Chapter 1

I blinked, trying to get my mind to focus. I blinked again trying to get some information to clear up my confusion. In front of me was a coach seat, so I was obviously sitting on a bus. The fog in my mind cleared a bit. The last thing I remembered was travelling with Jen to a French ski resort. I think I had fallen asleep and had a nightmare. I remember dreaming that the bus hit something in the road and drove off the cliff. Weird.

I looked to my left expecting to see Jen, instead I could see a stranger who was looking as confused as me. The bus was stationary, but we weren't at the resort. My eyes caught the eyes of the man sitting next to me.

“You alright, Rich?” he asked me.

“Who's Rich?” I replied and noticed my voice was all wrong. It was a lot higher in pitch. I started looking at the rest of what I could see with my confusion growing by the second. My hands were pretty hairless, small and delicate and I was wearing a leather jacket that I did not own.

“Oh Yeah!” I heard from someone sitting behind me.

I turned to look at him and to my shock saw my face looking back at me. “What the fuck.” I said, disconcerted again by my different voice.

“Richard, don't use that language.” The man next to me said, speaking sternly.

“Hey dad, he is not Richard. I am.” The person in my body replied. “Pretty cool, huh.”

Trying to be polite I held out my hand towards the man next to me. “Nice to met you, my name is Dillan.”

“Is this some kind of a joke?” he asked.

“Don't be rude, dad. Shake his hand. This is way better than a joke, this is a miracle.” Richard replied.

Awkwardly the man shook my hand. “I'm Peter.” he said uncertainly.

“Lets swap places.” I suggested to Richard.

“OK.”

I stood up to get around Peter. I was significantly shorter and generally smaller. “How old are you?” I asked Richard as we passed each other.

“I was fifteen. You'll have to tell me how old I am now.”

“Eighteen.”

“Old enough to drink, sweet! Oh, by the way, we need to talk before you go to the bathroom.”

“What?”

“You convince your girl here who you are and I will do the same to my parents, then we will talk.”

I sat myself next to Jen.

The driver at the front of the bus stood up facing us holding the microphone. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I have no idea what just happened, but we appear to be in a safe passing point. Everyone appears to be alright, so I am going to continue our journey. Please fasten your seatbelts.”

He waited about thirty seconds and then started up the engine and we were on our way again.

Jen and I looked at each other. “So you are supposed to be Dillan?”

“Yeah, pretty freaky, huh. You are still Jen aren't you, not someone who looks like my beautiful witch.”

She smiled at hearing my nickname for her. “Yes I am still Jen. How are we going to do this?”

“Just ask me questions that only I, I mean Dillan, would know.” I had known Jen since we were eight years old and had moved in next door. A year later her parents divorced and it was a nasty one. At one point her father forced the house sale and she and her mother had nowhere to live. Rather than go to a shelter we had invited her into our home.

Her mother was overqualified and struggled to get anything but the most menial of jobs and they didn't pay very well. Before she had Jen, Katie, her mother, had been a very successful business woman, working mainly in marketing. After being out of the working world at the insistence of her husband, she had struggled to get back in. According to her interviews, despite her previous success, the marketing world had changed too much with the advent of Google and Facebook which she had no experience in.

In combination with a husband who had an extremely effective lawyer, she was left relatively destitute. What little she did have ended up going to her lawyer to pay his fees. In the last few years Katie had been doing much better financially, but none of us wanted her to leave, so she paid for an extension on the family house so she and Jen had their own space. Jen and I had been really close, but it was only in the last two years that we realised that we loved each other as a couple rather than brother and sister. No one knew me better than Jen, so she was the perfect person to know this was really me.

To be honest, she knew within a few seconds, but to be sure she carried on asking questions for a good ten minutes trying to catch me out. Just for fun, since I knew Jen was really Jen, I asked her a few personal questions as well.

“So what do we do now?” She asked.

“I haven't got a clue. I feel really weird in this body. It doesn't feel right at all. I don't mean my voice and looks. Something else just feels off.”

“Off in a bad way?”

“Umm.” I thought about it. “No. Not bad or good, just different.”

“Do you think it is permanent?”

“Since we don't know what happened in the first place, I have no idea, but I think it was pretty unlikely to happen once, let alone happen again.”

We spent the next twenty minutes holding hands and not talking much, just trying to digest. When we arrived we gathered with Richard and his parents.

“So what do we do guys?” Jen asked.

“I think we have to believe this has really happened. I guess Richard, in his new body will have to stay with us and Dillan will stay with you. We have a two bedroom suite so why don't we check in and meet there. They are going to need to swap clothes, equipment and stories.” Peter suggested.

“Stories?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Richard said with a laugh. “I can't wait to see your reaction.”

“Richard. That is not nice. Behave.” Amy, Richard's mother said. He just continued to chuckle.

I was beginning to get a sickening feeling in my stomach. One shoe had dropped and I felt like the other was about to kick me in the nuts. Everyone started sorting out our check in papers, which mostly involved Jen and Peter while the rest of us sat waiting nervously. Once we both had our keys and directions we travelled on mass to Jen and my room to drop off her suitcase and then continued on to their suite. Their room had a small lounge with a fridge and a sink in it. They took their suitcases to their room leaving my suitcase and Richards in the hallway.

I opened my suitcase and started pulling out all my other gear, like my toothbrush and all my electrical items. Richard just sat on the lounge.

“Aren't you going to go through your suitcase?” I asked him.

“Mum packed most of it, especially the clothes. She can unpack it.” He said and switched the TV on.

His parents were obviously discussing something in the bedroom, but it wasn't loud enough for me to work it out, so I shrugged my shoulders at Jen and we sat together on the other sofa.

After a few minutes Peter and Amy came out holding hands. “Richard. Turn the TV off, we need to talk.” Peter said and then pulled a couple of chairs across so that we could all sit together in the small lounge.

This was going to be bad. I just knew it. I was practically shaking. I was wondering if I was terminally ill. Cancer was all I could think it was, but I didn't want to say anything, so I held Jen's hand tightly.

“I'm not quite sure how to say this.” Peter said.

“Let me give this a go.” Richard interjected. “Are you a boy or a girl?” he asked me.

“Err.. I am a boy.” I was wondering if this was a trick question, but I couldn't see what he was getting at.

“So am I, and I always have been, the thing is, my body didn't agree with me.”

“What. I don't get it.”

“Up until that miracle on the bus, I have been labelled as transgender. A boy born in a girls body. Your body is classified as female. My passport, sorry, your passport says you are female. On the plus side you only have to wait a few months before you turn sixteen and can start taking testosterone. You will have to wait a couple more years before you can have surgery, but that is nothing, I have been waiting since I was five.”

My hands instinctively went between my legs and found.....nothing. I then brought them up to check my chest.

“Your body has been taking hormone blockers since you were eight. Mum is not small in the breast department and I was horrified that I would follow her.” Richard continued.

I think my mind was in overload and was following automatically, reacting to suggestion, so I couldn't stop myself from looking at Amy's chest, which looked reasonable, but nothing excessive.

She saw me looking and smiled at me sadly. “I had breast reduction surgery two years ago, my back was killing me.” She responded without prompting.

“Right I think that is enough.” Jen stated strongly, now holding me tightly. “We are going back to our room, if you could kindly bring some clothing that will fit and these items that are Dillan's, we would be grateful.” With that she stood up and then helped me up. She led and I followed. I don't think I was capable of anything else. If anyone said anything else it didn't register, my mind was officially blown.

“What am I going to do?” I whispered to her as we closed our door behind us.

She took a deep breath. “You are going to keep breathing, deep even breaths. Concentrate on one thing at a time and we will figure this out. There is a lot to process and research, but it doesn't have to be done at once. We have a holiday ahead of us. Let's enjoy it as best we can and let our brains filter this overload a bit at a time. I would say you need counselling, but I'm not sure anyone else should know about this. What happened on that bus was pretty freaky and I am already worried that we are all going to end up in someone's lab. Add in your experience and I am really worried about other people knowing about it.”

My protective instincts for Jen switched on. “I'll manage. Besides, how lucky am I that I need counselling and my beautiful witch has already been accepted into Cambridge to study Psychology.”

“Only if I get the right grades.” She replied. “And besides, that hardly qualifies me for this, as interesting as it is.”

“More qualified than virtually anybody else.”

“My interest was in relationships. The whole transgender subject is a completely different field.” I think she realised now was not the time to downplay her strengths since I was going to really need her help. “But I do have the right background reading, so together, we should be able to thoroughly investigate this.”

“In your professional opinion, what should I do now?” I asked her honestly.

“Take your leather jacket off and your shoes, then come to bed for a cuddle. If you are not in shock then you probably should be. I feel in shock and it didn't even happen to me. You need to be distracted for a few days. We will learn to ski together, enjoy ourselves as much as possible, thinking about it as little as possible and then do some research in the evenings and just let the information sink in. Shit. I think we messed up. We need to know if you are allergic to anything. They need to know about your penicillin allergy.”

“They have to come here anyway to deliver my clothes, I mean his clothes, err.... is that her clothes?”

“We'll just call them Richard's clothes. Clothes that fit you anyway.” She moved around me helping me to remove my jacket and then knelt at my feet to undo these, almost military, boots. She then drew me to the double bed and gathered me in her arms. Normally I am much bigger than her and she is usually on the inside of the spoon. Now I am a bit smaller and she wrapped herself around me. Holding me tight. Emotionally, I fell apart, but her constant loving presence held me together and allowed me to fall apart in a safe environment, her arms.

I drifted into a semi-conscious state. I was vaguely aware that someone knocked on the door and Jen got up and spoke to someone. Then she was cuddled around me again and all was right with the world.

Chapter 2

My memory of that night was pretty disjointed. I know Jen ordered room service and vaguely remember picking at some food, but for the life of me, I couldn't tell you what it was. I woke up with a full bladder in one of Jen's PJ's. Evidence suggested that I must of taken my clothes off and put on Jen's. My recollection about that was sadly lacking.

The clock next to the bed was showing four in the morning. My bladder was telling me that it was time to get up. I slithered out of Jen's arms and made it to the toilet. I was a bit shocked when I pulled my pants down and didn't see my normal equipment, but my biological urgency stopped me from dwelling on it. I sat down quickly and let go. I used some toilet roll to pat myself dry, not really seeing what I was doing.

I washed my hands and looked at myself in the mirror. I think I was expecting to see either an androgynous face or a vaguely masculine one. My blond hair was cut really short in a masculine style, but, other than that, I couldn't see anyway that this face could be considered anything other than beautiful and feminine. I had big blue eyes, high cheekbones, a cute nose and wide mouth with great teeth. I practised making a few faces. At least I didn't have glasses anymore.

Rather than send me into further shock, looking at my face and seeing it move as I did, helped to settle me, making me realise this face, even this body, was now me. Yesterday was the weirdest day of my life and, to be honest, I couldn't deal with it. Whether it was because of the body change, the different sex or just how tired I was after our long journey, I didn't know. Now I needed to face the music and start coping.

Initially I went back to bed. Jen was still asleep as most people should be at four in the morning, but I was too awake now. I started thinking, making plans and coming up with questions. I was too agitated to stay still and I didn't want to wake Jen, so I got up again, found a pen and paper and began writing down what I needed to do and what I needed to find out. When I had run out of my immediate musings, I got my laptop and started to sort out what I could. Then I started my research.

After a couple of hours I could feel myself getting a bit sleepy, so I shut everything down and slid back into bed. Jen murmured something and reached for me. I snuggled up to her and drifted off. I woke up some time later when Jen needed to go to the bathroom.

“How are you doing?” She asked me, when she could see that I was awake.

“Much better, thanks.”

“Do you have any questions?”

I laughed. “I have more questions than I know what to do with.”

She smiled at me. “It is good to see you in a better mood. I thought I was going to have to remind you of what you used to say to my mother when she had another job rejection.”

“Everything happens for a reason and even though it may not feel like it right now, the end result will be worth it. It was certainly true for her, but I am not sure I can hold onto that thought just yet.”

She sighed and her smile dimmed a little. “I remember asking you whether you believed that or were just saying it to make my mum feel better. It did, by the way. She told me it wasn't the words so much as the fact that you wanted to make her feel better. It taught me that caring is more important than the words we use. Anyway, you said that there was no way to know whether it was true or not, so everyone has the choice to be positive about their situation or negative and wasn't it much better to be thinking nicer thoughts.”

“I will try and be positive.”

She got back into bed and cuddled up to me. “Ask away.” she murmured to me.

“What toilet do I use?”

“Mmmm...what do you think?” I should of expected a budding psychologist to give that reply. I hoped that was not going to be the answer to all of my questions.

“Conflicting thoughts, which is why I was asking.” I said.

“Catch me up. You have obviously given this some thought.” She replied.

“I have a feeling that Richard would use the mens.”

“If Richard had and you were in the toilet, would you have objected?”

“No. Even if I knew he was transgendered, but I am not worried about my reaction, but more Neanderthal type men. From what I have read some pretty nasty stuff can happen to transgendered individuals and I am a bit worried about being surrounded by men. I think I am feeling very vulnerable. I am a lot smaller and weaker that I was. If I was attacked, I wouldn't know how to defend myself.”

“Women can be pretty nasty too, but they are unlikely to get physical. Most of the abuse is likely to be verbal. I think you might be safer, at least for this trip, identifying yourself as female and using the ladies.” Jen said thoughtfully.

“What do you mean identifying myself as female?”

“Well you can't go to the ladies and call yourself Dillan or Richard. The clothes and hair people can overlook. Women have such a wide spectrum to express themselves so dressing a bit butch and wearing no makeup would be a lifestyle choice, but not a disqualification to being a woman.”

“What should I call myself then?”

“I had to give your passport to Peter to keep for Richard and he gave me Richard's passport. It says your name is Sophia.”

“That brings up my next question. After our week's holiday, am I going to have to go back with them?”

“Good question. Give yourself a few days to let your mind settle, then we will need to have a meeting with them. I have promised to keep them updated with your progress. They were a bit worried after your zone out yesterday. Alright Soph?” She said, trying my name out for the first time.

I turned in the bed to face her. “What about us?” I asked quietly.

She reached forwards and kissed me on my forehead. “I don't know. Whatever happens I will be here for you. I just don't know the details.” She could see that I wasn't satisfied with that. “Look. I love you. No if, buts or whens. I love you. The rest will sort itself out.”

The next three days were probably the most stressful of my life. All the clothes I had to wear were depressing. Richard was like Batman, he would only wear black or dark grey. The only underwear he had were boxers. To be fair that was the only underwear I had, but now boxers felt uncomfortable and going to the ladies in them just felt wrong. Learning to ski with Jen was fun, but when the evening hit, we had to research what my future held. Taking hormones and their effects on my body were fairly simple. I mean I had already been through all that. It was the corrective surgery and what the end result would be that got me down. I couldn't stop thinking about it and was getting more and more depressed. I read stories about other female to male transgender individuals and their experiences.

On the fourth morning I was staring at my hormone suppressants, ready to take them when I had what felt like a radical idea. What if I didn't take them. What if I didn't take testosterone or have any surgery. It was like a revelation. The path that I was planning was not my path. It was Richards. That didn't mean I had to wear dresses or makeup or, God forbid, high heels. Jen had already told me, women were free to express themselves however they wished. No one was going to chase me down and force me to get my ears pierced. I could if I wanted to, but the important point was, I didn't have to.

A huge weight lifted off me, telling me, my thoughts were going in the right direction. That day was a great day. I laughed, smiled and joked. We had a wonderful time and instead of researching, we went out to dinner and had a wonderful time. I explained what my thoughts were and Jen, seeing the change in me, agreed. She then suggested I take a test that would tell me were I sat on the male to female scale. I thought about it and initially agreed to take it, but then I started getting stressed about it. If the test indicated that I was more male as I expected it would, there would be pressure on me to go down Richards path and that was stressing me the hell out. At that point I realised that my decision was obvious. There was no need to take the test. I was not going to be taking testosterone or having surgery. It was not for me.

Chapter 3

The next morning we arranged to meet Richard and family that evening to try and work out our future. I stressed a bit about my relationship with Jen and whether choosing to stay female would make us sisters rather than a couple. It did make me briefly reconsider, but my internal voice was clear. The future, as always, was a mystery. At least now I was looking forward to it as a great adventure rather than dreading what was to come.

I had another great day with Jen. Several times I came close to asking about us, but chickened out each time. Originally, when I had been doing my research, she had been helping me through it, but now that my decision had been made, Jen was borrowing my laptop to do her own research. She wasn't trying to hide what she was looking at. I could see it was mostly psychology stuff and related to transgender relationships, so I was interested in what she was coming up with, but knew she would only open up about it when she was ready.

One of the times I was about to ask her, she looked me in the eyes. “Give me a bit more time.” She said.

I called her my beautiful witch because there were times when it felt like she could read my mind. I felt this was one of them and my best option was to do what she said.

We had dinner and met in their room at the agreed eight thirty pm. Richard was slouching on the sofa with a beer in hand watching sport on the TV. He obviously hadn't shaved and was working his way towards a light beard. He acknowledged us with a flick of his eyes and that was about it. Peter and Amy had already set up some chairs so we all had somewhere to sit. Jen and I took the sofa again.

“Switch it off Richard, we have a lot to discuss.”

He huffed and I could see that he contemplated arguing. In the end, he reached for the remote and turned it off. Amy sat next to Peter with a notepad and pen.

“I have been thinking about this meeting since day one. There is so much we need to sort out, but to do that, we first need to know where we are right now. We know nothing about each other and that needs to change. I thought I would go first.” He looked around to see if anyone wanted to add anything. None of us did. “Right, well, I work as an architect for a big firm in London. We live in Guildford and I commute in. Fortunately my hours are pretty flexible and I do a lot of work from home, so it is not too bad.”

“I'll go next.” Amy said. “As you can probably tell from my accent, I am American. I worked as an Air Hostess, until I met Peter and settled down. Now I do volunteer work and work mainly with transgender youths at a local shelter.”

Jen put her hand up to go next. “I'm in love with Sophia, formerly Dillan. My mother and I live with their family in Purley. I am due to take my A levels in about five months and have already been accepted into Cambridge to study Psychology, providing I get the grades. I have already checked and the University is happy if I defer for a year. I don't have much choice for the next five months, I have to study hard, but after that I want to be available to help Sophia as much as possible.”

I had to wipe my eyes a bit. “I suppose I had better talk about what was going to happen in my life. I was due to take my A levels in five months. I took Maths last year, so I only have Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry this year. I had intended to follow Jen in Cambridge setting up a flat together, working on my business while she went to Uni.”

“What is your business?” Peter asked.

“I set up a business with Jen's mum, Katie. We buy profitable websites and revamp them to make them more profitable. I also look for website ideas that I think will make money and start my own websites. We sell advertising space, e books, you name it. Nothing physical, just digital.”

“Are we talking about a bit of pocket money or is this a career path?” Amy asked.

Jen smothered a laugh. “The company made more than two hundred thousand pounds last year in revenue, with assets in the multiple millions.” She said.

There was a shocked silence. “But you are barely eighteen.” Amy whispered.

“I started when I was thirteen. My grandparents left me a nice inheritance. I offered it to Katie, who refused, so I tried to work out how to employ her and came up with an internet business. She had so many skills that were just being wasted. Since I haven't really needed the money, I have pretty much invested whatever we have earned, back into the business. I have learnt a lot along the way.”

“Does this mean I am rich?” Richard asked intently.

I shared a look with Jen. “No. I am.” I told him.

“But I am in your body now. Your identity, your bank accounts.”

“Richard, that would be wrong. You haven't earned the money, you will have to give it all back.”

“Like hell. Did you not hear what she said. We are talking about millions.”

“Richard that is not happening.” Peter said sternly. “I'm sorry about this.” He said turning to us.

“I am eighteen, you can't tell me what to do anymore. And I am sorry, but I want to keep that money.”

“It is just as well that this week you decided to give it all to Jen.” I interjected.

“No I didn't.” Richard replied.

“That is strange, since you logged onto your bank and transferred the money into her accounts and sold your half of the business to her. It has got your signature and everything.”

“What! You bastard.” He turned to Jen. “Well, you can put it back.”

“I think I will use your words. Like hell. It was the first thing Sophia did. I thought it was not necessary, but she is not as trusting. She knows I will never betray her.”

The look on Richards face was ugly and it went from angry to sullen.

“I am sorry for my son. I thought we had brought him up better than that. I think I had better talk about his circumstances and intended future.” Peter said. “We moved about four years ago so that Richard could enter school as a boy. Everyone only knows him as a boy. When he turned sixteen he was going to start testosterone and his surgery was due when he turned eighteen. I don't think he has worked out what he wants to do career wise. OK, here are the issues as I see them. We have got one week more of skiing and then Richard is supposed to go back to school.”

I raised my hand to interrupt him. “Err...you may have, but Dillan and Jen only booked a weeks holiday. We are due to go back the day after tomorrow.”

“I didn't even think that we could be here for different amounts of time.” Peter sighed. “You realise that you are going to need to stay with us. Theoretically you are only fifteen. By the way, what do we call you, Dillan or Sophia.”

I took a deep breath. “Sophia, I guess. I have decided to stop taking the hormone suppressants.”

“What! You can't do that. If we ever change back, that will ruin that body.” Richard shouted, standing up and leaning over Jen and me.

“Richard sit down!” Peter said, standing up next to Richard.

Richard turned to Peter. “Dad, he can't do that. Tell him he can't do that.”

“Rich, we don't know if you are ever going to change back. Sit down and I will tell you what I have found out.”

Richard glared at me, growled and went back to his seat and sat heavily in some kind of teenage protest.

I was practically shaking, holding Jen tightly. Richard scared me.

“I think we all want to know what happened on that bus. I have been speaking to the other passengers and even the bus driver. It turns out that we all had the same nightmare. One lady even said that she dreamed that she died and saw the light with her family waiting for her, but they told her it wasn't her time yet. The bus driver remembers hitting something invisible on the road which forced the bus off the cliff. He has made the trip several times since then and where he thinks it happened, the barrier is complete and undamaged, but the trees and plant life look like something large knocked them all over. His conclusion and mine is that it was real. We all fell off the cliff and probably died, but someone or something saved us. Unfortunately for you two, there was some error in putting you two back together.”

“I'm not complaining.” Richard muttered.

“The thing is, I really don't think something like that is going to happen again. I don't think either of you are ever going to change back, so we have to live our lives on that premise. Sophia has the right to do whatever she likes with her body. It is hers now, Richard, and you have no say in it. Likewise, are you going to ask her for permission before you do anything?”

“No.”

“Well then. We need to work out about this holiday. What are your thoughts? Jen, Sophia?”

“I think you should work out what you want to do with Richard and then you or Amy can come to our room.” Jen said.

“Why not discuss it now?” Peter asked confused.

“Because Richard is scaring us.” Jen said bluntly.

“Pussy.” Richard muttered, but loud enough that we all heard him.

Peter sighed and looked irritatedly at Richard. “OK. You go back to your room and we will join you shortly.”

Chapter 4

We got back to our room.

“Richard is an arsehole.” Jen stated angrily, shutting the door.

“Don't forget he is only fifteen and I would say a young fifteen at that.”

“I don't think that excuses it. He wanted to steal your money and hard work.”

“I have to admit he scares me. He is young and immature, but he is in a big strong body and I am now in a much smaller one. I am trying to be sympathetic. Considering what he was prepared to put his body through he must have been in serious mental pain and right now he should be on cloud nine. Still, towards me personally, all he has done is insult and anger me. I want nothing to do with him, but I am not sure I am going to have that option. Anyway, let's not talk about him, let's talk about us. So you are thinking of deferring your course for a year?”

“Yes. I have been thinking and stressing over different issues to you. I have done my research and finally come to a conclusion. First of all, never doubt that I love you.” She looked me in the eyes knowing that I would see the love in her eyes. “I have never been attracted to women before and that is what you are now and will be turning into. That doesn't mean I won't be attracted to you, but I wanted to read a bit more about sexual orientation. According to my research, at least some of our sexual orientation comes from our culture. Our culture sees mainly black and white whereas the world is really shades of grey. Because I love you, I may be able to break some of my cultural baggage, but that is not all we are facing. My research also suggests that you may change your orientation when you have female hormones coursing through your system. In other words we could both be attracted to each other, or one or both of us may find ourselves not attracted. Let us also not forget your body is now only fifteen and since you have been on hormone suppressants, in reality it is probably equivalent to a twelve year old.

“I have decided that I am going to wait and see how this plays out. I want to be with you as much as possible and help you with who you are going to become. My mind is still set on our dream of being together, but I also want to ensure that if that doesn't happen, we end up as the closest of sisters.”

“I want that too.” I said, tears streaming down my face, launching myself into her arms.

“I think I need to go back as planned. You will probably have to stay here for another week. I will get some cash out that I want you to hide somewhere, so you are not dependent on them, but theoretically you are their biological daughter and until you reach eighteen you are probably going to be under their rules. Getting back before you will give me a chance to explain everything to our parents.”

There was a knock on our door. Peter and Amy had arrived together. We only had a small room with a double bed, a small table against the wall with a chair and the ensuite. Peter sat in the chair and Amy, Jen and I sat on the bed.

“I am sorry about Richard.” Amy said.

My normal reaction would be to say that everything was fine, but it really wasn't, so I didn't reply, which in itself was telling.

