. One hour?”

“Good enough. Thanks, Alex. This kid has been through hell”

Nearly an hour later, Alex was knocking at Kevin’s door. Kevin answered, holding a beer. He was watching the news, with the latest story a mass murder in a small abandoned building along the Trinity.

Thanks for meeting me like this, Alex. Beer?”

“No thanks, Kev. Still on duty. Where’s the kid”

“Sleeping. I want to show you something first. Just so you know I’m not nuts. Cerberus downloaded this at the home of Harris and Veronica Duncan this morning. About thirty minutes before he blew the whole mess straight to hell.

“The explosion in Highland Park?”

“Yep. Good luck proving he did it though. That and finding him”

Alex sighed. “You’re probably right. So, what am I supposed to be looking at?”

“Let me run the program. The first photo that came up was a picture of an unconscious Brian Kalisek. The program was a slideshow that showed Brian has he changed from the boy they recognized; to a girl they did not.

Alex whistled in disbelief. “What the hell was that, some kind of morphing program? Planning some plastic surgery?”

“Son, they changed the kid into a *girl*. No tricks, no bullshit. There’s more info that you can have. It’s all on this thumb drive. Take it. Cerberus wanted you to have it. They kept very good records. I wouldn’t be surprised if even the fingerprints are different.”

“You’re sure about this, Kevin?”

“Alex, I’d bet my life on it.” He shook his head. “There’s more, Alex. They messed with the kid’s head. The kid speaks French now. She can barely speak English. She doesn’t remember who she was. It’s a fucked up mess, Alex”

“Son of a bitch! I’ve heard of this happening before, back east. Turned kids into she males or something. Dammit! Why can’t these crazy fucks just die! Messing with kids is wrong.”

Well…now that you mention it, I don’t suppose either of the Duncans will be showing up on the hot sheets again.

“Well, he did us a favor after looking at this shit. Sexual abuse also, I suppose”

“The worst. I personally witnessed it at a “party” they gave”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“C’mon, Alex. You know me better than that. I was working undercover for Cerberus and Pluton Security. That’s how he got involved. If I had been carrying my piece though, I’d have killed every son of a bitch in the place. Alex, I’ll never get that out of my head. It was like throwing a kitten into a pack of wild dogs” Kevin choked on the last statement. Alex knew Kevin was telling the truth. “Somehow, she healed. I can’t explain how or why, but there’s not a mark on her. There’s a video showing it on the drive, but I’ll never watch it again. It’s yours, with my compliments. Evidence, for whatever good it will do. There won’t be a trial.”

Alex nodded grimly. “Well, I suppose I should see him”

“Her, Alex. One look and you’ll understand. And please, be quiet. Let her sleep for now”

Alex cracked the door. Lying on the bed was one of the most beautiful women he had seen in his life. She looked peaceful, and he couldn’t bear to wake her. He closed the door quietly and turned to Kevin. “Her. Definitely her. I need to call this in, Kev” He blew a loud sigh. “I’m off duty for the next ten. Do you have anything stronger than beer?”

“Scotch, and be my guest” He had to laugh at a pun that only he got. Belle was in his bed, and he just asked someone to be his guest.

“You need to get her up, Kev. The Captain will be here directly”

“Okay, I’ll wake her when he gets here”

Thirty minutes later, Kevin sat on the corner of the bed. He spoke to Belle gently in French. “Belle? Time to get up sweetheart”

Belle yawned, and then started awake. She sat bolt upright in the bed. “Mistress! Forgive me! I just overslept a little” she rubbed her eyes. “Why can’t I see?”

“Belle! It’s Kevin, remember? Mistress isn’t alive anymore!”

Belle relaxed somewhat. “Sorry, Kevin. I won’t be able to see anything for another few hours. I was just scared. I think I’m okay now”

“There is a police officer here to see you, Belle. He is going to make sure you get to your Mama and Daddy. Is that okay?”

Belle felt for Kevin’s hand. “You won’t leave me, will you? I’m too scared to go by myself. What if they try to take me back?”

“It’s all right, kid. I’ll stay with you until you are ready for me to go”

“Okay. Umm, I have to go to the toilet. Can you take me there?”

“Sure. When you’re done, I’ll point you to the shower if you want to take one”

“Ohh, that would be wonderful! Thank you, Kevin! I’d like that very much”

Kevin left the bathroom to get Belle one of his robes, a towel and one of his spare toothbrushes. He went back into the front room. “Alex, she’s going to get cleaned up. Your boss is going to have to wait”

“I wouldn’t have expected any different, Kev” Alex smiled. I told the Cap to give us an hour.

“Kevin?” Belle was standing at the door completely naked. “I need a towel, please”

Alex cleared his throat and turned around. “I don’t need to see this, Kev”

Kevin ran over to Belle and threw a robe around her. “Uhh, Belle, you need to keep your clothes on around here, kid”

“But I am not allowed to get dressed until I’m told what to wear”

“New rules, Belle. You need to be dressed for me to see you”

“But I didn’t know where my clothes were. Did I make a mistake?” She was starting to panic.

“No, kid, I did. I forgot you couldn’t see. I was looking for some stuff for you to put on after your shower. My fault entirely”

Belle didn’t look like she understood the concept of someone besides her making a mistake. She cocked her head to the side.“Okay?”

“Okay, kid. No problem. It’s just that it makes us uncomfortable to see you without your clothes on for reasons you may not understand right now, but will in the future”

Belle smiled, then turned and walked gingerly into the bathroom. The shower started not long after that. While she was in the shower, Kevin brought in her towel, toothbrush and clothes. Her sweatpants and sweatjacket were leftovers from yesterday, but he remembered a fresh pair of underwear and a sports bra.

“Belle, all of your clothes are on the counter. You should be able to get dressed without too much trouble. Your underwear is on top”

“Bon, Kevin, Merci”

Kevin thumped his head. “Oh, sorry. I know you have trouble with English”

‘C'est bien, Kevin. Je n'ai que mal á  parler, ne pas le comprendre’

Alex heard them talking. “What did she say?”

“Just that she didn’t have trouble understanding English, just speaking it”

“Good. That will make questioning go a lot faster. What the hell is up with her eyes? She looks like a zombie!”

“I don’t know, something temporary they did to keep her from seeing where they were going, and to keep her under control while they were out”

“By the way, how did you learn French, Kev?”

“I grew up in Quebec. You learn French there or else, they get really snippy. Francophones are really good at snippy”

Alex chuckled. “I guess that’s true”

Belle finished with her shower and found the items Kevin had laid out for her. When she came out of Kevin’s bedroom, her hair was brushed and in a braid. She was in her pink sweatpants and tee from last night. She did put on the bra, which Alex was thankful for. He didn’t need to be overly exposed to a sixteen year old sex bomb right now.

“How did you learn how to do that, Belle? Without being able to see?” asked Kevin.

Belle smiled. She replied slowly in English. “Oh Keveen, I did… learn…. how to… take care of…myself, you know!”

“Hey! That wasn’t half bad, kid. You’ll get the hang of this English in no time. Good job!”

Belle loved the compliment. Her blush betrayed her feelings. It had been so long since anyone had been nice to her. She liked the feeling.

“Thank you, Kevin. It is sooo difficult right now. I am much more comfortable speaking French right now. They did something to my mind, I’m sure of it”

“I understand. I’ll keep speaking in English and you can keep speaking French if that’s more comfortable for you”

“Merci”

Kevin helped belle to a seat in his La-z-Boy. “Belle, There is a man with me. He’s a detective with the Dallas police department. His name is Alex. He’ll be asking you a few questions.

Belle’s eyes began to tear up. Kevin rushed to her side. “Is everything okay, Belle?”

“You mean I never left Dallas? I didn’t know. I thought I was in France or something. They never left Dallas?”

“No, they didn’t. I’m sorry, I should have told you. I never realized that you didn’t know”

“I’m sorry Kevin, It’s all a bit much right now.” She began to break down. “Please, I need to see my parents”

Kevin held her. “Belle. Please understand. I want that for you more than anything. But you need to understand something. You have changed. You parents need to be prepared for you too. They love you, and they will need to deal with what has happened to you as well. I promise that you will be with them as soon as is humanly possible”

“You promise?”

“On my life”

He handed her a tissue, which she used to dab at her eyes. “Okay, Kevin. I trust you”

“What was that all about, Kev?”

“She’s feeling a bit vulnerable, Alex. She wants to see her mom and dad. I promised her that we’d get her to them as soon as was humanly possible. She also didn’t know she never left Dallas”

Alex shook his head. “Wow. I need to learn another language”

Alex’s Captain knocked on the door. He was all business, and very terse. “All right Larmer, Where’s the kid?”

“Right here, boss” He pointed to the small, pretty girl sitting next to Kevin Howard. She looked like she was holding on to Kevin for dear life.

Franklin rolled his eyes. “All right Alex. Cut the shit. Where’s the boy?”

“Right there, boss. I told you there was a problem”

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Ahhh, fuck! Why did this happen on my shift?”

Chapter 6

Kevin spoke up. “Hey Cap. You’re scaring the poor kid to death. Can’t you see that?” Belle was hanging on to Kevin and her head was buried in his shoulder.

Suddenly Captain Franklin felt like an ass. In a softer voice, he looked at Alex. “Sorry. I didn’t realize what I was doing. This is way outside my pay grade, guys. We need to get some specialists involved. And we need to get the kid’s folks notified. They’ve been wearing me out ever since this went down. I can’t blame them. I’d have been all over it if he was my kid too”

He kneeled down front of Belle. She looked at him with fear and a few tears in her eyes. Franklin now REALLY felt like an ass.

“Brian? I’m Captain Franklin. Sorry about all the yelling earlier, okay?”

‘Je m'appelle n'est pas Brian, monsieur. C'est Belle’

Captain Franklin’s eyes widened. He looked at Alex and quietly said. “Is this a joke?”

Alex shook his head. “No sir, it isn’t”

Franklin hooked his thumb towards the door. “In the hall, Alex. We need to talk”

“I agree, sir”

The two officers were in the hall for several minutes, discussing what they should do, and who should be called in to confer on this case. The Duncans would not be standing trial, and their house was scattered over the better part of an acre. There was nothing to prosecute. There was the issue of a very scared and damaged young lady to reunite with her parents.

The Captain was sure why Cerberus did what he did. First of all, the Duncans had violated his first rule. Don’t fuck with kids. Second, and only slightly less important, don’t fuck with kids where he can get to you. No trial, to evidence to drag the poor girl through. No defense attorneys saying she asked to be brainwashed and raped. Asking her to relive the torture.

Franklin had to hand it to him, whoever he was, he left things clean. He also did the city a big favor. No trial expense.

“Cap, the kid is very attached to Howard. He’s keeping her calm, and I don’t know how. I really think it’s better that he stays with her for now”

The two officers walked back in to Kevin’s apartment. “Okay, Kev” announced Alex. You’re with us for the time being”

Franklin added, “DCFS is going to want to stick their fat nose into this, which will probably screw this mess to the ceiling, but the kid trusts you, and with you she shall stay until we can bring her folks up to speed. Copy?”

“Copy, Cap”

‘Je reste avec vous, Kevin?’(I can stay with you ?)

‘Oui, mademoiselle’

She smiled. “Bon!”

Marta Kalisek was taking care of the vacuuming when the phone rang. Since Brian had disappeared, housework was her way of coping. The house was spotless. Marta wanted it to be perfect when Brian came back. And he would come back. He had to come back. It was late, and the work took her mind off things before bed, wher she might sleep three hours. The grey starting to streak her dark brown hair was testament to the stress she had endured for the last twenty two months.

“Hello, Mrs. Kalisek?”

“Yes? Can I help you?”

“This is Captain Ted Franklin from DPD. Is your husband there also?”

“No, he’s at work right now. He’s taking care of a few things”

“Call him. We have some news about Brian. Good news”

Marta burst into tears. “What! Oh my god! You’ve found him? Is he okay? Where is he” We need to see him”

“Mrs. Kalisek, it’s not that simple. He’s been through a lot. We need to get together with you and your husband and talk”

“I’ll get right on that, as soon as I get off the phone with you. Can I at least talk to him?”

“He’s not really up to that now, ma’am. He’s in the hospital”

“I thought you said he was okay?”

“He is. This is just precautionary, and standard procedure. I can say he’s a little malnourished”

Marta could barely speak. “Oh, thank you Captain” she managed to choke out. “Thank you! I know we’ve been a pain, but Brian is our only child and…”

“It was no bother, ma’am. No apologies needed. But we do need to talk. Call your husband, and get to Children’s Hospital. There are some things we need to discuss”

“I don’t understand, Captain. Is everything else okay?”

“Your child is reasonably healthy as far as I can tell . But we need to go over some things related to long term kidnappings”

“Oh. You mean mental problems?”

“Something like that. We will meet you at the hospital. Call your husband, your child needs you more than ever”

“Okay, Captain, and thank you”

Marta called her husband Bob at his plant. She gave him the good news and he was on his way home within thirty seconds of her call to pick her up and head to the hospital.

They were met at the main entrance by three people. Two were obviously detectives and the third was a woman in a lab coat.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Kalisek. I’m Ted Franklin, and this is Detective Larmer, who broke the case. This is Dr. Samantha Brooks, who is consulting on this case. She’ll fill you in on the particulars”

“What do you mean?” asked Marta. “Is Brian okay? Please. I want to see my son!”

Samantha was carrying an iPod. “Please, Mr. and Mrs. Kalisek, come with me to someplace a little more private. I have an office reserved for us on the third floor.

After a trip up the elevator, they settled in to the office. Samantha was careful to sit on the sofa with Marta and Bob. She turned on the tablet. “This data was recovered where Brian was being held. You need to watch this, and we need to talk after you see it. Brian’s very survival depends on your reaction. It is that critical”

Bob raised an eyebrow as he exchanged glances with his wife. “Okay, Doc. We’re on board. What’s the big deal?”

Samantha continued. “No matter what you see, rest assured this is NOT a joke. This was recovered in a special operation of the DPD, and is for your eyes only. Is this clear?”

Marta squeezed her husband’s had tighter. “You’re scaring us, Doctor. What is going on?”

“Watch the screen”

For the next five minutes, the Kalisek’s watched pictures of their son slowly being changed into a girl they didn’t recognize. Marta was beside herself, crying into her husband’s shoulder. Bob was seething.

Bob pounded his fist into the table. “This can’t be true! It can’t! That isn’t my son!”

Samantha replied sympathetically. “In a way you’re right, Mr. Kalisek. Brian was changed, body and mind. He was brainwashed and abused almost beyond description. I have seen the recordings, and I was shocked. I have spoken with her. She is a very intelligent lovely young woman. She goes by Belle now. It was the name her kidnappers gave her. I asked her if she wants to change it, and she said ‘it’s not allowed’, so, it’s Belle Marie until we can figure out a way to get her to change it. I asked her what kept her going, and she said she remembered her mama. She described you, Mrs. Kalisek. She remembered you. Even after the torture, the brainwashing, the assaults. She held on to her sanity by thinking of you and her father”

“Oh, God. What did they do to my baby?” She paused, collecting herself. “And please, call me Marta”

“Plenty, Marta. There’s much more. The change your daughter is going through is not purely cosmetic. Somehow they have managed to change her down to her DNA. The tests are not complete yet, and won’t be for about forty eight hours, but we suspect she is in the process, nearly complete of changing into a genetic, fully functioning female”

Marta gasped “She is fully female? But how? That’s not possible. Is it?”

“It is, apparently. I wish we knew how, Marta, and further testing I suspect will confirm our diagnosis. She is healthy, which is surprising, but she is a little malnourished she’s not quite 20 pounds under what we would consider healthy for a girl her age.”

“I don’t care. Boy or girl, She’s my child!”

Bob was silent. He was taking it all in.

“Yes and no, Marta. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I want to give you all the information I have. We are going to be doing DNA testing on you, your husband and your daughter. I wouldn’t be surprised if, genetically speaking, Belle turned out to be nothing more than a distant cousin, genetically. But that’s a worst case scenario. Emotionally, she is as dependent on you as ever. More so, in fact”

Bob looked down at the floor, clenching and unclenching his fists. Marta just gasped. “What else?” she asked.

Belle was subjected to some very advanced mind programming. She was due to be sold to a man in India to be a sex slave. He paid for them to program her to speak French as her first language. She understands English, but it is very difficult right now for her to speak it. This bit of programming was particularly cruel. Changing her language changed the way she thinks at some level. She will probably never be fluent in English again” Samantha sighed a little. “We did a cat scan and will be doing a pet scan. What we are seeing is not dissimilar to a condition called aphasia. Her brain seems to misfire when she tries to speak English.

Bob spoke softly. “My God. That poor child. What is going right for her?”

Samantha brightened. “I’m glad you asked. I wasn’t lying before. She is bright, intelligent, and a very sweet girl. She is very polite. She is a bit high strung after all of the abuse she suffered. I don’t think it’s a good idea for her to live at home after all of this, but that’s just a preliminary opinion. She is very strong but is also very damaged. There is a very good school for girls like her back east, but that’s a decision you’ll have to make”

Marta’s face was set. She looked at Bob, and he agreed. They wanted their child, boy or girl. This was a test of their love, nothing more. “We are NOT sending Brian away. We just got him…her back. She is, Brian or Belle, OUR child”

Bob spoke quietly. “Let’s go see our daughter”

Kevin was in the hospital room with Belle. They allowed her a nightgown instead of the standard issue hospital gown. Kevin had bought it with some help from one of the nurses. Belle loved pink, and the gown was pink. She spent her time chatting with Kevin when they weren’t poking and prodding her. Her genitals were almost completely rearranged, and she giggled when the doctors couldn’t tell her why it was happening. They looked so silly stumbling and stuttering. English was such a funny language, she thought.