“Anyway.” Jen said breaking the uncomfortable silence. “I have decided that I need to go back as planned, but we realise that Soph, doesn't have that option. Is Richard coming back with me?”

“No. He is going to stay the extra week. If you could help me rearrange the flight for him that would be great. I have already spoken to the hotel and they have said the sofa in the lounge can convert to an extra bed. Richard will sleep there and you will have the other bedroom.”

“I think I would prefer to organise another room. I don't mind paying the extra, but I am not comfortable staying anywhere near Richard.”

Peter sighed. “Unfortunately there are no other rooms available. You probably won't see much of Richard anyway. Skiing was one of the few sports where he could hide his body and appear male without question, so we do this holiday every year and he is quite advanced. After breakfast he will be on the slopes and we won't see him again until dinner time. Then he goes out again and comes back to bed at God knows what time. This isn't our choice, but we have a lot less control of him now.”

“I guess I will have to manage. Jen is going to talk to my parents, but we are all going to have to meet up when we get back to England. Now I don't have any money anymore, I have given it all to Jen. I wasn't joking about that. So before she goes we need to know what this is going to cost me, so that we can give you the money.”

“Nothing. I will pay for everything. You are our biological daughter and asking you for money feels wrong. We have already discussed this between us, so don't argue, just don't.” Peter stated.

“When you said you are not taking your hormone suppressants, what did you mean by that?” Amy asked.

“I have struggled for the last few days with the idea of my future as mapped out by Richard. To me, it was a depressing thought. When I realised that I didn't have to do that, I felt a lot better. In other words, to Richard, staying in a female body was giving him mental anguish, so he needed to change it. I don't feel the same way. So, no, I am not going to be taking the hormone suppressants, nor am I going to be taking testosterone or having surgery.”

“You are going to allow your body to develop as a woman?” Amy asked.

“Yes. I accept the fact that this body is female and intend to allow it to develop normally. I am not sure how much femininity I am going to be able to get used to. Jewellery, makeup, dresses, skirts and weird uncomfortable shoes are all off the table for now.”

“But you might be willing to wear bras, swimming costumes and different colours to black?” Amy asked hopefully.

“Oh please God, yes! I don't mean to offend, but Richards clothes are so depressing. I feel like I am going to a funeral every day. And boxers? Really? I don't know anything about womens underwear, but there has to be something more comfortable.”

“Hallelujah! When Jen leaves, we are going shopping.” Amy declared.

“But darling we are in the middle of nowhere.” Peter pleaded.

“I have waited fifteen years to take my daughter shopping, you are not going to stop me now. I don't care how far we have to travel. Maybe we will stay overnight somewhere. Maybe we can have a few days together at a spa resort. I don't even like skiing. You are not going to deny me this.”

“I am not exactly your...” I started to say, but she turned to look at me with a finger pointing in my direction, so I held my hands up in surrender. “Sounds great.” I said with a pretend smile. Thinking, keep the crazy woman happy, just keep the crazy woman happy.

“Great. That is settled.” Peter said. “I'll leave you to work out the details. What we really need to work out is what we are going to do when we get back.”

“Even if we claimed amnesia, I don't think anyone would believe we were the same person and I don't think he would be ready to take my A levels in five months time.”

“He has already told us that he is eighteen and not going back to school.” Peter said sadly. “I don't really know what to do with him. He is being reckless and irresponsible at the moment and my parental rights have just evaporated. The only thing I have to try and reason with him is money. He has a certain amount that he was saving for additional surgeries, once that runs out I am hoping he will change his tune. Until then, I have no idea what to do. He is just not listening to us anymore.”

“Enough about Richard, he is our problem. We need to work out what you are going to do.” Amy said. “You can't carry on at his school, even if you could take and pass his GCSE's. Everyone there knows of him as a boy.”

“Couldn't you make my original parents my guardians, I can live with them and enrol at my local school? I will have to retake my GCSE's and A levels, which is a pain, but I figure I will have to do that wherever I end up.”

“I was sort of hoping you could live with us. So I could get to know the daughter I could have had. And if you ever have children, I would love to be a grandparent.” Amy said wistfully.

“I'm sorry. You seem nice, but I am not sure I could live in a house with Richard. We could do some weekends and holidays if you like. And let's not talk about children. I am still getting my head around being female.”

“Right, right.” Amy said.

“I think we have a plan. You two will enjoy the next two days together, then Sophia will move in with us. When we return to England, we will meet up with your parents and sort out schooling and guardianship.”

Chapter 5

Jen and I only really had one full day left and, although it was fun, there was an element of sadness there too. We had been practically glued together for years, so a forced separation, even for only a week felt troubling. At least she would be able to explain everything to my parents, not a conversation that I was looking forward to. It's not that I expected them to be unaccepting or anything. It just feels awkward to turn up looking like a complete stranger and give them the love and hugs that I would want to.

The next day was spent packing and then a tearful farewell. Not exactly how I was expecting it, since Amy and I went on the bus back to the airport with the others who were leaving. In our case it was to relocate to a more shopping appropriate area. It gave me a bit more time to spend with Jen and the farewell happened at the airport rather than the resort, but it was still tearful. I was a bit more weepy than normal which could have been the female hormones that had not been suppressed for a few days, psychological, since culturally boys are told that they can't cry, but girls are allowed, or even driven by stress, considering my week.

We checked in to a nice spa type resort. Amy was very considerate and consulted with me about her plans to make sure I was OK with them. There were various treatments available as well as a pool, spa and sauna. Before we could enjoy any of the amenities, I desperately needed new clothes. Again being almost excessively careful to not upset me, Amy went through a list of clothing that she suggested we buy. Making sure that we could discuss the reasoning in private and come to a unanimous decision before entering any shops. We did this over dinner and relaxing in our room afterwards.

We were sharing a room with two single beds in it and she was not shy about taking her clothes off in front of me, but turned away strategically to not rub my nose in her nakedness. I tried to do the same but felt embarrassed and uncomfortable. I knew it was something that I would have to work on. Even why I felt that way was not clear to me, but it was what it was and I would have to deal with it. I slept well and readied myself for the day.

Most of what Amy was suggesting was pretty unobjectionable. A whole set of new panties, various styles so that I could experience the differences and find what I liked. A few pairs of jeans, leggings, slacks, more colourful tops, jumpers and jackets. She suggested a few pairs of tights, so that I could try them, telling me that they were very useful in the winter to keep warm. She also explained that I needed a bra. I was completely flat chested since my body had been on hormone suppressants since it was eight, however, a fifteen year old girl would normally wear a bra even if there was nothing filling it. Likewise my swimming costume needed to be a female version that would cover my chest. I couldn't disagree with anything that she had said, so the shopping marathon began.

I decided that I had a choice with regards to my attitude. I could try and hang on to my boyhood and just choose what I would have happily worn as Dillan. The thing is, that would not serve me in the long run. Instead, I decided that I would try on anything that Amy suggested and try and be as honest as I could about how I looked in it and whether I would be willing to wear it. I was not a complete novice at this, since I had accompanied Jen on lots of trips and I knew what I thought looked good on women in general. I just had to apply it to myself.

I tried my best to go with what I thought looked cute or nice. I did wonder if there was no cultural bias whether I would have chosen similar colours as a boy. I have always liked certain colours that Jen wore that are considered feminine. Baby pink, lilac and various shades of purple, but as a boy it never even occurred to me that I should look for something in those colours for myself. I don't know if that meant I had changed by switching to this body or I was just more free to express myself.

I surprised myself and definitely surprised Amy with my choices. There were a few moments that really stuck out. We didn't go for a bra fitting as there really was nothing to measure, but trying on these starter bras and sports bras, really brought home to me my change in circumstances. Having seen me try on relatively feminine colours and styles, Amy felt comfortable enough to try and push me a little. Some of it, I agreed with and went along and some was just too much.

A more female type haircut sounded great, but, when you have pretty short hair there is not much you can do. In the end we went with using clippers on either side and brushing the front back straight. That seemed the best of the options available. She tried to convince me to get a nightie in addition to some PJ's. I think part of it was because I liked a baby pink PJ set with red hearts on it that was so soft, just touching it made me smile. Some of the nighties were just as soft, but I wasn't ready to go that far yet. She got one anyway, in case I changed my mind.

We almost had an argument about shoes, but I refused to even consider anything that was not comfortable. Over lunch she tried to get me to agree to have my ears pierced, with her main argument being that all girls have pierced ears and I would stick out if I didn't. For me, that was not reason enough, so I managed to keep my ears unblemished. When Amy suggested we have a Mani Pedi together, I was torn. Most of me wanted to say no, but two elements made me agree. I had always loved Jen's fingers after she had put polish on them and the eagerness on Amy's face when she was asking. My nails were short and I refused extensions but I can't deny, I did like how they looked with a light pink coating. The joy Amy seemed to get out of it made it worth any squeamishness I felt at pushing my boundaries.

Despite these discussions, which I wouldn't call arguments because Amy never pushed me too far, we had a great time. A lot of money was spent. I was quite happy to pay it back but Amy said that the amount we were spending was tiny when considering all the clothes that Richard had not wanted growing up. I would have stressed about it more if I didn't have the money to easily cover it, if needed, and I liked all the clothes we had bought. Apart from the nightie that is.

When we got back to the spa resort, Amy helped me pick out a nice outfit for dinner. With a small smile she offered to help me by lending me a necklace that would enhance the top I was wearing and tried to convince me to wear a little bit of makeup. She gracefully accepted my declination.

We had an lovely dinner and I have to say I was really warming up to Amy. She was a beautiful person inside and out. She encouraged rather than forced, explained anything and everything if I had any questions, without ridicule or making me feel bad in any way. After dinner we relaxed in our room and watched a movie. It was a chick flick and we both cried and laughed together. A real bonding moment.

Amy had a cleansing and moisturising routine that she suggested I follow. She also showed me how she put her hair in a sleep braid. Obviously my hair was way too short to do anything like that, but Amy had a chance to show her daughter something she didn't know and was revelling in it. I could see that Amy was a great mother. I had a great childhood growing up as a boy in my family, but Amy was showing me that I would have had a wonderful time growing up as a girl in her family.

The next morning we had a light breakfast and then went for a swim. Richard couldn't swim. He had refused to wear a girls swimming costume from a young age and so never learned. The fact that I could swim was clear evidence that I was not Richard, not that Amy needed it. It was quite an experience for me as well. To start with I felt very self conscious wearing a swimming costume and in the water, swimming felt a completely different experience. I think my skin was more sensitive and I was more flexible. Feeling the water caress me was a very sensual sensation. Not erotic, but quite pleasant. I loved pushing off with my feet strongly and just gliding under water until I slowed down.

As nice as that was, it was nothing compared to the hour and a half massage that Amy had organised. That was all we had time for since we had to pack up and get back on a bus to take us back to the ski resort. Amy promised sometime in the near future we would spend a weekend in a spa resort in England and have a whole two days being properly pampered.

Chapter 6

Author warning. There is some violence in this chapter.

Getting back to the ski resort was a bit of a let down. I had an underlying stress about dealing with Richard and I think Amy did too. We didn't see him until the evening meal. He hardly spoke a word to any of us and glared at me whenever he wasn't eating. When he finished he just got up and left. I wasn't wearing anything too feminine, but it clearly wasn't Richards clothing and I'm sure I saw him staring at my hands with my recently painted nails, at one point.

“I'm sorry about that.” Peter apologised.

“It's not your fault. I would have thought he would be ridiculously happy right now. All his dreams have come true.”

“He was for the first few days and even listened to us. Then he decided to go to the bar without us. I think he worried that you would take all his savings, so he was using the cash point to withdraw as much as he could as quickly as possible.” Peter responded.

“That sounds kind of ironic considering his reaction to my money.”

“Quite. Maybe it is a typical teenager thing. Everything is unfair. Legally he is allowed to drink, so apparently, we are wrong to ask him not to or to limit him in any way. I tried to go with him and then encourage him to come back to the room at a reasonable hour, but the more he drinks the more belligerent he becomes. The last couple of days have been particularly bad. He seems particularly upset that you have decided to remain female, like it is a betrayal or something. His mum spending time with you and both of you clearly enjoying yourselves is aggravating him, I think.

“When we get home, I am hoping his therapist will be able to straighten him out, because, I have to admit, I am clearly out of my depth.” Peter acknowledged.

“I suppose we have to factor in that he is still a fifteen year old mentally, unaccustomed to any level of testosterone or alcohol. I still want to steer clear of him. From my point of view, I have suddenly become significantly smaller and weaker. I used to play Rugby and we would do weight sessions regularly, so I know how strong he is. Add to that a juvenile aggressiveness and he scares me.” I explained.

“As much as I would love you to live with us, I can understand how you feel and will have to content myself with occasional visits. I hope you don't mind us becoming a part of your life.”

“Not at all. You both are lovely and Richard is lucky to have you as his parents. I really enjoyed our shopping trip and the massage was heavenly.”

When we got back to our room there was a message on the phone system. Jen had tried to call and requested a call back.

“Hi Jen, how are you?”

“I'm good Soph. How have you been?”

“I'm doing great. Amy and I went for a marathon shopping trip and I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed it.”

“That's great. Well, I had an interesting visitor today. One of the men in black. He wanted to know about our bus journey. He already knew that our journey was interrupted and we all seemed to lose about four hours. He wanted to know if anything else weird had happened. Anybody behaving differently, that kind of thing. I told him that I broke up with Dillan as he was being an idiot and that I met a new friend.”

I had known Jen so long that I had no trouble reading between the lines. The phone call was a warning. “I know we've only known each other for a week, but we got on so well, I feel like we have known each other forever and I can't wait to see you again in England.” I really wanted to ask about my parents, but couldn't think of a way to put that in the conversation without giving anything away.

She then asked me about what I had bought and suggested a modelling demonstration when we returned. We had a casual girlfriend chat and were both careful not to finish with our usual 'I love you'.

After I put the phone down I thought furiously for a few minutes. Jen clearly thought it would be a bad idea if anyone knew that I had swapped places with Richard. Truthfully there was no way to know whether hiding that fact would matter or not, but I trusted Jen's instincts. She also thought it likely that the phone conversation was being monitored. If that was the case, it was quite possible that the room had been bugged. If that had happened before our meetings then the cat would already be out of the bag, but if it had only just happened then it would be wise to be careful about what we said.

I thought about various ways to communicate without anyone hearing, from the sound of running water masking what we were saying to writing everything on my computer screen and then deleting it. Then I thought of how easy it was nowadays to hide a tiny camera, so I decided on a more straight forward approach.

I had been in the bedroom to have the illusion of privacy for our telephone conversation, so I went into the lounge where Peter and Amy were watching TV.

“Hi guys, could we turn off the TV for a second.”

“Sure.” Peter said, using the remote to switch it off.

“How's Jen?” Amy asked.

“Jen is fine. She was phoning because she was visited by a man in black.”

“An MIB? I thought that was a myth.” Amy said.

“I don't think she meant a literal MIB, more a government official investigating our unusual bus journey.” I could see them both tensing up a bit. “Apparently they already knew the story and were inquiring if anybody was behaving differently. Out of character. She likes her conspiracy theories and I think she thought the phone call was being monitored. If she is right, this suite could be bugged as well.”

“If that is the case why are we speaking out loud?” Amy asked curiously.

“Because we don't have anything to hide, and if we look like we are trying to, it will look suspicious.” I replied. “Do you think the fact that I have given up the idea of becoming a man and don't want to go back to my school where everyone knows me as a boy is going to be a problem?”

Amy and Peter shared looks for a moment. Peter turned to me. “No, I don't think that will be a problem. I mean the reason why you can't make a decision before you are sixteen is that a few people do change their minds. There is nothing unusual with that. Finding a new school and sorting out that mess is going to be a challenge, but I am sure we will come up with something. I guess we will have to do some research and see what we can come up with.”

I went to bed early. MIB turning up put a spanner in the works. If someone investigated our circumstances there were a few things that might already send up red flags and our future plans might have to be re thought. Dillan calling himself Richard and staying with a family he didn't know before this week, were questionable. Not that they knew that the Dillan body was now calling itself Richard, but if they did, it would only take visiting my friends or acquaintances to confirm that I had never used that name before the bus trip. Emptying my bank accounts and selling my business to Jen could be questioned. If I was to go back to England and immediately move into a stranger's house with Amy and Peter signing over guardianship to people they had never met before, the fact that something weird had happened would be crystal clear. Maybe we would have to come clean and tell them everything. Jen clearly thought that was a bad idea and she was really intuitive so I hated the idea of going against her gut feelings.

I tried to think of a way for me to stay with my real parents without it looking suspicious, but couldn't think of anything. Given time, something could be worked out. My friendship with Jen and so a meeting of Amy and Peter with my parents and Katie, could easily be arranged. Over time that could develop, but I couldn't just turn up at my parents house and move back into my old room. This was getting complicated and I couldn't see a solution.

I struggled to go to sleep, tossing and turning. Not really dropping into a deep sleep. I must have managed to at least get to a light sleep, because I woke abruptly when the bedroom door was opened. My room was dark and the light must have been on in the lounge as all I could see was the shadow of a man standing in my doorway looking at me. It was a large man and something about it frightened me. When he moved forward towards me suddenly, I couldn't help an involuntary scream from fear.

“Shut up bitch.” Richard growled, punching me in the chest and winding me. I tried to curl up and breathe as I felt something shoved over my face.

“You are not taking my family from me, you sissy.”

I moved my hands to my face to push what was covering it away, but Richard was too strong, holding a pillow over my face making it impossible to breathe. As I began panicking, I tried to kick my legs at him, anything to get him to let go and allow me to breathe. I could feel the strength draining from my arms as I struggled in vain to get him to release me. Just before I blacked out I thought I heard Peter.

“What are you doing!”

I felt some relief that Peter was here, but I couldn't hold onto consciousness and slipped away.

Chapter 7

I woke up groggily, staring around me trying to work out where I was. I could feel my arms and body strapped down. The roof above me was clearly a car and there was something over my nose and mouth. A strange man leaned over me looking me in the eyes. I felt a surge of fear and my heart started beating faster. The fact that I was trapped was not helping me to calm down. He was speaking to me but I couldn't understand him. I was edging towards panic with my breath coming in quicker.

He backed away I think because someone was talking to him. The more he backed away the less frightened I felt. But he was still close, so I stayed in a highly anxious state. For some reason, I started to feel all funny. Sort of like I was drunk. Disconnected from everything around me and a creeping tiredness that I found it harder and harder to resist. I thought I would just rest my eyes for a second. Then I felt the need to open them quickly and see if anyone had crept up on me. Then I needed to close them again. I did this a few times before I couldn't fight it anymore and fell asleep.

The next time I woke up I was in a bed. I had a white sheet holding me firmly in place, but I wasn't strapped down and managed to get my arms out quite quickly. My mind was much more focussed this time so I remembered the attack and really wanted to know what had happened after I lost consciousness. I thought I was going to die.

I had another surge of fear as I recalled fighting for my life and not being able to get a breath. I took a few deep cleansing breaths and calmed myself back down. Clearly, I had survived. I didn't think I was injured, but who knows what occurred after I was out of it. I checked my body over. I didn't feel any soreness down below, so rape was probably out. There was a large bruise over my sternum that was tender to touch, but it didn't hurt to breathe, so my ribs must be OK. I figured that was either from CPR or the punch that Richard gave me before he tried to suffocate me. Other than that I couldn't find anything else wrong with me.

I was a little surprised that Amy or Peter weren't sitting in a chair in the room. They probably had a lot to deal with considering what Richard had done. Despite logic telling me that, I still felt abandoned. What I really wanted was Jen or my mother to come walking in that door, but I knew neither was likely even if they wanted to be here. They probably didn't even know that anything had gone wrong.

I was in a hospital room with an ensuite. I went to the toilet dressed in a hospital gown, no panties. Next to the bed, within reach of anyone lying on it was a big red button. I climbed back into the bed, covered myself with the blankets and sheets, to make myself feel a little bit less vulnerable, and pressed the button.

Nothing exploded, which was disappointing, but a few moments later a nurse came in. She asked a few questions in French. I had managed to get an A at GCSE French, but she spoke so fast that I didn't understand anything. I did manage to say in French, I do not understand. She then spoke slower and asked if I was English and when I replied yes, she told me in broken English, but better than my broken French, that the doctor would be in shortly. She checked that I was OK and not hurting anywhere. Then she asked if I was hungry or thirsty and when I said yes again, she said she would organise breakfast. Or at least that is what I think she was trying to say.

While I was waiting, I tried the TV, but all the channels were in French, so I switched it off. I heard some chatter outside my door and then a doctor came in. I know it was illogical, but as he approached the bed I could feel my anxiety ratcheting up. I pulled the covers up so that only my head was showing and huddled myself together, so that I was sitting up holding my knees to my chest. He stopped quite suddenly, noticing my reaction. Then spoke calmly and gently in rapid French to the nurse who had come in with him. He stepped back from me carefully and took a seat near the door, so there was a good separation between us. The fact that he was sitting also seemed to help. I took some deep breaths and calmed myself down. This was getting ridiculous.

“I am sorry, mademoiselle, I didn't mean to startle you.” He said.

“It's er...not your fault. I can't seem to not react.”

“It is understandable.”

“Do you know what happened?”

“I know that you were found with a pillow over your face, unconscious, but still breathing. Physically you are healthy. The police have asked for you to stay here until they, er..., sort out, er... mess. I will prescribe medicine for your anxiety.”

“What mess?” I asked, trying to get any details.

He just shrugged.

“What about Amy and Peter?” I queried.

He shrugged again. “I cannot tell you. The police will be round later with a translator to take your er... story. I will suggest a female police.”

He then slowly got up off the chair, making no sudden moves, nodded to me, and departed.

A few minutes later, a nurse came in with my breakfast and a pill that she watched me take. Breakfast was fine, even good for hospital food, but a little while afterwards, I think the pill kicked in and I was out of it. I vaguely remember a female police officer come in, realise I was in no condition to answer questions and leave. I think the most I managed that day was a trip to the toilet.

I woke up the next morning finally feeling clear headed again. A nurse came in with breakfast and another pill, this one the same as before but cut in half. I just said no. I refused to go through another day like the last one. Her English was as bad as my French so our communication was terrible and she gave up.

I wasn't quite sure how long I had been at the hospital. My attack happened in the middle of the night. I am pretty sure they gave me a sedative in the ambulance and when I woke up it was morning, but of the same day or the next? Then I was given another pill and was out for another day. I was getting bored and stressed. Whether I had been here two or three days, why hadn't Amy or Peter come in to see me? Why wasn't someone telling me what was going on?

The police woman came back that afternoon and I was determined to get some answers, but she said she was just here to get my statement and didn't know anything. I told her what had happened, remembering to call Richard, Dillan and calling Amy and Peter, mum and dad. She asked why Dillan was staying with us, but I just said that was between Dillan and my parents. I personally, didn't like him.

She left shortly after leaving me confused and anxious. What on earth was going on? I started wondering if it was about the bus experience. Had the mysterious MIB become involved? Why wouldn't anyone tell me anything? I was tempted to phone Jen, but I found that you needed money and I had none. I didn't even have any clothes. All I was left with were hospital gowns and no panties. The lack of panties left me feeling vulnerable and insecure. I had a shower after breakfast each day and took a new hospital gown from a cupboard in the bathroom. There were disposable panties available, but when I tried one on, it was scratchy and I felt better without.

After lunch on my third conscious day, which probably meant I had been in the hospital either four or five days, an American lady entered.

“Hi. Should I call you Sophia or Richard?” She asked me.

“Sophia.”

“Do you recognise me?”

She was a big chested woman and when I looked closely she reminded me of Amy. “Are you er.. mum's sister?”

“That's right. I am your aunt, Gem. We have never met, but I thought Amy would have shown you some pictures.” Then she held her arms open for a hug.

I awkwardly hugged her. You have to say this about big breasts, they make for great hugs.

“Last I heard you were calling yourself Richard and intended to have hormones and surgery to correct matters. Has that changed?”

“Yes. I had an epiphany after I met Jen on holiday and realised I would prefer to stay female. I have stopped taking hormone suppressants and even bought a whole new wardrobe. I don't think I will be a girly girl, but Jen convinced me that women can express themselves however they like. It's great to finally meet you and everything. But why are you here?” I asked her.

“Jen sounds like a very sensible girl.” Gem sighed. “They haven't told you anything, have they?”

“No. Where is mum and dad? I have been here for like, forever, and no one will tell me anything.” I could feel myself welling up. I was getting really worried. They may not have been my real mum and dad, but they were really nice and I was beginning to feel some affection for Amy.

Gem took her shoes off. “I apologise if my feet smell, but I have come straight here from the airport.” She climbed into bed with me and opened her arms for another cuddle. While holding me tight against her chest, she stroked my hair with her other hand. “I have had a few days to get used to the idea, but this is going to be a bit of a shock. A man drugged up on ICE, attacked you and your parents. I believe your parents protected you, but they, er... they didn't make it. I am your legal guardian.”

I sobbed into her chest. Gem thought it was because of the loss of my parents and partly it was. Peter and Amy had been really nice and definitely didn't deserve this. But it was also because I realised this cut away almost all of my support. I felt very alone. I still had Jen and my real parents, but they were so far out of reach now. My poor parents would have to deal with Richard's stupidity. I even cried a little bit for Richard. He was given too much to cope with for a fifteen year old and obviously met an unscrupulous dealer who took advantage of his naivety. At his age you need the protection of your parents, you just don't think you do or want it.