Belle had been controlled for so long that she wanted to talk all of the time. What had happened while she was gone, what the latest fashions were, who was dating who. She chattered to herself when no one was around. She spent all her time on E! or Lifetime or some other estrogen soaked channel.

Kevin knew this was programmed in to her. She was programmed to be a girl. He also knew that there would be a crash. He just hoped she survived it.

Marta and Bob met with Kevin and Sam in a conference room. They needed to talk before Meeting Belle for the first time. Kevin introduced himself.

“Bob, Marta” Kevin began. “Belle is looking forward to seeing you very much. I haven’t said anything to her, as I wanted it to be a surprise. She will probably be very difficult to communicate with at first. When she is emotional, she really can’t speak English at all. She can speak a little when she’s calm. I hope that will get better, regardless of what the Docs think. She’s tough, way tougher than the bastards who did this to her thought. Hang on to that. There will be ups and downs. Remember her love for her parents carried her through torture that would have killed the toughest soldier on earth. Are you ready? Let’s go see her”

Kevin knocked on Belles, door. “Oui?” came the reply.

As Kevin entered, he told belle he had a surprise for her. “Come in” He called.

Chapter 7

Bob and Marta entered her room. Belle’s hands flew up to her mouth, and tears began to fall. “M-mama? Daddy?” They rushed to Belle’s bedside in a crushing hug. Samantha and Kevin left the room and quietly closed the door.

Sam looked at Kevin, who was wiping his eyes with his hands. She smiled, because she was doing the same thing. “Why are you crying, tough guy?”

Kevin looked down at the floor. “You saw the recording of the ‘party’?” she nodded. “I was there. That kid deserves a happy life after what I saw” he smiled sadly “And I ain’t that tough”

Sam leaned over to Kevin and hugged him. The big man just cried.

The door opened and Bob called out with a smile on his face. Our girl wants to tell us something, but I can’t understand a word she says. Help!

Kevin entered the room, and saw Belle just hammering her folks in French. She was clearly frustrated.

Kevin! Dieu merci, vous áªtes ici! Je ne peux pas penser en anglais dá¨s maintenant! Dis maman et papa que je suis si heureux de les voir! She was speaking almost faster than Kevin could understand.

“She says she is too excited to think in English right now, but she is very happy to see you”

Belle was on her knees in her bed, bouncing with excitement.

"Dites leur qu'ils ne m'a pas lá¢ché quand j'ai pensé que j'allais mourir"

“She said you kept her going when she thought she was going to die”

"Dites-leur que je suis reconnaissante qu'ils m'aiment máªme si je ne suis pas leur petit garçon pas plus"

“She also says that she is thankful you love her as a girl, not as a boy”

Marta was in tears again. “She is my daughter no matter what”

Kevin smiled “Marta, She understands you”

Marta looked at Belle and she was holding up “I love you” in sign language. Marta and Bob hugged their child again. They had taught Brian that as a little boy.

"Kevin, leur dire que je ne peux pas attendre de rentrer chez eux! S'il vous plaá®t dites-leur de redécorer, et que j'aime le rose!"

“She also can’t wait to go home. She also said you need to plan on redecorating, and that she loves pink!”

They all laughed at that.

Belle acted as if she remembered something. “Mama et Daddy, vous avez besoin pour un français de réserver l'anglais! Kevin ne peut pas vivre avec nous, mais il est trá¨s mignon!" Belle giggled and blushed.

Her parents looked to Kevin for the translation. He didn’t know what to say. She uh says that you need to get a book to translate French to English so you can understand what she is saying. And I can’t live with you.

Belle smiled and looked at Kevin. “This…is not all…I say to Kevin. I say he…not stay but he is…cute!”

Kevin was stunned. “Hey! Wait a minute! What do you need me for!

That brought the room down. Bob wasn’t quite sure what to say, but Marta told Belle she was terrible! Belle held her hands to her mouth in a feminine gesture of glee mixed with embarrassment. She laughed, a wonderful, musical laugh. Kevin thought she might be okay after all.

Kevin smiled. “Well, I think our girl might be okay to talk now. I’m sure y’all would like some time alone” Sam and I will go now. I’ll be back in the morning, Belle, if you want me to”

“Yes, Kevin, I…want. Come, please? I have…somesing tell you”

Kevin strode over to Belle’s bedside. She hugged him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and whispered in his ear. “Je t’aime, Kevin. And thank you!”

Kevin was shocked. Did she just say what he thought she said? She just said she loved him! She was ten years younger than he was, no matter what she looked like. His life just got more complicated.

Marta was sitting by Belle’s bed reading. She had the television on at low volume. One of the things that hadn’t changed from when Brian was a baby was that Belle seemed to sleep better when there was a little noise in the room. Her ears perked up a little when she happened to notice a reporter standing in front of the hospital. In the corner of the screen, an old picture of Brian, released shortly after the kidnapping appeared. She listened closer to the broadcast.

“…sources inside the police have indicated that Brian Kalisek, kidnapped nearly two years ago, has been recovered. There are rumors, unconfirmed, that the kidnappers, alleged to be Veronica and Harris Duncan of Highland Park, submitted the boy to experiments of some sort. Confidential sources in the hospital have indicated that the boy seems has been feminized to a certain degree. More on this story as it develops. For Newschannel 3, this is Gary King reporting”

Marta was furious. How dare someone at the hospital release information about Belle. She stepped out of the room. Not knowing where to go or what to do, she paced back and forth. She didn’t want to leave her daughter to wake up in an empty room. She turned and walked back in, frustrated.

She stood over her sleeping child. “I’m sorry, honey. I had hoped this wouldn’t happen”

“I knew it would” the low, rough voice echoed in the room. “It was bound to. No one can keep a secret like this. If it’s any consolation, I dealt with the source of the leak”

Marta whirled about. Behind her, with his back turned to her, looking out the window was a figure dressed in what looked like black leather, a sword on his back, and two large handguns on either hip. Marta was frightened, but not panicky. She somehow knew that this man meant no harm.

“W-who are you?”

He spoke quietly, without turning around. “A friend”

“Do I know you?”

“No. I found Belle and got her out of her…situation”

“But I thought the Police…”

She heard him chuckle. “That’s not surprising. But it’s all right with me. They can have all of the credit they want. I don’t do this for credit. The people who do these things know me, and what I do, and that’s all that matters”

“Thank you for what you did” she eased closer to the figure and touched him on the shoulder. “You brought my baby back”

“Not soon enough. I wasn’t able to save your son” He turned to face her. She gasped, as she saw he was masked. Two mirrored lenses, and that was it. The rest was covered. “You don’t need to be afraid of me. I just came to give you this”

He handed her a thumb drive and some paperwork in a sealed manila envelope. “This will help with expenses you will encounter in the future. It’s a bank account that has been set up for your family. I know you are good people who will take care of Belle. There’s enough there to give you a good start, and then some. Don’t worry about the taxes. I’ve got someone taking care of that too. You take that paperwork to the address on the envelope. Everything will be explained to you then”

“I-I can’t thank you enough, Mr…”

He shook his head “Not necessary. My name, if you need one, is Cerberus. Belle has already met me. Things are going to get complicated in the next few days. My advice is to hit it head on. Don’t hide from it. You have done nothing wrong. Just make sure they report the truth”

“What do you mean?”

“That reporter was only the beginning. There’ll be others, who won’t be content to just report from the steps. Do yourself a favor. Hire a PR person to handle the mess that’s coming”

“We don’t have the money for that!”

“Yes you do. Trust me”

A small voice spoke “Monsieur Cerberus?”

“Oui, chere”

“Thank you for coming to visit me. Wow! You’re really cool looking! I can see you now.”

“Thank you” he spoke gently. “You know, chere, I was talking to your mother, you know. It’s not polite to listen in on other people’s conversations”

Belle yawned. “I know…It’s none of my business”

Marta, her head cocked, was trying to understand the French dialogue. “Um, guys, I can’t understand you, you know”

Belle smiled at her mother. “Is…okay, mama. He…is…good man. He…ummm…help me”

Marta smiled and sat down next to Belle, stroking her hair. “I know, honey. He’s been here for a little bit”

“Okay, mama. Good bye, my friend. I-I soo sleepy” She was out again in moments.

“They gave her some sedatives to help her sleep. I’m surprised she was able to wake up at all”

“She’ll be okay. I have to go now. Have a good life…you deserve it”

Marta turned briefly to Belle to move the hair out of her face. When she turned around, Cerberus was gone. She looked in the envelope. There were a bunch of legal papers. One, however, caught her eye. It was a bank statement. There, in Belle’s name, with her parents as executors, was a bank account in the amount of eight million dollars. She began to shake, and she dropped the envelope.

Later, Bob entered the room and saw Marta crying. “What’s the problem, honey?”

She handed the envelope to her husband. He read it, going through all of the contents and his eyes got big. “Is this a joke?”

Dabbing her eyes, she responded “No, it isn’t”

She told Bob the story of the day’s events. “I called the person on the card that was included in the envelope. It’s genuine”

The next couple of days were hectic. Marta and Bob found out about the account and how to manage it. The financial advisor that was working with them was selected by Cerberus himself. A man of impeccable credentials, he had already set up several accounts, and hired a public relations firm to handle any media requests that arose.

More information leaks made it out of the hospital. More and more media outlets were picking up on the story. The boy had been found, but had been changed into a girl. The boy was a she male. Other more ridiculous stories popped up in the supermarket tabloids.

The public relations person they hired was Gloria Morton, who had twenty five years of experience in the business, and was well known for the protection of her clients. She was also fluent in French, which was a necessity.

Her first visit with Belle was three days after the first story broke. Belle was still in her bed, as the doctors were still waiting for her final changes to manifest. She was effectively sexless now, at least externally. Belle had been complaining of sharp pains between her legs, so the change, doctors surmised couldn’t be far away.

It was ten o’clock am when Gloria first greeted the Kaliseks. “Hello, folks. I hope I’m not intruding. I wanted to get an early start”

“Not at all, Gloria, we’ve been expecting you”

Chapter 8

“And this must be Belle? My, but you are a pretty one, Belle! You are well named!”

“Thank you, ma’am. I didn’t pick it, but I am beginning to like it. Besides, it doesn’t matter whether I like it or not. I don’t think I can change it. I think the people who kidnapped me did something to my mind. Every time I think about changing it, I get really sick”

She gave Belle a big hug. “Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. And please call me Gloria. After all, I DO work for you.”

Bob and Marta just watched Belle interact with Gloria. They were glad that Belle had someone to speak to. They knew it was a real challenge for her to speak English, but she did try. Kevin hadn’t been by for a couple of days, as he had picked up a case. He did call every day, and Belle was very animated when she talked to him. It was very evident that she was smitten with the handsome man. Marta resolved to teach her about the “birds and the bees” before they turned her loose on the world.

Marta clapped her hands and sat down. “Okay, mom and dad. I have read what you have sent me about Belle’s rather unique medical situation. This is not without precedent. There is another, an actress, I think who was also was transformed, not by her doing but by accident. She did something similar to what you are doing. Taking control.

“I don’t want that kind of life, Gloria. I just want to be a normal girl. If I have to, I’ll leave the United States and move to…I don’t know, France maybe. I guess I won’t be so out of place there. I don’t want to do that, but I will if I have to”

Gloria was taking notes. “Interesting, Belle. So you see yourself as a girl?”

“Yes, I do. What do you see when you look at me?”

“A girl, a very pretty girl, if you don’t mind me saying”

Belle blushed, and shook her head no.

She looked at Marta. “She does understand English, then. Very good. I know that it’s difficult to follow. She basically told me she just wants to be normal, and if she has to, she’ll move to France to get away”

Marta held Belle’s hand in bother of hers. “We agree, Gloria. Whatever she wants. She didn’t ask for any of this”

As they were talking, the door to their room cracked open. A hand with a digital camera poked in. Gloria caught it out of the corner of her eye. She held her finger to her lips and stood up. She then ran into the door, smashing the arm of the unwanted cameraman. A scream issued in the hall. “Stay in here, guys. Let me handle this”

Gloria pulled the door open, to see a man on his knees holding his arm. “You bitch! My arm’s broken!”

Gloria smirked as she bent down to pick up the camera. “Don’t stick it where it doesn’t belong, moron” She motioned for the nurse. Call security, oh, and a doctor for our friend”

The nurse ran to the station and called for security. The man tried to get up and Gloria calmly pushed him back down with her foot. “Stay right there, big boy. What’s the big idea?”

“TMZ promised ten K for video of the kid”

“You know that would be illegal, don’t you. The “Kid” is underage. Now, you’ve got a broken arm to worry about. I’ve seen the rates this hospital charges. You should have stayed home. I hope you’ve got good insurance”

Security came and a guard escorted the man to the ER. Gloria pointed her finger at the remaining guard and said “no more of this crap. Either find my client a safer room or post a guard. The next time this happens, we go the legal route. My client has been through two years of hell, and we will not take too kindly to any more intrusions. I’ll hang on to the memory card”

“Yes ma’am” The guard replied. “I’ll get Admin on this right away”

Gloria reentered the room to applause. Belle was grinning from ear to ear. “Bravo, Gloria! You can be a real bitch when you want to be! I love it!”

Gloria acted shocked “Belle, you little scamp. Such language from a beautiful girl! You should be ashamed! But thank you! That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard today!” They both broke down in giggles.

“What did she say?” asked Bob.

Belle blushed. “Don’t you DARE tell him, Gloria!”

Gloria was recovering from laughing and said “She was just complimenting my handling of the situation”

Bob, not really getting what was being talked about, nonetheless added “So I’m guessing that is kind of what you do?”

“Sort of, Bob. I guess you could say I am your connection to the media. Any requests for interviews come through me. I bring them to you, and you decide what is appropriate or I decide. Either way, we work together toward what is best for Belle”

Marta added “Well, Gloria, we don’t really know anything about those kinds of things. What if we make a mistake?”

Gloria smiled. “That’s why you hired me. I’m very experienced at dealing with media types. I’m your advocate, and in essence protector from bad publicity. I am a lawyer by trade, Harvard Law, and have experience in both trial and prosecution. I know all of the ins and outs and what can or cannot be done, and I can be an unscrupulous publications worst nightmare”

Belle whistled. “Wow!”

Gloria chuckled. “I guess that’s one word we won’t have to teach her! Seriously, though, I’m very good at what I do. With the retainer I was paid, I will be on board for the long haul. I wanted this job, because as a women’s advocate, I believe what was done to Belle shouldn’t happen to anyone. Forcibly changing an innocent person’s gender like being a woman is some sort of punishment. In truth, I’d have done this for nothing, so being paid is icing on the cake”

“So what can we expect, Gloria?” asked Marta.

“More of the same nonsense you just experienced, unfortunately. Stories like Belle’s are sensational, and media outlets are going to be clamoring for an exclusive. I’ll talk to the ones that will give you a fair interview, without focusing an all of the bad things that happened. The key thing is to listen to my advice. I want what’s best for Belle and you, and my professional reputation is on the line”

Belle thought, then quietly said “I would like someone to tell my story who will focus on all of the other girls like me out there who weren’t as lucky as I was”

Bob and Marta looked to Gloria for the translation. Her eyes shone. “She wants to focus on the girls that weren’t as ‘lucky’ as she was” Gloria reached for a tissue and dabbed her eyes. “How do you mean you were ‘lucky’, Belle?

Belle looked at Gloria, her eyes brimming with tears. “Il ya ceux lá  qui n'ont pas été trouvés, Gloria. Ils souffrent encore, et mon cÅ“ur se brise pour eux. Je suppose que je ne pense pas que je vais jamais se sentir complá¨tement libre tant qu'ils sont lá -bas" (There are those out there who haven't been found, Gloria. They are still suffering, and my heart breaks for them. I guess I don’t think I’ll ever feel completely free as long as they are out there)

Belle’s mother rushed to her side. “What did she say? Why is she so upset?”

Gloria was drying her eyes. “She is worried about the ones still hurting, Marta. The ones still in captivity. I guess she is feeling a little ‘survivors’ guilt’. It’s perfectly understandable”

A gentle knock at the door broke the mood. Kevin cracked the door and asked “Anyone home?”

Belle smiled while laying her head on her mother’s shoulder. “Entrez, cutie”

Kevin saw that the women in the room were crying, and Bob was looking a little bit uncomfortable. “Bad timing? I can come back if you’d like”

Belle sat up. “No! Stay! I’ve missed you!”

Kevin held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, your majesty! I’m staying! I had a few hours off, so I thought I’d check to see how my favorite girl is doing”

Belle gave him a pout and held her arms out. “Your timing is perfect. I could use a hug from you about now”

Kevin smiled “Okay, kiddo, give us a hug”

Kevin and Belle hugged, and Kevin could feel her tension melt away. She didn’t seem to want to let go.

He looked at Marta questioningly “So what’s been happening?”