Chapter 8

I had to dress in some of Gem's clothes and clearly, the bra was never going to work. That didn't bother me too much, I am more used to not wearing one than the reverse. We weren't even close to the same sizes, so I looked ridiculous, but at least I was getting out of the hospital. The next stop was going to be the police station. That was when Gem dropped her next bombshell. The case was closed. Dillan/Richard had committed suicide after being told what he had done. He didn't recall any of it, he said, but the evidence was overwhelming. I would have thought they would take precautions to prevent that, but then no one knew that he had actually killed his own parents, rather than strangers.

Originally, my clothes were part of the crime scene, now that the case was closed, my testimony was not going to be necessary and I could pick up my effects. I was in a bit of a state of shock. My old body was gone, so there was now no chance of going back. Amy and Peter were the only ones who would have been able to confirm that Dillan was, in fact, Richard. Even if I tried to tell the truth, there was a good chance that no one would believe me. Only my intimate knowledge of Dillan's life was evidence and that would be considered circumstantial. Now that I had spent time in Dillan's company, it was conceivable that any details that I provided, had been first given to me by him.

Gem further apologised but explained that I was going to have to say goodbye to my parents here as I wouldn't be present for the funeral. She was a member of an event organising team that mainly deals with weddings. She lives in LA and was the bridal liaison for the wedding of the year and so needed to get back immediately. My parents were going to be shipped back to the UK and Peter's family were going to look after all the details. To some extent that was a bit of a relief since if I was at the funeral I would be meeting a lot of family members who Richard would know but I didn't.

I did wonder why Amy and Peter had chosen Gem as my legal guardian and since she was being so open I decided to ask her.

“Gem.”

“Yes, honey.”

“Umm...you seem really nice, so I am not complaining or anything, but I was wondering why my parents would chose someone I didn't know over my relatives in England.”

“Thanks, honey. I like you too. The simplest reason is because they asked me a long time ago and I agreed. I think part of it is that I never managed to have children of my own, although I wanted them and the other part is that I was the most open regarding your gender issues. Some of your family members are not so accepting. Now that you have changed your mind, that is less of an issue, but I know that Amy wouldn't have changed the will anyway. She wanted you to be loved unconditionally, and felt I would be the best candidate for the role.”

So I was ready to leave the hospital. Except when Gem opened the door to my room and a man visibly walked past, I felt my anxiety freaking out again.

“Wait!” I called out to her. She turned back to me puzzled. “Shut the door, there is something else we need to discuss.” I informed her.

“What is wrong?”

“You know I was attacked first, right?”

“To be honest I know very little. I was told your parents defended you and paid for it with their lives.” She moved back to the bed and sat down. She gestured for me to sit beside her and when I did, she put her arm around me. “What happened?”

“I woke up when the door to my bedroom opened. There was a man silhouetted in the doorway and when he moved towards me I screamed. He punched me and then was suffocating me with a pillow when I heard dad interrupt him. I lost consciousness, so I don't know anything after that.” I tried to say it matter of fact, but just talking about it was bringing back memories and my body started shaking. When Gem felt that she gripped me tighter and shifted me more into her lap so that she could wrap me better in her arms.

I took some deep breaths and calmed myself down. “The thing is, since then, I seem to have an irrational fear of men. Any man that comes near me causes me to edge towards a panic attack.”

“I don't think it is that irrational. From your mind's point of view, it makes perfect sense. We will set you up with a therapist when we get back, in the meantime I may be able to help. I know an alternative treatment for emotions that seems to work pretty well. Let me explain. As I said, my main job is as a liaison to brides. A woman approaching her wedding day is on an emotional roller coaster. Everything that goes right will bring smiles and even tears of joy and everything that is less than perfect can result in less pleasant emotions. My job is to solve a lot of the little bumps that tend to turn up while helping the bride to stay in a good place. To help me to help them, I learnt an emotional technique that does wonders.”

“I am willing to try anything. I hate reacting like this.” I said honestly.

“You have to understand that it is based on completely different thinking to modern medicine. From the alternative world, emotional problems are really energy issues. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever had heartache?”

“Yes.” I responded. When I thought of Jen and the likelihood of one of us not desiring the other, I felt this ache in my heart. In order for us to work out as a couple, she would have to become a lesbian and I would have to stay a lesbian. Despite what Jen had said, my research suggested your orientation was pretty much fixed. I also realised that I had been pretty selfish. I needed to allow Jen to find happiness, even if that was without me. Clinging on to Jen and her support was not going to be good for her.

“Where did you feel the heartache?”

I pointed to my chest.

“If it was a mental thing, why would you feel it there? According to the Chinese tradition, the energy of different emotions is generated in the different organs of the body and heartache is supposedly generated from the heart. The system that I use believes that there is nothing wrong with having the emotion, you just need to not hold onto it and unfortunately, most of us are not very good at letting them go. We call them trapped emotions. What I am going to do with you is to release the trapped emotions that you probably have relating to your attack.”

“And that will stop me feeling anxious in front of men?”

“In my experience, it will take the energy out of it. You will be able to handle it a lot better and then, over time, you will solve the rest of it. I think the brain will still need to be convinced that men are not going to randomly harm you.”

“OK. So how do we do this.”

“Imagine these trapped emotions being within you. We need to bring them to the surface and then I will put energy into the surface using the acupuncture meridian system and that will wipe it away, like running a magnet across a credit card. In order to bring it to the surface we need to identify which emotion it was.” She released me from the cuddle and went to her bag. After a few minutes she managed to pull out a sheet of paper that she showed to me. It had a list of emotions in two columns and six rows, with the different organ systems relating to each row next to them.

“We need to quiz your subconscious and I use this sheet to help me get the answers.”

“I don't understand.”

“I am going to show you something freaky. Hold you arm out and make a fist.” We both stood up facing each other and I did what she said. “Now keep that hand there when I push down.” She pushed down firmly and I resisted her. “What colour eyes would you say you have?”

“Blue.”

“Now say I have blue eyes.”

“I have blue eyes.” She then pushed down and I resisted her.

“Now say I have brown eyes.”

“I have brown eyes.” This time when she pushed down, the strength seemed to go out of my arm and she pushed me down easily.“What the hell?” I muttered.

“Language please. You have decided to be a lady, you need to behave like one. Pretty weird, huh. Well that was because your body does not like to lie. It is the whole basis for the lie detector.”

She then proceeded to use this lie detector to work out what emotions I had trapped from my assault. Fear, Helplessness, Panic, Anger, Defensiveness and Despair all turned up and after working out each one, she ran her hands down my back several times. Then we were done.

The result was pretty much what she said. When we left the hospital I still felt very nervous around men, but I could control it much better and holding her hand and squeezing occasionally was enough to keep me under control. I don't know if it was the treatment or some weird, mind over matter, but whatever it was, it really helped.

Chapter 9

Gem had hired a car so we drove to the police station using the GPS. I stuck close to her side which seemed to help me with my anxiety. They led us to a room and brought out my family suitcases and boxes filled with all our stuff. Gem suggested that I fill the suitcases with all my clothes and everything of my parents apart from their clothes, which would be donated or discarded. She needed to fill out some paperwork so I was left to my own devices. Since there was no one else in the room I was fine with that.

Fortunately, my laptop was with my other possessions and not considered Dillan's. I threw away all Amy and Peter's clothes and added all the skiing gear that Richard had chosen for this body, so I was left with only those clothes that I had bought with Amy on our shopping trip. I started with Amy's and Peter's items so I was still going through mine when Gem returned. Emotionally, I felt OK until I picked the nightie that Amy had bought for me. I had been wearing my PJ's when I was taken to hospital and I have no idea what happened to them, and I had in front of me the matching nightie. Even if my PJ's had been recovered I don't think I could have worn them without thinking of the night I was attacked. The nightie, on the other hand, reminded me of my shopping trip and Amy's attempts to encourage me in a more feminine direction.

“I'm surprised to see that in your collection.” Gem remarked. Since it was baby pink with red hearts all over it and a nightie, I don't think you could get more girly, so I could see her point.

“After I had announced my decision, almost before I had finished, Amy had planned a shopping trip, including a luxury spa hotel and amazing massages. I made the decision to be less resistant and be as honest as I could with what I liked. I loved the luxurious softness of this but prefered the PJ set. Amy insisted on buying the nightie in case I changed my mind. It was one of many times on that trip that she tried to gently push my boundaries and get me to accept a more feminine identity.”

By this point a few tears were tracking down my face. Gem didn't say anything, just gathered me up in her arms and waited until I was ready to continue. I finished packing everything after fishing out something to change into. I went to the ladies to get into my own clothes and packed the ones I had borrowed to give back to her later. She checked that I didn't need any food or drink, then we left. Driving away I felt I was leaving my old life behind me. In some ways it was very cleansing, but it was also sad.

The journey was initially sombre, neither of us knowing each other and both of us having recently lost a lot, but after half an hour where we were both deep in our own thoughts, Gem tried to liven it up a bit. She turned the radio on and tried to get me to sing along to any songs that I knew. The radio was pretty bad, so we switched to her iphone play list.

I had never sang in this body, so it was interesting listening to my own voice and playing with it a little. A song by Eve came on. Eve was an amazing singer who had reached massive fame in recent years and was famous enough that everyone only used her first name. I didn't even know her surname. She had a real mix of songs from rock, pop to ballad. Most of her songs were really positive and I liked listening to something upbeat. This song was one of her more famous ones and I knew the words so I gave it my best rendition.

“So you like Eve then?” Gem asked me.

“What is not to like? She has a great voice and great happy songs.”

“Is that the reason for the haircut?”

“What?” Then I realised I had a very similar hairstyle to Eve. She kept the sides cut very short and brushed the middle back into a pony tail. “Oh not really. Before my change of heart, I kept my hair really short. When we went to the hair dresser, she thought this would be the best option for a more feminine cut. You are right though. It was probably because Eve has made the style popular.”

“Would you like to meet her?” Gem continued.

“I am not a crazy teenager fan type person. I just enjoy her music. I have not been to any of her concerts but I have only heard great things. She seems to go all out to give a good show. On interviews she sounds interesting and funny, but I don't know how that would translate to real life.”

“I wasn't asking hypothetically. I hope you are saying yes, since she has asked to meet you.” Gem was smiling at me.

“Seriously?”

“She is the bride that I am working with at the moment. I had to explain why I wasn't going to be around for few days. I think she was curious about a girl wanting to be a boy and I am sorry that I told her that, but she didn't understand why it had to be me, rather than closer family.”

I didn't really read the gossip mags, but Jen sometimes did, especially when travelling. I remembered there was something about her getting married, but I couldn't recall the details.

“Wow. I hope I am not going to be a disappointment since I have changed my mind.”

“Don't worry about it. In my business I have met some real Prima Donnas, but Eve is really down to earth. You'll like her. I think she will get a kick out of your hairstyle. If you want I can get some hair dye and we can colour the centre purple, then you will really match.”

“No thank you. I'm good. Umm..I don't know much about her. Could you fill me in, so I don't embarrass myself.”

“Most of what they print is all rubbish anyway. What do you want to know?” Gem asked.

“Well, who is she marrying, to start with.”

Gem laughed. “You really don't follow showbiz, do you. I would have thought the whole world knew by now. Laura Kind.”

“That name does sound familiar.”

“You don't know who she is either do you?” Gem said still chuckling.

“Hell, I didn't even know Eve was a lesbian.”

“She considers herself as bisexual as does Laura. Laura is a movie star actress. I've not seen much of her since she is on a shoot in Mexico that has gone on longer than expected. What else can I tell you? The wedding is in two months, then they are having a month long honeymoon to an undisclosed location or locations. Eve has a world tour, starting in the summer and is taking Laura with her.”

“Your job is amazing.”

“It certainly can be. Look, I have to admit something and I don't want you to take this the wrong way. I have been with my company for almost ten years and have had a blast. This is the last wedding that I am doing. Eve is pretty upset with the company and I figured she may well tell you, so …. Now this is not your fault in any way.... ”

“But.....” I prompted.

“They fired me when I told them I needed to take a few days off to come and pick you up. To be fair, this is the biggest job, biggest wedding and we are in the end stages, so leaving right now was not ideal. But you come first. Eve agreed with me and has even changed some appointments to wait for me to return. She has been fantastic, she has even offered me a job, but hasn't worked out what she wants me to do. I don't think I can take it anyway. We need to get you settled in and stable.”

“Are you kidding me? This could be an adventure of a lifetime. If she offers a job that would make you happy, you should definitely take it. Don't worry about me, I will fit in somehow. I'm sorry about your job, but I believe, everything happens for a reason and the end result will make it all worth it. I could feel guilty for you making a sacrifice to come and get me, but, to be honest, I don't want you working for a company that treats anyone that way. You are welcome to whatever money comes my way from my inheritance.”

“You don't need to give me your money. I have enough for quite a while and I will find another job, whether that is with Eve or something else. It does mean that the next couple of months are going to be hectic and I am not sure how that is going to work out with your schooling.”

“I can be pretty independent. You won't need to worry about me.” Then I remembered that I had been clinging on to her since she had arrived, almost frightened by my own shadow. So maybe not as independent as I had been previously. Still, I wasn't going to take it back. I would not disrupt her life any further.

“You come first.” Gem repeated. Then she turned the music back on and we tried to get back into a more positive frame of mind.

Chapter 10

We drove to a hotel near the airport and Gem arranged a room. Since she had not pre-booked we ended up in a room with a double bed to share. I didn't mind that, and considering my recent state of mind, it was probably a good thing. Gem apologised though and explained that she normally plans way in advance, but this time she had literally driven to the airport with a few clothes and worked it out from there. I asked if I could call Jen on the hotel phone and she agreed.

I know it can be quite expensive to use the hotel phone to phone abroad and my conversation would have to be in front of Gem and yet there was so much to discuss. I decided to first use the hotel wifi to email Jen with a description of everything that I had been through and asked her to tell me what she knew and a time that evening for me to call.

I did that while Gem had a shower. I had one after her and then had to find some new clothes to wear. At the police station I had just shovelled everything that I was keeping into the two large suitcases. Originally, one suitcase contained my clothes and the other all the items from Amy and Peter, but since I had discarded their clothes all their stuff was rattling around in there so I put some of my clothes in each to try and protect anything valuable. The end result was that I had to go searching through both cases to find a full outfit.

“Don't worry, I will help you repack later.” Gem commented, considering the mess.

I think she was hungry. Bless her, I don't think she had considered her needs once during the journey, she was all about looking after me. I didn't delay her any longer and we headed down to the hotel restaurant. The food was nice but nothing special. Our conversation was pleasant but we didn't delve into any deep topics and I have to say I enjoyed her undemanding company.

When we returned to our room I checked my email and found that Jen had responded. Of course, Dillan's parents had been informed of what he was accused of and his subsequent suicide. She was completely unaware of my involvement and what had happened to me. She told me that she had been worried sick and was wondering why I hadn't phoned her, until she got my email about being trapped in the hospital with no money for phone calls. She was available now and would stay by the phone for the next few hours so I was to call immediately. Reading between the lines I could tell that she had told Katie and my parents. Katie already knew something was up since she helped us sell Dillan's part of the company to Jen. I'm not sure whether my parents would have believed her or not, but after Richard's attack and suicide, I hoped that they would think I wouldn't have acted that way. I was hoping to convince them myself, when I managed to be in a position to talk freely.

I phoned Jen after shutting down my computer. If someone looked carefully at my laptop there would be all sorts of evidence that it was Dillan's. I didn't want Gem to think I had stolen it so I had removed the most obvious clues that I could find. I knew enough about computers to know that it would be easy to accidentally show Gem contradictory information.

It was so great to hear Jen's voice. I cried as soon as I heard her speak and was only just able to communicate enough to let her know that I was there. Once I was calmed down I then had to assure her that I was alright. I asked about her parents, knowing that she knew I needed to hear about mine. She told me that Katie was fine and her friends were helping her deal with the loss of her business partner who she was very close to. Jen remarked that everyone thought Dillan's behaviour was very out of character.

Whilst I was chatting to Jen, Gem started organising my suitcases. I stopped my call, putting my hand over the receiver to tell Gem that she didn't need to do that. She indicated that I was to continue my call and leave her to it. She even pulled out an outfit for our plane ride tomorrow and checked that I was OK with it before continuing.

I wanted to keep Jen on the phone. I wasn't going to be seeing her soon, as we had planned. I was now on my way to LA and I didn't know when I would be able to see her again. So I had these conflicting desires, keep the phone call short since I wasn't paying for it and it was expensive, and not let go of my Jen. In the end, probably sensing my troubling thoughts, Jen sent me hugs and put the phone down. If she hadn't managed to be the strong one, I don't think I would have been able to do it.

Gem's POV

Sophia had an exhausting day, so even though I wasn't that tired, I went to bed early with her. I wasn't sure if I should cuddle up to her to offer her reassurance or keep out of her way. I suppose I chickened out and kept my distance. She went to sleep very quickly and I was left wide awake lying next to her.

She certainly was not what I was expecting. Amy and I had led completely different lives, far apart from one another, but we still loved each other and kept in touch regularly. Amy had talked about a boy who was being bullied at school for being slender and pretty. The Richard she talked about was trying to be even more alpha male, to compensate for that and becoming almost disrespectful towards women. The psychologist had advised her to be patient. He was only a teenager and needed to gain in maturity. Amy had told me that she was keeping Richards behaviour decent by bribing him with money that he was putting away for future surgeries. She complained that since going to school as a boy he had become more and more intractable. He didn't want to do 'women's work'. She struggled to get him to do anything that could be considered housework. It didn't help that Peter wasn't a great role model in that regard.

That picture contrasted very heavily with the actuality of Sophia. The Sophia that I had met was gentle and kind. Considerate of others and willing to share her emotions.

It made me very curious as to what could have caused this change of heart. Right now I was fighting my curiosity against my morality. When I was reorganising Sophia's suitcases I came across Amy's Jewellery box. I gave that box to her, so I knew that there was a secret compartment in the bottom which she used to put her diary in. I didn't know if she was still keeping a diary, but if she was then the answers to my questions might be there. From a morality point of view, it would be wrong to read someone else's diary. Then again, if it would help me with her child, I am sure Amy would have wanted me to read it. If it was even there.

I knew I was, at least to some extent, justifying my actions, before I had even taken them, but I really, really wanted to know. I slipped out of bed and pulled the Jewellery box out of the suitcase. I went into the ensuite bathroom, closed the door and switched on the light. It didn't take me long to find out that there was a diary still in there and when I opened it to the last page it was dated the day before the assault, so it was up to date.

Chapter 10 part 2 Gem's POV

No Fricken Way! I thought for probably the hundredth time. I started reading the last entry but that made no sense, so I went back a few days and that confused me more. I ended up flicking back to find something that I could comprehend. That turned out to be a week before the holiday. There, Richard was Richard and behaved exactly how Amy had told me. Then there was the bus journey and everything changed.

I doubted it and didn't at the same time. It fitted and couldn't be true. When I read it through the second time, I did so with the attitude of reading a novel. Suspended disbelief. The third time I just accepted it was true. I was reading it now for the forth time trying to piece it together. Amy didn't write in her diary as a way to explain anything to anyone. She wrote how she always had. Writing to the diary as if the diary was a person, bouncing her thoughts off someone who never judges. Unfortunately, that meant I had to work out what had happened from her discussions with herself.

So something happened on the bus journey in. Everyone was affected but only Richard and Dillan swapped bodies. The first few days after that were of a joyful Richard. Then they had a big argument about drinking alcohol. Richard thought that since his body was eighteen, he should be able to drink. Peter and Amy thought differently, but now their usual methods of parental authority failed them and he walked out on them. Peter tried to follow him, but didn't manage to convince him to return. Amy stayed awake that night waiting for Richard to return. He did so in the early morning hours so drunk that Amy had to leave him to it.

The next morning Richard was unrepentant and spent less and less time with Amy. Amy was never that fond of skiing anyway, so it was left up to Peter to try and keep an eye on him. In the meantime, Dillan, who was now in Sophia's body was struggling to come to terms with what had happened to him/her. To be fair, he had it a lot harder than Richard. He was literally a man in a girls body. He came to the surprising decision to let nature take its course and become the woman his body biologically wanted to become.

Amy then got a bit emotional about having a second chance to have a daughter and pondered grandchildren, shopping trips and generally spending quality mother daughter time. She realised that Dillan, now taking Richards original name Sophia, was not really her daughter, and had other parents, but she was hoping to at least have some time with her. So she organised a shopping trip and had a wonderful time. She admitted to the diary that she was already feeling attached to her 'new' daughter and was not looking forward to signing over guardianship to Dillan's parents. Something must have happened between Richard and Sophia since she mentioned that the main reason Sophia didn't want to stay with them was Richard.

Then Sophia had a talk with Jen, who for some reason was now back in England. Some kind of government official was looking into the bus event and now Sophia was probably not going to be signed over to Dillan's parents. Amy was really happy about that, but felt really sorry for Dillan's parents. There was a possibility that their room had been bugged so they had to be careful what they said and working out a plan was going to be difficult. And that was where it ended.

Richard attacked Sophia, not quite killing her and Peter intervened. What did Sophia do to get Richard so angry? Or was it just that he could sense Amy's growing affection and was jealous. Then I can only guess that it was the drugs in his system that caused him to go crazy. I sort of wanted to blame Sophia out of family loyalty to Richard, but I am a strong believer in judging people by their actions, not their words. Sophia was behaving like a confused individual, courageously forging her own path with maturity and Richard behaved like an angry teenager given too much freedom to misbehave.

It was sad and knowing this just made it all the more tragic. Richard killed his own parents and then couldn't live with himself. It did feel a bit better than thinking a random stranger that Amy and Peter had let stay with them decided to go crazy.

The next question was, did this change anything? It was very unlikely that this room was being bugged so we could have a frank discussion, but had my responsibilities changed? My life had already changed when I ignored my boss who said if I left I would be fired. Was Sophia still my responsibility? Biologically she was still my niece. She just had a different soul or mind inhabiting it. That left an interesting philosophical question. What exactly is family? There is the biological aspect where she qualifies, but adopted kids can still be family and they have no biological connection. I supposed it was the relationship that you form with the person that inhabits the body and I had no previous interaction with either Richard or Sophia. So I think the answer is no, my responsibilities hadn't changed.

We had much to discuss tomorrow and I had been awake far too long. There were elements from the diary that I needed clarifying as well as a bit of honesty from both of us. I turned the light off and tried to slip quietly back into the bed.

Suddenly Sophia sat up straight in bed and screamed such a terrified scream that I immediately looked around for her attacker, before realising we were alone. I hurried to her arms trying to calm her down. Stroking her gently and saying calmly. “You're safe, there is no one here, Shhh, I am here, you are alright.” She was hyperventilating and looking around anxiously, but at least she didn't scream again. When I could see reason in her eyes, I hugged her and then we lay down spooning. I could feel her shaking for some time, trying to control her breathing. I fell asleep holding her, glad no one had come to investigate her scream.

Chapter 11 Sophia's POV

I woke up still wrapped in Gem's arms. She was snoring mildly, so I knew she was still fast asleep. I felt a little embarrassed about my middle of the night freak out. My male pride had taken another blow. Considering the circumstances, that was not necessarily a bad thing and there was something nice in not having to be the strong one.

My bladder urged me to unentangle myself from Gem and nip to the loo. I was tempted to get back in bed again, but I was wide awake. When we had registered downstairs, they told us that check out was at ten. It was already quarter past eight, so I thought it would be safe to leave Gem to sleep until nine. They had a little kettle in the room with tea and coffee making facilities and I thought it would be a pleasant touch if I could wake her with a cup. From the restaurant last night I knew she drank coffee black with no sugar. I pre boiled the kettle so it would only take a few seconds to re boil and got a cup ready with the sachet of instant coffee.

I was then at a bit of a loss as to what to do. It was only a small room without even another chair, so I ended up retreating to the bathroom with my laptop. I checked my email, but there really wasn't anything on it yet. I had created a new email address the day after the switch, so only Jen really knew it and I had spoken to her last night. The projects I had working on I had already passed on to Katie and I didn't really want to have business evidence in my recent history and if I kept wiping my history it would look suspicious.

In the end I started researching Eve and Laura Kind. I had only really started when Gem's phone went off with her alarm. I quickly set down my laptop and went through. Gem was sitting up rubbing her eyes. I put the kettle back on.

“Good morning.” I said.

“Is it? Sorry, not a morning person. Give me a few moments and I will try and put my smile back on.” She grumbled.

I made the coffee and brought it to her which brought a genuine smile.

“Do you want to shower first. I am still waking up.” Gem said.

“Sure.” I didn't want to have a shower until she was awake in case it was loud. I had a brief but refreshing shower. Before I had finished she told me to leave the shower on. When I stepped out Gem handed me a towel and entered after me. I was going to have to get used to this naked in front of each other thing, women seemed to have going on. Or maybe it was just how Gem and Amy had been brought up. I couldn't help but notice how stacked Gem was. I am guessing she did not go for the breast reduction surgery. It also made me wonder just how big mine were going to get. Already my nipples were feeling a bit itchy and there was a bit of puffiness around them.