“Belle has been feeling a bit low about the ones you couldn’t find, I think. She’s had a good cry, so your timing couldn’t have been better”

“Well, along those lines, from the intelligence Cerberus gathered from the Duncan’s computer, he found the buyers of the previous girls. He’s well on the way to getting them back. The person actually responsible for Belle’s change was captured by the authorities this morning. She had no idea that we were on to her. Someone said she was being turned over to 'the proper authorities' whoever they are”

Belle clapped her hands in happiness. “Good! Very good!”

Kevin broke her hug and held her at arm’s length and looked at her then smiled wide. “Well, well! Very nice, Belle! Been practicing on the English?”

She held her thumb and forefinger apart about an inch. “Maybe…a leetle beet!”

Kevin laughed heartily. “Well, keep it up, Belle! In no time you’ll be talking circles around us all!”

Belle giggled. “Just watch out when I do! You may not like it so much then, Kevin!”

Marta looked at Bob, her arms crossed. “We have GOT to learn French! She is saying way too much that we can’t understand”

“The Rosetta Stone program is already ordered, hon”

Kevin noticed Gloria in the chair by the wall opposite the bed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there, ma’am. He eased over to her and stuck out his hand. “Kevin Howard. I was kind of in on Belle’s rescue”

“Pleased to meet you, Kevin. Gloria Morton. I’ll be representing Belle and her family in media matters, and I know about your role. You sell yourself short.”

The light of recognition showed on Kevin’s face. “Ohhhh, okay! I thought you looked familiar. Wow! So they really brought in the big guns. I glad you’re on their side, Gloria. From what I’ve heard, you’re the best”

Gloria instantly liked this young man. He had an air of sincerity that couldn’t be faked. She could see why Belle was in love with him. “And you don’t mind a so called bitch like me monopolizing Belle’s time?”

“Heck no, Ms. Morton. With all she’s been through, she needs all of the quality help she can get. If you need anything from me, just let me know!”

“I just may do that, Kevin. And please, my friends call me Gloria” She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “Kevin, could I buy you a cup of coffee? I’d like to discuss a few things with you” Gloria looked at Belle. I promise to have him back in twenty minutes.

Belle pouted again. Gloria could tell not many men would be able to resist that pout. “Okay, Gloria. But make sure he comes back”

“Oui, chere”

Chapter 9

As Kevin and Gloria were walking down the hall to the in hospital coffee shop, she asked him “You do know that Belle is very much in love with you, don’t you?”

Kevin wasn’t surprised. “I suspected, Gloria. I like her too, but I’m not sure it’s in that way. I know it could be, one day. She’s incredibly special. She’s just going through so much right now, she’s young, and her feelings could change. I don’t want to set myself up for a lot of heartache down the road”

“You’re a good guy, Kevin. I can see that. The next few months or even years are going to be stressful for her. I’ve done my research, and she’s due for some kind of PTSD. I can’t see it not happening”

“Don’t I know it. I’ll be there for her, though, if she wants me to be there” They reached the counter of the shop. “Large coffee, black for me, and for my friend…” he looked at Gloria.

“Same for me, please”

Kevin pulled out his wallet. Gloria held his arm. “Hey, I asked you out!”

Kevin held his hand up and smiled disarmingly. “This is Texas, ma’am” he said in an exaggerated East Texas drawl. “Ain’t no beeyoutiful women buyin’ when I’m around. Its muh treat”

Gloria giggled at the corny line. She had almost thirty years on Kevin, but it was nice to be treated like someone special. She blushed. This guy was a catch.

They got their coffees and prepared them to their liking. She noticed that Kevin was a cream and sugar, lots of sugar, man.

“Do you like coffee with your sugar, Sir?” she asked.

“I like coffee, but I can’t handle it straight. Too bitter. In these places, the coffee is always too hot, and smells like cigarettes. At least to me. Never got used to it in the Army”

Laughing, Gloria asked “I thought you were supposed to be a tough guy”

“Not that tough. I’d look like an eighty year old man if I drank that stuff straight. I notice you are pure black type”

“I love the bitterness. Let’s you know you’re alive!”

“Well, remind me not to mix it up with you. If you can drink that stuff straight, you could whip me any ol’ day”

Sitting down, Gloria continued. “I don’t like to be so up front with someone that I just met. I just think is it the best policy right now”

Kevin took a sip of his coffee and nodded. “Sure. I appreciate that, Gloria. Shoot”

“I saw how Belle’s eyes lit up when you came into the room. I don’t want to see her hurt, Kevin. She’s new at this girl business, and has no history to draw from. I just want you to handle her like the finest china in the world. But I guess I don’t really need to say that, do I”

“No arguments here. I have really been thinking about this the last couple of days. I know I could spend the rest of my life with someone like Belle. What bothers me is something that my friend found in the Duncan’s computer. There was a protocol in the ‘programming’ they did on Belle that would, upon transfer of ownership, effectively imprint her owner on her. She would be extremely attracted to him. I won’t say love…I don’t believe that true love can be imprinted on anyone…but I wonder if this isn’t that protocol initiating itself. Do you follow me?”

Gloria nodded as she enjoyed her coffee. “Absolutely, Kevin. What are you saying, then?”

“I really like Belle. I witnessed her being used in the worst way possible. I want to protect her from that ever happening again. She has been through hell, yet there is a special quality about her. It’s as if she is the strongest person I have ever met, bar none. She should be a drooling wreck, but she is able to laugh, and care about other people. I couldn’t do that. No one that I know could”

“Go on, please”

“I don’t want to be the guy she imprints on like a baby bird. She deserves better. I want her to experience life. Finish high school. Go to college if she wants. I can wait. If she changes her mind, I’ll be crushed, but at least it will be her decision. How can I do that, and be with her as much as I want to be. I mean, I’m ten years older than she is. It don’t mean much five, ten years down the road, but it’s a big deal now”

Gloria was amazed at this man. She had known a lot of men in her time, but few to match Kevin’s maturity. Hell, she wanted him, and she was old enough to be his mother. “I understand Kevin. What else are you thinking?”

“Hell, Gloria, I do like her. A lot. I just want to make sure it’s real, is all”

“All I can say Kevin is keep doing what you’re doing. See her when you want. Don’t shut her out. Be patient when you need to be. In a lot of ways, she’s still a baby. But she needs you right now. Don’t push it, don’t shut her out. Go with the flow”

“Thanks, Gloria. Hey you are pretty good! You sure you ain’t one a those head shrinkers?”

“You have no idea, kid”

Two days later, almost to the hour, Belle woke to a funny feeling. She couldn’t quite place it. She got up to go to the bathroom. As she pulled her nightgown up and her panties down, she sat to go. After she was done, she went to clean herself. Then she noticed. She was complete. There were soft folds of flesh around her new opening.

“Mama! Mama! Venez vite ! Presse ! J’ai un vagin! J’ai un VAGIN!" (Mama! Mama! Come quickly! Hurry! I have a vagina! I have a VAGINA!)

Marta started awake at the girlish shouting coming from the bathroom. She burst in and saw Belle standing up in front of the toilet, her nightgown up and panties at her knees.

"Regarde, maman, un vagin! N'est-ce pas cool! Je suis une fille maintenant!" (Look, Mom, a vagina! Isn’t that cool! I’m a girl now!)

Marta couldn’t help but laugh. The combination of her daughter’s position and the wide eyed grin on her face told her what her daughter was saying. She was now complete.

“That’s wonderful, honey! I guess Christmas comes on November twentieth this year!”

"Je connais! N'est-il pas génial! Maintenant, nous pouvons rentrer á  la maison!" (I know! Isn’t it great! Now we can go home!)

“Slow down, honey! I can’t understand you! Think about what you’re saying, okay? Slowly, In English.”

Belle pulled her panties up and let her nightie drop. “Oooooooohhh! She stamped her foot in frustration. "Je déteste ce ! Pourquoi n'ont-ils pas me laisser seul ! Je ne peux máªme pas parler á  ma má¨re! Je déteste ces salauds! Ce ne fut pas assez pour me changer. Qu'ils avaient á  baiser avec mon esprit" (I hate this! Why didn’t they leave me alone! I can’t even talk to my mother! I hate those bastards! It wasn’t enough to change me. They had to fuck with my mind!).

Belle burst into tears and fell into her mother’s arms. She just kept repeating “Je déteste ce”, “Je déteste ce”.

The duty nurse rushed in to Belle’s room. Hearing crying from the bathroom, she slowly opened the door. Belle was weeping heavily on her mother’s shoulder.

Marta motioned gently that it was all right to the nurse. “Give us a minute, please” was all she said. The nurse closed the door.

After Belle had calmed down, Marta told her. “Honey, I know it’s frustrating. It is for me too. I can’t imagine what it is like for you. Please, don’t feel like we have to understand every word you say. I understood you just fine. You’re officially my little girl now, okay? I know that. I’m excited for you too. We just need to get out of this place and back home. Right?”

Belle nodded her head. Sometimes she hated her new life.

Chapter 10

“Right, Mama. Home, okay? Today?”

“Let’s see what we can do. Now, I want you to get cleaned up. I have some stuff for you to wear for us to leave, but there’s a bunch of paperwork, I’m sure. I also think that the doctor is going to want to have one more look at you before we leave too. So scoot!”

She gave her daughter a swat on the bottom. She went to the overnight bag she brought from home the previous day. It had shampoo, conditioner, a razor, some cologne and some hair care products. “I think that’s all you’ll need to get cleaned up. Can I do your hair after you’re done?”

“Is okay, Mama. I can…do…my…cheveux…hair. I know…how”

“Oh, poo! Please, Belle. I want to. I never had a little girl. Let me have my fun!”

Belle giggled in the shower. “Okay. Mama! Fun for you!”

“Do you need to shave your legs and pits?”

“Non, Mama. I ‘ave…no cheveux anywhere…but ‘ead. Easy to…take…care of, no?” another giggle.

Marta laughed. “Yes, very easy. I’m jealous! Okay honey. Take your time now, relax.”

“Okay, mama”

The duty nurse returned to Belle’s room. “Is everything all right, Mrs. Kalisek?

“Yes, Marion. You need to call the Doctor, though. Her external female parts blossomed last night. She needs to be checked out, and we’d like to go home today if the doctor thinks its okay”

“Okay, Mrs. Kalisek. The doctor did say he wanted to be informed as soon as it happened, so he’ll be in. We don’t get these kinds of cases every day, thank God”

“Don’t I know it!”

Bob arrived shortly after that, and Dr. Grey as well as Dr. Brooks arrived at about one o’clock to check on Belle. Dr. Grey did a GYN exam, which Belle handled remarkably well. He pronounced her fit from a physical point of view.

“I see no physical reason why Belle can’t go home today. She’s as healthy as the proverbial horse. I think it would be a good idea for her to take it easy for the next couple of days. She’s been down for awhile, so just take it easy” he nodded to Dr. Brooks. “Sam, I’m guessing you want to have a chat with our guest as well. I’ll sign off on the physical”

“Thanks, Kelly” She sat down in the chair next to the bed.

Belle’s parents got up to leave. Sam motioned for them to stay. “You can stay. You won’t be able to pick up much of what she’s saying anyway”

“How is everything going, Belle?”

“Surprisingly well, doctor. I have had some nightmares, but nothing like screaming and that sort of thing. I’m just glad that the changing is all done. I’m happy to be me. Does that make sense?”

“It does. So you feel comfortable like this? No regrets?”

“Oh, plenty of regrets. I don’t remember much about my previous life. Bits and pieces, emotions, that sort of thing. I think it will be a lot worse when I go back to school. I’ll probably have to do freshman year over again, but that will be better for me, I think. No old classmates to deal with”

“Scared?”

“Yes, a little. I don’t want to hide. I can’t change my name, those bastards saw to that, so how many Belle Marie Kaliseks can there be. But, I’m a realist. I know I am a very pretty girl, and that will open some doors, and may help my relationships a bit, but…”

“But what?”

“But it’s not enough to be pretty. I want to be nice. Part of what they did to me was to make me submissive. That scares me to no end. I will be nice, but I’m frightened that someone will try to take advantage of me”

“That’s a legitimate fear, Belle. I have some advice, if you want it”

“Of course!”

“Being submissive is not all bad. It means that you put others ahead of yourself. That is a trait I wish more of us had. Just be true to yourself. If someone comes to you and asks you to do something that you don’t want to do, ask yourself, would this person ask my mother or father for me to do this? You’ll know. And it’s okay to say no”

“That helps. I don’t need anymore trouble than I already have. Doctor, I also know I have no experience with people my own age. Will girls be mean to me? Will boys be mean? Who can I trust?”

“I can’t tell you that, Belle. I do know this. You have a strong sense of right and wrong. If your insides tell you not to trust someone, don’t. Make them earn your trust. You will be hurt in the future. Everyone is, it’s just part of life. Don’t let that hurt define you. So, what about Kevin?”

“I was afraid you would ask that, doctor. I know I’ve told you before. I love him. I love him so much it hurts. I would die for him. I can’t explain it, but I knew the minute he sat and held me just after I was rescued. He could have taken advantage of me. I wanted him to. I would have done anything he wanted me to. You know that I know quite a lot about that sort of thing. He was kind and gentle, and very patient with me. He could have just dumped me at the police station, but he didn’t. But I know I have to grow up a little. I think he feels the same way. But I don’t want him to stay away. I know that I want to marry him as soon as I am able”

“How can you be sure?”

“I don’t know. I just do. I may have a boyfriend in my future, a date to the prom, going out with friends, whatever. But Kevin is the man I’m going to marry”

“Does this conflict with your upbringing as a boy?”

“Not that I can tell, doctor. I love Kevin. I want to be his wife, I want to make love to him, and when the time is right, I want to have his children. I know that isn’t what Brian would want, but I do. Belle does. Belle is who I am now”

“That’s a very good attitude, Belle; it sounds like you’ve thought about it a lot. Can you explain?”

“When those people were treating me so horribly, the part of me that was Brian died. He gave up for my well being. It was like he told me to live for him. Not to look back. They wanted me to fight, they wanted to break me. If Brian had held on neither of us would have survived.” Tears started trickling down Belle’s face. I know that this is probably just some thing my mind did to help me deal with what I went through. So I just went on, and decided to do whatever they wanted me to do. They couldn’t touch the true Belle inside. I kept going for Brian. I knew that I would be rescued. Mama and Papa told me I would be. They needed someone to come home. Brian couldn’t make it, but I would. And I would be the girl they deserved”

Sam had recorded the entire interview. What Belle said was amazing. Sam had never met a person with more true inner strength than Belle. She wasn’t a superwoman. Far from it. But there was strength of character there that bordered on the super human. “That was an amazing story, Belle. Have you read some of the stories I asked you to?”

“All of them. You said they were true?”

“Yes, most of them, why?”

“Well, it seemed to me that none of them could really accept what happened. They wanted to continue to be men even when it was obvious that was no longer possible. Like being a woman was some kind of death sentence or something. It isn’t. I like who I am, Doctor. Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe because I can’t remember too much, I don’t know. It’s possible I’m just a silly kid who doesn’t know any better. I’m not going to judge. Just be who you are, that what you’ve told me, and that’s who I’ll be”

Belle leaned in to Sam conspiratorially. “Between you and me. I’ve got it a lot better now, in some ways. I can look so pretty in a dress, I can wear cute heels, or I can go round in jeans and a tee, just like I did before. I know that guys like to do nice things for pretty girls. I know I can’t be one of those girls who always take advantage of that, but once in awhile it will be nice to go on a date”

Belle giggled and told Sam to “shhhhh”. Sam giggled right back. “I know, sweetie. Just be careful! I don’t want more men finding out how cool it is to be a girl!”

Belle threw her head back in laughter. “My lips are sealed!” Belle tittered for a bit then got serious again. “Doctor Sam, I know I’m far from okay. Can I keep seeing you?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am so thankful you are so open. It will make it so much easier to keep you moving forward. Always remember, I will be here for you to talk to. Never keep it all bottled up inside. It will get better, but you have to talk.”

“I will. I guess one of the good things about my personality is I have the need to be honest and to please people, and being honest pleases you. That makes me feel good”

“Thank you Belle. Now for you, mom and dad. Belle can follow along, but this is for you. I think Belle is ready to face the world on a limited basis for now. Now, I want to get some honest input from you. Belle was completely forthright with me, and expect no different from you. Fair enough?”

Both intoned “Fair enough”

“Okay. Belle is reasonably well adjusted for now. That could change. She’s been through hell that only a few prisoners of war have known. She needs your unconditional support. Bob, I’ll start with you. Fathers in these situations tend to be the ones who take the change the hardest, especially those with an inflated sense of male ego. I’m not saying you do, but we’ll find out. How are you taking this?”

“To tell the truth, I mostly just glad our child is back. However she is. I hate the people who did this to her, and am glad that they are dead. But I miss my son…” Bob began to break down “…and I know he’s not coming back. Somehow, I feel cheated in all of this. Marta always wanted a little girl, not that she didn’t love Brian, but I lost my son. I’ll never get that back. Marta can’t have any more kids, and I wouldn’t ask her to anyway. Brian can never be replaced. We used to go to Ranger and Cowboy games, and he always loved the statistics. We played catch with the baseball. We shot baskets. I don’t know how to deal with a daughter. What if she gets pregnant? What will everyone think? I just miss my son”

Sam handed Bob a tissue. Belle was crying, as was Marta. “Bob, I’m not going to tell you what you are feeling is wrong. What you are feeling is normal. And it might make you feel better that Belle feels kind of the same way. For her, it’s like Brian was a brother. She knows she can never replace him. She misses him too”

Bob was shuddering “I didn’t know what happened. I’m sorry, Brian. Sorry I wasn’t there for you”

“Bob, it’s okay. Let it out. It’s all right to grieve. Brian understands”

Bob cried for several minutes, as Marta and Belle held him. This was one of those times for Sam when it was near to impossible for her to maintain her professional impassivity. This was a good family thrust into a horrible situation.