I did my morning ablutions and got dressed in the clothes Gem had set out for me when re packing my case. Plain panties, leggings, starter bra, T shirt, Jumper, socks and trainers. I didn't own a handbag or even a purse. What had happened to Richard's wallet I didn't know, and I had removed all money from Dillan's accounts and destroyed the cards. I did have my laptop case which contained my travel necessities. Gem had all my identity documents. I sat on the bed and continued my research. At least with short hair it was easy to manage. Gem seemed to take ages to dry hers with the hotel hairdryer.

Gem came out wrapped in a towel and then chucked it back towards the bathroom and started getting dressed. She didn't interrupt me but when she was finished I shut my laptop down so that I was not being disrespectful by not giving her my attention.

Now she was dressed she sat on the bed facing me with a neutral expression on her face. “So, Sophia. We need to have a talk.”

“OK.” I said slowly, not knowing what she was wanting to talk about.

“When is your birthday?”

Shit! I thought furiously, I should have looked at my passport and memorised it. I think I remember Richard saying he was turning sixteen in a couple of months. “It's not for a couple of months. Why are you asking?”

“I am quite into my astrology. What date is it exactly?”

I could guess but the chances of getting it right were pretty minimal. “It is on my passport, so why didn't you just look.” My answer was pretty lame, but I couldn't think of why I wouldn't know my own birthday. By this point my heart was beating fast and I could feel myself sweating nervously.

She nodded her head slowly as if coming to a decision. “Don't stress, everything is alright. I was just confirming something. Amy kept a diary, and last night I had a chance to read it, so I know you are not Richard.”

When I was seven years old, my mum had made cookies and put them in a jar and to prevent me from taking one she put it on a high counter. When I thought she wasn't looking, I dragged a chair over and literally had my hand in the cookie jar when I noticed her standing next to me looking at me with a smile on her face. The embarrassed, shameful feeling I had then was exactly the same as I had now. “Err...”

“I'm not angry. If you had told me when we first met I wouldn't have believed you.”

“So you know everything?”

“Pretty much. It was a diary not an essay, so I had to work some of it out and I would like some things cleared up. It explains how you sometimes say Amy and sometimes mum. I didn't know Richard, but I had kept in contact with Amy and her description of him was totally different to you. I think it very unlikely that anyone is overhearing us. So, nice to meet you Dillan.” Gem said, holding out her hand.

I shook it. “I don't think Dillan really works anymore.”

“Sophia was you body's original name. Are you happy being called that?”

“I don't mind it. I prefer Jen's short form, Soph.”

“Soph it is then. And Jen is more than just a friend you met on holiday?”

“I know I was only eighteen, but I planned to marry Jen after she finished Uni. Now, neither of us know if that is going to work anymore.” I said sadly.

“I have decided that it doesn't change our relationship. You are still my niece. I now know you have relationships in England that are important to you and, although I don't understand why, you are very hesitant to do anything to let others know what happened, which means we still have to go with my plans of taking you to LA.”

“I really want my parents to know I am alright and I am hoping that Jen is going to help with that. I was about to leave home anyway. It is more my Jen that I am missing. She has to continue her education and for the next five months while she concentrates on her exams it is probably best if I am not around, but I miss her so much.”

Gem moved forwards and held me. “I will let you call her and skype her as much as you want. We do have quite different time zones, but love will find a way.”

“She has never been interested in girls and she has told me that with female hormones going through my system I may start becoming interested in boys. Our love may already be doomed.” I started snivelling, sadness covering me like a wet blanket.

“There are many different forms of love. I always felt sisterly love was more important than couple love. My sister and I dated lots when we were young, fell in love and out of it. Our love for each other never changed. Your relationship with Jen will change. It may end up better or just different. Anyway that is the future, which there is no point worrying about. Let's deal with the present. First of all, what the hell happened on that bus journey?”

I went through what I remembered and also what Peter had found out. Then the visit from the MIB to Jen in England and her belief that we needed to be careful not to reveal the switch. I also explained that Jen had fantastic intuition and I didn't want to go against her suggestions. Gem then got up and fetched a notepad that had a list of questions. She crossed off several that I must have answered.

“OK. Why is Jen in England when you are still out here?”

“Jen and I had booked a week holiday, whereas Amy, Peter and Richard had two weeks. She has got her A level exams in June so our studying was getting intense and this holiday was a last chance to relax before getting stuck in again. She needed to get back, but in this body I am only fifteen and we thought it would be strange if I went back without Amy or Peter. I didn't feel comfortable staying with a family I didn't really know, although Amy and Peter seemed nice, Richard scared me. I wanted to stay in a separate room but there was no availability. Amy and Peter offered me the second bedroom and promised that Richard would stay away.”

“That brings up my next question. Why was there bad blood between you and Richard?”

I sighed. “I don't really know, but I can make a few guesses. I didn't have any gripes with him apart from his clear anger at me that scared me. He was angry when I decided that I didn't want to go through with the whole female to male transition. Jen said that might have been because it meant I was questioning or going against what he had decided was best for this body and he didn't like that. The fact that I was a guy who was now in a girls body meant I should be agreeing with him and to do otherwise was a betrayal. In the end, who knows what he was thinking? The other thing that made him angry at me was about my money.”

“Your money? Why would that make him angry?”

“When I was thirteen I inherited some money from the death of my grandparents. I invested that by setting up a business with Jen's mother, Katie. I have been re investing any profits back into the business and now it is giving a healthy return, a very healthy return. When Richard heard that, he thought he was going to get all that and when I informed him that I had safeguarded it in Jen's hands he was furious. That did piss me off. I mean the money was mine and I had worked hard for it. If I was to guess why that made him angry I would say it was because for a brief moment he thought he was set up for life and then that was snatched away from him. Like holding a winning lottery ticket that someone else had bought, but was blown in his direction and he had picked up, only to have the owner snatch it back.”

“How did he scare you?”

“When he was expressing his anger, he did it right in my face, looming over me and shouting. Don't forget I am still getting used to being a lot smaller and weaker than I was. Even before he attacked me I was feeling vulnerable. Now it is so much worse, I feel as though I am jumping at shadows.”

“Are you going to get your money back?”

“Yes. It is much easier now that you know the truth. The only thing that I need to be careful of is giving away my change in identity. I thought I would pretend to re invest any inheritance from Amy and Peter by buying back my share of the company from Jen. I would then funnel all the money that is rightfully mine into my new accounts. I was due to take my exams at the same time as Jen, but my results really didn't matter. My income is mainly a passive one and the more work I do, the more passive income I generate. It is all net based so I can do it anywhere. You don't need to worry about money. I am happy to share.”

“Thanks but I would be bored out of my mind if I didn't have something to do. One last question. Amy talked about cutting herself and healing much quicker than normal, do you know anything about that?”

“I had a bruise from when Richard punched me that went in a couple of days. So maybe.”

“Amy was wondering to the diary if everyone had been improved a little and if that meant you would develop faster after stopping your medication. She had observed some mild breast development and thought that it was way too fast for it to be normal.”

“I don't know what to say to that. I have noticed a bit of nipple itchiness and perhaps some breast tissue, but I have no idea how fast it should be. If that is the case, maybe I should avoid any doctor examinations until it has settled down. I don't want any red flags in my files.”

“I have a friend who is a doctor, we can probably go and see her off the books. So now I know the truth, if you have any question, just ask. You are still my niece and I will look after you.”

We had a nice long hug before we got ourselves together and went down to breakfast.

Chapter 12

After breakfast we dropped off the hire car and entered the airport. After checking in our luggage there really was nothing to do for hours, waiting for our flight. It did give me a chance to interrogate Gem. She was pretty open about herself, but couldn't tell me much about what was going to happen after we arrived, because she didn't know.

She lived on her own. She was a divorcee and I realised that line of questioning was causing her some pain so I didn't pry. When we arrived we would be going to her rented apartment which was only a one bedroom place, so a relocation was definitely on the cards. Job wise, she had asked permission to go and when it was refused, had told them she was going anyway, which resulted in her being fired. She had to phone Eve to apologise and ended up telling her everything. Eve told Gem that if need be she would hire her independently. She was going to reschedule her wedding appointments and Gem was to call her as soon as she had returned so that a meeting could be arranged.

Gem had left in such a hurry that nothing further had been planned. Gem's whole job was about organising and sorting out problems, so she was uncomfortable with winging it, which is how she described her current situation. We discussed schooling which was going to be a bit tricky. Gem's apartment was small for one person and was totally unsuitable for the two of us, so where we were going to end up, location wise was uncertain, which meant working out which school to go to was problematic. After realising that formal education was not a priority for me and could have its own difficulties, since I had been a man all my life, we examined the other possibilities. Home schooling or taking exams that would gain me education certificates sounded plausible but we had to be careful that I didn't seem too different to Richard. Helping in that regard, education in England is completely different to the American system and I had no great knowledge of American history.

Gem was of two minds regarding going to school. I might find it difficult with my lack of knowledge regarding both American teen culture and female teen stuff. On the other hand, a school environment might be the perfect place to be educated on those fronts. Because I was coming from England, a certain amount of tolerance due to my ignorance was expected, but we are talking about teenagers, who can be very judgemental. Gem was worried that I would be verbally bullied for my lack of femininity and not fitting in. I might well be labelled as a lesbian, just for having short hair, no earrings or makeup. I did mention that might be true and Gem's response was that was beside the point. One's sexuality was a private matter, but in high school, telling everyone either verbally or through visual cues would lead to more verbal abuse.

The way she was talking about it, made me want to be home schooled. To some extent, the decision would have to be put off until we knew where we were going to end up location wise anyway. I had told her before we left the hotel room that Jen intended to have a year off before university and was going to spend it with me, helping me with my girl training and also finding out where our relationship was going. That was now in question since I was no longer even living in the same country.

When we had exhausted our conversation, Gem went back to a book that she was reading and I did some more research on my laptop. Eve and Laura had quite an interesting history and it gave me hope regarding my relationship with Jen. How much of what I found out is true, I didn't know, since they rarely talked about any serious stuff on TV. According to the internet, Eve and Laura were straight, both going out with men who were friends. The men decided to have a boys holiday in Vegas and got caught on camera with other girls hanging off them. Eve and Laura dumped their boyfriends and decided to have a girls holiday in the Mauritius. They ended up falling in love with each other and after a year of dating bought a house together. Now they were getting married and talking about adopting.

I think because they had previously been dating men, who publicly betrayed them, their relationship had been laughed off as revenge and was now considered sweet. Rather than their fans being upset with them, it was all blamed on the men and both Eve and Laura's careers had not suffered at all. The men, on the other hand, had been seen as that bad that they had turned straight women gay. I laughed at that. One was a male model and his career had tanked, the other was a rich socialite who now avoided the camera. According to one magazine, Gavin, the rich socialite who had been dating Laura, had promised revenge.

We had a leisurely lunch and finally were able to start our flight. Gem had booked our flights as economy, but we were both upgraded to business class. I have a feeling that Eve had a hand in that, since I looked through the curtain to the economy seating and it was not full. It was my first time in business class and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The food and service was amazing, the entertainment usefully distracting and the ability to recline the seat and get some decent rest was blissful.

We got off the plane not half as tired as I had anticipated. We were unexpectedly met by a limo driver, holding up a placard with Gem's name on it. He took us back to Gem's apartment where we dumped our bags, and had a quick shower with change of clothes before being taken to the mansion that was Eve and Laura's home. Gem told me this was all a surprise to her, but relatively typical behaviour for Eve. Gem had arranged some similar surprises for friends of the couple who were coming to visit.

The housekeeper met us at the door and explained that Eve was out and would be back in a couple of hours. Laura was still in Mexico. She offered us a tour of the place and did her best to make sure we were comfortable. The place was amazing. There must have been twenty bedrooms, the bathrooms were lavish with some free standing baths and some with spa jets. A tennis court, gym, swimming pool, large hot tub and amazing views. There were huge open planned areas that were used for music and dancing, with a stage at one end with a microphone already set up and musical instruments scattered across it. We had entered through a fenced off area so it was all pretty private. I had never really looked at the rich and famous. This tour really made me realise the difference between rich and ridiculously rich.

Eventually we were led back to a waiting area which had a comfortable lounge, TV, mini bar and a heap of magazines on a coffee table and left to relax.

Eve stormed into the waiting room like a force of nature. I don't think she was trying to make an entrance or do anything dramatic, it was just who she is. Full of energy and life, barely contained in her tall slim body. You felt her presence almost before you saw her and she dominated the room immediately. She held her arms open wide expectantly.

Gem gracefully got up with a calm demeanour and a smile on her face. “Eve.” She said hugging her.

I got over my stunned surprise and stood up, since everybody else was standing.

“And this must be Richard.” Eve said to me, with a query in her voice, a raised eyebrow and a full head to toe look over.

I laughed. “Call me Sophia. Soph to my friends.”

“Don't want to be a man anymore?” She asked.

I shrugged. “I'm a girl, I can change my mind.” I said with a smile.

Eve laughed with a loud, uninhibited, I don't care type of laugh that was so joyous, you just wanted to laugh with her. “Good for you. Be who you want to be. I must write that down, it sounds like a song lyric.” She said to a person behind her, who I hadn't noticed, with Eve dominating the scene. “I like the hairstyle, could do with some more purple though.” She said patting my head. She was significantly taller than me, probably six foot to my just about five. Then she strode to the lounge and sat down.

We all followed her and sat in the other seats. I ended up sitting last which meant I had to sit next to her. I was a bit hesitant, which she noticed.

“Don't worry, I don't bite. At least, not today.” Eve said with another grin. “Gem, I wanted to catch you before your ex-boss got a hold of you. I fired them after the way they treated you. I waited to do it until today, so they wouldn't have a chance to speak to you before me. I don't want to delay the wedding, so I need you to pick up all the pieces. Hire whoever you like, but nobody from that company. Lisa can help you. We only chose that company because I had heard good things about you.”

Eve was obviously not someone you wanted to piss off. Lisa, who was the person I hadn't noticed coming in with Eve and turned out to be Eve's personal assistant, disappeared with Gem to catch her up and for Gem to do her magic, which left me alone with Eve.

Chapter 13

“Now that Gem has gone I need to ask you something and I need you to be honest. We have been planning this wedding for almost a year. It is only two months away and there is going to be a lot of work to do. It is a bit of a monster. I need someone to help me, desperately, and I trust Gem, but I know that if she does this, she is not going to have a lot of time for you. When she goes through it all with Lisa she might start thinking that she can't do the job and look after you as well. I haven't been told the details, but if she needed to drop everything to be there for you, there is a good chance you really need her right now. What I am asking is, am I being really selfish? and do I need to find someone else?”

“Honest? Really honest?” She nodded solemnly. “Then yes and no.” I replied with a smile.

She thought about that for a second. “Are you calling me selfish?” She asked with an answering grin.

“Well, you did ask. Although to be fair if there was any time in your life when I would expect you to be selfish it would be a bride organising her wedding day. If there was ever a day when someone could shout this is all about me, that would be the day.”

“Wait one sec.” Eve said and jumped up and almost ran out the door. That was weird. I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to do. Before I could get too bored she was back with a pencil and pad, writing furiously, but somehow managing a slow walk back to the lounge without hitting anything. “Sorry, that gave me an idea for a song.” When she had finished, she sat back down and looked at me. “Err..where were we?”

“I said you don't need to find anyone else. I am happy that you have hired Gem and if that means I don't see too much of her for a couple of months, I can live with that.” I replied.

“You're missing the bit where you called me selfish. I did ask for honest. Remind me to never ask you if my bum looks big.” She said with a bark of laughter, unashamedly laughing at her own joke. Then she went serious. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I want to disrupt her life as little as possible. I already feel bad that she was fired because of me, but not too bad, since it shows she was working for the wrong company.”

“Quite right.” She squidged herself more into the lounge. “So what happened? Gem told me it had to be her to look after you as she didn't have an issue with you being transgender. Why did you change your mind?” Eve asked me. She was looking at me with a very direct stare, almost mesmerising.

I knew this question was coming. Ever since Gem had told me that Eve wanted to meet me and knew that I was trans, or at least, Richard was. I figured the best way to go was to use the truth as much as possible and add a few lies as needed. “I fell in love.” I replied.

“Ahhhh. You can't stop there. Tell me more.”

“I met Jen on the bus journey to the ski resort and it changed my life. We spent most of the first week together. She taught me that I could be whatever kind of woman I wanted, I just had to be honest with myself, forget what other people think and just find out what I enjoyed. My world shifted and has not been the same since.”

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen, sixteen in two months.” I had now memorised my birthday, so I wouldn't be caught out with that one again.

“And your parents allowed that?” She asked in surprise.

“It was all innocent. Jen actually went on holiday with her boyfriend, but separated after that bus journey. She has been honest with me. She is a smart cookie. After her exams in June she should be heading to Cambridge to study Psychology. She has always considered herself straight, and although she feels great friendship with me, is unsure whether that will translate to desire. She feels strongly enough about us that she was going to defer her entrance to Uni and spend time with me to see where our relationship went.”

“I am a bit confused. If she was straight and you fell in love with her, surely that would make you want to change sex even more, and why can't she spend time with you now?” Eve asked.

“Before we even discussed our relationship, she helped me work through whether I wanted to go through with my transition. In two months time I would be due to start testosterone and irreversible changes would start to occur, so I needed to be sure. Very sure and she helped me realise that it was not for me. I dreaded to the point of depression, the idea of the testosterone and following surgeries. At the time I still thought of myself as male, but, with her help I thought I could still be myself in a female body.”

“You don't think of yourself as male now?”

“I have stopped taking the female hormone suppressants. I went shopping and....” I paused for dramatic effect. “I liked it. I even bought something pink and thought it looked 'cute'.” I said, using my fingers to make quotation marks, an expression of fake horror on my face.“I think my supposed masculinity is being washed away in a sea of estrogen and, being honest with myself, I'm not missing it all that much.”

“Wow. I have met a few transgender individuals and they all seemed so sure of themselves. Happy to go through it all to become true to themselves.”

“I think that is the point. I needed to be that sure and I just.... wasn't.” I replied.

“And why can't Jen spend time with you now?” Eve asked.

“Well, she has exams that she has to study for, so she is going to be really busy for the next few months, but our plans for after that were based on my living in England. I can hardly invite her to come to America.”

“Wouldn't you be in school anyway? What are you doing about school?” Eve asked.

“That is a tricky question. We haven't quite worked that out yet.” I replied.

“What is tricky about it? Lay it out for me. I am a strong believer in education.”

“Gem and I have discussed it and figured there are two options. Find an appropriate school or be home schooled. We haven't quite worked out where we are going to be living yet...”

“Why don't you know where you are going to be living?” Eve asked fairly confrontingly.

“Gem is currently renting a one bedroom flat. We can share the bedroom for a while, but it is not a long term solution. Now, we know that she will be working for you for a couple of months, but after that she doesn't have a job, so exactly where we should start looking, I have no idea.”

“Hmmm.” She gave me a thoughtful expression. “I need to think about this.” Then she made a shooing hand gesture. “I will think about it later. Right now let's do something fun. Do you sing?”

Chapter 14

Singing? As Dillan I had never liked my voice, so sang as little as possible. The only singing I had done as Sophia was to a few songs in the car with Gem. “Err...only in the car.” I replied.

“What was the last song you sang?” She asked me.

I blushed since it was one of her songs and for some reason that made me feel embarrassed. “Gratitude.”

She laughed. “Come with me.” She jumped off the couch again and headed off at a fast pace. I don't think she knows how to do anything with less than full energy.

I hurried to keep up with her. She led me to the large open plan space and the stage at one end. She jumped on the stage and then offered me a hand up. I practically flew through the air with her pull up. She then put her hands on my shoulders and led me to the front and centre of the stage, adjusted the microphone stand to my height and switched it on. She then disappeared behind me. I was left facing an empty room with Eve fiddling with something behind me. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do. I thought I knew the words, but at that moment I just couldn't think of the first line. Then Eve started playing the piano and that reignited my memory.

I couldn't sing to the empty room though, so I turned the mic stand around so I was facing Eve and started on the song. It was a bit of a surreal experience. When you are singing in the car, you can still hear the artist singing, when you are singing to a microphone with just the piano giving you accompaniment, you can really hear your voice. The good and the bad is quite clear with nowhere to hide.

I didn't think I did too bad a job of it. Nothing in Eve's class, of course, but I didn't feel my voice go off, which I used to as Dillan, and I quite liked the higher tone that came naturally. When I had finished Eve looked at me with a very focussed expression. She seemed to only have too modes, still and explosive action.

“Stay here, I will be right back.” She said as she charged out of the room.

I sat on the stage looking out at the empty room. Eve was definitely a character. Full of life, passionate, and I think she would be a lot of fun. Curious and a little bit probing with her questions, but avoiding the more hurtful areas. She would make a great friend and a terrible enemy.

She came back in again with the notepad, writing while she was walking. Lisa was trailing her waiting for her to finish. Eve slowed down and stopped in front of me still writing something in her notebook. When she was done, she looked up at me and smiled. Lisa then made a pretend cough to let her know that she was behind her and wanted her attention. I had seen that in movies, but didn't really think that happened in real life.

Eve turned around to Lisa. “Have you finished already?”

“No, but Jane has arrived for your gym session.”

“Oh yeah, is it that time already?” Then she looked back at me. “If I am going to suffer, I think you should too.” She turned back to Lisa. “Do we have any workout clothes that will fit Soph?”

“We have some spare swimming costumes that can probably be used.”

None of the one piece swimming costumes fitted me, so I ended up in a bikini, purple with white dots, doing a yoga and weights session with a music Goddess, pushed to my limits by a middle aged woman in lycra. Jane appreciated my presence, since it made Eve work harder, for some reason. My body was in pretty good shape. Not as strong as I used to be by any means, but great stamina and since I had less body weight, some things felt easier. We finished the session with a few laps in the pool and then we relaxed together in the hot tub. That was where Lisa and Gem found us, drinking bottled water and luxuriating in the bubbles.

I was getting pretty tired and I think Gem was too. We got ourselves organised as quickly as possible and headed back to Gem's flat. I was hungry, but I was more tired than hungry and fell asleep in the limo that was dropping us off. It took a real effort to get myself into the flat and collapse on the bed.

Laura Kind's POV

I was looking at the time waiting for the last few minutes to tick past so that I could call Eve on the agreed time. Finally, I had some good news to tell her. I was on the flight home tomorrow and I couldn't wait to see my energizer bunny. Just a few more minutes to wait before I could tell her.

Then my phone rang. I thought about not answering hoping whoever it was would get off soon and leave me to phone Eve, but I checked to see who it was and it was Eve.

“Hi honey.” I said surprised. She always left it to me to make the phone call. Since I could be busy at any time, it was easier to arrange with the director that I would be free at a specified time for a certain time. It was even in my contract. Because of that we had agreed between us that I would initiate the call, and that was exactly what had happened every single day. Until today. Even when Gem unexpectedly called Eve to tell her that she had a family emergency and had to leave for a few days, Eve had waited for me to call before telling me everything. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I was just so excited, I couldn't wait. I have broken my block.”

“You wrote a song again. That's wonderful. I told you it had nothing to do with muses.” I told Eve. I liked and believed in some of the New Age type stuff and Eve was the sceptic, but Eve did have one superstition. She believed there were people who were able to stir her creative juices. Usually she dated them and called them her muses. Brad the arsehole model was her last muse and she hadn't managed to write anything since she dumped him and that was almost two years ago. Since she still had quite a bit of material that was in varying stages of development, it wasn't obvious, but it was probably her biggest stress.

“I wrote two songs or at least started with the idea of them. I have found my new muse.”

My heart dropped, that meant she had met someone else. Was this my being dumped call two months before we got married? “Errr... that's great hon.” I said, on the verge of tears.

“What's wrong? What did I say?” Eve asked worriedly.

“Nothing, nothing, tell me about your muse.” I said with a more normal voice. I could feel a tear running down my cheek, but I was an actress, I could act the part of friend, while my heart was breaking. I was expecting to hear about a new male Adonis type figure. I loved Eve, I truly did, so if I needed to let her go, I would do so, but he better be a decent man.

“Well, she is a fifteen year old girl that Gem brought home with her. Actually we have a great opportunity, but I needed to speak to you first.”

The relief that swept through me blew away my barriers and I started crying on the phone.

“What's the matter? Sweetie, please talk to me.” Eve begged me.

I struggled to be able to talk. “I thought you were leaving me.” I sobbed.

“Why would you think that? I love you. And I mean love you, love you. You are my soulmate, I would never leave you.”

“You have always dated your muses.” I managed to get out to explain my assumptions.

“It was the best way to keep them around. But I am committed to you. No more dating for me, especially not a fifteen year old girl. I am almost old enough to be her mother. Darling, we are getting married. I can't wait to lock you down and take you off the market. I think I should be the worried one. You are so beautiful and wasn't the last movie a romantic chick flick with kissing scenes and stuff.”

“I'm sorry. I think this being apart from you is making me an emotional mess. Good news, by the way, I am flying back tomorrow.”

“That is great. I can't wait to see you. Tell me the time and I will meet you at the airport.”

“I will text you the details, but if you go it will be a public spectacle. Could you just send the limo and we can celebrate more privately at home?”

“Definitely. I've missed you so much.” Eve replied.

“I'm looking forward to showing you how much I have missed you. Now, didn't you want to ask me something?”

“Yes. Gem has agreed to take over planning the wedding, but after talking to Soph there are a couple of challenges that they are facing.”

“And is Soph your muse?” I prompted.