After about twenty minutes, Bob was able to continue.

Sam began again. “Bob, here comes the good news. All the things you did with Brian, you can do with Belle. She may never enjoy the games like Brian did, but I guarantee you that being with you will be the highlight of her life. Girls love their daddies differently than boys. A boy learns to be a man from his father. Ideally, a girl learns what a man should be. Belle was horribly abused by men. She needs you now more than ever to show her that men aren’t hideous monsters. You can still be there for your child, and in a more important way than you ever could for Brian. She can still play catch. Oh, she may throw like a girl for awhile, but the time you spend together is what is important. On to the last subject. She may get pregnant. She certainly has the equipment now. Thanks to how she was trained or programmed, she is very submissive. She needs a strong influence in her life to show her how to be strong. She is very afraid of being taken advantage of. You have to give her that edge so she won’t be taken advantage of”

“I-I never thought about that. Would you still go to the games with me, Belle?”

Belle nodded. “Yes, Daddy” She looked at Sam. “Tell him I would love to go, but that my athletic training is limited to learning to walk in high heels for now. He’ll have to teach me to shoot a basket again, but I want to learn. Maybe I can play in school!” Belle smiled and gave her Dad a kiss on the cheek.

Sam had a little giggle before she told them what Belle said.

Bob looked like the weight of the world was off his shoulders. “I think I can handle that. I just need to put a new net up! Maybe we can get passes to the Speedway. I’ve always wanted to go”

“That would be…nice” said Belle with a smile.

“Bob, we still have a lot of work, but this is a good start”

“Marta. Are you ready?”

“Yes”

“Okay, what’s on your mind?”

“I think the biggest thing for me now is being a good example for her. I know she’s been damaged. I feel like I need to protect her. It’s like I want to keep her in my sight at all times, and never leave her side”

“Go on”

“I don’t feel like I’m prepared to do this. I didn’t bring this lovely girl up. She’s like a baby in the body of a movie star. Where do I start? How can I tell her no? She’s been through so much already, I don’t want to be the like the beasts that abused her. I also miss my little boy. He was such a doll. He was always drawing when he was a little boy. Pictures of dogs, horses, us, whatever he wanted. He was a sweet little boy who never hurt anyone. I died a little the day he was taken. I also feel like that part was reborn when Belle came in to our lives. I’m already so proud of her I could burst. I can’t wait to go shopping, to take her to the spa, to do those things some of my friends do with their daughters. I am so glad to have Belle, but I feel like I am betraying Brian to love her”

“Marta, as a woman and a mother, I do understand how you feel. Brian came from your body. You nurtured him inside you for nine months. I suppose you breast fed him too, didn’t you?” Marta nodded. “You loved him no matter what he was. You appreciated him for what he was. Your love was unconditional. Then he was stolen from you. As a piece of you was cut away from your soul. This feeling is completely normal and understandable.

Those memories cannot be stolen you’ll have them forever. Loving your daughter isn’t betraying Brian. Quite the opposite. It’s honoring him. Without him, Belle doesn’t exist. No matter how they messed wither mind. Some of Brian will always be alive in Belle. It’s just in a different package. So don’t feel guilty. Relish the time you have with her. Enjoy the grandchildren she may have one day. Teach her well. She will need it. Don’t smother her. Let her make some mistakes. We all make them. Instruct her how to avoid the really big ones. You can’t be by her side one hundred percent of the time”

“Thank you, Doctor”

Sam nodded. “You’re welcome. One more thing for both of you. She nodded to Belle, who put her iPod earphones in. “This is embarrassing to her, as it will be the most obvious reminders of her time in captivity. Belle, in previous interviews, has told me that she has a few personality quirks that can be minor, or major if you allow them to be. She wanted me to share them with you.

“One. As a result of her conditioning, she will always dress a little provocatively. She hates this about herself, as it will draw some attention to her and reminds her of what she was to become. If she fights this conditioning, she will become very agitated. She is again afraid of this. She asks that you understand, and to not ridicule her about it. Help her to deal with it by channeling this into tasteful options. Any questions?”

There were none.

“Two. She is not sure about the concept of modesty. If told to, she would take her clothes off in front of whoever asked her and not think a thing about it. I think you got a taste of that when she ‘blossomed’ this morning. She may walk into the kitchen after a shower wearing nothing but a smile. Please do what you can to gently remind her that no clothing is not an option outside of her private space. Believe me, she wants you to. Whatever you do, don’t make a big deal about it if she slips. It could cause a breakdown. Actually, I think this will one of the easiest habits or behaviors, if you will, to break. As her self esteem rises, her modesty will return. Remember, whoever did this engineered her to be a sex slave, a toy. I don’t want to be too graphic, so I’m hoping you get the point. Are we clear?”

Both nodded in agreement. “We’ll watch her and ourselves”

“Great. Call my office for appointment instructions. I am reserving one afternoon a week for you”

Bob thought of a question. “Doctor, isn’t this going to get expensive?”

“For someone, yes. It’s being covered by her insurance”

“She has insurance?”

“Yes, and I’m not at liberty to discuss it in detail. She has one hundred percent coverage for any health issue for the next ten years, with an option to continue after that”

“Who is doing this?”

“I don’t know. Just enjoy the ride”

Chapter 11

Belle’s mother did her hair in a straight down do, parted in the middle. She had hair that would do just about anything her mother wanted it to do, and Marta chose this to give her a nice comfortable look. If Belle’s look could be compared to anyone, it would possibly be a younger Jennifer Aniston, with even more delicate features and bigger eyes. Even that wasn’t entirely accurate.

Her mother had done her measurements. Marta was a seamstress by trade, and Belle’s final measurements were 34C-23-35. In short, she had a killer body. Belle had asked for a particular outfit, a pair of blue denim jeggings, a white scoop neck tee, and a pair of sparkly gold 5 inch wedge heels. Belle did her own makeup, expertly applied for daywear. She looked like the cover of any fashion magazine.

“How do I look, Mama?” Belle asked as she twirled for Marta.

“Sensational, Belle! Are you sure it isn’t too revealing?”

Belle looked puzzled for a moment, and said. “Maybe? It ees…too…cute, no?”

“Very cute. You father will have a fit”

Kevin knocked on the door, as was his custom. “Anybody home?”

“Kevin!” squealed Belle. She ran to him and wrapped him in a huge hug. “I missed you so much! Thank you for coming”

“I wouldn’t miss your coming out party for the world!”

“It means so much to me that you’re here!”

Kevin stepped back to admire Belle. “Well, you certainly clean up nice. I really like your hair. Did you do it?”

“No, Mama did!” she was positively glowing. Anyone with eyes could see that belle was totally smitten with Kevin. It was as if there was no one else in the room.

Kevin threaded his arm around Belle’s waist. “Bob, Marta, Belle, I’d like to take y’all out to dinner tonight. I made reservations at The Halcyon. My treat, to celebrate her homecoming. Gloria is out front right now dealing with the news herd. She’ll join us later. How about it? Reservations are at five”

Belle bounced up and down. She was quite excited at the prospect of going out with Kevin. All she could do was look at her parents and repeat “Yes? Yes?”

The entire family looked at each other in shock. Bob broke the silence. “Well, Kevin, isn’t that a bit pricey for a man in your position?”

He smiled. “Wellll, I did have to cancel my vacation to Aruba this Christmas, but heck, let’s face it. That island ain’t going anywhere, and besides, I want to do this. You’re kind of like my family now”

Marta was concerned. “We can’t ask you to do that, Kevin”

“You aren’t asking me. I want to. Now, you don’t have a choice. We’re leaving in my Suburban. The paparazzi are staking out the parking garage. I’m parked at the ambulance bay. So, I’m going to end up at the restaurant. I’d sure hate to eat alone!”

Bob held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, Kev. You’ve made your point. If you twist my arm…”

Belle pumped her fist a couple of times. “Yay! Yes! We go!”

Bob had to laugh even as a tear trickled down his cheek. Brian did the same thing when he was excited. He thought it was cool when Tiger Woods did it and picked it up. Brian was still in there, somewhere. That was enough for his father.

There was a media frenzy in the conference room of the hospital. Gloria was calm in the face of din. “I have a statement prepared on behalf of the Kalisek family. I’ve allotted a few minutes for questions afterwards, so please, hold them until then. Miss Kalisek will not be making an appearance at this conference”

The only sound in the room was the clicking of cameras. “Bob and Marta are very thankful to have their child back safely. It has been a very difficult two years, not knowing if their child was alive or dead. They always held out hope that Brian would return safely. That was not to be. Their child did return however, as a beautiful, vibrant young lady. She was transformed, against her will, by an as yet undiscovered process.

Belle Marie, as she is now known, was subjected to the most horrific of tortures and mind control that can be imagined. She suffered physical and mental abuse that would horrify and repulse any sane individual. One of the consequences of this process has left her unable to fluently speak the language of her birth. They conditioned her, through again, an unknown process to speak only French. This has been a source of pain and frustration to her as her parents do not as yet speak this language. It has left her basically unable to communicate fully with her parents without a translator. The persons responsible for all of this were not taken alive, and for that the family is understandably relieved, as they will be spared the agony of a trial.

The family would like to thank the Dallas Police Department for their tireless efforts in solving this case and returning Belle safely home. They would also like to thank the doctors and staff of Children’s Hospital for their professional and sensitive treatment of a very difficult case. Their kindness will never be forgotten. To the unnamed people who cared enough to get the intelligence that enabled Belle to gain her freedom, the family again offers their thanks.

Finally, to the girls out there that are still in captivity, Belle asked me to ask you to never give up on finding them. She, through all of what she had been through, considers herself truly lucky. She has a wonderful, caring family who accepts her and loves her unconditionally. She wanted me to communicate to you the importance of loving your children unconditionally. As a result of her circumstances, she has become very sensitive to the needs of the transgendered community. The needless persecution of wonderful people who are trying to deal with a terrible conflict in their lives, conflict made much worse by a society that wants to pigeonhole everyone”

“That is all I have for now, ladies and gentlemen. I’ll now take a few questions. Jack?”

“Jack Wilson, Reuters. Gloria, One question and a follow up, if I may. Is this transformation complete? If so, isn’t this a breakthrough in science that could help a lot of people?

“Good question, Jack. Yes, the transformation was a complete genetic conversion; Belle is as complete a female as any of us who were born that way. As to the second part of your question, I suppose it would be. However, the secrets of that process died with the perpetrators of this act. We may never know how they did it. Gail?”

“Gail Kelly, NBC. How is Belle planning to go on with her life?”

“Gail, Belle is remarkably firm on this point. She wants to get on with her life, and live as normally as possible. This includes finishing her education, which will be taken care of by an unnamed benefactor. This person wishes to remain unknown, as he is not dong this for any reason other than altruistic ones”

“Yes, you in the red?”

“Tasha Garcia, New York Times. Has Belle been approached by anyone in the LGBT community?”

“She has. And it will be a priority for her, as well as her family. As I have said previously, she has become very sensitive to the needs of the transgendered as a result of her change. She wants to get her life in order first, and help as she can when she is well”

“Yes, you sir”

“Dan Franks, Dallas Morning News. Will Miss Kalisek be granting interviews? If so, when?”

“Dan, thanks for the question. She will, obviously at the time and place of her choosing. She has been through a lot, but I think it is safe to assume that it will be fairly soon. I can’t be any more specific than that. I do want to emphasize one thing. Any profits made by book deals, interview rights or whatever comes from this tragedy in her life, will be donated, one hundred percent, to a charity of her choice helping other victims of abuse like her. I think that says a lot about the character of this special young lady”

The questions kept coming for another five minutes. The press conference ended when a yuk monkey from a well known shock jock, Jerry Burns, asked if she was posing nude anytime soon. The press corps groaned and more than a few comments like “asshole” were heard. Gloria ended it then.

Kevin took the family the employee elevator to the ambulance bay by the ER. They got into his Suburban and were on the road with no one the wiser.

They made it to the restaurant with time to spare. Kevin talked to the maitr’e d. “Kevin Howard, I have a reservation for a private party?

“Very well, sir. We have your room prepared. Please follow me” They were led to a small room with cherry woodwork. Wine bottles lined the walls in an intimate setting with one long table set for six. “Is this the entire party? I was told to prepare for six guests”

Kevin nodded. “They will be along shortly. They got held up in traffic”

Belle was practically attached to Kevin as they entered the room. She looked around in wonder at the décor. “Kevin! I’ve never seen anything like this! It’s wonderful!”

“Get used to it, Belle. I think you’ll have a lot more experiences like this”

The maitr’e d perked up a bit at this exchange. “You speak French?”

Kevin looked at the man, mildly surprised. “Yes I do. I grew up in Quebec, Belle speaks only French”

He smiled. “So, the lovely lady is French? Very good. It’s always good to meet someone from la belle France. So few people here to talk to”

“Where are you from?” asked Belle.

“Paris. I went to culinary school there. Where are you from?”

“Dallas. I was born in Tyler”

“It cannot be! You sound as if you are fresh from Provence. Avignon, perhaps?”

Belle looked confused. She looked to Kevin for help.

Kevin smiled, and spoke in English. “It’s a long story, mon ami. Do you pay much attention to the news?”

“No, not really. I do work quite a few hours”

“If you get a chance tonight, Google Belle Kalisek. You’ll get an idea from that”

“Very well, sir. I’ll do that now. Your servers will be in when the entire party is seated. Unless you would care for something from the bar”

Kevin looked to Bob and Marta. Care for anything?

“Beer for me, Budweiser, Marta likes white wine”

“Sam Adams for me, please. Belle, How about you? Diet Coke?”

Having Kevin guess what she liked gave her a shiver. She smiled and nodded.

The maitr’e d wrinkled his nose “No wine for the pretty girl?”

“A bit underage, sorry”

“Too bad, I had a nice one for her to try. Very well then. Please, make yourselves comfortable”

Belle snuggled close to Kevin. “Yuck! I detest wine. And no, I don’t want to go into it. Tonight is for happy thoughts”

“Agreed, Belle”

Gloria entered soon after, with Sam by her side. “Hello folks! Great job on the escape. No one was the wiser”

“Allo, Sam!” Belle rushed over to give her friend a hug. “I didn’t expect to see you here!”

“And miss your debut! Not likely!”

The drinks arrived and Gloria and Sam passed but ordered a bottle of Merlot to go with their meal.

Belle didn’t know what to order. It all looked so good. She asked Kevin to order for her. He ordered a rare filet with steamed carrots, and a grilled salmon fillet and garden salad for her. It was perfect.

The party called out their orders, and everything was perfect. The conversation was relaxing, especially for Belle. No questions about the past, just a normal discussion of events, plans and relationships. She didn’t say much, she just laid her head on Kevin’s shoulder all evening when she wasn’t eating. He just let her relax.

Gloria talked to Belle’s parents about upcoming events. “I have an offer of one million from Fox for the exclusive first interview. I think that’s way light, but we can consider it. The other three are still waiting to make an offer. I think that two to three million dollars is the least we should consider”

Marta commented. “Since Belle is giving all profits away, other than your percentage, Gloria, I feel that the highest bidder should not necessarily be the winning bidder. I want someone who will be fair and sensitive to Belle. I’m thinking someone like Barbara Wallace”

Gloria took a sip of her wine. “Interesting idea, Marta. I had her in mind from the beginning. I know she would do a wonderful job, and the ratings would be over the top. That means more money. I’ll see what we can do. What do you think, Belle? Belle?”

She was fast asleep on Kevin’s arm.

Bob smiled at his angel. “I think it’s time to go, guys” He whispered.

Kevin sighed “Well, I suppose I’d better settle up” He called for the check.

The server came to Kevin and said; the bill has been taken care of, sir, by Ms. Morton.

He snapped his gaze over to Gloria, who licked her index finger and made a tally mark in the air. “Gotcha!”

Kevin had to laugh. “Okay, Gloria. But the joke’s on you. In fact, I have a note in my wallet. Let’s see here. Here we go!”

He handed the note he pulled out to Gloria. It read “pray Gloria buys”

She looked back at Kevin, who did the same thing with his finger. “Gotcha!”

Chapter 12

The trip home was uneventful. The Kaliseks lived in Valley Ranch, so it was a short drive. The house, as was expected, was surrounded by media vehicles. Bob was sure the neighbors were quite sick of the circus by now. “What do we do now, Kevin?”

“Well, I push this button, the garage door goes up and we pull in. If our friends are smart, they keep their distance. If not, I toss them out”

Kevin’s suburban had tinted windows. Belle was in the third row of seats, well out or sight of any camera. The sharks rushed in with their lights on and cameras rolling. Kevin expertly maneuvered into the drive as questions were screamed at the vehicle. The camera’s lights were intended to defeat the tinting, but this tinting had a special coating that reflected the light, effectively blinding the camera. He pulled in to the garage, got out, and shut the door, making sure that no one broke the perimeter of the structure. When they saw the large frame of Belle’s bodyguard, no one approached.