“That's right. Gem is her legal guardian, I don't know what happened to her parents and I didn't want to ask. Soph is going to need a stable environment to finish her schooling and Gem's life is not set up for that just yet. She is only renting a single bed flat and after our wedding is over, is out of a job. Not only that, but in the meantime, our wedding is going to take up most of Gem's time.”

“So what were you thinking?” I asked.

“Obviously, I want to keep my muse close, they can't stay where they are and we have twenty spare bedrooms.”

“Are you talking about just until the wedding or more long term?” I queried.

“Would you be upset if I said more long term?”

“I haven't met Soph, and I'd prefer to do so before saying yes, but provisionally I don't have a problem with it. What about Gem's job?”

“Well, I have been trying to get you to agree to having your own personal assistant and stop using mine. You get on well with Gem and if she is living in our house, it could be ideal. What do you think about hiring her as your PA?”

I thought about it. Gem had been my bridal liaison rather than Eve's, but Eve didn't get on with the person the company had sent and we ended up sharing her. After most of a year I think we both considered Gem more as a friend than an employee. That was probably what I would want in a PA. Someone who could keep me organised, but at the same time would be comfortable relaxing in the hot tub after a long day. “You're right. I think she would be perfect.” I admitted to Eve.

“I won't say anything until you've had a chance to meet Soph. Is it alright if I spend time with Soph? You are not going to get jealous or anything.”

I laughed at her, my confidence in our relationship was back. “You just want to get some more song material. Of course I don't mind. Are you going to tell her?”

“You think I should?” She asked me.

“She might think it strange if you don't tell her. You don't have to tell her your superstitions, just that being around her has helped you with your creativity.”

We went through our usual love yous and missing yous. Now we also had the can't wait to see you tomorrow. When I finally managed to put the phone down, I had to collapse on the bed. That conversation was an emotional roller coaster, I felt exhausted.

Chapter 15 Sophia's POV

I woke up with Gem spooning me comfortingly. I had another wake in the middle of the night screaming episodes. Gem had done a wonderful job of calming me down, but she needed her sleep and it wasn't fair for me to keep interrupting it. I was thinking of offering to sleep on the sofa, but the flat was so small, I would only be a couple of metres away and I'm sure you would need to be in another country to not hear my screams.

I slipped off to the bathroom, trying to make as little noise as possible. After my morning ablutions I settled on the sofa with my laptop. I didn't know if Gem had any internet service, but when I searched, I found an open connection. I sorted out a new facebook page, used the camera on the laptop for my image and sent a private message to Jen as well as an email so she would know it was me. Fortunately, she was awake and we had a silent instant message conversation. Knowing that I wanted to know that my parents were doing alright, she included talking about the people that she lived with that had recently lost a son and how well they were coping.

After that my stomach led me to search the small kitchen area for food. The bread looked like it was mouldy and the salad less than fresh, however, the milk was still in date and there was cereal in the cupboard. I also set up a coffee percolator so that Gem was would have something nice to wake up to. While I was doing that, the shower went on so I didn't have to worry about waking Gem up anymore.

I had a shower after her and we both got ourselves ready for the day. We sat on the sofa, Gem sipping her coffee and me a glass of milk.

“We need to talk.” Gem said. I looked at her, asking with my eyes for her to continue. “If I do this wedding, it is going to be taking up a huge amount of my time. You really need someone to be there for you, so I think I should find someone else to take it over.”

“Actually, Eve spoke to me yesterday, almost predicting what you would do after realising how much work was involved. She wanted to know whether she was doing the right thing in asking you. I may have a few little issues relating to my attack.” I said, remembering last night. “But, I am quite mature for my age and this is an opportunity of a lifetime. If you don't do it, you will regret it and I will feel guilty for being the reason. It is only for two months, besides, I like Eve and I wouldn't trust her happiness in someone else's hands.”

“You like Eve?” Gem asked me.

“Yes. She's wild, untamed and a lot of fun. She pushed me yesterday completely out of my comfort zone, but it felt surprisingly exciting.” I replied with a smile. I was telling the truth, a truth that I hadn't really considered until I was saying it out loud.

“How did she push you out of your comfort zone?”

“She got me to sing one of her songs while she was playing the piano. Then I did a gym session in a bikini. How can I wear two pieces of clothing and yet feel more naked than when I used to wear one?”

Gem just laughed. “Are you sure you are OK with this?”

“Absolutely. I will not complain that you are not spending enough time with me or that you should be looking after me. I am old enough to look after myself.”

Gem phoned Lisa to organise a limo to pick her up. Our plan was that I would stay at the flat and place an order for food or get a pizza delivery. Gem left me her credit card and some cash. Gem got a text back from Lisa that Soph needed to remember her workout clothes and bathing suit, which changed our plans.

“Is this normal?” I asked Gem as I organised a bag with clothes in it. I didn't have a workout kit, but I figured a sports bra and leggings would do.

“Is what normal?”

“You know, hanging out with Eve while you are doing your work.” I replied.

She scratched her head a bit puzzled herself. “I don't really know. I have spent a lot of time with both Eve and Laura over the past year. Usually going out to lunches with them, or accompanying them to various locations and I feel like we have got on really well, but I have never done a workout with them, or had a swim. I will say this though. Eve does what she wants to do. If she is hanging out with you, it is because she wants to. She is not really bothered by the details of the wedding. She leaves that to Laura. I would still take your laptop. I think she is busy with her music until lunchtime.”

The limo took us back to the house. Lisa hustled Gem away, so I wandered to the waiting area I had been in previously. There was a buzzer on the wall that Maria, the housekeeper, told us to press if we wanted anything to eat or drink and I was still hungry. Maria set up some sandwiches and water for me, which I nibbled on while I started to do some business work on my laptop.

Eve did her usual enter the room with energy and loudness.“How do you fancy a singing lesson? I've finished with my voice coach and she said she has time to fit you in.”

I locked my screen and closed my laptop. “Sure, that sounds like fun.” I replied and was then chasing after her. She was walking and I was running to keep pace. I thought she was going to lead me back to the stage, but, instead, she took me to a soundproof recording studio and then left me in the hands of this rather large lady, dressed very prim and proper called Danica. I spent almost an hour with her, mainly working on my breathing. Despite that I was really tired by the end of it.

At the end of it, I thanked her for her instruction. She gave me her first smile and thanked me for trying my best and not being a spoilt brat. She then informed me that she would expect me to arrive on time at ten am every weekday morning at the recording booth. I didn't know what to say to that, so I told her I would do my best. I headed back to the waiting area and back to my laptop. Maria came and got me so that we could all have lunch together.

The house had a very interesting set up. It was huge with far too many rooms, but one area had been set aside like a mini house within a house. It was not part of the tour that Maria had given us earlier and I suspect most are not allowed into this inner sanctum. I wasn't shown around and didn't see much, but there was clearly a small kitchen and dining room as that was where we had lunch. Within view I could see a very lived in lounge and a corridor which I presumed, led to bedrooms and bathrooms.

Lunch was a simple pasta dish, but it tasted like I had been to a proper Italian restaurant. Maria then shooed us out so that she could clean up. Lisa and Gem went in one direction and Eve took me off to the lounge.

“So, how did you find Danica?” She asked me.

“Good, but weird. I mean how can breathing be so tiring? Ummm...why did she tell me to see her again tomorrow?”

“A couple of reasons. I think you have a decent voice and with a bit of coaching could be a pretty good singer. I know that you are not going to school at the moment and your main guardian I am keeping so busy that she doesn't have time for you. Besides that, Danica is here every morning at nine am for my lessons. There is one other reason that will only work out if the stars align, so I will keep that one as a surprise.”

“I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why me? You are a superstar, literally a superstar. I love spending time with you, somehow you seem to inject me with some of your enthusiasm for life and it feels great, but...”

She was shaking her head with a look of wonder, holding up one finger to stop me talking. “Wait one second and I will tell you.” And she was off, like a race horse that had heard the gun, she leap up off the lounge and ran out the room.

I started giggling. I am not used to giggling, but I couldn't help myself, the situation felt so bizarre. I think I was still smiling when she came back, notepad out, face down, writing something and somehow navigating through the house back to her private lounge.

“Done.” She said, putting the notepad down. “This is why.” Eve said pointing at the notepad, like that answered anything.

“Huh?” I said confusedly.

“How should I put this? You know I write my own songs, don't you?” I nodded. “I am not someone who is always filled with inspiration. For whatever reason, I seem to need something to help trigger my creativity. I am enjoying spending time with you, you don't act at all like I expected a teenager to act. Besides enjoying your company, you seem to give me ideas for songs and that is priceless. I intend to help you out as much as I can and when I can, do things with you. Think of it this way. You have not asked me for so much as an autograph. Gem has not asked me to look after you. Anything I do, I do because I want to.”

What do you say to that? “Umm...OK?”

“That's the spirit. Now the plan for today is gym at three pm with Jane, followed by a relax in the hot tub. Then I am sending everybody out of the house at five since Laura is due back and I want some quality time with her. Tomorrow morning I expect you to be here for breakfast at eight, so I can introduce you to Laura.”

Chapter 16

I had another bad night. I don't really remember what I am dreaming, just wake up terrified. I usually wake to the sound of my own scream. I am shaking and crying and I don't even recall what has made me so scared. In the end, I can't get back to sleep, so even though it is the middle of the night I tried to get up.

I thought Gem, who had done her usual calming ritual and was holding me tightly, had fallen back asleep, but, either my getting up re woke her or she was just pretending. I didn't want Gem to be any more disturbed, nonetheless, despite my protestations she got up with me.

Since we had left Eve and Laura's place early yesterday, we had time and energy to go to the shops and get some groceries in. So I planned to make myself a cup of hot chocolate. Gem just sipped on a glass of water and tried to make me be easier on myself. I was so angry that I had disturbed her again. In the end, in the middle of the night she used that emotional energy technique again. Her opinion was that I wasn't dealing with my emotional issues and worries through the day so they were coming out at night.

I had been through a lot in a short amount of time. Swapped into another gender, become unsure about my relationship with Jen since I was now female, been assaulted strongly enough that I thought I was going to die, lost my body's parents who I was just getting to know, shipped off to another country in the company of a stranger and now have very limited contact with my real parents. I should be an emotional wreck. During the day there was little evidence of it, only anxiety related to strange men. At night, however, my demons seem to be let loose.

We went back to bed. Gem held me, offering me comfort and I tried to be as still as possible, pretending to be asleep, allowing Gem to get some rest. I may have dozed a bit, but not much before the alarm went off. The shower helped revive me a bit and we set off in the limo for breakfast with Eve and Laura.

Gem is not naturally a morning person and after the night we had, we both struggled to put smiles on our faces as I met Laura for the first time. I could see why she was an actress, she looked movie star gorgeous. She greeted me warmly with a gentle hug and a kiss on each cheek. They had prepared a much bigger breakfast than I normally had. Pancakes with sliced bananas and honey, melon balls in bowls, crispy bacon and scrambled eggs, with toast. Coffee was available, which made Gem happy. I preferred orange juice.

Despite eating with a pop diva and a movie star, the conversation and atmosphere was relaxed and enjoyable. Eve was full of energy and every movement felt like an explosion, whereas Laura was full of grace and femininity. The glances they shared showed their affection for each other without making it awkward for the rest of us. Then the talk became quite interesting.

“Tomorrow is Saturday, are you having the day off?” Laura asked Gem.

“I will be having the morning off. I think we have certain dishes the caterers are bringing in the afternoon that I will need to be present for.”

“Oh, goodie. I love trying the food.” Eve put in which caused Laura to laugh.

“I still get to decide. If it was up to you it would be sausages and mash with apple pie for dessert.” Laura replied. “So what are you going to do with your morning?” She ignored Eve sticking her tongue out at her, directing her question back to Gem.

“I think I will be going shopping.” Gem replied. “Soph only has what she bought in a suitcase, so we have a whole wardrobe to buy.”

“That sounds like fun. You'll never get that done in a morning though. Oh, I have an idea. I'll take her. I am not doing anything today, and I love shopping.” Then Laura looked anxiously at Gem. “If that is OK with you Gem, I don't want to deprive you.”

Instead of answering her immediately, Gem turned to me. “What do you think Soph, fancy shopping with a glamour model?”

Gem was smiling gently which was a difficult expression to read. Did she want me to say yes? Since I started making some decent money, I stopped worrying about spending it. That money was not available to me now and I suspected Laura would have expensive tastes. So I was a bit nervous about the money side, and I didn't know Laura very well, although she seemed nice. Still, I felt that pressure when someone offers something nice and if you say no it feels like you have kicked their puppy.

“Errr... that sounds nice.” I said uncertainly. “I do have a singing lesson at ten though.”

“We'll swap, you have the nine am slot and I will have the one after.” Eve suggested. “Laura will take at least that long to set up her evil plans. Better you than me, is all I am going to say. I appreciate you taking one for the team.” Eve winked at me and then had to muffle a swear word when I think Laura retaliated under the table with a kick, which made me giggle.

In a way I was relieved. It meant Gem would have at least a little time off. Maybe we would just sleep in. I didn't want to be the reason she was unable to have a bit of R&R. The singing lesson went well. I was actually allowed to utter some sounds, but I had to get the breathing right. Afterwards, I headed to the waiting lounge, so I would be ready when Laura was.

Laura's POV

Eve had told me that Soph had helped her come up with another song idea and really wanted to help her. The breakfast was a great idea, and Soph came across as a nice quiet shy girl. Really easy to like, but if I was going to invite her to live with us, I needed to know her better. That was why I had leaped at the chance to take her out today. I wasn't sure Gem would go for it since Soph is only fifteen. I knew Gem trusted me and was unsure how much she would trust Soph to behave. My experience with fifteen year old actors may have jaded me a little. Soph appeared mature for her age, then again, she had been through a lot. I didn't know the details, but Lisa had asked Gem and told us that Soph had just lost both her parents.

While Soph was having her singing lesson, I phoned Daphne, my fashion consultant and organised to meet her at the mall. I had to give her as many details as possible so that she could pre prepare. Eve told me that Soph had thought she wanted to be a man and had recently changed her mind and was exploring carefully, her feminine side. That explained her lack of earrings or makeup. I was going to push her today. She had a pretty face and I wanted to show her how beautiful she could be. I also wanted a look at her character and pushing her limits would be a good way to find out. Of course, I would be wearing a disguise so that we wouldn't be mobbed. I was looking forward to it. This was going to be fun.

Chapter 17 Sophia's POV

I hadn't been waiting long before Laura came and got me. Instead of going straight out, she took me back to her bedroom and through to one of two walk in robes. Laura already didn't look like Laura. I guess she was wearing a wig, changed her makeup and her clothes to dull herself down. She had gone from movie star glamorous to attractive housewife. Part of it may even have been how she was now moving. Still feminine and graceful, but somehow different.

She sat me down in front of a mirror. There were various wigs and lots of makeup on the table in front of me, so I was starting to get anxious.

“Err...Laura.” I started.

She stood behind me with her hands on my shoulders, catching my eyes in the mirror with a thoughtful expression on her face. “Relax, I'm not going to do anything you don't agree to.” Then she smiled. “My job right now is to get you to agree to what I want.”

Strangely that didn't make me feel any less anxious.

“I need you to be honest with me. What are you worried about?” She asked me.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and tried to work out what was scaring me. My immediate fear was that she was going to use makeup on me. The real question was, why should I be afraid of that? She was clearly an expert and I could tell that she wouldn't deliberately make me look silly, so what was it that I was so afraid of.

“I think that if I look in the mirror and see someone I don't recognise, I will create a disconnect. I'm already confused about the way I look. I want to see me, but don't really know what that looks like anymore.” For some reason I started tearing up.

She moved her hands from my shoulders to give me a gentle hug from behind. “Oh, honey. This is one of the joys of being a woman. We can change how we look several times in one day. Just remember, it doesn't change who you are.”

Once she saw that I had calmed down, she excused herself to go to the toilet, leaving me a little time to make some decisions. I decided that I was in a similar situation to when Amy took me shopping. I could fight to try and maintain some of my masculinity, but truthfully it was a losing battle and all I would create was conflict. I needed to give this a chance.

When Laura came back in I decided to be forthright and almost back myself into a corner so I couldn't back out. “I probably can't avoid feeling anxious, but I need to explore this, so I am going to place myself in your hands. As much as I can, I will follow your direction without argument. Please be gentle with me and don't do anything irreversible.” I pleaded.

She smiled hugely, keeping eye contact. “Challenge accepted.” Laura responded. She first picked out a wig that had a colour very similar to my natural tone. She attached it to my head and fiddled with it until she was satisfied with the look. I was intending to let my hair grow. I have always loved long hair on Jen, so I wanted to see what I would look like with long hair. I could now see what that would look like and I have to say, I liked it. It made a big difference to how my face looked. Immediately giving my face a much more feminine look. She then proceeded to apply makeup. She didn't go crazy, just some mascara, eye shadow, blusher and lipstick. It felt weird feeling it on my face, but the mirror showed me turning from tom boy to girly girl.

“Wow.” I said unintentionally.

Laura laughed. “You are almost making this too easy. You were already pretty. I am going to make you look beautiful.”

“Shall we go and show Gem? I don't think she will recognise me.” I said a little bit excitedly.

“No, she can wait for the big reveal. I want you out of those tom boy clothes and into something more suitable. And we are going to a salon. You are getting the works, girl. I know what we will do, I will book a table at my favourite Italian restaurant for dinner tonight. Eve and Gem can meet us there. You wait here, I will get Lisa to arrange that and check the coast is clear.”

After a few minutes Laura came back and whisked me through the house to the waiting limo. The good news was my worries about the money side of things had disappeared. Since I was putting myself in Laura's hands and said that I wouldn't argue with her, it was up to Laura where we went, what we did and how much she spent. I didn't even have a credit card on me.

Our first stop was at a fairly high end shopping centre where we met Daphne. Laura explained that her style and taste may not suit a teenage girl, so she wanted an expert to help. Daphne and Laura had a good long look at me and came up with a plan. I think Laura tried to be gentle with me by explaining why I needed my ears pierced. She asked me to look around and find one woman who didn't have earrings. Laura assured me that it wasn't permanent since my ears could heal over the holes, if I decided against them later. Laura picked out a simple set of gold stud earrings. Truthfully, it wasn't too painful and I soon forgot I had them in. She didn't press me to have multiple piercings. Daphne suggested one for my nose, which Laura declined before I needed to.

Then we moved on to lingerie. Talk about embarrassed. I think I spent my entire time there blushing. I definitely had some breast tissue now. I was properly measured as an A cup. I am pretty sure that I am developing far faster than normal, my body catching up to where it was supposed to be for my age. Considering Gem and Amy, I had no doubts that I would not be small in that department. I didn't feel the need for any enhancement, but I was overruled. Most of the bras that my fashion gurus chose were padded to some extent to make it obvious that I had something underneath.

By the end of our frank discussions on panties and avoiding visible panty lines by wearing thongs, I was blushing so hard, I think I had a temperature. They knew what they were doing to me and seemed to enjoy teasing me in my innocence. There was logic behind sorting out lingerie first. There was no point in buying clothes that didn't fit right, so I needed to be wearing the right underwear. It had the added benefit of making me feel very feminine. We then went on to try on so many clothes that my head spun.

Daphne and Laura were having a field day. Normally Daphne dealt with clients who had a very clear idea of what suited them and had to be encouraged to try new things. I had no defined or known style. This made Daphne's job harder and easier at the same time. It meant she had a blank canvas, but it also meant she had to use a lot more paint.

Laura was constantly trying to engage me in the whole process. Did I like how it looked, the colour, the fit and the material or texture. I worked out that I loved soft materials, could tell when something looked good, but struggled to pick out good stuff myself. My next mental block was dresses and skirts. I think Laura was expecting trouble and kept eye contact when she passed me my first skirt. I had promised not to argue, so I swallowed my objections, sighed and gave them a go. It was hard to deny that I did like the look. Funnily enough I always preferred it when Jen wore skirts or dresses, so it made sense that I would like the look, possibly even more than a regular girl. It did make me feel a bit exposed, which in turn made me feel a bit naughty, adding a frisson of excitement.

Laura was keeping a close eye on me and when I began to flag, we had a break. Initially it was for a coffee and cake, or a hot chocolate and cake in my case. The second break we had lunch. Exactly what we had bought, I had no idea. Before we left each shop, Laura would sort it out, but I was not involved and didn't want to pry. I knew about a few items since Laura asked me to keep them on and took the tags off them. Obviously the padded bra and pantie set, but also a skirt and then I needed a different top to suit the skirt. I was wearing the skirt because Laura told me it made trying on different clothes much easier and she wanted me to get used to it. Laura was wearing a beautiful white dress and suggested I watch how she sat down before copying her. The same would be true for getting into and out of the limo. When I tried to emulate her at lunch and sweep my skirt under my bottom before sitting down, I overdid it and made it too tight, so I had to fiddle in my seat to get comfortable while Laura and Daphne laughed.

Most of the time was spent in and around women, so my anxiety didn't play up too much, but I was very aware of all the men around me, particularly at lunch time. That was why I noticed a man who seemed innocent enough, but finished when we did and seemed to be following us. My worry levels rose, but I was still not too concerned. Logically it could all be coincidental. We went into a women's clothes shop and I noticed he was still around when we came out. My anxiety levels started heading towards panic levels.

“What's wrong Soph?” Laura asked me.

“Don't look now, but I think there is a man following us.” I replied with a fake smile, my heart rate speeding up and a cold sweat beginning.

“It's alright honey, he is meant to be there. You are not supposed to notice him though. It is one of the downsides to being a celebrity. I think we need a bathroom break.” Laura then led us into the ladies. She could see me stress out and gave me another cuddle. There were some curious glances from other women in there, but I wasn't going to explain. I took some deep breaths and calmed myself down.

“Thanks.” I told Laura.

“You're welcome. I would have mentioned it earlier, but I never notice them and they are supposed to be invisible. I think we will see if we can go to the salon earlier than planned. We still need to do a proper shoe shop, but we can do that after.”

We had already been to a couple of shoe shops. I hadn't refused to try on anything that had been put in front of me, but if it wasn't comfortable I immediately said so. Laura didn't argue the point. She did manage to get me to agree that a few shoes with a three inch heel, were awkward rather than uncomfortable and that would be due to lack of familiarity. The point is I didn't think we needed to do any more shoe shopping. I wasn't going to argue though.

We said goodbye to Daphne and headed towards the salon.

Chapter 18 Laura's POV

At the salon I sent Soph off to be waxed. I had noticed hair on her arms and legs, which didn't suit the image we were portraying. She looked at me with big puppy dog eyes, but I just sent her off with a smile. As she had agreed, Soph didn't verbally argue with me. Her expressions gave away her feelings easily, she was definitely a wear your heart on your sleeve girl.

It had helped me to know when I was pushing her boundaries. I was then able to give her the reasons for my suggestions or to back off if I was pushing her too far. That had only really happened once, which was when I tried to buy her a necklace. She immediately acted very unhappy and took it off as soon as she could. I don't think it was about money. I was a bit worried when I suggested this shopping trip that she would have been pushing my hand to try and get me to spend money on her. In fact, she had a wonderful attitude. She wasn't trying to make me spend or stop me spending. I don't even think she has any idea exactly what I have bought her. Whenever I went up to pay and organise delivery, she was conspicuous by her absence. Leaving no pressure on me in any direction. Conversely, that encouraged me to spend more. I love treating people who appreciate it, but don't demand it. So often I had been hurt by people either expecting me to pay for everything or getting upset because I have paid for something. It was not as if I didn't have enough of it.

I knew she wouldn't enjoy the waxing experience, I haven't heard of anyone who does. The rest of the experiences we would do together, but I had laser treatments to remove my hair previously, so it gave me a chance to call Eve without her being present.

“Hi gorgeous.” Eve answered.

“Hi honey. Are you free for a chat?”

“Yup, all good. So how is it going with Soph?” Eve asked me.

“Great. If we hear any screams that would probably be Soph being waxed for, I would guess, the first time.” I replied with a chuckle.

“She hasn't upset you, has she?” Eve asked with a worried tone.

“Not at all. Being waxed is a right of passage every girl has to go through at least once. If she likes the look, we can organise some laser treatment for a more permanent, less painful method.”

“Are we keeping her then?” There was a hopeful excited edge to Eve's question.

“Definitely. I thought we can go with your plans and tell them at dinner tonight.”

“I know you are being cautious after how you have been treated, but I like Soph and Gem. They are not going to betray us in any way.” Eve said, being careful with some of my emotional triggers.

“I know. I think I have let go of my issues about my entourage and my family, and then you ask me to introduce someone new into our lives and it rears its ugly head again. I shouldn't need to test people, especially after you have already spent time with them. I trust your judgement, I really do, for some reason, I just need to be sure. And I am sure. Soph is not after our money or our fame. I have spent a fortune, but I have enjoyed spending it and Soph does not even know what I have bought.”

“That is great darling. We still need to hire some people for our house, especially if Soph and Gem are going to be living in the other part of the house, or were you thinking of them staying in our private section?” I couldn't tell from Eve's voice if she was for or against the idea. Again she was leaving it in my court.

“We have five bedrooms in our private area and they all have their own bathrooms. I don't mind them staying in our section. After we come back from our honeymoon, or before if it is not working out, they can move into the main areas. I don't really want to hire anyone new before the wedding. Maria can cope with two extra mouths to feed.” I replied.

“OK. If you are sure.”

I did pause to see if there were any lingering doubts and when I couldn't find any I replied. “I am sure. Oh and I think I have also figured out why she is a great muse for you.”

“Tell me, tell me.” Eve said eagerly.

“I'll admit I wanted to push her a little bit. See how she would react if I stressed her out, so before we left I wanted to encourage her to wear a wig and makeup.”

“How did that go?” Eve asked me.

“I could see it accomplished my goal, she was totally out of her comfort zone. I asked her what was worrying her. I was expecting her to say the idea of wearing makeup or some other superficial answer. Instead, Soph dug deep to get to the heart of the matter and then tried to express her feelings about it. I had a feeling that if you heard her answer it would give you an idea for a song, so I excused myself and wrote it down as best I could.”

“What did she say?” Eve asked eagerly.

“Have you got a pen and paper?” I said, fiddling with my phone and pulling up the text I had typed in to remember.

“Shit! Wait a second.” I could hear Eve rushing about. “OK hit me with it.”

“She said that if she looked in the mirror and saw someone she didn't recognise, she was worried that it would create a disconnect. She said she was already confused about the way she looked. She desperately wanted to see herself, but didn't know what that would look like.”

“You're right. It is like poetry. There is a song in there somewhere about self esteem issues and teenagers going through puberty and finding themselves. How does she do it?” Eve asked in wonder.

“I think you mentioned her girlfriend studied psychology or was going to. I wondered if the reason they hit it off so well was because Soph seems to self analyse. I can almost imagine the self talk. Why am I anxious? I am anxious because Laura is going to want me to wear makeup. Now most people would stop there, but Soph doesn't. She goes on. Why would that make me anxious? So she automatically goes a bit deeper into her feelings and because she has done that for so long, she is quite good at expressing how she is feeling. And that is what a good song does to you, it sees the deeper stuff that you connect to but struggle to express yourself.”

“Wow. That means she is going to keep doing it. Saying these one liners that have me grabbing my notebook?” Eve asked.

“Probably. I am no expert. I think it will happen more often if Soph has more experiences and is asked how she feels. Which will happen automatically if you like her, because you will keep her around you and be interested in how she feels.”

“Getting her sorted has to come first. If they agree to stay with us, Soph should be able to start school.” Eve said adamantly. She felt very strongly about children getting educated.

“That is true. What about the singing lessons you have organised?” I asked.

“I still want her to continue them. I will organise with Danica to come another time. The good news on that front is that Danica is quite impressed with her. She does her best to follow instructions without argument. I'm not sure this will work out but one of the songs Soph has inspired related to someone growing up in the song. I thought she could pretend to be a mini me and help me sing the song. Maybe even coming on tour with us, since it will be summer holidays anyway, and helping me with that number. It would only be one song, and I don't know if her voice or the song will be good enough. I think it has potential, but only time will tell.”

Chapter 19 Sophia's POV

When Laura sent me off to be waxed, I pleaded with my eyes for her to relent, to no effect. I had helped Jen with a home waxing kit and knew it was really painful. She had offered to do a section on me, so that I would know what it felt like, but I was too chicken. I knew I wasn't getting out of it this time. They ended up doing everywhere and I mean everywhere, apart from my head. I was only just restarting puberty so I was pretty straggly and the easiest answer to tidy it up was to remove the lot. It was all painful, but some areas were more painful than others. I tried to distract myself by rating the different areas. The worst were the pubic ones, I will say no more on the subject.

When my torture session was finally over my pampering session began and this was when Laura joined me. There was a moisturising wrap, a full body massage that I dozed through most of, eyebrow threading that I had never even heard of before, a touch up mani/pedi, a facial and finally hair and makeup. My wig came off and Laura convinced me to dye the middle section of my hair pink. Eve had hers purple and Laura told me part of the reason was that the haircut without colour looked too butch and nothing shouts out girl more than pink or purple. The wig did go back on afterwards and they carefully shaped it to give it maximum effect.

Before they started my hair or makeup they asked me to get dressed which was a bit confusing, until Laura pointed out our dresses. Yes, dresses. As part of my shopping trip Laura had taken me for an awkward session of trying on formal dresses or evening gowns. I am still unsure if they are the same thing or something different. I say awkward because I had no idea how to put most of them on or do up. Laura was also trying some on, picked out by Daphne, so we ended up in a cubicle together helping each other.

Judging by my breast development, I am pretty sure that I have good estrogen levels so I am beginning to suspect that my orientation isn't going to change. All I will say, purely from a looking point of view, Laura is hot, smokin' and damn sexy. And that was when she wasn't trying. Eve is one lucky girl.

So we both got changed. Laura removed her disguise and we had to wear these protective cloaks to keep our gowns pristine. They did a much more thorough makeup session on my face and I wasn't allowed to look until everything was finished and the cloak was off. The person in the mirror was a stranger. I was barely used to looking at myself as Sophia. The wig made the biggest change, but I had been getting used to that throughout the day, so I wasn't as shocked as I could have been. I looked beautiful. If I wasn't already in love with Jen, I would have thought the person in front of me was prime dating material. Out of my league, actually. Wow. I looked across at Laura who looked amazing. I was expecting that, the huge smile as she looked me over, like a proud mother, was a bit of a surprise.

“What do you think?” She asked.

“I think I am going to give Gem a heart attack.” I replied. “I like it. It scares me a little, but I like it. So, what is next?”

“Shoe shopping. We have to find the right shoes for these dresses.”

I thanked the ladies who had worked on me while Laura sorted out the bill, then we left arm in arm. There was a big difference in how the people in the mall looked at us now. I'm pretty sure that Laura was recognised a few times. Fortunately, we moved briskly and no one approached us.

Laura noticed it too and the first thing she did when we entered the shoe shop was organise more visible body guard protection which arrived while we were going through the shoes. Laura fell in love with a black high heeled stiletto almost immediately. She then spent then next ten minutes convincing me to wear a three inch heel stiletto. She taught me how to walk in them and then insisted that by the time we had reached the car I would be walking like a pro. I am not sure I wanted that. Still, they weren't uncomfortable, just unbalanced. We walked again, arm in arm, to the limo. This time we had four men who bracketed us. This made us much more visible and everyone knew a star was walking amongst them. Walking arm in arm was a good thing or I think I would have fallen over a few times and considering the phones that were pointing in our direction I wouldn't have gotten away with it.

The bodyguards travelled with us. I was glad that they were with us, but at the same time, they were strangers and men, so my anxiety had kicked up a notch and I spent most of the car journey doing calming exercises. Laura looked at me a bit concerned, but didn't ask me anything. I was quite relieved when we arrived at the restaurant and left the men behind as we were ushered to a private booth. Laura told me that she had wanted us to make an entrance to stun Eve and Gem even more, so she had asked to be warned when they arrived. We would then take a quick trip to the ladies, check that everything was in place and make our entrance heading back to the booth.

A few minutes later we were staring in the mirror in the rest room. Laura was checking that she was as perfect as she could be. I was looking at this pretty girl looking back at me and trying to work out my feelings. I noticed the stud earrings glinting, partially covered by blonde hair that came down to my shoulders. I was wearing a dark green satiny type dress that hugged my small curves and showed off my padded breasts and slightly in and out feminine figure. I struggled with my walk. Laura told me that I had to stop walking like a man and embrace my womanhood. With these heels on it was walk the way she showed me that included a bum wiggle, or fall over. My face was naturally feminine and the makeup enhanced that to give me huge looking eyes on a truly beautiful heart shaped frame. Part of me was saying 'this isn't me' and part was saying 'don't I look beautiful'.

“You ready?” Laura asked me.

“No.” I replied. Laura just laughed and led me back to the table, arm in arm again. This time, I think it was so I wouldn't run away.

Gem and Eve were sitting at the table talking. Gem stopped when she saw me, her mouth left open, surprised and shocked. Eve noticed Gem not responding and followed where she was looking.

“Yes! Now that is what I am talking about.” Eve exclaimed. She looked at me briefly and smiled at me and then turned her attention to her fiancée. Her expression turned to one of lust and appreciation. The waiter approached and helped us into our seats. I always thought the man helping a woman into her seat was a nice courtesy and a show of gentlemanly behaviour. Walking unsteadily on heels and trying to keep my dress in the right place as I sat down, gave me a whole other meaning to the action. Necessity.

Gem had obviously gone home and got herself ready for the restaurant. She was wearing a type of business suit, with a grey skirt and jacket, cream shirt with gold necklace and earrings to accessorise. Full makeup expertly applied and hair carefully arranged. Eve on the other hand was in jeans and a T shirt. She did have dramatic makeup applied, so I knew she had made an effort, but her version of making an effort was very different to Laura and Gem. It suited her though. With her purple dyed hair and I would guess B cup breasts held in a black bra so that they were clearly seen through her white T shirt, she still looked very female and proud of it. I don't think she could have pulled off dainty or subtle or even graceful. She was beautiful in her own unique way.

We went through the obligatory round of compliments when a woman has made an effort, with all of them commenting on how beautiful I looked. You don't really get compliments as a guy, so it was a new experience for me and I didn't really know how to handle it. I probably came off as shy and demure, compared to the reality which was lost, confused and unsure. I tried to lose myself in the menu which really didn't have that many items on it anyway.

We selected our drinks along with our starter and main courses. It was interesting to see the difference between when I had taken Jen out for a meal and here in LA. I'm not sure if it was the quality of the restaurant, or the just Eve's forceful personality, but service was excellent. I remember struggling to try to get the attention of a waiter. All Eve had to do was look up and catch their eye, which was inevitably looking in her direction anyway and instant service. It almost made me laugh how she could get such instant obedience that for some reason, made me think she would be a great mother.

Once that was settled, Eve and Laura looked at each other, held each others hands and turned to us.

“We have ulterior motives to bringing you here.” Eve said, looking at us both seriously. “We need to ask you something, but before we do, I just want to explain something. I love having money. The fame side of things is a double edged sword, it gives and takes away at the same time, but money, on its own is a wonderful thing. It gives you choices that those without don't have. The challenge to having money is not the money itself, but other people's reaction to you having it. Some people become angry that you are not spending it on them and others become upset when you do. I want to offer to do something nice for you two, but I want it to be clear. This is not charity.”

“We darling. We, as a couple, would like to ask you to move in with us.” Laura continued. Gem looked like she was going to interrupt, but Laura held her hands up to stop and objections. “Before you say anything let me finish, please.” Gem clearly wanted to say something, however, she visibly controlled herself and nodded for Laura to continue. “Yes, we know that you are living in a one bedroom flat and yes, we know that you can find something else. What you need to realise is that both of you are helping us immensely and we hope will continue doing so into the future, which would be made easier if you lived with us. Gem, after the wedding I would like to offer you the job of my personal assistant. My previous PA betrayed me and I have struggled to trust anybody, let alone someone with access to all my secrets. In the past year you have gained my trust. I know you wouldn't sell me out, besides which you have all the organisation abilities to fulfil the role.”

Gem paused for a moment to think about her answer. “I think I would like to be your PA, if I can work it out with looking after Soph. I am a bit worried that if I go with you wherever your next movie is filmed, what will happen with Soph?” She said looking at me. “I'm not sure we should be living with you, though.”

“My turn.” Eve said. “I think Soph moving in helps both her and me. Win, win. Soph needs somewhere stable so she can go back to school and a fifteen year old girl needs her own space. Let's face it, we have plenty of space. I need someone who can help me spark my creative side. She has given me ideas for four songs already and before that I haven't had any for two years. All songs that she helps me with I will credit her on the album and even give a percentage of the royalties. I need Soph and she needs a stable home. So, as I said, win, win. If Laura does need to go to another country for her movie career, or even out of state, there are a couple of options. Soph is fifteen, almost sixteen and a mature one at that. If you felt comfortable with my guardianship, I could look after her, or Eve could cope without you on site and phone for any help, that is what she has been doing, but using my PA.”

“What does Soph have to do to help you?” Gem asked curiously.

Eve laughed. “If I knew that, anyone could do it. When I spend time with her and chat with her, she will just say something that hits me like a bolt out of the blue and suddenly I have an idea for a song. What does she have to do? Spend time with me. That's it.”

“What do you think Soph?” Gem asked me.

“Yes, definitely yes. Gem needs a decent night sleep and I keep disrupting her. Longer term, I guess it will be down to how we all get on.”

“As I said, a very mature young lady. So Gem what do you think?” Eve asked Gem.

Gem turned to me. “Honey, it is not your fault.” She said stroking my arm. Then she turned to Eve and Laura. “OK and thank you.” She then looked directly at Laura. “I know what you have been through and I will never betray you, I promise. As far as bedrooms are concerned, could I be next door to Soph, she has been having a few troubles sleeping so I want to be close.”

“She is being kind.” I add. “I am waking up in the middle of the night, screaming like a baby. I need a soundproof room, far from anybody else.”

That got a chorus of no's. Followed by Eve saying, “You have both agreed to live with us, that is now fixed in stone.” Her hand came down on the table startling me a little. “Whatever you say next is not going to change anything. I have tried not to pry, but can you tell us more? Can we do something to make it better?” She finished saying with a gentle voice.

If they were just Gem's employers then it was none of their business. Now that they were inviting us into their lives and, let's be honest, have been nothing but kind and generous, they deserved to know everything. Or at least, everything that was believable.

Gem looked at me, leaving it up to me as to what to say. I took a deep breath. “My skiing holiday did not end well. The short of it is, I was attacked by a man jacked up on ice. This happened in the middle of the night. I managed to scream before he got to me. He tried to suffocate me with a pillow and before I passed out I heard my father interfere.” I had to stop for a few moments to calm myself. Even talking about it, brought back memories. “When I awoke I found out that he had attacked both my parents and they did not survive. Actually, I didn't find that out until several days later when Gem arrived to take me away. Since then I seem to have developed an anxiety towards strange men and a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night screaming.”

“Not just screaming.” Gem added. “She wakes up terrified, shaking with fear. I need to be close to try and reassure her.”

“You can't carry on doing that Gem. You haven't had a decent night's sleep in ages. I appreciate it, I really do, but you need some time off. I'll survive a few nights waking up scared.”

“Have you tried that emotional technique on her? That worked really well with me.” Laura asked.

“Yes she has.” I answered. “And I was so much worse before, especially about any male presence. She said and I agree with her, that I just need evidence to reassure my mind that men are not a threat all the time. The longer I go on experiencing normal situations and no male aggression, the more my mind will relax and see that as normal.”

“You need a therapist. We will sort one out for you tomorrow and you are not hiding away. You have been through a horrendous experience, what you need is love and kindness not, NOT isolation.” Eve said with finality. “If need be we can take turns at night.” I was about to argue with her, but Eve can be quite forceful when she wants to be and I struggled to say anything while she was staring at me so intently. “No, buts!” She said sternly, heading off any comments I might want to make.

I don't know why, but suddenly I started crying. I felt more than one set of arms hugging me, but I was crying too much to see who it was. It turned out it was everybody. I was so lucky. I didn't even know why I was crying, but I struggled to stop for the longest time. Then we went en mass to the rest room, constantly touched, hugged, caressed, loved.

Chapter 20

Laura helped me touch up my makeup. I think my face still looked a fright, my eyes all puffy and red. We still had a lovely dinner, although the conversation was geared towards what happens next. Tomorrow Gem had the morning off as it was Saturday, but she needed to be in for the afternoon. The plan was to pack as much as we could that morning so that we could move in when Gem went to work.

In the meantime, Eve, who had contacts in the educational world through certain charities that she supported, was going to try and get me enrolled in the local high school called Trousdale High School. There were a heap of complications in the way, but Eve believed that I could be starting school on Monday and paperwork could follow later. That was when I discovered that the paperwork for Gem to be my legal guardian had not been completed. The authorities in the small skiing village had accepted documentation that Gem was my Aunt and that it was the will of my parents that she be my legal guardian. Having it all become official was a much more long winded process. On top of that, Gem would struggle to prove that she was a resident, so Eve was going to present herself as my guardian and we could sort out the rest later. That is not even considering the differences between my English education and the American system. On top of that I had worries about attending school as a girl and as a new girl at that.

There were a few things that I still needed. If I was going to attend high school I was going to need a school approved gym kit, a phone, handbag and purse. There was no school uniform as such. That was good and bad. Good in terms of not having to wear skirts or other items that I wasn't comfortable with yet. Bad in the sense that I would probably be judged by what clothes I wore. I was half tempted to wear the wig so that I would fit in better. Only half tempted because I would constantly worry that something would reveal its presence especially during gym class and also I didn't like the thought of doing anything just to fit in. I wanted people to accept me for who I was.

That night, our last night in the one bedroom flat, my mind was going crazy with everything that was going on, so I thought I would never go to sleep. At the same time I was really tired, both from consistently disturbed nights and crying like a baby. Despite my worries I fell asleep pretty much as soon as my head hit my pillow.

It was one of my best nights for a while. I still woke up terrified, but I don't think I screamed and Gem didn't wake up. It took me a while to calm myself down and I will admit to moving closer to Gem so that I could just feel the contact of her hands on my back. That seemed to be enough to give me reassurance and yet not disturb her sleep. When I next woke up, Gem was still asleep, so I slipped out of bed as quietly as possible.

I had wanted to phone Jen last night, but it would have been very early Saturday morning for Jen, so I put it off until this morning. I used my laptop to skype Jen and we had a long conversation. To prevent my voice from waking Gem, I put the lid down and sat on the toilet. That way I was able to close the bathroom door and hope that she wasn't disturbed. I was able to tell her about everything that had been going on. She didn't have much to tell me since nothing exciting had happened to her, but I still wanted to know. Her normalcy that she felt was boring, was soothing to me. I guess I did want a more stable, settled life at the moment.

I was able to tell her that I thought my orientation was definitely towards girls, the fact that she didn't encourage that direction to the conversation made me feel that she still fancied men, which was hardly surprising. It still saddened me and as always she could guess my emotions. It didn't seem to matter which body I was in, she could read me like a book. I could see her almost having an internal debate to work out what to tell me. In the end, she admitted that she was starting to see me as more of a sister than anything else. I didn't want to make her feel bad and I also didn't want to hold her back, so I told her I was lucky to have such a wonderful sister and that my sister needed to go on dates. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to hear all about them without twisting the knife even deeper.

She responded that I needed to do the same, which really let me know the relationship was over. She also admitted that although she was finding other boys attractive, she had no intention of having any romantic entanglements until after her exams. My heart was broken and in pieces somewhere through my feet and into the flat underneath. We finished our talk shortly after that bombshell, both trying to be supportive to each other, but both failing. I shut the laptop and crawled back into bed for a good cry. Gem woke to that and curled herself around me.

When I was a bit more recovered I told Gem what had happened. She was quiet for a while before telling me that there really wasn't anything she or anybody else could say that would make me feel better. She had a more practical solution. Keep busy, don't torture yourself with it and there was enough to do. We went out and got some boxes and then proceeded to pack up everything. I didn't have much here, so I was finished with my stuff really quickly. Gem, as organised as ever, spent the first few minutes making lists. I just did my best to follow instructions and not think of anything else. Of course that didn't completely work. Waves of sadness would hit me periodically, but that just told me I wasn't focussing on whatever task I was doing properly and I redirected my attention. We didn't have to worry about the furniture since that was all provided at Eve's place. When the truck arrived to carry it all for us, we had finished and were taking a breather. Two guys got out and moved it all for us. Half an hour later the limo arrived.

The caterers had brought lots of different hors d'oeuvres. Fancy nibbles for a fancy party. Eve, Laura, Gem and Lisa were trying them and giving opinions. I wasn't really hungry. I tried a couple that Laura enthused about, but excused myself quickly. I knew I wasn't good company, so I changed into workout clothes and hit the gym. I think I was punishing myself for feeling bad. Whenever my mind wandered in the wrong direction, I would do some gym exercise to push my limits and stop me thinking about anything else.

After an hour I was dripping with sweat and almost ready to collapse. I don't think there wasn't one part of my body that I hadn't worked to exhaustion. Even walking was a struggle. Eve came in and sat down near me.

“I'm here if you want to talk. Gem told me what happened.”

“I don't want to take you away from your wedding plans.” I told her.

She laughed. “I was finished after five minutes. I tasted each one, told them which ones I liked and which ones I didn't. Laura loves this stuff, debating which would be more suitable etc. etc. I think Gem told me to give me an excuse to get away. I was bored out of my mind. Why don't we have a sit in the hot tub and you can tell me all about it.”

We both got changed and settled into the hot water. We didn't switch the bubbles on as it made talking difficult. I didn't know what to say, so Eve decided to start us off and gave the true story of her last boyfriend. The male model called Pablo. She did ask me to keep this to myself, but apparently, she didn't dump him because he was being unfaithful with some girls in Las Vegas. He was being unfaithful with Gavin, Laura's partner. There were photos that were pretty damning. The clever photographer showed them to Laura hoping to get a reaction and more photos, instead she had bought them off him for significantly more than he would have been able to sell them to a magazine for. Gavin apologised profusely. His father would disown him if he ever found out. He pretended to be really upset and angry, but actually paid for her to go to the Mauritius with a partner as a thank you. Eve wasn't really in love with Pablo, just in lust, since he had an amazing body and a penis the size of a barge pole. Eve smiled in reminiscence. He had inspired quite a few sexy songs. The point was, that led to her having a holiday with Laura and falling in love, way deeper than she had ever been before. Was she hurt? Of course she was. Her ego took a real hit when the man she was dating needed anther man to satisfy him. However, it led to something much better. If both her and Laura were not hurt in the first place, they probably wouldn't have opened up to each other as much as they did.

“Do you still love her?” Eve asked me finally.

“Yes.” I replied.

“Love is precious and the great thing is there is no limit to it. Do you want to stop loving her?”

“No.” I took a deep breath. “I can't blame her for wanting a sister relationship rather than anything else. She has always been attracted to men and as I have moved away from a more masculine persona, I suppose it was inevitable that she would find me less attractive.” I sighed. “I want her to be happy. My biggest fear is that this will drive us apart. I want her to go on dates and then phone me all excited and tell me all about it. At the same time I am both worried that she won't do that because she doesn't want to hurt me and that she will and it breaks my heart even worse. I am a mess.” I confessed to Eve.

“Love is messy. But what you are worrying about is silly. You are scared of a future that hasn't happened yet. Why think the worst when you can imagine the best. How about this. You meet someone wonderful, fall hopelessly in love and are able to share it all with Jen. When she meets someone, she knows that she doesn't have to worry about hurting you anymore so she tells you everything and because you love someone else so much, all you feel is happiness. Doesn't that sound better?”

“Maybe.” Logically I could see where she was going, but emotionally I was struggling to get there.

“What you mean is yes, but you want to wallow in your heartbreak first. I have a solution for that.”

She did too. We got out of the hot tub and got dressed. She led me back the stage and set up the microphone. This time she also set up a stand and put an ipad on it and we spent an hour or so singing the saddest songs we could find on you tube. Sometimes I cried during the song, and my voice broke, but we didn't stop, just went to the next one and continued until I felt cried out and begged her to stop. We then went for the happiest songs we could find and spent the next hour, singing, dancing and having fun. I can't deny I did feel a lot better at the end of it. I hadn't really lost Jen. We would always be close. If I was being positive, maybe even closer, since we had more to share. It was just different to the dreams I had previously held about our relationship. I now needed to create more positive dreams for our future where we are both happy.

Chapter 21

In much better spirits, trying my best not to let myself spiral again thinking about Jen, I took my possessions to my new room. The bed was piled high with clothes and shoe boxes. I had to check that I had the right room. Laura just smiled at me and told me this was the result of our shopping trip. It was now my job to take the tags off everything and hang it up in the wardrobe. She also wanted me to practice wearing the heels and asked if I would like a few suggestions in deportment. I said yes and then had to sneak away to look up deportment. I think she is taking this feminine thing a bit too far, but her heart is in the right place and I struggle to say no to her.

That evening we had dinner, just the four of us at the dining room table. Maria cooked for us as usual, but for whatever reason never sat down and ate with us. I don't think that it was because she wouldn't be welcome, more of a case that she wanted to keep her distance. Eve told us that she had managed to arrange for us to visit the principle of the high school on Monday, with a provisional start on Tuesday. They had managed to enter me on the system as a foreign exchange and would change it when the appropriate paperwork caught up.

Tomorrow they had managed to book me an appointment with a Psychologist. The first session was going to be more of an evaluation. Considering my history, they wanted to make sure that my night terrors were not associated with my previous diagnosis of Gender dysphoria. When I was researching I found so many different names for the same thing, I wondered if different doctors called it different things. Anyway, not something that I was looking forward to. At least Gem had already contacted my relatives in England and knew who my therapist was. I could pretend to know who had been treating me. My concern about tomorrows session, in combination with my heartbreak about my change in relationship with Jen, meant that I was expecting a bad night. I was glad that I was in my own room and each room was quite spacious. I just hoped that if I did scream it wouldn't wake anybody else up.

That was not to be. I woke up to the sound of my own scream. I think I even whimpered a few times. My door opened quickly and I presumed Gem got into bed with me and held me. Looking back there were some tell tale differences. She murmured reassurances, but not the usual ones and the hug and spoon felt off. At the time I was in such a state that all I knew was someone caring and female was comforting me. I found out in the morning that it was Laura. As to how they heard me, they had placed a fricken baby monitor outside my door. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw it. Not that I immediately knew what it was, but I was curious about this object just outside my door. When I picked it up any noise I made caused it to light up and when I looked at the small print on the back it identified itself as a baby monitor.