Belle was too tired to do anything. She walked like a zombie to her room. This wasn’t unnoticed by her parents. They looked at each other and held hands. If they had completely destroyed Belle’s past. How did she know where her room was? This was something that they would have to tell Sam.

Belle had a bathroom of her own. She washed her face and took off her clothes, hanging them neatly on the back of the desk chair. She removed her bra, but left her panties on. Crawling into bed, she was out in a minute.

The next few days were taken up with legal matters, transferring the Brian’s old life to Belle’s new one. Belle wanted to go to her old high school, or at least give it a try. She wanted to start after the holiday break, so her mother scheduled placement testing to se if she was able to at least remain with her old class mates. Brian was a fairly popular child in school, a better than average athlete who was as a wide receiver in football, and was a reserve guard on the basketball team.

There was also the matter of shopping to attend to. Belle got a lesson in power shopping from her mother. To her credit, for a new girl on her first girls outing, she was able to stay right in there with her mother. Her fashion sense was impeccable, and no one would have known that she had never done it before. She tried on it seemed like a thousand outfits, and lingerie shopping was fun too. It seemed Belle liked the sexy things.

She didn’t attract much attention, other than the fact she was a drop dead gorgeous girl. Her mother chased potential suitors away, and none of the boys and men who ventured to speak got very far. Mothers will do that. It didn’t seem like Belle either minded or liked the attention.

Belle had received no calls during her first week home, which wasn’t surprising considering all she had been through. Her old male friends weren’t sure how to deal with her now, and he really had no close female friends, as he was rather shy around the girls. She wasn’t discouraged at all, but rather relieved. There would be enough time for catching up after the semester started.

Belle didn’t have her license yet, so she rode with her mother to the school for her appointment with the counselor for testing. There were still a few photographers hanging around, but since Belle was a minor, they wouldn’t find buyers for their pictures, especially with Gloria Morton on the case. They would have to blur her face, which kind of defeated the purpose of the picture.

Belle was dressed in a navy pleated skirt that fell just above her knees, and a white blouse that left a hint of cleavage. She accessorized with gold studs and a gold chain necklace with a diamond studded heart, a gift from Sam. Her hair was done up for the day. She did her own makeup, and her mother picked her outfit. Navy blue Mary Janes completed the outfit. Her mother wanted her to wear hose, but Belle rebelled at that. “Too hot” she said.

Belle and her mother entered the building at the main entrance. A few students were in the halls. The boys were slack jawed, and the few girls murmured amongst themselves.

Marta greeted the secretary. “Hi! Ms. Martin, Were here to see Mr. Slade. He is expecting us, Marta and Belle Kalisek”

“Ohhh, yes! Hello Mrs. Kalisek! So this is Belle! Hello, Belle! Nice to meet you again, for the first time!” She laughed pleasantly.

Belle giggled shyly, blushing. “’Allo, Mrs.Martin”

Mrs. Martin, a grandmotherly lady in her mid fifties, liked Belle at once. “Oh, you are just darling! Now you have a seat, and I’ll get Mr. Slade”

She left for a moment to retrieve Mr.Slade. She returned a moment later with Mr. Slade in tow. Mr. Slade was a tall bald man, in very good shape, but looking a little older than his forty years because of the horseshoe of hair around his head.

Mrs. Kalisek, I’m Randal Slade. Belle, I don’t know if you remember me or not, I’m Mr. Slade, the school counselor”

Belle held her mother tighter. She made a nervous little smile and shook her head slightly. “Umm, no?”

Mr. Slade gave an easy laugh. “That’s ok, Belle, I’m not very memorable. Come on in to my office. Mrs. Martin, please hold all my calls during this meeting”

“Sure thing, Mr. Slade”

“Please, have a seat, ladies” He motioned to the two comfy looking chairs in front of his desk. Belle and Marta sat down. “Can I offer you some coffee or tea, perhaps?”

“Thank you, no. You’ll have to forgive Belle, Mr. Slade. She is very unsure about her English. When she is stressed, she can’t really speak it at all. The doctors say it is a form of induced aphasia. She can hear and understand the English words, but she can’t speak them. Will this be a problem?”

“I see. No, I can’t say that it will. As long as she understands, she should be okay. Asking questions will be another issue. Can she write?” He poured himself a mug of coffee and took a sip.

“In French, yes. English is still a struggle. Her syntax is off and I’m afraid it’s just as bad as speaking”

We can work around that, I’m sure. The important thing is she wants to be here.

“I’ve been briefed on Belle’s other special needs. I have to say, I’m quite impressed that Belle wants to continue her education here. Brian was always a good student, and I’m sure Belle is no different”

“We’ll schedule the testing for later in the week. Other than the language, we’ll see how she tests on the other subjects. We’ll treat English as a second language. I can’t say how she’ll do, but why don’t we worry about that when the time comes. She will, in essence be treated more or less as an exchange student”

“How do you think she will be received? She’s very delicate emotionally right now, and I don’t want her hurt”

“I understand. I really can’t say, Marta. We are on new ground here. I think the key will be getting the girls to accept her. I don’t think that the boys will be a problem, for obvious reasons”

Belle looked nervously at her mother. “Mama?”

Marta patted Belle’s hand. “Belle is quite nervous around men. Perhaps if she had some help, a guide of sorts, someone to help her adjust. Would that be possible?”

“I think that is an excellent idea. We’ll get her tested, and see how things shake out”

They discussed other items of interest during the meeting, and Marta walked away confident that her daughter would be well taken care of.

Marta’s phone rang on the way home. It was Gloria. “Hello?”

“Marta, its Gloria. Great news! We are a go with Barbara Wallace. Three million for the exclusive. We’ll be taping this Friday, all day, and the broadcast is the Friday after that. Your little girl will be the talk of the nation after that”

“This Friday? Wh-where?”

“They’d like to tape at your home. I think that would be a lot better for Belle as she’ll feel a lot more confident in her own home. What do you think?”

Marta gasped. “Crap! The place is a mess! I’ll never get it cleaned in time!”

Gloria smiled. “Take it easy, Marta. Your house is cleaner that most operating rooms. It’ll be just fine. Let’s talk to Belle, and see how she wants to do it, then we can hire someone to clean the place if you’d like”

Marta was unconvinced. “I don’t like people coming into my house like that” she sighed, then continued. If Belle wants to do it at home, she’ll just have to help me get it clean”

“Okay, you win, have a talk with her and let me know, all right?”

“Okay, Gloria, we’ll let you know”

Marta explained to Belle what Gloria had told her. “So, what do you think, sweetie?”

Belle looked at her mother expectantly. “Home? Pleeese?”

Marta knew she couldn’t resist the Belle’s puppy dog eyes, so she agreed. “Well, all right, but you have to help me clean the house, top to bottom!”

Belle smiled widely, “Okay! No…Problem!”

Marta knew that it was a big source of irritation and frustration for her daughter to not be able to communicate with her parents, but she was proud of her attitude. Belle could take the easy way out and pout or withdraw, but she was pushing on.

Marta called Bob at work, telling him about the upcoming interview. He was good with having it at the house. Marta called Gloria back and gave her the news and Gloria said she would call the network production person to set things up. She also told Marta to expect a call within the next twenty four hours to discuss the details.

The rest of the evening passed in a whirlwind of activity as Marta and Belle cleaned the house from top to bottom. The Kalisek home was always clean, but Marta was very particular when people were expected. The fact that millions of people would be looking at the house on television increased her awareness one hundred times. They were going until eleven o’clock that night.

The producer of the interview segment called to firm up the plans for the technical side. The house would be rigged for the interview the day before, and there would be some pre production video taken of the family going about their day to day life, which, of course meant that it was your standard walking, going to the park, stuff you never do nonsense that plays well on television.

Belle was concerned about what to wear for the interview. “Mama, what…to…wear?”

“Well, Honey, what do you want to wear?”

Her eyes suddenly lit up “Idea!” She ran to her laptop and went to a translation website. She typed in what she wanted to say. The English translation popped up. “I want to wear a skirt and a nice top. I want it to be clear that I am a girl and not a boy in a dress. Nice heels, too”

“Okay, that sounds good. What do you have in mind?”

Belle clicked out, “Let’s go upstairs!”

Belle went through her new closet and picked out an outfit she bought at Forever 21. It was a rose patterned skirt with a cream colored knit sweater with some black strappy heels.

Belle tried on the outfit, and it fit her like a glove. A rather tight form fitting glove that showed off her curves. Her legs were perfect without hose. “Okay?”

Marta decided to leave things as they were. She wasn’t showing off too much, but there was no question she was all girl. “Hmmm, I think no one will confuse you for a boy in a dress”

“I think so!” she broke into a giggle and soon, both of them were giggling. It wasn’t what she meant to say, but it was close enough.

Marta looked belle up and down. “Tomorrow is a spa day, girl! But for now, get some sleep.”

“Yay! Spa!” was the enthusiastic reply.

Marta was up early and got an appointment set up at one of the trendier places in town, “La Belle Femme”. They had had a cancellation for the day, and Marta scheduled Belle for the full workup, including hair and nails, for two.

At ten o’clock, Marta opened the door to Belle’s room. They hadn’t had any time to redecorate her room in a more feminine style, but the contractor was already contacted. Work would wait until next week, though.

Chapter 13

“Wake up sleepyhead, time for some fun!”

Belle sat up, confused for a moment, then she realized where she was. She wasn’t wearing anything on top. All she said was “Sleepy” as she got up to go to the bathroom. She wasn’t wearing anything on the bottom, either.

“Don’t like your nighties, baby girl?”

She turned around and looked at her mother. “What?” Then she looked down. “Hmmm, Marta could tell she was struggling to reply. “I…I…don’t…” She stamped her foot, her sign for frustration. ‘Mama, Je ne sais pas comment te le dire en Anglais’. What she wanted to say was she wasn’t used to sleeping in anything other than nothing.

Marta held up her hands. She knew what Belle was trying to say when she said Anglais. “It’s okay, honey. It’s not important now. Take a shower, and don’t worry about washing your hair. We’ll get it done at the spa, plus we are getting the full treatment. A body wrap included”

Belle looked confused. “Body…wrap?”

Marta rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about it now, scoot! And no makeup!”

Belle showered, and put on her underwear, bra and a University of Texas sweatshirt and jeans. A pair of sandals finished the outfit.

The spa, La Belle Femme was run by an old friend of Marta’s from college, Cloe Costa. She had been all over the world learning her craft, and her spa did a lot of business. She also wasn’t cheap, but since that wasn’t a problem now, they were getting the works.

Upon seeing the sign, Belle smiled. “Ooohhh, La Belle Femme. Ce’st Bonne !”

They parked and walked in the building. The receptionist, a pretty blonde of around twenty, recognized Marta, who was a regular customer of the salon side of the business. “Hi, Marta! I see you have an appointment for two in the spa for today?”

“Yes, and I am so looking forward to it. I’ve never had the full treatment before!”

She looked Belle with a questioning look on her face. “And this lovely young lady will be with you? I’ve never met her before”

“This is my daughter, Belle. Belle, this is Paulina”

“Marta, I didn’t realize you had a daughter her age. She’s so pretty!”

“Thank you! Well, I didn’t, until about two weeks ago”

Paulina thought for a minute, and then the light of recognition dawned. “Oh. OH!! So this is your daughter!” Paulina rushed around the counter to give Belle a hug. It’s so nice to meet you! Cloe! Come here! Marta Kalisek and her daughter Belle are here!”

Cloe walked up to the counter, and gave Marta a hug. “Marta! Thank you for coming in and bringing Belle for her first spa day! Cloe spoke with a noticeable Spanish accent, a remnant of her childhood in Guadalajara. She spoke to Belle in flawless French “It’s so nice to have you here today. I remember when you were little, you weren’t so excited to be here!” she laughed, a warm laugh that put Belle at ease.

Belle giggled a bit. “I guess some things have a way of changing! I am so looking forward to this. I’ve never had anything like this before. Will you make me look beautiful for my interview tomorrow?”

“Ohhh, that’s right! Your mother said something about that. Barbara Wallace, too! I’m so jealous! And I can’t make you look anything but beautiful, girl!”

Turning to Marta she said, “You know of course, I can’t let you pay for this! This girl deserves a day, considering all she’s been through”

Before Marta could reply, Belle quickly replied. “No! Please! I want to pay! We can afford it, and you’re so nice. Please let me pay! It’s my way of being nice to you!”

Cloe laughed again, surprised at the forcefulness of Belle’s argument. “Are you sure, honey! The whole day will be over one thousand dollars for the two of you”

Marta looked at her friend seriously. “Believe me, Cloe. She can afford it”

“So, the full treatment, huh?”

“All except makeup, she won’t need it. The makeup people from the network will do their own tomorrow, I’d suppose”

“Ohhh no, girlfriend. She’s getting the glamour makeover. Not that we’ll have to do much, I want to take some photographs for the wall. If she turns out like I think she will, I’d like to use her for our new brochure, and some posters for the front of the store”

Belle smiled. “That would be nice! I’d like that. Do you think I’m pretty enough?”

“Pretty enough? Girl, looking like you do now, if UT were to put your picture on their catalog, enrollment would go up twenty five percent overnight!”

Belle blushed but smiled shyly. “I don’t think so, Cloe”

“Whatever, girl” Cloe clapped her hands together. “Why don’t we get you and your mom started?”

The two women were led to the back, where they got undressed and put on their robes.

For the next three hours, they were massaged, wrapped, folded and spindled, and they loved every minute of it. Marta fell asleep once, but Belle wanted to experience everything, so she didn’t, but she was totally relaxed. She had never in her short time as a female, felt such bliss. They finished their time in the hot tub, simply enjoying being together.

As they were finishing up their time in the tub, Marta was given a towel by the attendant to dry off. As she was putting on her robe, she invited Belle to get out. As she did, Marta gasped as she saw her daughter’s skin. There, angry and red, were dozens of marks all over her back and legs. They were the unmistakable marks of the abuse she suffered. She hadn’t seen them before. The hot water must have increased the blood flow to the skin, causing the marks to surface.

The attendant’s eyes grew large as she saw the marks. Marta shook her head and motioned for the attendant to leave.

Tears sprung to Marta’s eyes as she saw the marks. This was the first time she had any true inkling of what Belle had been through. She covered Belle with her towel and hugged her.

“What…is…see...problem, Mama?” asked Belle.

Mart could barely speak. “Oh, baby. I’m sooo sorry we weren’t there for you when you needed us”

Belle couldn’t understand why her mother was crying. “Why…cry?”

Belle couldn’t see the marks on her back and legs. They were already gone thirty seconds after she left the tub. The skin showed no marks after her skin cooled off.

“No reason, honey. I just want you to know I love you very much. Never forget that, okay”

Belle smiled “Okay!”

As they left the tub area, Cloe could see that Marta was still crying. Belle still tying up her robe and didn’t seem to notice. Marta motioned for Cloe to move Belle into the next room.

After Belle had made it to the salon, Cloe went back to Marta, who collapsed on her shoulder. “Honey? What’s the problem?”

“Those bastards! Marta hissed. “They beat my little girl!”

“What do you mean, Marta?”

“When she got out of the hot tub, there were dozens and dozens of marks all over her back and legs. She couldn’t see them, but I did. It was horrible, Cloe, horrible!”

“Oh, Marta. I’m so sorry. Did any of my people see it?”

“Yes, the girl who handed us our towels. She probably thinks I did that to my child!”

“You let me handle her. She’s a sweet girl. I’ll clue her in a little bit. Is that okay?”

“I suppose. I was feeling so good, too. It just ruined my day” Marta looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

“I know it’s tough, but try to put on a happy face. Remember, Belle doesn’t know”

Marta took a deep breath. “I know. I know. Give me a minute”

Belle was getting her nails done when her mother finally joined her. Belle’s hair was up in a turban, and she was getting a base coat put on. The nail tech was impressed with the condition of Belle’s nails.

“Your nails are in really good shape, Belle. You must take really good care of them”

Belle blushed; embarrassed to tell her that nail care was one of the things she was trained to do during her captivity. Any imperfections were punished. “Thank you” was all she said.

Marta and Belle had their nails done and Belle was ready to get her hair done. Cloe was doing Marta’s hair, and Cloe picked her lead stylist, Fidel to work on Belle. Fidel had trained in New York and Los Angeles, but wanted to come back home, so he ended up in Cloe’s, making almost as much as he did doing stars in LA.

As Fidel washed and conditioned Belle’s hair, he remarked to her how beautiful it was. “Would you like a different ‘do? Maybe a little shorter for a change?”

Belle’s eyes flashed wide with fear. Fidel noticed, and called for Cloe. “Cloe, could you come over here for a moment, please?”

“Sure Fidel, what do you need?”

“Talk to Belle here. I think I may have frightened her”

Cloe asked Belle in French. “What’s wrong, sweetie”

“You won’t let him cut my hair, will you? I don’t think I am supposed to get it cut. The idea of it makes me very afraid”

Cloe looked concerned. “No, honey, Fidel was just asking you if you wanted it cut. He won’t cut it if you don’t want him to”

“I’m sorry, Cloe. I don’t mean to be difficult. I think it’s something they did to me. Can he style it, maybe?”

“Oh, honey, its okay. This is supposed to be fun! We would never do anything to scare you or make you feel uncomfortable. Would it be okay if he just trimmed it a little bit, just to even it up?”