It also made me glad that I hadn't tried masturbating yet. I had been debating it. I had some pleasant sensations when washing and just wasn't quite at ease enough with myself to start down that road. Now I laughed with the thought of them catching me at it. That was definitely going to be off the list for awhile.

I could be upset about the invasion of privacy and I would be if they had caught me in some humiliating way. I could see, however, that they were just trying to look after me and last night I was freaked out enough that I really appreciated their efforts. The fact that it was Laura was quite heart warming. I knew her the least and I knew that Gem needed the sleep, so I was grateful rather than distressed. I sneaked out to the lounge, trying to leave Laura to sleep in.

I opened up my laptop and sent Jen a long email. I knew that our conversation yesterday had been strained and I hated that. So I wrote from my heart, telling her that I had been upset because a cherished dream had been broken, but I realised this gave me the opportunity to create a new dream where both my sister and myself found and shared in each others happiness. I asked her, begged her, really, to share everything with me and I would do the same with her. If we were going to be sisters, I wanted to be the best damn sister I could be.

Maria always has Sunday off as she is quite religious and usually one day during the week, but is quite flexible. This meant we had to sort ourselves out for breakfast. Laura was the next to wake up and she decided to cook breakfast, so I did my best to help her. They had a proper coffee machine, where you just put the correct sachet in the top and pressed a button. Pretty soon after the bacon started frying, Gem and Eve made an appearance. I took their drink orders and delivered them to the dining table.

After breakfast I had to get ready for my therapist. I think Laura was delighted that I asked for her advice as to what to wear. To be honest, it was a strategic decision. Gem, I am sure has good taste, but she twenty years older than me so her knowledge of teen fashion is going to be limited. Eve likes expressing herself, but is clearly not interested in dressing up. Laura is only ten years older than me, is always very careful about what she wears and spent a whole day with me, being lectured by Daphne as to what was appropriate. It also gave me the opportunity to thank Laura for last night. When I did that, I think I was feeling a little ashamed and couldn't lift my eyes to her, until she put her finger under my chin and forced me to. Then she made sure to keep eye contact and said “you're welcome”.

She first asked about how comfortable I was with dresses and skirts. I replied that I was better than I was, but not completely there yet. She loved the yet, but suggested that for a therapist visit, I should start in my comfort zone, so she picked out a pair of jeans, a pretty bra and pantie set, a lilac top, white socks and pink sneakers. Clearly female without being too feminine. I presented myself to her after my shower, styling my hair and getting dressed for a final check, she then led me back to her walk in robe and put on some mild makeup. A touch of mascara, blusher and lipstick. Then she said I was done.

I thought we were going to have to drive to see this doctor. Instead he came to visit us. Gem and I waited in the waiting lounge for him to arrive and then answered the door when he did. Dr Rose was a big guy, over six foot and solid with it. I realised immediately that this was not going to work. Through no fault of his own, he triggered my anxiety. I wasn't at panic levels, but the closer he was to me the more uncomfortable I felt and I certainly wasn't going to be able to relax and open up to him. I didn't want to be rude, so I thought I would have to tough out this session and then speak to Gem afterwards.

I was given a questionnaire and left Gem to discuss my issues while I filled it out in another room. I had seen similar ones on the net when I was researching transgenderism. I can't deny I thought it was a pretty pointless exercise since I knew my issues related to my attack. The only time I was stressed about my gender identity was when I was considering going through with female to male transition.

I filled it out as best I could, handed it Dr Rose and then chose the seat in the lounge furthest away from him. He then asked Gem to leave so that we could talk privately and moved so that he was much closer to me. Both actions make perfect logical sense, but my mind struggled with his actions.

I knew my posture had become a lot more defensive, my breathing was faster than I wanted and my heart rate had elevated. I tried to do some calming techniques that usually involve me closing my eyes, but, by the sound of it, he was getting irritated, thinking that I was ignoring him.

“Sss sorry dddoctor, you arrre making meee nervous.” I managed to get out.

“How am I making you nervous? I haven't done anything.” He responded. He probably said it in an ordinary tone of voice. I knew your mind can play tricks on you when adrenaline and stress hits your body. Instead, I heard anger and annoyance in his voice that made me edge more towards panic. I don't think I was capable of doing my calming exercises anymore. I couldn't close my eyes, take deep breaths and visualise a safe place. I felt an irresistible need to keep my eyes on him so I would know exactly where he was.

Something in my posture, words, expression or maybe just my eyes, allowed him to realise that he couldn't talk to me right then. He thankfully backed off a bit and pulled out his phone. I didn't concentrate on what he was saying. I was almost fixated on knowing exactly where he was and whether he was going to be moving in my direction.

A short while later, Gem and Eve came in together. Eve talked to the doctor and Gem came over to wrap me up in a hug and murmur soothing words. I couldn't really let it go until I saw Eve lead him out the room towards the exit.

Chapter 22 Agent Atworth's POV

I entered the directors office clutching the file that I had been given three hours ago. He indicated for me to take a seat.

“Well, what do you think?” He asked me.

“It's incredible.” I replied.

“What are your conclusions?” He prompted.

“That we may have an UE inhabiting a human body. The evidence is all circumstantial, but it is all pointing in that direction.” I suggested.

“Walk me through your thought processes, I will play devil's advocate.” He asked. It was one of those times I wondered if he was just giving me enough rope to hang myself.

“We have multiple accounts of the bus being delayed by four hours and plenty of subjects who all remember the same thing. Falling off the cliff and then waking up to find themselves unharmed, parked nearby. We have examined the probable site where this occurred and there is a clear path of destruction to the flora and fauna. No other evidence.”

“Could that have been from a previous accident?” He argued.

“If it was from anything previous, it should have been reported or the railing should either be damaged or show signs of being replaced. We would also expect some small evidence from a cleared site, like tyre marks, leaking fluids or bits of glass. We can be fairly sure that we have an UEI. This is not the first time this has happened and fits with similar occurrences, except for,” I had a quick check to get the names right, “Richard Leane and Dillan Trent.”

“What was different?”

“All previous UEI's have been benign. No one has been hurt or negatively effected in any way. In this case Richard and Dillan started behaving completely out of character. Dillan immediately emptied his bank accounts and sold his business to his girlfriend. He then proceeded to ski like an expert, when he had never skied before. He also started drinking copious amounts of alcohol and started taking drugs. He became aggressive and reckless which is not at all like his usual character. His girlfriend broke up with him and he managed to convince Amy and Peter Leane to put him up in their suite.”

“What do you think the purpose of that would be?”

“I think it was a set up for what happened next.” I replied honestly. “Richard who was a transitioning female to male transexual, reversed his course almost overnight. Started calling herself Sophia and hanging out with Jennifer Wakefield, Dillan's girlfriend. We spoke to Richard's Psychologist and he was convinced that Richard would never change his mind. He was a classic, almost textbook, case. There had never been any doubts and the only reason he had not been on testosterone or had any surgery was for age and legal reasons. As further evidence that Richard was not really Richard, there is video of Sophia swimming in a spa hotel. Richard could not swim.”

“OK, so they were behaving out of character, how do you conclude that Richard who now calls herself Sophia, is an Unidentified Entity?” He asked me.

“If I was to imagine that I was an UE impersonating a human, then I would need to get rid of anybody who knew me or disassociate myself from all of them. By getting Dillan to kill off her parents, perhaps knowing that she would be taken to the states by someone who didn't know her, she would achieve her goals. She could then be completely different to the original and no one would be the wiser.”

“What about Dillan attacking her as well?”

“Misdirection. She becomes a victim, which would garner sympathy. Notice he attacks her in a way that does not physically damage her.” I reply.

“What about the psychological trauma that the doctor at the hospital reported?” He asked me.

“I figure that could be more play acting, looking vulnerable so that others will look after her or it could be real, relating to an UE getting to grips with a human body. There is no solid evidence to any of this, so it is all a thought exercise.” I suggest.

“If you were in charge of the case what would you do next?” He was looking at me very seriously when he said that, so I knew my next words would be crucial if I wanted the case.

“Obviously this could be an incredible opportunity. To be able to finally communicate with a UE would be amazing. The possibilities are mouth watering. Their technology is so far in advance of ours, if we could convince Sophia to talk we could end up with a huge technical advantage over the other nations. Economically and militarily we could become unassailable. I see two possible approaches. Become friends with her and try and get her to co operate with us, or capture her and use stronger means to get her compliance. In order to work out which direction to take, I think we need more information to determine which way to go, at the same time we have to make sure no other nation gets their hands on her. I would suggest we try and get an undercover agent close to her and create a constant perimeter around her so she can't escape.”

“There is good news on that front. Sophia has just moved into General Hatwell's daughters house, better known as Eve. General Hatwell mainly works in intelligence and Eve, his daughter, has been a useful operative in her own right. Her music tours have given us the ability to gather and move information without suspicion. The case is yours. You have my permission to discuss this case with the General and between you come up with a plan that would be in our nation's interest.” The director told me.

Laura's POV

Something had clearly gone wrong with the therapy session. I found Gem cuddling a panic stricken Soph, while Eve was showing the Psychologist out. Soph looked so vulnerable. I don't think her eyes could get any bigger, she was hugging her knees and shaking. I went to the other side of her and hugged her. Seeing her like that really tugged on my heartstrings. I felt a need to love and protect her that was primal, practically written into my DNA.

Soph went for a little lie down in her bedroom while we had a council.

“What do you think went wrong?” I asked.

“He came highly recommended, specialising in female to male transitions.” Eve replied.

“I think we need someone to help her with her assault. I don't think her issues are about her gender. I also think we should be looking for a female practitioner.” Gem suggested.

“The Psychologist was a man? I don't think that was a good idea. Was he a big man?” I asked.

“Yes, he was huge.” Gem replied.

“She struggled when we had bodyguards during our shopping trip, that may have been enough to trigger her worries. How close was he to her? She was OK when they were at a distance, but started tensing up when they came close.” I mentioned.

“You're right.” Gem responded thoughtfully. “She sat some distance from him and I am guessing he approached her to talk.”

There was a period of quiet while we all digested that.

“That all sounds plausible and can be solved easily by finding a female therapist. The bigger question is, what about school?” Eve asked.

Which left a longer pause while we all considered it.

“What about your emotional technique Gem, have you tried that on her?” I asked. Gem had helped me with some of my emotional issues and I had found it really helped me.

“Yes, I have and she said she is a lot better than she was. She was frightened about just leaving the hospital before I did anything. In my experience, the emotional technique is great for taking the energy out of the emotion and sometimes that is enough in itself, but sometimes it can be about the beliefs that we form. After her attack, her mind has formed the belief that large men are dangerous and for no reason whatsoever could potentially assault her, because that is what happened. It is my belief that the more that doesn't happen the better she will feel and I have seen her calm herself down numerous times when she has begun to feel tense. If she goes to school and we all know there will be some large boys there, if they show her she has nothing to fear, their behaviour could help enormously with her anxiety. On the other hand, if even one large boy is physical with her, it could set her right back. I'm not sure what the right answer is. To be honest, I was hoping to ask the Psychologist today.” Gem responded.

“She can't start school until we know that it would be a good idea. None of us are professionals and that is what we need to guide us. I think you can still do the visit and tour tomorrow, Eve, and we can find another therapist in the meantime.” I said, trying to be firm and sort of put my foot down, even though, she was not my responsibility and I didn't have the right.

Chapter 23 Sophia's POV

I managed to calm myself down just lying in bed. I tried to relax and do my calming exercises. Before I knew it, I was waking up after a short nap. I think emotions are exhausting. Of course, it could just be waking up in the middle of the night on a regular basis. When I was feeling so scared I really appreciated all the love and attention I received, now I was feeling embarrassed. My mind started heading towards some really negative thoughts, calling myself a silly child and worse, so I got out of bed and sheepishly joined the three adults at the table, not quite meeting anybody's eyes.

“Feeling better?” Gem asked me. She was sitting opposite, so facing me.

“Much, thanks. And err... thanks for taking care of me.” I quickly glanced at each of them so they knew I meant all of them.

“You're welcome.” Laura said. She was sitting next to me and she reached to rub my back in a comforting way. “Do you want to tell us what happened?”

I took a deep breath and tried to organise my thoughts. “I think I might need a female therapist. As stupid as it sounds, I started getting scared as soon as I saw him, just because he was a big man. I realised that I would probably find it difficult to relax with him, but I didn't want to be rude, so I was hoping to get through the session and then talk to you.”

“It's not stupid honey.” Gem replied. “Your mind has a valid reason to be scared of big men, we just need to convince it that what happened to you was an anomaly not commonplace. What went wrong?”

“I tried to get some distance to make myself feel better, so I sat as far away as possible. As soon as he asked you to leave, he came a lot closer to me. That stressed me out, so I tried to do my calming exercises. I think he thought I was ignoring him and started becoming irritated and maybe even angry. That made me more anxious so I tried to tell him that he was making me nervous. By that point, I couldn't calm myself down anymore. I hate being so useless.” I said, breaking down and crying into my hands. I can't seem to go five minutes without crying, which made me feel worse and even harder to stop the tears.

Gem reached over to stroke my head and Laura side hugged me. Both telling me that I wasn't useless and I was getting better. The problem with them being so nice was it didn't help me stop the crying.

“Let's change the subject.” Eve declared. “How about a gym workout?” She asked me.

“Yes, please.” Having something else to think about and do helped me the most to calm down. So I got up and went to my room to get changed. I also took a small bag with my swimming costume, since we usually finished with a few laps and a relax in the hot tub.

When I came out everyone else had vanished. I thought about going to the gym on my own and meeting Eve there, but that seemed antisocial so I waited. Gem was the first to join me. She really didn't like doing any gym work, but she would do some swimming and join us in the hot tub at the end. Laura and Eve came out together in their workout gear then we all headed to the gym.

Eve and I tried to do a similar workout to what Jane had pushed us to do, which was a combination of yoga, weights and cardio. Laura did the same but skipped the weights and Gem was out of sight, swimming. I pushed myself, mainly to try and stop thinking, or maybe to punish myself for being hard on myself. I always hated it when Jen was hyper self critical and knew it was not helpful in any way. I wasn't sure if it was a female thing or that my thinking was due to my experiences as a girl.

We then did a few lazy laps in the pool to cool down and jumped into the hot tub. We talked, but by unspoken agreement avoided anything too emotional. It almost felt like we were forming a little family. We ordered pizza and watched movies together. We had to avoid all of Laura's movies since it made her self conscious. Still, she was very knowledgable about the movie industry and was able to pick some great choices. I decided that I needed to watch some of her movies when she wasn't present. They would have more meaning to me now. I would have to chose them carefully, I didn't want to watch any where she was hurt or behaved evil.

It was a lovely, heartwarming, emotionally comforting day, after a terrible beginning. I was so lucky.

We were still gathered in the lounge watching a movie when the day caught up with me and I realised that I needed to go to bed. I wanted some way to say thank you, so I went up to each of them, gave them a hug, kissed them on the cheek and said goodnight. I went through my nightly routine as shown by Amy and started to settle in my bed when I heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.” I called.

Laura came in, already dressed in a nightie, her hair in a sleep braid, clearly also ready for bed. “We had a chat this morning when you had a nap and decided that it would be better if one of us slept with you tonight, if you don't mind.”

I smiled at her. I could hardly refuse and then scream in the night and wake everyone. “I don't mind. Did you draw the short straw?”

“No. I won the honour at a game of cards.” She smiled back at me. “Gem has a lot of work to do tomorrow, Eve sleeps like the dead and probably wouldn't wake anyway, which leaves me. I am happy to do it. I have a naturally trusting nature that has been through a couple of bad experiences recently. It feels good to let someone in again. Helping you is helping me. Tonight almost feels like a sleepover. We have had movies, pizza and now company when we sleep. Practically perfect. I think tonight has been magical for all of us, we will definitely need to repeat it.”

I opened the covers invitingly and she jumped in. When I had slept with Gem before we always started going to sleep separately and then after I needed reassurance, she would cuddle me and we would wake up that way. Laura did not wait for me to need it, but went straight for a cuddle. It was nice and almost spiritually comforting. I fell asleep thinking how nice she was and how so very lucky I was.

I did wake in the night, terrified as usual, but I think Laura knew what was happening before I did and was already stroking me and murmuring soothing words. I may have made some noise when I woke. Not the ear piercing scream I usually manage. The proactive approach was clearly effective. I fell back to sleep quickly. One of my better nights.

Eve told me at breakfast that we were still going to the meeting with the principal and on a tour of the school, but I wouldn't be starting school until a therapist said it would be a good idea. Clearly there were going to be boys and some, especially in the football team, were quite large, so, although Eve wanted me to continue my education, not at the risk to my mental health.

I asked Laura to disguise me. If I was going to tour the school with Eve, and ended up going to that school, I didn't want anyone pretending to be my friend so that they could meet Eve or Laura. I almost expected them to laugh at me. They didn't though, they treated it very seriously. Laura lent me a dark brown hair wig, chose my clothes and did my makeup so that I could hardly recognise myself. My normal day wear was trousers of one type or another, so she chose a dress with a cardigan to keep me warm, nude tights and one of the pairs of three inch heels. Essentially dressing me very different to how I would normally do so. Since I wasn't wearing sunglasses inside, the properly observant could see through the disguise, but very few teenagers were.

Chapter 24

It was just me and Eve going. Eve decided the car journey was the perfect opportunity to discuss what she knew about the school. She had only moved in the last couple of years, so she wasn't a long term resident and could only report what her school contacts had told her. The school was a public school, but it was catering to a very rich area with extremely wealthy contributors. The teachers were said to be first class and the facilities excellent.

Since the catchment area only included the well off to billionaires, they were strict with their admission policies. This meant the diversity of the students was pretty narrow. There had been complaints regarding this and in previous years they had let in a more diverse population, but it had caused tensions so it had been abandoned. They were keen on their football and basketball but not very successful. For the girls there was cheerleading, women's basketball, soccer, track, swimming and gymnastics. I'm guessing the men had more options but Eve had not looked into it or didn't think it was worth mentioning.

I think they had planned the visit to coincide with when everybody should be in class, so when we arrived it was relatively deserted. The grounds were huge and the building well maintained. If I was to guess, I would say that it was built in the 1920's as there was this art deco feel to it. The layout seemed straight forward with wide corridors and lots of lockers.

There were a few stragglers who stared at Eve in surprise, before hurrying off. Eve was holding a map that we used to direct us to the administration area. Gem or Lisa probably printed it out for her. The receptionist offered us drinks while she informed the principal that we had arrived. He came out shortly afterwards, introduced himself and ushered us into his office. He sat himself behind a big wooden desk. Eve sat opposite and I sat next to her.

The man was tall, but thin. I felt wary of him without my anxiety triggering in a big way.

“I believe we can accommodate you, Ms Hatwell. Certainly these are unusual circumstances, and I would like some legal documentation showing that you are her legal guardian at some stage. We have had foreign students here before. We can use transfer information from her previous school and use our assessments, so that she should be able to graduate.”

“That is great, Mr Calder. There are a couple of issues that we needed to discuss, so thank you for granting us some of your time.”

I couldn't help glancing at Eve. She was showing a much more serious side to her than I had seen previously. Still strong and assertive, but now more business like.

“To start with, I presume our conversation is confidential?” Eve continued.

“Of course.”

“We are unsure what name Sophia's school transcripts would come under. Sophia was diagnosed as transgender and had been living as a boy until relatively recently. The school she was attending, was a boy's school where she was known as Richard. Her birth certificate and passport still have her as Sophia, but we don't know under what name the school will send the file.”

“I don't think that will be a problem. The receptionist will have to know and I will need some proof that Richard and Sophia are one and the same, if they come through under Richard. As I said before we can start her off under our protocols for foreign exchange students until we can sort out the paperwork. For stability it would be better if that was done sooner rather than later.” Mr Calder replied.

“I do appreciate your assistance. As I mentioned I am a strong advocate for education and want Soph to start as soon as possible, however, there is a slight snag. Part of the reason that Sophia is in my and her Aunt's care is because she has been through some trauma. Just to be safe we want a therapist to give the go ahead before she starts. Today I will be making some calls and hope to find someone as soon as possible.”

“I would normally suggest that you see our school counsellor. If she couldn't assist you she would know who could. Unfortunately, she has recently resigned.” He looked at us both with a considering look, then took a deep breath. “We have a good school here, with I believe excellent teachers and good students. We have had a recent incident that does not look favourably on us. When Sophia joins us, she would likely find out so it is better if I mention the particulars. The school counsellor, Mrs Bartlett, used to hold confidential group meetings with the LGBT students. Someone, and we don't know who, managed to place hidden cameras in the room and recorded one session. This was then posted on youtube anonymously and shared on facebook. Everyone who was in the closet, so to speak, is now out of the closet. Some parents of those affected have removed their children and those that haven't have reported some isolating behaviour. No outright bullying, for which we have a no tolerance policy. Mrs Bartlett felt responsible and under some pressure from some of the parents, decided to resign. It is not ideal. Right now we need a counsellor more than ever and I am endeavouring to speed up the process of hiring a new one. When I have found a suitable replacement, would you like me to give her your contact details?”

“We may well have solved the issue by then, but, yes, please do.” Eve responded.

“On the presumption that Sophia will be starting at some point, I will give you the papers that you need to fill in, so that we can work out her schedule.”

“That is fine. Is it possible we could have a tour?”

“Absolutely. I will take you myself.”

The principal knew his school like the back of his hand. I am pretty sure that a principal would not ordinarily conduct a tour, but we are talking about Eve here. Even if she didn't want it, she would get special treatment. He showed us the obvious stuff, classrooms, gym, grounds, swimming pool, and specialist areas, like the AV room and music studios. Whilst he was doing so he would also add details, like clubs and opportunities that the school provided.

“So, what do you think?” Eve asked me, as we were driving back.

“The school seems very nice. It does sound a bit worrying about the LGBT students. I am about 90% sure that I am a lesbian. I think ones sexual orientation should be a private matter not something spread across the school. I really feel for those affected.” I'm sure the school may think no bullying is going on. I am also sure that physically hurting someone is only one aspect of bullying. I didn't want to think about that too much, I was well aware that I could well be the next target. “When we were talking to the principal, you mentioned that you would be my legal guardian as well as Gem. I thought we were only saying that to get me in and when we had evidence that Gem and I were living with you, I would just be Gem's legal responsibility?”

“I am sorry, we never asked you and we should have done. We were discussing it yesterday. We can write a letter to say that you are staying at my house with your Aunt. That does not sound like a very stable environment and Laura asked a valid, if uncomfortable question. What would happen to you if Gem was incapacitated? Child services would take you away, no question. Plan for the worst while hoping for the best, is what my dad would always say. Laura said she would be happy to take over, but she is often all over the place with her work, so logically I was a better choice. Do you mind if I also become your legal guardian?”

“No. Of course not. It just caught me by surprise. You both have been so kind to me.” I could feel myself getting emotional again. I blinked back tears. I still wanted her to know how I felt, so I leaned across and kissed her on her cheek. “Thank you.” I said.

Chapter 25

The rest of the day was partially planned. Eve had managed to shift her schedule so that we could still do the singing lessons and gym, even if I was at school. Eve had her lesson or practice session, starting at three and mine was at four pm. Jane was due to start the personal training at five. In the meantime, I had to make some choices as to what to study. Eve and Laura were going to call some friends and see if they had any recommendations regarding therapists.

Essentially there were seven periods in a day. Some subjects were mandatory and some were elective. My choices also had to fit with what was available in terms of class scheduling and I wouldn't know the order of the subjects for the same reason. I could just choose the subjects that I had already studied to make my life easy, but I actually enjoy learning so I wanted to try something new. I didn't have that many choices though. I had to take English, Maths, Science, Gym and Social Studies. Each of these mandatory subjects had a bit of variation. English could be English language or English literature. Science covered individual subjects such as Physics, Chemistry and Biology. It also included combinations and one general, which I guess was a bit of everything. Maths was just a series of levels with descriptions of what was covered. Gym was just Gym, but Social Studies included US history, and since I knew very little about that, it was an easy choice. My two electives were going to be Basic Piano which included music theory and Spanish. I thought if I was getting singing lessons anyway, being able to read and understand music better would be a good idea. I had always wanted to learn Spanish, but it was not offered at my school previously. I then had to add a couple of others in case it was not possible to create a schedule with my options, so I chose Home economics and Typing. Typing sounded a bit boring and I was pretty fast with my finger poke method, but I had always wanted to learn and was tempted to start learning anyway. I (groan) had another two and a half years of schooling in front of me, just when I thought I had almost finished and typing would come in handy with any assignments.

I had to be a little careful in my selections, since I didn't really know that much about Richards life and what he had studied. Gem didn't know either, so there was no one to ask. The school transcripts would be interesting. I hoped I would also get a chance to look at them, then I would have more of an idea what I was supposed to know. Maths was going to be boring. I was taking double maths, which was the equivalent to the first year in university and now I was going to have to pretend a lower level.

Eve came in to look at my choices. She approved my primary options and laughed at my alternatives. She also promised to help me with the music lessons one way or another. While she was with me she got a surprise call from the principal. A quite distinguished psychologist was going to be the new school counsellor. Regardless of whether I saw another therapist, the school counsellor would still like to touch base with me. A new appointment was booked for the next day at the school to meet the counsellor, Dr Barn. After the conversation Eve said she was going to check out the name she had been given and see what information she could find out. She also suggested that it made sense to meet her first before we tried anyone else.