“I’d like that, but the idea of scissors touching my hair is driving me crazy. Can you hold my hand while he does it? I want him to, if for no other reason that to give a big screw you to the people who did this to me”

Cloe called Marta over, who heard the whole thing. “Mom? How about we hold our girl’s hands while she gets a little trim, huh?”

Fidel gave Belle a sad smile. “I heard about some of your problems, sweetie. You are very brave to do this. Are you sure?”

Belle just nodded.

Fidel then looked at Marta and Cloe. “Okay girls; let’s make our little girl even more beautiful”

Cloe and Marta held Belle’s hand and talked to her while Fidel expertly worked the scissors around Belle’s ends, which, in truth, needed the trim. She had her eyes tightly closed while Marta and Cloe soothed her by talking about the interview, and what she would say. She didn’t say much back, just squeezing her mother’s and Cloe’s hands with a death grip.

After about five minutes, Fidel was done. He turned Belle to the mirror and told her to open her eyes. She smiled faintly and blew out a long breath. “Oh! It looks a lot better!”

“She likes it, Fidel! Good job!”

Fidel blew out a big breath. “I felt like I was performing surgery without anesthetic”

Belle looked at the mirror. “Tell him it felt like he was. I could feel pain with every snip, but I won’t let them win”

Cloe hugged Belle. “Oh honey, you are so brave!” Marta was crying. Fidel was even dabbing at his eyes.

An older lady was getting her hair done in the chair across from Belle. She sniffed and said to her stylist “That child’s not going to learn anything being mollycoddled like that. What is she, three?”

Marta snapped around to the woman, who reeked of money and gin. She spoke in the low tone of a mother preparing to defend her child. “Excuse me?”

The woman, Mrs. Kline, was the wife of a wealthy oil executive who didn’t have anything before she got married, and had put up with a philandering husband for twenty seven years. She was bitter and didn’t care who knew it. She also had no clue that she was about to get her rich ass handed to her.

“Your child is nothing but a baby. I’ve watched you walk on eggshells around her the entire time you’ve been in here. At her age, you’ve already spoiled her rotten” She wrinkled up her face and spoke in a mocking tone. “Oh sweetie it’s okay, it’s okay. Blecch. I think I’ll be sick”

“Why you old BITCH! Do you have any idea what my daughter has been through?” Belle flinched at her mother’s display.

Cloe put her hand on Marta’s hand. “This one is mine, Marta. Go on back to your chair. I’ll get you taken care of when I get back”

“But…”

“No buts hon. I’ll be right back. You, Mrs. Kline, come with me”

“I should hope so. That uncultured woman and her…”

“Enough, Wanda. Come with me now”

Cloe took Wanda to the front of the store.

“Wanda, do you have any clue as to who that is?”

“No” she sniffed “Should I”

“Well if you pay any attention to what’s happening in the city you should. Do you remember a story about a boy who was kidnapped and transformed into a girl?”

A dim light seemed to click in Wanda Kline’s face. “Oh yes. Don’t believe it, though. Besides, the boy was probably gay or something”

Cloe was starting to really dislike this woman. “It did happen, and I knew the boy that was taken. He was the son of that woman you just insulted. That ‘baby’, as you called her, was that boy. He was tortured, abused in the vilest ways imaginable and turned into the beautiful girl you saw. That girl was a victim of mental programming that left her unable to talk to her parents”

Mrs. Kline was starting to realized she made a big mistake “But I heard her speak!”

“In French, Wanda, in French. Are you really that dumb? She can’t speak anything else. Her parents don’t speak a word of it. Why do you think I was talking to her and not her mother? She was programmed not to get her hair cut. Couldn’t you see she was terrified?”

“This can’t be possible”

“It is and it happened. If you don’t believe me, watch the news for the next week or so. She’s being interviewed by Barbara Wallace tomorrow. Her name is Belle Marie Kalisek, and she is one of the most beautiful people I have ever known. As Brian, he was like a little nephew of mine. As Belle, she’s still family. Insult her again, and you will need to find another place to get your hair done. I ‘m sure you can afford it. Now either apologize or when you’re done, leave and do not return”

Mrs. Kline’s face was as red as a stop sign. She was wrong and she knew it, but her pride was formidable. “All right. I’ll apologize” not really meaning it.

“And mean it, Wanda. I’m not playing here”

Wanda went back to Marta and apologized for her insensitivity. It was delivered with a degree of humility, so Cloe would let her get away with it.

When Fidel finished with Belle, she looked like a new girl. Her hair was now to her shoulder blades, and it was done in soft waves that flowed around her shoulders. “It’s beautiful, Fidel, Thank you!” Forgot she was speaking French, and said “Sorry!”

Fidel giggled and gave her a little shoulder hug. “That’s okay Belle. I understand that much! You’re welcome”

When both Marta and Belle had their makeup done, they looked like two fashion models. Belle was absolutely stunning, and Marta looked like her older sister, rather than her mother.

“Wait a minute, Belle” said her mother. She ran out to her car and opened the trunk. She pulled out two hangers, then ran back in. “Surprise! I couldn’t let us get makeovers and not bring outfits to wear!”

Belle had a sparkly green blouse and a short black skirt her mother also brought along strappy sandals with a three inch heel. She also brought a matching green demi cup bra and thong panties. Belle held them up and smiled. “Mama!” she said in a naughty tone.

Marta was equally cute in her dress, a form fitting red knit that went down to just over her knees. Red three inch pumps completed the outfit.

Marta gave Belle gold hoops and a gold necklace with an emerald.

Belle’s mother finished her look with some diamond dangly teardrop earrings and silver bracelets with a sliver chain.

All of the girls in the salon were ooing and aahing at the two women. Cloe had to have some pictures of the two of them together. She took a few photographs and declared that they would be blown up for the front of the store.

“You two are absolutely beautiful. Going clubbing?” Asked Cloe.

“No way, my dear. I have someone waiting on me, and someone else waiting on Belle!”

Belle perked up. “Kevin?”

“Yes, Kevin. Although I’m going to have to hose him off when he sees you!”

“Yay! Kevin!” Belle was positively bouncing.

Marta noticed Belle’s excitement at seeing Kevin. “Careful, honey. Remember when you bounce like that, well, some things tend to jiggle. We don’t want to give everyone the wrong idea”

Belle stopped bouncing and blushed furiously, crossing her arms over her breasts. “Sorry…ummm…Excited!”

“Yes and so will any man who sees you doing that. You are too cute!”

It would be a fun night. At least for Bob. Kevin would need a cold shower, in all likelihood.

Chapter 14

The girls met Kevin and Bob at a TGI Fridays. Bob and Kevin had gotten there early and had already gotten a table.

Belle and Marta walked in together, and asked the girl at the reservation desk where her husband and his friend were seated. As she spoke with the greeter, Belle turned and noticed a group of three guys checking her out. This was a new experience for her, and she smiled at them, playing with her hair absentmindedly. The boys, all around college age, smiled back. One of them acted as if he was about to get the nerve to speak to Belle when her mother got Belle’s attention. “Come on, spacey! Let’s go to our table.

Bob didn’t actually recognize Marta at first, but he did check out the rear end on the woman in the red dress talking to the girl at the desk and her friend in the mini. He elbowed Kevin, who smiled at Bob’s expression.

They both looked like fish out of water when the woman and her friend turned around and Bob and Kevin saw that they were checking out Marta and Belle. Marta saw them and waved, and they came over to the table. Bob and Kevin stood, and acted like they had never seen a woman before.

Marta noticed the look they were getting and giggled, whispering to Belle, “That’s the look you want on your man, girl” Belle smiled and giggled when she saw Kevin.

Marta gave her husband a big hug and kiss. “Miss me, Honey?”

Bob returned her kiss and replied, somewhat breathlessly, “You have no idea! Great day at the spa, I see”

“Wonderful! Can’t you tell?” she gave him a twirl, with a dazzling smile.

“I’m too old for a chick like you, babe! Wow!” he saw Belle. “My gosh! This one is absolutely stunning. Come here and give your dad a kiss!”

“You…like?” she said quietly.

“Ohhh, yeah. You look beautiful, sweetie as he gave her a hug. I forgot my baseball bat, so be careful who you look at!”

Belle cocked her head, a bit confused. “Bat?”

“Never mind, Kid. Pay attention to your boyfriend, okay?”

Belle turned and kissed Kevin on the lips. “Hi cutie! Do you like my outfit? Mom picked it out for me. She said you’d like it”

Kevin hugged Belle, and then held her out to twirl her. Her skirt flared out just enough to look sexy without flashing the restaurant. “You have the world’s greatest mother, Belle. It’s perfect!”

The men pulled the chairs out for the women and they sat. Belle saw the boys she had smiled at a little earlier walk by with the hostess. She thought they looked a little sad seeing her sitting with Kevin. That was good. She only had eyes for him.

Their server came and asked them about drinks. The older ones all had beer, while Belle was satisfied with iced tea. Since being force fed alcohol during her captivity, she wanted nothing to do with it.

“Would you like an appetizer?” asked Kevin.

“Sure!” came the reply all from all around.

“What about their fried green beans?” I love those things.

“Fried green beans? Won’t that taste terrible?” Asked Belle.

“You’d be surprised, Belle. Try them. Besides, if you don’t like them, there’ll be more for me!”

“Rat!” as she playfully punched Kevin in the arm. “I’ll eat them just to spite you!”

Belle ended up liking the appetizer very much, especially the sauce that came with them. She ended up playfully slapping Kevin’s hand as he reached for the last one, popping it into her mouth with a smile, that while she didn’t intend it came out looking very seductive.

They placed their order, with Bob and Kevin getting steaks and the girls ordering two salads. The conversation turned to the network interview on Friday.

“So when is the camera crew getting here tomorrow?” asked Kevin. “I’ll be working security for you”

Bob raised an eyebrow. “Really? Security? I wasn’t aware that Belle would need security for this”

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. Just a precaution. I was detailed to do it by my new employer, Pluton Security”

“Does that have any connection to Pluton Industries, the defense contractor?” asked Marta.

“Yep. It’s their security arm. They do a lot of work for the entertainment industry. I just kind of hang around, making sure you aren’t bothered while they shoot. It’s really no big deal. I’ve done it a couple of times already”

Marta looked relieved. “Oh, okay. They said that they would be there around ten o’clock to start setting up. They want to do a little filming for filler to cut to before the interview starts”

Belle did a little dramatic turn, putting the back of her hand to her forehead. "Oui, la belle princesse a besoin de faire sa comparution devant le petit peuple" She then broke up into a fit of giggling.

Bob rolled his eyes. “Okay, what did she say now?”

Kevin shook his head, groaning. “Just that the pretty princess needs to make her appearance before the ‘little people’. You know, to keep her public happy”

Marta laughed at that. “Okay, Princess Swelled Head, You do know that pride goes before the fall!”

Belle, still giggling, just waved her hand dismissively and said “Oh, pish!”

The food was delicious, and Belle and Kevin even shared dessert.

Bob paid the check and Marta grabbed his hand and dragged him out. We’ll go get the car, Honey. Wait for us in the lobby.

Kevin and Belle got up to leave. Belle suddenly turned around and gave Kevin another kiss. She whispered into his ear “I love you, Kevin. I always will. You are my knight!”

Kevin choked up. He whispered back. “I love you too, Belle. I’ve waited my whole life for you, and I’ll never leave you”

Belle looked back at Kevin. She noticed his eyes were moist. She touched his face, gave him a dazzling smile and whispered; “I know” She got up on her toes and kissed him again, this time harder. She saw her parents’ car pull up. “Gotta go, lover. Sweet dreams!”

He was standing there with a little lipstick on his cheek. In a daze, he didn’t notice the man standing next to him. He felt a little elbow. “Huh?”

The man shook his head. “Dude, you definitely out kicked your coverage”

“You have no idea” was all Kevin could say.

The day of the interview dawned. Belle and Marta were both up early. Bob had gone to work early to take care of some urgent business, but he was due to be back to tape his portion of the interview with Marta.

Barbara Wallace got to the Kalisek home at around ten AM. She was a little older looking than Marta thought she would be. Barbara was in her in her mid fifties, but she was still very pretty, even without the makeup for the television. She was accompanied by the interpreter.

She was met by Marta as she came into the living room. The crew was setting up the interview area, getting lighting levels and preliminary sound checks.

Marta held out her hand and spoke. “Hello, Ms. Wallace. It’s very nice to meet you. Welcome to our home”

Barbara brushed aside her hand and hugged her. “Why thank you, Mrs. Kalisek. It’s indeed an honor to be invited in, and thank you for trusting me to do your daughter’s first interview and please, it’s Barbara” She gestured to the woman beside her. “This is Sophie Pelletier, she’ll be translating for the interview. To smooth things out, we’ll voiceover the translation so the translator will be speaking over Belle’ kind of like they do at the UN”

Marta shook Sophie’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Sophie” She turned back to Barbara “We thought you would be the perfect one to do the interview. Your reputation for fairness is quite good, and we always enjoy watching your interviews on television. We are obviously very protective of our daughter”

“As you should be, my dear. When I heard what you were doing with the money from this interview, I was touched. I can tell already you are a very special family”

“Well, the donation was actually Belle’s idea. As a result of her ordeal, she is has become very sensitive to the transgendered community. She may not have chosen this path, but she wants to live it to the best of her ability and where it will do the most good”

“Well said. I have a special friend who is a transwoman, and her story is quite heartbreaking. She survived, though, and is doing quite well now. In fact, she works as my assistant back in New York City”

Marta smiled “That’s so cool. I’m glad things worked out for her”

“She’s my right arm. So, where’s our star? I’d love to meet her”

Marta tugged on Barbara’s arm. “Oh, right! She’s in her room reading. Come with me”

Marta knocked on Belle’s door. “Come in!”

Barbara noticed the heavy accent in the voice, a melodic soprano. Marta opened the door and Belle was sitting at her desk, holding an issue of Seventeen. She stood up, and Barbara was impressed by her femininity.

Belle was wearing a khaki mini with a pink tee. She was barefoot, and her toes were done in a light pink color from the spa. “Bonjour, Mme Wallace. C'est trá¨s agréable de vous rencontrer”

Sophie translated. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Wallace”

Barbara asked Sophie. “What do you make of her use of the language, Sophie?”

“Very impressive. She’s as good as a native speaker. Pronunciation is impeccable. She’s a bit stilted and proper with her grammar. I can tell she didn’t grow up in France” She looked to Marta. “You say she was programmed to speak French?”

Marta smiled and looked to Belle. “Why don’t you ask her?”

Sophie reddened. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you, Belle. I mean…”

“It’s okay, Sophie. I can understand English perfectly. I just can’t speak it. Something they did to my mind. The doctors are working on a way to defeat the programming, though. It is a major pain though. I miss talking to my mama and daddy”

“I see. So you are unable to talk in English?”

“I can say a few words, but I really have to concentrate. The doctor told me that I was kind of like a stroke patient. They called it ‘induced aphasia’ whatever that is” She rolled her eyes as she said it. “So, I guess I’m stuck until they fix my brain”

Barbara interrupted the exchange gently. “Easy, you two. Remember, we don’t quite get it like you do!”

“Sorry, Barbara. She was telling me what was done to her. She is really functionally unable to speak English. A few words here and there, so I’ll be translating everything she says. She understands you perfectly, however, so that will speed things up”

“How is this possible? How can someone do this?”

Marta answered for Belle. “No one quite knows, Barbara. She may never be able to speak English again, but we’ll keep holding out hope. Bob, that’s my husband and her father, are currently learning to speak French to help her”

Barbara was taking notes furiously. “I researched your case thoroughly before I came down, but it’s quite another thing to see it first hand”

Belle nodded.

Barbara motioned for Belle to sit down. “Let’s talk for a while, ok?” She asked for Gil Martin, the producer.

“Yes, Barb?”

“Gil, why don’t you get some footage of Belle and me talking in here?” She looked back at Belle. “Don’t worry, they’ll just be taking some pictures for us to use during the broadcast.

“Okay” replied Belle.

Barbara asked Belle about her life, how she was adapting, and talking about fashion, her wardrobe and what she liked to do. As she asked, Belle answered through Sophie. Barbara was taking notes the whole time. She seemed very interested in her story.

After they had talked for about twenty minutes, Gil called for Belle and Barbara to go to makeup. After that was done, the two were settled in to chairs. The lights were kind of hot to Belle, but not uncomfortable so. She was glad she dressed in a tee and skirt.

Finally, they were ready to tape the segment. Belle went to the bathroom and threw up.

Chapter 15

Before they began, Barbara asked if Belle was okay.

“Yes. Ask me anything you want. I want to put a face on this despicable practice of taking children away from there families to satisfy some pervert with money”

Barbara began the interview. “Belle, you were kidnapped over two years ago. We’ve seen the remarkable pictures of your transformation. How have you adapted to such a terrible change?”

Belle answered, with Sophie translating from another room into Barbara’s ear bud.

“What I went through was the worst thing that I could imagine. I still have nightmares, and probably always will have. But the best medicine I had was two parents who love me for the person inside, not the package outside. In a way, although I hate to say it, I was lucky. I don’t remember the details of my old life. I’m not sure that I do want to remember”

“Why not?”

“I’m really afraid that it will bring back conflicts that I don’t want to have right now. Someday, I’m sure I’ll remember. For now, I just want to be me”

“You were taken to be a sex slave, isn’t that right?”

“Yes. I found out that the man who paid for me had ordered me off a menu, like I was a..a piece of meat. That’s hard to take” Belle dabbed at her eyes.

Barbara and Belle went through about two hours of dialogue. Belle had to stop the interview a couple of times when she relived the beatings and rapes. By the time they were done, Belle was exhausted.

Belle looked at Barbara and asked “Can we take a little break? I’m kind of tired”

“Of course, sweetie. Gil, get her mic, would you? You take all the time you need, Belle. I know this was terribly stressful. I just can’t believe you didn’t ask for this sooner”

“I wanted to do a good job for you. You’ve been so kind”

Belle stood up and the room began to spin. She sat back down. “Ummm, I think I kind of overdid it. Could someone help me, please”

Sophie heard Belle. “Guys? Belle needs some help!”

Marta and Bob were at her side immediately. “Papa, could you carry me to my room? I’m feeling a little woozy”

“Of course, honey” he lifted her. She was like a feather. Bob took her to her room and laid her in bed. Barbara and Gil were right behind them.
“Get her some water, Gil” ordered Barbara.

“On it” he rushed off.

Marta was very concerned. “Maybe we should call it a day”

“NO!” cried Belle. “I’m going to have my story told!” Sophie was called in to translate.
“I’ll be fine. Telling all of that just stressed me. It’s done now. Tell her about your story. I’ll be fine, really”

“Are you sure, honey?”

“Yes! Go!”

The interview with the parents lasted an hour, and Belle joined her parents for a final thirty minutes together. It was exhausting, and by the time it was all over, the entire family was in tears, not to mention some of the crew, who would be sure to give their kids an extra hug tonight.

“That’s a wrap, guys. Thanks for your hard work” announced Gil.

Barbara was all smiles. “Thank you so much for sharing your story. We were planning on a twenty minute segment on American Issues, but we’ve got enough interesting stuff here for an hour. We’ll be dedicating the whole show to your story”

Belle burst into tears and gave Barbara a big hug. “Thank you! Please mention all the ones who are still out there. They need us not to forget them”

Sophie translated as they hugged.

Barbara was stroking Belle’s hair and told her “You can count on it”

The last technician was out of the house at ten thirty that night. Belle was fast asleep at eight. She went to sleep that night with a smile on her face. She slept through the night.

Belle checked her email that morning. As usual, there was nothing there, except from Kevin. She clicked on it excitedly. Kevin had never emailed her before.

Belle,

I was called out of the country for work. Our friend has a job for me in India. I won’t be available until late December if then. I won’t be able to call you for awhile, so this will have to do until I get back.
About our little “talk” at the restaurant before you left. I really tried hard not to become involved with you personally. You were too young, I thought, too damaged. You only “loved” me because I was there to take care of you after our friend got you out. I was wrong. I find myself thinking about you all the time. You are beautiful, fun, and have a better understanding of me than I think I do myself. Did I say you were beautiful?
We cannot be together right now. I want you to experience a few things first. High school, college if you like. I love you enough to let you go. If you want to see what it’s like to date guys your own age, go ahead! I want you to experience life. If you want to mope around, waiting for my return, well, I won’t argue with that either .
What I’m trying to say, Belle Marie, is that I will be there for you whenever I can. And someday, if you’ll let me, we can be together forever.
But not right now !

Love,
Kevin

P.S. Tell your dad I’m leaving my Suburban for him to use. I don’t like to have it parked too long. It’ll be delivered today!

Belle squealed with joy. “Mama! Mama! Kevin m'aime! Kevin m'aime! Viens ici! Regardez!”

Marta came running, with Bob close behind “What is it Belle! What!”

Belle kept repeating the same phrase.

“We don’t understand, honey, what?”

She stamped her foot and pointed at the laptop. “L-L-LOOK!”

Marta read the email and smiled. “Bob, our little girl has slain her first heart!”

Bob read the note. “He wants me to have his Suburban? Cool! That’s a loaded 2011!”

Marta punched him playfully. “Not that, you dunce. Kevin loves her! I knew he was good son in law material!” She hugged Belle.

“Now tap on the brake, ladies. He likes Belle, sure, but he also told her that they should wait until she gets older” He paused then laughed. “Come to think of it, He IS good son in law material!”

Chapter 16

The interview aired the next Friday on the network news magazine American Issues. The whole family was gathered, with Sam there for support. Both Marta and Bob had no families to speak of, so other than Kevin, who was still on assignment in India, no one else would be coming.

Belle was quiet, but she was also trembling with anticipation. This was one of the things she wanted to do to get back at the ones who had done this to her. She couldn’t get back at them personally, but she could shine the media spotlight on the other cockroaches that did this.

At nine o’clock, the show’s theme music started. The narrator’s voice intoned “This is American Issues with Barbara Wallace. And now, live from New York, Barbara Wallace”

“Tonight, we dedicate the entire hour to a story that captivated the nation. The story of a child, an only child, taken from all he knew, taken, transformed and abused, physically and mentally. This story could have had a tragic ending. But thanks to the unconquered spirit of this child, ultimately it is a story of restoration and triumph”

“A warning, though. Some of the images in this story are graphic and deeply disturbing. We are broadcasting them at the insistence of the victim’s family, as a way of putting a human face on this story”

“Tonight, we will be talking to law enforcement. What are they doing to bring the problem of internet predation under control. We will be interviewing families, and other victims. Finally, we will talk to the young woman who inspired this program. Now, our study… ‘Transformed in Texas’”

Belle had a death grip on her mother and father’s hands. She closed her eyes during the photographs of her slow transformation, and of her mangled back and legs after her beatings. That was followed by snippets of interviews with other victims and their advocates. Of interest to Belle was a segment with a lady who started a foundation to help victims of abuse. She had survived a similar trial to Belle. There was the government agency tasked with assisting local law enforcement in tracking down internet sex crime. Finally, Belle and her family. Belle told of her trials, and her continuing struggle to live a normal life.

She smiled at one question. “So, Belle, how have you been affected other than the obvious changes? Relationships?”

Belle giggled a little onscreen. “Well, I guess I like boys now, just like most other girls. I don’t really remember what it was like to be a boy, so there’s not really any conflict for me. I like one in particular, but that’s not for right now. Right now, I want to focus on getting better. I still have a lot of issues, and my education is a priority for me.”

Belle recognized Sophie’s voice over hers, translating.

Her parents were next, detailing their struggle during the time their son was missing until Belle was found, and their struggle to make sense of everything up to their acceptance of their new daughter.

Finally, all of them together. There were cuts to the family doing things together. Baby pictures of Brian, to the way Belle looked now. This was, for Belle, the happiest time of the broadcast. Her parents meant so much to her. They hadn’t judged her, or tried to get something back that would never be.

Barbara ended the broadcast with these words. “If who a person truly is what is on the inside, then Belle Marie Kalisek will be just fine and I’m very lucky to know her. For American Issues, I’m Barbara Wallace. Good night”

The whole family applauded, and Belle’s parents gave her two very big hugs.

“Well done, Belle. I’m very proud of you” announced Sam. “You’ve adapted very well to this change, and this is all the proof anyone will ever need”

Belle shrugged “I wish I felt as confident as you, Sam. I always feel like I’m just one crisis away from melting down”

“Belle, always remember that you are never alone. No matter what happens. I know you don’t have a big family, so as time goes on, try to develop friends that will be there for you and that you can be there for”

“I’ll try. I just wish I could find a way to communicate. It’s just so damn frustrating! If you know a way around that, then I’m all ears!”

“We’ll figure out a way, Belle. Trust me”

“Okay, Sam” she looked to her parents and smiled. “I’m really tired, guys. I’m going to go to bed, if that’s all right” Sam translated for her.

Marta gave her daughter another hug. “Okay, sweetie. I know it’s been a long day for you”

As Belle got up, she rubbed her tummy. “It’s not that, Mama. I just feel kind of, I don’t know, blahh” Sam again translated.

Marta felt her forehead. “Hmmm, you don’t fell warm. What do you feel like?”

Belle blushed looked to Sam. “Tell her, I feel like my private area is kind of swollen and heavy and my boobs are sore. I’m also feeling kind of crampy down there, too”

Sam stifled a giggle. She looked at Marta and Bob then translated. Marta also began to smile. Even Bob had figured this one out. Belle, however, remained apparently clueless.

Belle cocked her head and asked in English “What?”

“I think Auntie Flo is coming for a visit, Marta”

“I agree, Doctor. Our little girl is growing up!”

Belle gasped as the realization hit her. “Attendez! Oh, non! Vous devez áªtre plaisantez! Crap”

Marta giggled at Belle’s reaction “Well, at least I don’t need that last word translated for me. Let’s go to your bathroom, honey. I’ll get you fixed right up!”

Bob scratched his head in embarrassment “Uhhh, I’m going to catch up on some email”

Marta nodded “Why don’t you do just that. This is girl stuff”

Marta led Belle to the bathroom, followed by Sam. “Okay, sweetie. Let’s get you situated. Check your panties. Is there any spotting?”

Belle pulled her panties down a little so she could see the crotch. There was a good sized spot. “Yuck” she said in English, then “Oui, mama, un peu” Sam related what Belle had said.

“Sam, I think for her first period she should use a pad, don’t you?”

“Um Hmm. There’ll be plenty of time to learn to use a tampon later”

Belle, go change into your nightgown and bring a fresh pair of panties with you. Bring the cotton ones I bought that are a little fuller in the butt”

Belle did as she was asked, and found a pair the panties her mother told her about.

“Oh, and bring the stained ones here, please” Belle said okay from her room.

She came back in with the old underwear as well as the new. “Ok, put the new ones on but don’t pull them all the way up. Belle did. “Now here’s the pad. Pull off the tabs covering the adhesive and place the pad in the center of the crotch, right about where your hoo hoo is”

“Her hoo hoo?” asked Sam, laughing.

“What? I refuse to call it the ‘v’ word?” Marta sniffed. “I don’t like using that word. Never have and I won’t start now. It gives me the creeps”

Sam was laughing heartily. “Whatever, Marta. I can fix that with a couple of visits, you know”

Marta smiled. “I know, I have mommy issues. My mother was a bit straight laced, and some of it rubbed off. So sue me!”

“Call it her meow meow?”

Marta started laughing now.

Belle was thoroughly confused. “Isn’t it called a ‘pussy’?”

Marta gasped. “Belle Marie! Don’t use that term. It’s not ladylike”

Belle blushed. “That’s what the people who took me called it. They said I’d be getting a pussy”

Sam looked at Belle with concern. “Belle, that’s one term for it, but it’s kind of vulgar, and it makes your mom uncomfortable. Let’s stick to vagina or hoo hoo for now, okay?”

Belle giggled. “I like hoo hoo!” only with her accent, it came out like “oo oo”

Marta breathed a sigh of relief. “That works for me!”

Belle got the pad placed properly and said. “I feel like I’m wearing a diaper” Sam giggled and told Marta what Belle had said.

“Welcome to the club, sweetheart! Now put your panties in the sink. You’re going to soak them overnight in water”

Belle wrinkled her nose. “Mama! That’s disgusting! Do I have to?” Sam again translated.

Marta shrugged. “No, I suppose you don’t if you want stained panties. Personally, I think that’s what’s really gross”

Belle rolled her eyes and sighed. “This is just icky, Mama”

“I know, but we do what we must, and I’m not having you throw away a fifteen dollar pair of panties just because you’re a little squeamish. I put a little laundry soap in a container for just this purpose. Just fill the sink with warm water and pour a very little soap in with the water. Let it soak overnight and rinse them out in the morning, then put them in the hamper”

Belle followed her mother’s instructions, but she didn’t like it. “I can afford to buy new ones” Sam translated.

“Now what kind of an example is that? We don’t waste needlessly, no matter how much money we have. Don’t be one of those people who waste things. Remember what is was like to have nothing”

Belle was suitably chastised. She said “Sorry”, and hugged her mother.

“Now I want you to take this before you go to bed. It will help with the cramping and you’ll get a better night’s sleep” She handed Belle a couple of pills.

“Thanks, mama” Belle took the pills and took them with some water.

The grandfather clock chimed two o’clock. Marta had had a little too much water before bed, and was relieving herself. She was washing her hands when she heard movement in the hall. The alarm hadn’t gone off, so she figured it was Belle wandering about. She left her bedroom and padded into the hall. She saw the figure of her daughter sitting in the living room.

The teen saw her mother walking down the hall. “Hi, mom” The voice was clear and devoid of any accent at all.

Marta gasped. She talked to Belle in a whisper. “Belle! You can speak English!”

Belle turned to her with a blank stare. “I’m Brian, Mom”

Author's note:
This is the last story in this series, but not necessarily Belle's last story.

Chapter 17

Marta was astonished. “Brian? I-I-I don’t understand. Where’s Belle? What’s going on?”

“Who’s Belle?” Brian searched the room as if trying to make sense of his situation “I don’t know how I got here. Did I get away from the people who kidnapped me?”

Tears began trickling down Marta’s face. “Brian? Is that really you?”

“Yeah, I guess. Don’t know about this body, though. Can you explain this?” Brian gestured down to his body.

“Do you remember anything about what happened?”

“A little. You called me Belle?”

“That’s your name now, honey”

Belle/Brian raised an eyebrow. “I remember now, that’s the name they gave me wasn't it? Did I get away? How did I get away?”

Marta held her child’s hand. “You were rescued by a man who killed the people who took you”

Belle/Brian’s face was expressionless. “Good”

Marta hugged her child tightly. “It’s so good to talk to you, Brian. We never gave up hope you’d come back to us”

“I’m remembering more, mom. I know what happened. I guess I’m just a passenger in this body now. Belle runs the show. She’s a real good person, mom. She’s my sister, I guess”

“What do you mean, Brian?”

“The best way to explain it, I guess, is it’s like I’m watching a TV show as Belle lives her life. I don’t think she knows much about me”

“She knows you helped her live. She gives you credit for her survival”

Belle’s face remained expressionless, without emotion. Marta almost felt like she was talking to a robot.

“I don’t know about that. It was pretty rough in that place. I gave up fighting. If I hadn’t, I would have gone crazy. Then they did something that kind of split us up. Belle took over, and I let her. She was better at all of the stuff they wanted me to do. I guess it sounds crazy”

“No it doesn’t, Brian. It makes perfect sense. Do you want to see your dad?”

“No. It’s too hard just seeing you. I don’t want to put dad through talking to me again. I can’t stay and I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back. I don’t know much of anything, I guess”

Bob’s voice came from the hallway. “What’s going on, Marta? Come back to bed”

Marta squeezed Brian’s hand. “Hold on for a little longer. Your father misses you so much”

“I’ll try, mom”

Bob entered the room. “What’s up, girls?”

Marta held Brian’s hand. “Bob, I don’t know how it’s possible, but Brian’s here. Please whisper”

“What?” came the startled reply. Bob did remember to whisper.

Belle’s voice rang, free of accent. “Hi dad”

“Belle? Wait, Brian?”

“Yeah, dad. It’s me”

“But how?”

Marta interrupted. “I’ll explain later, Bob. Talk to your son”

“I guess I’m not much of a son now, dad”

Bob knelt down in front of Brian. “Nonsense, Brian. You were, no, are the best son a man could ever have” his voice was husky as tears brimmed in his eyes.

“Thanks, dad. Mom can fill you in on the details. I guess it’s enough for you to know I’m happy. Belle is living the life I might have had. I guess it’s fair to say that I wouldn’t want to come back like this. I couldn’t handle it. Belle’s a lot better at being a girl than I ever could be. She likes it, and she loves you two, just like I do”

“I know Belle has a hard time communicating with us”

“That won’t change. You need to learn to talk with her. I can’t help her there. It’s what keeps us separate, and keeps us from going crazy”

“I love you, son”

“I love you too, dad”

“This whole thing blows my mind. Can’t you stay?”

“No. I wouldn’t do that to Belle. But know that I’m there, watching. Mom can tell you. Also, don’t tell Belle about this. She’s sleeping now. I don’t want her to know about me. When she wakes up, she’ll be just like she was. Don’t mess that up, it’s important”

Bob could barely speak “Okay, son”

Brian continued. “As long as Belle is here, you won’t have lost me. She’s living for both of us”

“Okay, Brian. Just know that we love you and miss you every day”

“I know. I’m not gone, though. Sometime, you’ll see me in her. And when you do, know that I’m having fun watching”

Belle started to waver, as if waking. “Gotta go, guys. Teach her to play basketball”. A faint smile played around Belle’s lips.

Marta and Bob both whispered. “Good bye, Brian”

Belle shook her head as she woke up. “Que fais-je ici?”

Marta didn’t quite understand what Belle said, but she got the idea. “You were sleepwalking, honey. Let’s get you back to bed”

“Okay, Mom” Belle answered in sleepy, but unaccented English. Brian was still in there. Marta smiled, and looked at Bob, who understood perfectly. Marta put belle back to bed.

This would be their secret. If they told Sam, her first instinct would be to try to “fix” the “problem”. The process could end up destroying both psyches. No, this would be a special moment between mother and father. Brian was still alive, and so was Belle, their beautiful daughter. That was as good as it could get. It was good as it was going to get.

Chapter 18

A half a world away, in Delhi, India, Kevin was thinking of his girl, and listening to the conversation emanating from the office of Doctor Prasad Narang, CEO and owner of IndiaPower. His company was the largest generator of electricity in the country, and he owned four of India’s nuclear power plants and a major supplier of plutonium from his Mumbai breeder reactor. He was also a sexual deviant of the highest order.

Kevin had successfully bugged Narang’s office. He smiled as he listened. The fortunate thing about third world countries is that bribery is a way of life. Loyalty is bought and sold like a commodity, and it becomes much easier when the target is a world class asshole like Narang. It has only cost him one thousand American to get three bugs in the office.

“I saw the tape. That bitch is the one I paid for, Gibson. She’s my property and I want her back. I don’t care what it takes, get her!”

The voice on the other line was one Redmond “Red” Gibson, free lance trouble shooter. His services were available for the right price, and he wasn’t too picky about who hired him. It was all about the payday for Red, and he took a great deal of pride in getting the job done. It wasn’t personal, but get in his way, and it got personal real quick.

“Okay, Narang, I get it. One girl, two million plus expenses. I’ll take care of transport out of the country. You pay for the transportation. Payment in advance”

“Whatever. Get her. I want her back by January one. Got it?”

“Yeah, I got it. Set up the air accommodations. She’ll want to travel first class” He laughed at his own little joke.

“Kill the parents. I don’t need anyone looking for her”

“That wasn’t part of the deal, Narang. Double the agreement”

“Fine” Narang sneered. “It’s nothing to me anyway. Make them suffer”

“It’s your dime. My team will be ready to go in twenty four”

Kevin leaned forward His brow furrowed. “That mother fucker! I’ve got a surprise for you, asshole” he whispered.

Kevin punched the keys on his satellite phone. “Boss? I‘ve got a hit. Just like you figured. Narang is going off the deep end”

The gravelly, unemotional voice of his employer responded. “Good. It’s time I killed two birds with one stone. Who’s the hitter?”

“Red Gibson”

“Too bad. I know him. His greed just put him on my list. Get back here ASAP. My jet is waiting for you at the airport. I already have Narang’s account information. The payment to Gibson will be deposited to my account when it is made. A phantom deposit will be made to Gibson’s account. He’ll be dead before he realizes he’s been had”

“Boss, he’s bringing his whole team”

“Good. Get to the airport. Your driver is waiting. Oh, and you’ll be receiving some company in about thirty seconds. You know what to do”

A shot of adrenalin went through Kevin’s body. Narang must have been alerted somehow to his presence. “Oh well” he sighed, “I guess the bribery game works both ways”

He chambered a round in his silenced Sig P226 tactical ops .357. He could hear the footsteps of two men coming down the hall. Grimly, he leveled the pistol at the door.

The door burst open and Kevin was ready. Three shots dropped the first one in less than a second. The man behind had clearly not expected Kevin to be ready for them. His eyes went wide with fear for a moment, as he realized hunter just became the hunted. He dropped with a double tap to the head and chest a moment later.

“Sorry, boys. You just picked the wrong day to show up for work” Kevin shoulder holstered his weapon and stepped over the bodies with no more feeling as if they were two mice caught in a trap.

The driver was waiting for Kevin at the front of the office building he had been using. He was at the airport thirty minutes later. Waiting for them fueled and ready was Pluton Industries’ Aerion SBJ, or Supersonic Business Jet. Eighty million dollars of speed, it could cruise at mach 1.5 for 4500 miles. Since Cerberus’ salary as CEO of the company was one dollar a year, it was the one luxury he afforded himself.

The jet was luxuriously appointed and looked like something out of Star Wars. They were wheels up in 20 minutes. They would be in Dallas in just over 10 hours with a stop for fuel in Germany. Not bad. Kevin reclined the comfortable chair he was sitting in and went to sleep.

Red Gibson had his team of three mercs together within an hour of getting the job. They were in Atlanta, and would be heading to Dallas within another hour.

“What’s the gig, Red?” Asked Red’s right hand man, Danny Badcocke. A former Army Ranger, he had enjoyed several profitable missions with Red, and this one would probably be no different. He had long since left any conscience behind.

“Grab and go” He handed Danny a photo.

“Pretty hot. What is she, fifteen, sixteen?”

“Something like that. Some dink in India claims she’s his property. We ice the folks too”

Danny shrugged “Whatever, how much?”

Red lit a Honduran cigar. “Four mil for the whole deal, plus expenses. Your cut is the same, thirty five percent”

“Works for me. Joe and Vinny are already at the airport. What kind of hardware do we need?”

“Nothing fancy. Tasers for the kid. She’s to be undamaged. The parents, on the other hand…”

Danny nodded. “Got it. Quick and quiet”

“Yeah. The customer wants them to suffer. I don’t like this guy, so they get it quick. Screw him. The more time we spend there the greater the risk”

“Have you done any research on the target?”

“That’s why I have you, Danny. Find out about her from your contact in DPD”

Danny got on the phone with his contact. He found out that DPD didn’t conduct the raid. The rumor was some guy named Cerberus actually got the kid. Danny didn’t like this at all.

“Red?”

“Yeah, Danny?”

“The word is Cerberus got the kid. This isn’t good. You know how he is with cases like this. I wouldn’t doubt if he’s still got eyes on her”

Red scowled. “Dammit! I knew this wouldn’t be a milk run. I’m sure Narang didn’t know this. I’ve heard bad things about this cat”

“It’s not too late to back out, Red”

Red shook his head “I already gave my word, Danny. Besides, Cerberus has never dealt with me. Let’s go, but pack a few more rounds, just in case”

Red’s Gulfstream V was rolling down the runway fifty minutes later.

Belle awoke at nine o’clock on Saturday. She felt unusually refreshed. Stretching, she went to the bathroom for her shower. It was chilly this morning, and she shivered.

Her pad was really soaked. Cringing, she pulled the pad off her panties and wrapped it in toilet paper to throw it in the wastebasket. Turning on the shower, she took care of her other business first. She took another couple of pills to combat the cramps and aches, and then got into the hot shower. It felt wonderful.

She took her time in the shower, until a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

“Belle? Are you going to leave any water for the rest of the city?”

“Désolé, Mama” Reluctantly, turned off the water and got out. The bathroom looked like a bad day in London. She patted herself dry and wrapped her head in a towel. Her pink terry robe was hanging on the door.

She left the bathroom in a cloud of steam, and her mother was waiting for her. “Don’t forget a new pad, and wear the same type of panties you wore last night”

Sighing, Belle said “Okay, Mama”

“I know it’s tough right now, But in a couple of days you’ll feel just fine”

Belle pouted “Achy, Mama”

“Did you take your medicine?” Belle nodded.

“Then let’s do some chocolate therapy!”

Belle brightened. “Chocolat? Yummy!”

“It always helps me on my worst days. Since you haven’t gone through this yet, why don’t we try some hot cocoa?”

Belle nodded enthusiastically. “Yay!”

“I’ll get some ready while you get dressed”

Belle got dressed, choosing a warm baggy blue sweater over a chemise. She put on a comfortable sports bra because her breasts were still a bit tender, and the extra compression felt better. She tried on a pair of her skinny jeans, but they felt a little too tight for some reason. She ended up putting on a denim mini with sparkly black tights for warmth. She wore ballet flats for comfort.

She came into the kitchen looking a little worse for wear. She was only wearing a little lip gloss and little else.

Marta had to smile. She knew exactly how her daughter felt at that moment. The cocoa was almost done. She had two cups ready. “You look lovely this morning, honey”

“Thanks…not …feel…lovely” Her hair was covering her face

Marta pouted back at Belle in sympathy. “I know, sweetie, but this will help” She poured two big mugs of cocoa with extra marshmallows. She gave a mug to Belle.

She enjoyed the aroma of the chocolate and took a sip. “Mmmmmm…good!” she exclaimed. She continued to sip, making little yummy sounds the whole time.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes!” she looked around the room. “Daddy?”

“He’s out in the garage, airing up the basketball. He said he wanted to shoot for awhile”

“Oh…basket…ball?” she looked confused for a moment, then she smiled. “Je me rappelle! Brian aime le basket-ball”

While Marta didn’t understand exactly what Belle was saying, her attitude conveyed it all. She remembered Brian liked basketball. “Yes, Belle. Brian liked basketball”

She stood at the front window holding her mug. She sipped it, watching her father shoot. She giggled when he missed and the ball bounced off his head.

“Would you like to go outside and try it?”

Belle finished the last of her cocoa. “Oui. Fun!” She pulled her hair back and put it in a ponytail with the scrunchie she kept around her wrist. Marta looked with a little amusement at her girl. She put her hair up like she had been doing it for years.

“Are you going to be warm enough in that little skirt?”

“Oui, Mama” She grabbed her jacket and a pair of mittens and went outside.

She walked outside to the makeshift court in the driveway. Bob had installed a goal years ago. It hadn’t gotten much use the last two years.

“Hello, honey! I saw you looking. Want to shoot?”

“Yes!” she replied.

Bob tossed her the ball and she caught it awkwardly. “Okay Belle. Just push it up, aiming at the front of the basket. Give it a try”

She pushed the ball up with two hands in typical girl fashion and by some miracle, it went in. Nothing but net. Belle’s eyes got as big as saucers. She bounced and clapped her hands. “Yay!” she yelled, her customary exclamation of joy in English.

“Great shot, kid! And here I was thinking you hadn’t played before!”

“I know! Good!” she clearly wanted to say more, but language got in the way”

“You know, you could do a lot better if you took off your mittens”

Belle smiled and took off one of her mittens. She showed the back of her hand to her father and wiggled her fingers. “Uh, Uh, Papa. Pretty Nails!”

Bob rolled his eyes. “Girls! Okay, let’s do it your way…”

They played for the next half hour. Belle missed way more than she made, and she really wasn’t dressed for it, but she had a good time bonding with her father again. She didn’t say much, but ended up just rebounding and throwing the ball to her father to shoot.

Marta watched Bob and Belle play, and it was almost like Brian had never left. This was a very complicated

Marta called out to the two. “Bob, the girl is going to catch her death of cold. Come back in here. I have some lunch ready”

“All right, Marta. Come on Kobe, let’s get something to eat”

“Shit!” Kevin cursed as he hung up the phone. Why wouldn’t they answer their phone? Gibson and his crew were probably already on their way to Dallas. He was too far away to be of much good, even at mach 1.5. Cerberus was not in Dallas at the moment, though he was on his way. There was one other thing he could try…”

Chapter 18

Red Gibson’s team landed in Dallas Love Field at Ten PM. Red told the pilot to be ready to be wheels up at 0030.

They rented an Expedition under one of the many aliases Red kept ready for just such eventualities. Danny, the driver, pulled up the address and punched it into the GPS. “They’re only about twenty minutes away, Red”

“Good. The less time I spend here, the better. I hate this town”

Red looked back at his team. “We’re hitting the target early. I want this quick, clean and above all, quiet. Ops in this environment are always tricky. You never know when Mrs. Kravitz will be nosing around where she doesn’t belong”

“Roger that, Boss” Vinny replied.

“We’ll check out the lay of the land when we get there. From what I understand, this is a typical suburban home, two thousand square feet, single story, two car attached garage”

“Vinny, you take care of mom and dad. Silencer on?”

“Check”

Joe, you’re the safety valve. Anything goes wrong; you protect the guys on the inside. Danny, you’re with me. We get the kid”

“Okay”

I want to be back on the plane at no later than 0015. Wheels up at 0030.

Their Expedition pulled up to the Kalisek’s neighborhood. They cut the lights, and pulled into the drive. The lights were out in the home. Good. They were asleep. Night owls were always a pain. Thermal imaging indicated two vehicles in the garage and three bodies in the house, all quiet.

“Go!” called Gibson in a whisper..

All the men quietly got out of the car. They were completely silent, professionals all. As they were assuming their tactical positions, Danny picked the lock on the front door. The door opened noiselessly.

Vinny crept into the bedroom. Two bodies were lying in the bed. He could see them clearly with his night vision goggles. Two quiet shots to the head, and they were neutralized. “Two down” he whispered into his throat mike.

Danny and Red crept into Belle’s bedroom noiselessly. A shot from the taser, and the small girl was no threat. They pulled the covers down, only to find a dummy.

“What the fuck?” spat Red as he looked at Danny. His eyes widened in alarm “We’ve been made!”

There was a loud thud in the hall outside the room. Danny and Red ran out to nearly trip over the body of Vinny. They started to make their way to the front door when a quiet, gravelly voice stopped them. “Hello, Redmond. I didn’t expect you to take this job. This one doesn’t have a future” Cerberus was sitting in the chair in front of the fireplace. It was now lit.

Red whirled at the sound, leveling his pistol at the source.

“Cerberus, I take it?” Red activated the laser sight.

“What do you think, Redmond?”

“I heard you might be involved in this”

“Then why did you take the job?”

“It’s just business, Cerb. Nothing more, nothing less. Right now, you’re standing between me and four million dollars, and I never miss getting my target”

“You’re going to miss this one, Redmond. The girl is under my protection. Give me your word you’ll move on, and you can go. Your friend isn’t dead. It isn’t too late”

“Can’t do that, Cerb. I gave my word” He squeezed off five shots, all striking Cerberus dead center mass.

There was silence. Cerberus slumped in the chair, unmoving.

“You got ‘im Red! You popped the legendary Cerberus!”

Cerberus then raised his head. “That was a mistake, Redmond. It will be your last. I suppose you could run, but it won’t do you much good.”

Danny emptied his clip into the body of Cerberus. He didn’t even flinch.

“Let’s get the fuck outta here, Red! This guy ain’t human!”

Red was already out the door. They ran as fast as they could to the Expedition. Joe was nowhere to be seen. Red made it to the truck first, with Danny close behind. “Start this motherfucker, Danny!”

Danny turned the key. Nothing. “Shit! SHIT! He rigged the engine, Red!”

The distinctive voice of Cerberus echoed from the back seat. “All right, Redmond. Let’s get something straight. I don’t like being shot. It…fucking…hurts. Now, you pay the price, but first, I want you to see something” the doors of the SUV locked.

“Shit! Where did you come from?”

“Turn around, Redmond. This is what evil buys”

Red Gibson turned around. To see the destroyed, burned skull face of Cerberus. He screamed, as did Danny. Simultaneous twin explosions from Cerberus’ Desert Eagles blew out the chests of the two mercenaries. Cerberus placed two gold coins on their eyes. “For the Ferryman” was all he said.

The next morning, the SUV was found in the driveway of the Kalisek’s house by a police cruiser who had been alerted by an anonymous call. Four men were in the SUV, dead. Their ID’s were with them along with the documentation of their intended job. There would be no trial for these men. They had already been found guilty.

The police arrived en masse shortly after the discovery. The media wasn’t far behind them. They had been tipped off as well, and they had the same documents that the police had. There would be no sweeping this under the rug. Detective Chris Mitchum was the lead. Phil Albano was his partner. “You can put this in the cold case file right now, Captain. It was Cerberus” Chris said sadly.

The Captain, Willie Gilliard, on scene due to the high profile nature of the case, agreed. “I know, Chris. Work it like any other case, but if what we found here is correct. I don’t know if I even want to find the guy. Hell, he left over six grand worth of gold coins on their eyeballs. Kinda eliminates robbery as a motive, don’t it”

Albano had to laugh. “Yeah, but I hate it when someone takes the law into his own hands”

Captain Gilliard shook his head. “This guy is next level, Phil. He knows what he’s doing. I’ve never seen a vigilante do what he does. When he does the deed, he gives you the reason he did it. These guys were going to kidnap the girl who lives here and murder her parents, all because they were paid by some wack job in India”

He paused, looking at the mob of reporters waiting for a statement. “No sense putting this off any longer. Time to feed the kitties”

In Delhi, Narang’s office was being turned upside down by the police. They had received thousands of video files detailing Narang’s exploits, including video of the women he had killed. Narang was no where to be found, he was on his corporate jet on the way to Myanmar, where he couldn’t be extradited. His satellite phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Narang” the voice was cold, unemotional.

“Who is this?”

“The one who ruined your little attempt to get at Belle Kalisek. Know me now?”

“Fuck you. You stopped me once, but I’m worth billions. I can hire wave after wave of men to do my bidding”

“She must be one special girl for you to waste your money like that”

“She means nothing. I get what I want. Always. You can’t stop me, no one can”

Cerberus paused “Narang, do you know what sucks about a fall?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“It’s the sudden stop. You are now at thirty eight thousand four hundred feet. That’s a hell of a fall”

Narang looked around the cabin nervously. “How do you know that”

“Look at your computer monitor, Narang”

There, in the monitor was the face of a hooded figure. His black full face mask had two mirrored eyeholes. The rest was blank. Not even air holes. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Cerberus. And my face is that last face you will see on this earth” He pulled off the mask, and Narang jumped back. “Good bye, Narang”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” He screamed as the jet exploded.

Belle and her family were back in their house after a day at the safe house. Belle’s cell phone rang. “Hello?”

“Hello, Belle”

“I know you! Cerberus?”

“Yes. I just wanted you to know that I’ve taken care of everyone who thinks they have a reason to hurt you”

“Thank you! I don’t know how I can ever repay you”

“Live a good life. You remind me of someone I care about very much”

“Will I ever see you again?”

“Who knows. I will be watching you, however. You’ll never be alone again. Goodbye”

The phone went dead. Belle smiled. Kevin was coming over tonight, and school was just around the corner. The next six months would be fun.