Over lunch she explained what she had found out. She believed that Dr Barn was over qualified and probably only on a temporary assignment. Eve's best guess was that it was due to what had happened with the LGBT student body. This could work out well for me, though.

The rest of the day went well. The singing lesson and gym sessions were fun. Hard work, but fun. I still had to spend quite a bit of the day on my own. Gem was mostly occupied with wedding stuff, Laura would come and chat to me, but she also had her own things that she was doing. Eve likewise would come and see me during her breaks, but she had some new songs to work on, so that is where her focus was. I think I needed to be able to go to school or I would get bored quickly.

That night, Gem slipped into bed with me. I did wake myself up with a scream and Gem did her usual comforting. Within a few seconds of my scream, Laura opened the door to check on me. Saw that I was in Gem's arms and went back to bed. I don't think Laura can help herself from caring, she is such a sweetheart. She is going to make an amazing mother one day. How anyone can even think of betraying her, I don't understand.

The next day Laura took me to school. She wanted to have a look at it herself or, at least, that was her excuse. I think she was like a mother hen and trying to guard me from more potential harm. I didn't think I would have any problems with this therapist. She was female, so my anxiety should not surface. We went straight to the school counsellor's office, fortunately, I knew where it was from my tour the day before. Laura and I were in our disguises. The students were in class and those that were not, did not notice us in the same way they had with Eve.

Dr Barn was a woman in her late fifties, maybe early sixties, with warm brown eyes and a ready smile. Her clothing was professional and very neat. Her hair was more grey than brown and swept back into a bun on the back of her head. Laura wanted to stay and I had no problems discussing anything in front of her. Let's be honest, she had seen me at my worst.

None of my anxiety was present so I had no problem describing all my issues with Dr Barn. She asked me to go through each episode in as much detail as I could and just encouraged me to talk. She occasionally asked a question, usually to make something I said clearer. Also demonstrating that she was listening closely.

Talking about my anxiety attacks didn't stir up my emotions too much. I felt more embarrassed than anything else. Then she asked me to talk about the assault and that was a whole different kettle of fish. As soon as I thought back to it, I started to struggle. By the time I had described the opening scene, where I had woken up and seen Richard in the doorway, I could vaguely feel Laura holding me, my breathing was out of control and my heart rate was going crazy.

Dr Barn stopped me, gave me a few minutes to calm down and then asked for me to imagine going to the cinema. She talked about the foyer with the snacks, popcorn, drinks and people moving around. She mentioned the sounds, the smells and the feel of the cardboard box holding the popcorn. Then I had to picture myself stepping into the projection booth with the projector in front of me and a thick glass window in front of the projector, through which I could see the movie screen. Then we played the movie of the attack, but from a third party point of view. I was separated from the scene by distance and the glass window. It didn't take very long since the event was over pretty rapidly. I still could feel my heart beating fast, but I managed to get through it. Then she asked me something really strange. First she asked me to rewind the tape and imagine Richard walking backwards away from me, followed by playing it again, but Richard had big red clown feet and a red nose clipped on his face. Lastly, after another weird rewind, picturing these clown feet in reverse, we played the movie again, with ice cream van music, an purple afro hairstyle, clown nose and feet. It was getting easier to go through it, so I think it helped.

At the end of it she gave me the go ahead for going to school. She admitted that I might find certain situations stressful. She would speak to the football coach and ask him to speak to his players. The vast majority of the larger boys would be in that group and they would be asked to try and keep their distance. I wasn't sure that would be a good idea. I sort of felt that was like pointing out to a wolf pack the weakest member of the herd. Still, I presumed she knew what she was doing. She did want me to come in early each day for a quick half an hour session with her before the day began. She was hoping that my exposure at the school would help cure me of my anxiety around men. If I was to get too anxious at any point, I had her permission to come straight to her office. So I was starting school tomorrow.

After I had finished with Dr Barn, we gave our filled in forms back to the school receptionist. Tomorrow, they would hand me my schedule and locker designation. They would also try and find someone with a similar schedule to accompany me on my first day. I also got permission to give Laura a quick tour, which also helped me lock in my knowledge of where everything was.

It was only when we were travelling back that I started wondering if I had called my attacker Richard or Dillan. A cold sweat with a chill caused me to shiver briefly. Laura noticed and asked if anything was wrong. I put it down to feeling wrung out from my session with Dr Barn. We spent the rest of the limo drive with Laura cuddling me, trying to make me feel better. I wish I could tell them the truth. I debated getting Gem to show them the diary. The problem was that there was no real evidence and the truth was really hard to be believed. I think Laura might believe me, she is less sceptical in general. Eve on the other hand doesn't seem to believe in anything. Telling her would almost certainly be a mistake. I may have to tell Laura anyway. If she heard me say Richard, then she may start to question our story soon. I would check with Gem, but I think we should tell Laura and then ask her whether we should tell Eve.

Chapter 26

The first opportunity I had to talk to Gem, I asked for a private meeting. She couldn't straight away, but after a promised five minutes that ended up being half an hour, we met in my bedroom. I explained what had happened with Dr Barn and the love that Laura was showing and my desire to come clean. I also mentioned my fears about Eve and my thoughts that if we convinced Laura, she could decide what to do with Eve.

Gem thought it was my decision really. She also said that if I can slip up once, I probably will do again some time. If I wanted her to, she would speak to Laura after lunch and use the Diary as evidence. After lunch Eve would be working on her music, then her singing lesson and not long after that her personal training session, so Laura would have time to digest and ask questions when she wanted. I asked if I should be there and Gem suggested against it.

I felt relieved and stressed at the same time. It was the right decision. I knew it was the right decision. If it didn't go well, we might well be back in the one bed flat. I'm not sure whether Gem had cancelled that lease and I didn't want to ask. I wouldn't be going to that school and I would lose two friendships that were beginning to mean a lot to me. Real worse case scenario, they told the MIB and I was taken away. What was that saying again about good intentions?

To keep myself distracted I started looking at the different subjects that I had chosen and any studying I could do regarding them. I picked a book on American history that had a lot of good reviews. I couldn't buy it though. Something else to add to the list, get an American bank account. Not much point until I had some money to put in it. I might have to ask Gem for a loan. I also needed a phone. I hate asking for things. Another reason to be frustrated by my change in circumstance. I took a deep breath and realised that I was just replacing my nervousness with other emotions. I was getting angry and irritable. This was not me. I needed to get this out of my system. I still had a personal training session later, but I needed to do something now. I checked my watch. Lunch was still an hour away. Time enough to do some laps of the pool. I got changed quickly and headed for the pool. I started with a couple of warm up laps and then I went full speed, giving it everything. Two lengths was all it took and I was shattered. Slow lengths until I had recovered then one fast one, then back to slow. I must have zoned a bit. It took Gem tapping me on the head when I reached one end to bring me back to reality.

“Lunch is ready.” She said and left me to it.

I hurried myself, not bothering with more than a rinse off. When I arrived I apologised for being late, which everyone waved off. The food was great as usual, but I wasn't that hungry, so I only really picked at it. My stomach felt off. I knew the stress was getting to me. After lunch I tried to have a nap. It was impossible though, I tossed and turned completely uncomfortable. I knew Gem would be speaking to Laura any second and my life could change in an instant.

I needed to occupy myself with something. I decided to write a letter. I wrote to Eve and Laura, telling them how much I appreciated them and all they had done for me. The love, care and tenderness that they had shown had really warmed my heart. That I had to begun to care deeply for them both and wished them all the happiness in the world. If they felt deceived in any way or uncomfortable with my presence, I would go, but I would never betray their trust in any way. It took a long time to come up with the right words for a letter that I hoped would never be read. That is not quite what happened though. I was sitting at the kitchen table typing it out on my laptop. I had just about finished when I felt this hand on my shoulder.

“Eeep!” An involuntary sound escaped as I leap half a foot straight up from my chair from surprise. Heart rate approaching the speed of light, I twisted my head to see Laura standing behind me with tears in her eyes.

“Oh honey.” She said, now holding her hand open, body language requesting a hug.

I got out of the chair and hugged her, crying like crazy. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry.” I kept repeating.

“Hush baby, hush.” She said, stroking my hair. “You don't have anything to be sorry for. What you have been through. What you are going through. I believe you. I believe you.”

We manoeuvred ourselves to the sofa, still holding one another. “So, you are really Dillan?”

I nodded my head, I don't think I was capable of speaking.

“Wow.” She said.

Laura's POV

When Gem wanted some privacy for a chat, I took her back to my bedroom. As part of our bedroom area we had a small sofa in front of a large screen TV, so that is where we sat. I knew it was something about Soph, but I would never have guessed in a month of Sundays. First Gem gave me this little speech about trust and believable truths which left me even more confused. Then she passed across a slim book which turned out to be the diary of Soph's mother. She had a book mark suggesting where to start.

It began when Soph was calling herself Richard and they were getting ready to go on holiday. I thought it was to give me an idea of what Richard/Soph was like before he/she changed her mind on the whole transition thing. Then we got to the bus journey and I looked up at Gem in surprise. She just said keep reading. I went back to that time before the bus journey and I could see why Gem had suggested I start there. The way Richard was described was nothing like Soph as I knew her. I read through the wonderful shopping trip and how Amy was bonding to her new daughter. As it was a diary there were gaps in the story and Gem had actually written some questions relating to those gaps and then added Soph's replies to those questions.

I couldn't guess how many scripts I had read. You learn to read when characters words and actions gel with the personality they are supposed to be portraying. You get an almost instinctive feel for authenticity. I didn't doubt this story for a moment. My biggest emotional response was surprise, but when I looked back this explained everything. Little inconsistencies that you ignore since there is no reason to doubt.

None of us had known Richard, so we had no one to compare, however, Soph did not seem at all like I would have expected a female to male transgender individual to be like. She seems quite an emotional girl and yet was only upset by her parents death rather than grief stricken. She was hit hard by her relationship break up with Jen, when she had only known her for a week, and had only a hope of a romance rather than achieving one. Probably the biggest hint was her maturity. I kept thinking that she was the most level headed teenager I had ever met.

Everything now fit perfectly. Even her response to my shopping trip. She had been a self made millionaire, so she was not used to money being an issue. Her worry about the MIB was interesting. Eve's dad was a general and either was in the intelligence community or had connections with it. We had this house swept for bugs a couple of times. I was not naïve enough to believe that some agency looking into such matters didn't exist, the question was what could we do to protect Soph.

I thought about that for a second. My first reaction was not anger that they hadn't told me sooner, but a maternal defensiveness. Should I be angry? I had only known them for a few days really, even if it felt a lot longer. I was pleased that they trusted me enough to tell me. Then I thought what poor Soph had been through. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to wake up in a different body that was the other gender. Then to go through an attack, be separated from all she knew and worried about MIB taking her away. No wonder she was a bit emotional. I loved that about her, she really wore her heart on her sleeve. Her real parents hadn't died but they were on the other side of the world and she couldn't contact them for fear of the consequences.

I looked at Gem who was studying me intently. “I am a believer.” Gem let out a breath, I don't think either of us realised she had been holding. “It fits perfectly and explains so much. Was the privacy because of worries about the MIB? I should mention that we have the house checked for bugs, so we should be safe.”

“That is a relief. The privacy was Soph's idea. She needed to tell you, but she doesn't really believe anyone will believe her. Especially Eve. She cares for you both and wants to come clean, hide nothing. However, she is very vulnerable and feeling unsure. She thought you would be more likely to understand and then we could leave it in your hands about whether to tell Eve or not. I chose this time because in a short while, Eve will be having her singing lesson and you would have the opportunity to talk to Soph, ask any questions without worrying about Eve listening.” Gem replied.

I would have to think about the question of telling Eve. Soph was right, I was almost sure Eve wouldn't believe unless there was incontrovertible evidence. It was too far outside of what she believed possible. “So you wrote the questions at the end?”

“Yes. Soph hadn't told me anything, but I found Amy's diary and was too nosey to resist. What I found blew my mind. I was pretty convinced after reading it. I kept in contact with Amy and her description of Richard was so different to the child I found that it just made sense.” Then Gem laughed. “I asked her when her birthday was and she didn't know. We have tried to correct that by finding out as much as we can for her to memorise. There are so many gaps in her knowledge of her old life. From the school perspective, she was just about to finish and now has to go back and repeat two and a half years. She has accepted that, but she doesn't know what Richard knew in terms of what subjects he has studied, how good his results were or even who his friends were.”

“And the answers?” I asked.

“As best as I can remember. I asked those questions and Soph answered as best she could. There is an abundance of questions that we have no answers to, only more questions. When Soph suggested telling you, I went back to the diary and tried to write down the answers she had given me. Feel free to ask them again or anything else that you feels needs asking. What do you think about telling Eve?”

I sighed. I hated the idea of keeping any secrets, but I couldn't see any way this could end except badly if Eve was told and didn't believe. “Leave that to me. I think I might have to slowly work her up to it. It does change a few things though.” I said thoughtfully. “Under these circumstances, it would be better if I became the other legal guardian rather than Eve. I will talk to her about that. It may even be better if I formally adopt her. That might be a better way to persuade Eve without revealing anything. It is a lot harder for agencies that work in the shadows to do anything under the celebrity spotlight. How would you feel about that? I don't want to take her away from you.”

“If it made her safer, I am all for it. When I realised that she was not Richard I had to make a decision as to whether I still considered her family. The soul that was my nephew has passed on, her physical body lives on and is still my niece. Most of the bringing up has already occurred so I see my role as more one of guidance and I can do that whether she becomes your daughter or not.”

Chapter 27 Sophia's POV

I stayed buried in Laura's chest crying until I could regain control of myself and my emotions, then I pulled back a little and looked up at her. The fact that I was so short really enhanced my feeling of being a child.

“This house has been checked for listening devices and we never allow anyone to wander around unaccompanied, so we should be safe to talk. Maria may come in and if it makes you more comfortable we can go back to my bedroom where we are unlikely to be disturbed or we can stop our conversation if anyone seeks us out. Gem or Lisa may need me for something wedding related, but Eve is with Danica. What would you like to do?”

I felt really comfortable just where I was and we would be able to hear anyone approaching. “Here is fine.” I murmured.

“I've read your mother's diary and Gem has filled in some of the blanks. There are two main things that concern me and that is the MIB and somehow telling Eve. Before we do that I was hoping that you could tell me what you think happened. You have had a while to think about it, obviously you have lived it and you are a sensible girl, so I imagine you have come up with a story of how you think everything occurred and a theory as to why. I know you can't prove anything, but I love a good story, maybe we can turn it into a book or a film, wouldn't that be cool.”

Laura was smiling at me now and I could feel no pressure, just calm acceptance. I'm fairly sure the last bit was a joke. At the same time I wouldn't put it past her and it would be one hell of a way to tell Eve. I couldn't see any harm in telling her my theories. “Alright, envisage this scene, we are driving down this winding mountain road with a steep drop off on one side. The driver hits an invisible space ship at an angle that causes the bus to go over the edge. The bus tumbles down the side, hitting trees and bushes leaving a trail of debris. The people inside are screaming in fear, they know there is nothing they can do, they are all going to die.” I had to swallow a few times. Talking about it brought back memories.

When I was ready I continued. “The next thing you know you are waking up on the side of the road in a pristine undamaged bus four hours later, but if the camera pans back to the area where everyone thought the bus had gone over the edge, although the railing in undamaged, beneath it the damage to trees and general vegetation is still present. The aliens, having caused the accident decided to undo the damage that they had caused, however for two people life would never be the same.” I paused to gather myself. “As you can imagine I have thought about this a lot. Why was Richard and I swapped? One option was that it was purely accidental. We weren't sitting next to each other but, if you like, we were in the same column and one row apart. I have no idea how they could put us back together so I don't know if an accident like that is possible so it remains an option. Another possibility is that they thought they were doing a kindness.” I shifted a bit, uncomfortable with what I was going to talk about, but there was no one else I would trust more than Laura, even Gem. Gem may care for me. Laura loved me. I don't know how I knew that, but I did. Laura squeezed me, as if sensing that I was about to talk about something I found difficult.

“Richard was without a doubt a guy. Regardless of what his physical body showed, he was a man. Young, immature, maybe arrogant, which, if circumstances had turned out different, he may have grown out of, but definitely a man. So swapping with a male body was a dream come true for him. I, on the other hand, are not so easy to categorise. I had not grown up ever thinking that I wanted to be female and physically I was fortunate enough to be large and strong. That meant I could be kind and gentle and no one would criticise me. I was never bullied and my masculinity was never questioned. Looking back on it now, I note that I was much more caring than other guys. Less competitive than my peers and hated when they talked down about women. I put that down to being brought up with more women in the house than men. I have always seen the female form as beautiful and the male as distasteful. Originally, I just thought that was a normal feeling for a heterosexual male. Now I am wondering if my mind has always been more female than male. Logically, men shouldn't look at their bodies with distaste or see it as ugly, just because it is male. Add on top of that, the fact that I became stressed and almost depressed with the idea of changing this female body into a male semblance and I come up with the conclusion that if they were going to swap bodies, me and Richard theoretically would be doing us both a kindness.” I looked carefully at Laura's face to see if there was any negative reaction. I sort of felt like society was telling me I should be ashamed of my thoughts. Laura carried on smiling at me with no hint of disapproval.

“That is a fantastic story. I don't think we need to go into the dark aspects that happened after. I also think it is wonderful that you are more female than male. You realise that you have now given me more ammunition to encourage you to be more girly.” She then tickled me under my chin and I giggled. I didn't mean to, it just spontaneously erupted. I seem to have much less control over what sounds I make. Then her expression darkened. “Telling Eve is going to be tricky. She doesn't believe in much of anything. If we don't handle it right, it could damage your relationship with her and we need to do something to protect you from any governmental agency.

“I have come up with a couple of ideas. I don't think we can directly influence any MIB type agency, so the best we can do is keep you in the public eye. Now this is partly because I think it would make you safer and Gem has agreed and partly because I want to. Would you be willing for me to adopt you?” Laura asked me.

I looked at Laura in surprise. I had no idea that would be what she would come up with. I could see a worry of rejection there so I hurried to respond. “That would be amazing. Are you sure? I mean we have only known each other for a few days and I think maybe I am already feeling that I love you a little bit. Err...I don't mean little, I mean it is just starting and ...”

“Slow down.” Laura said laughing. “I will take that as a yes. I have already contacted my lawyers to help Gem gain legal guardianship. Once that is completed, then I will formally adopt you. We will do it as soon as we can and then have a party to celebrate, sometime after the wedding. You need to realise that this will really put you in the limelight. Eve can get away with jeans and a T-shirt, you and me will always need to be dressed fashionably, makeup on, looking fabulous. You never know when someone will be taking a photo. You have to presume that you are always visible.”

“I don't know how to do any of that stuff. I am still learning how to put on a bra.”

“The fashion side of things, you either are fortunate enough to have a good sense of style or you fake it by getting the help of those who do. I can help you with that and we will hire fashionistas to help us when we go shopping. Your English accent is adorable, but you will need to learn how to walk more lady like and if not how to apply makeup, at least how to repair it. School is not too bad, since you are only expected to use a minimum amount. Would you like some lessons?” Laura asked me.

“Please. I wouldn't want to embarrass you.”

“Darling, with me, I just want you to be yourself. I don't really care what you do or get caught doing. It's just that if you get enough people telling you bad things about yourself, there is a chance it will damage your self esteem and I don't want that. The world is hypercritical of celebrities and that is what you will be by association. Now, on to the more difficult question. How do we tell Eve? I have thought long and hard about it. I have only really come up with one idea that I think may work.”

“That would be great. Then everyone I care about will know the truth.” I said.

“Hold on, tiger. I don't think it is going to be that easy. My idea is we watch a movie on movie night that contains a similar story. There are a few available. Freaky Friday, where a mother and daughter swap places or a more recent comedy where a boy and a girl swap places by text message. At the end of it you and me will work out a script. We may have to ad lib it a bit as we don't know what Gem or Eve will say, but in it, you say that the same thing happened to you. Not details, just something like after the bus trip your male soul was swapped with a female one. I could come up with something weird that happened to me and you can talk about the bus trip, maybe Gem can come up with something weird that happened to her. If Eve acts positively we can then tell her the full truth. If she dismisses it all, at least we have told her, even if she thinks we are joking. That way I don't think anyone is going to get too upset. It will just be four girls chatting and sharing.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I replied. I think Eve will ignore it. Laura and I will feel we have tried to tell her, so hopefully, I will stop feeling guilty that I haven't been completely honest with her.

Chapter 28

That night was a bad one. Tomorrow was going to be my first day at school which I felt nervous about and we managed to arrange the movie night for Sunday, so telling Eve was put off for a few days. Laura said it was her turn to be with me, but she was going to spend a bit of time with Eve first and slip in later. I tossed and turned, struggling to get to sleep. I didn't have a temperature, but I did feel uncomfortable, hot and sweaty.

I woke up again to my own scream. I was terrified, though less scared than other nights, however this time I thought I had wet myself. I checked with my hand and could feel it had gone through my PJ's and onto the sheet below. Laura was trying to comfort me and I was feeling beyond embarrassed. How to you explain to a movie star who had been kind enough to sleep in the same bed to offer support, that you had wet yourself. I delayed for a few seconds then realised that wasn't accomplishing anything and admitted to Laura that I had a problem.

“I'm sorry Laura. I ..” I took a deep breath. Did I really have to do this? Yes, I did. “I've ummm... had an accident.”

“Hmmm.” Was her sleepy response.

“Laura.” I said a bit louder. “I need to put the light on. I've had an accident. I'm so sorry.”

“Oh,...OH!” She sat up trying to blink her eyes awake. “That's OK sweetie.”

I reached across and switched the light on, then pulled the covers back and stared uncomprehendingly. My lower half was covered in blood. I think I went into shock. Logically, I had been living with three women, I knew what it meant. I think the problem was that I was, at least a little, still in denial. Clearly, I didn't have a penis or balls, so I was female. I had started wearing more feminine clothes and even had my ears pierced. I knew I was a girl and yet, some part of my mind hadn't really got to grips with it and nothing tells you more obviously that you are completely female than having a period. I knew you didn't have to have a period to be female. A woman who had a hysterectomy was still a woman or a woman who had a mastectomy was still female. Still, I felt like someone had whacked me with a dead fish.

Laura was wonderful. It took a few seconds for her to work out that my mind had frozen and then why. “Your first period?” She asked.

I managed to nod my head.

She led me to the shower and switched it on and then helped me get undressed. While I was reviving somewhat under the water, she took the sheets off the bed and then retrieved supplies from somewhere. She came back into the bathroom holding a towel open for me. I was a bit more with it and managed to turn the shower off and step out. She then covered me in the towel and hugged me at the same time.

“How you doing?” She asked me.

“Better. It was just a bit of a shock.”

Since I seemed to be quite a heavy bleeder, she suggested a tampon and a pad. The tampon was quite an experience, especially with the string hanging out. I had to fumble a bit to get it in place. The angle of approach and exact location when you can't actually see what you are doing was more tricky than I expected. Then you are left with something that you can feel constantly being where it shouldn't. For some reason I also worried that it would get stuck, so I checked that the string was still available a few times. The pad was easy enough, it just meant that I wore panties to bed. She also picked out my one and only nightie to wear.

The nightie was the one that Amy had bought for when I had accepted myself enough as female to be comfortable with clothing that was only worn by girls. It seemed fitting that I wore it that night, when I suppose, I went from girl to woman and there was no denial left to me. I felt comforted by wearing it, like Amy was with me giving me a comforting hug.

The bed was stripped and neither of us knew where there was any more bedding. Laura suggested that we both joined Eve in her bed. I was still in an easily led disposition or I might have balked at joining them both in their bed. Eve was lying on her back, snoring like a trooper. If I wasn't in a semi shocked state I think I would have been laughing. Laura crawled into bed and pushed Eve onto her side. She stirred a bit, but not enough to wake and the snores went away.

I slipped into bed and Laura turned away from Eve to spoon me and hold me tight. I didn't go to sleep straight away. I wished that I had had some warning signs. I didn't want to go through that again. I thought back over the previous day and worked out that I had missed the obvious. Or twenty twenty hindsight obvious. My irritability that just wasn't like me, the uncomfortable tummy and even the tossing and turning were probably all signs. I was going to have to mark the date and read up about what happens when you start your periods. Are they always the same? There was a lot of blood, was that going to be the same every time? I knew from biology that it was supposed to be every twenty eight days, but was that from the start of the period or the end of it. Never questions that I thought of before.

Eve started snoring again before I fell asleep. Initially it kept me awake. After a while it started to lull me into a relaxed state and before I knew it, it was morning.

Chapter 29

My first day of school. Eve and Gem wished me luck. Laura, on the other hand, took great care with me. We debated over whether it would be better to wear a wig or go with my striking short sides and pink middle. She was worried that it would draw some negative attention and so suggested a wig that was obviously a wig. It would still draw attention, but would allow me to take it off during gym and on a different day use a different wig that was less attention drawing.

Then my hair could be part of my fashion statement and accepted more readily. I only vaguely understood what she was talking about. Laura already had quite a collection of wigs and chose a snow white wig and had me practice fixing it myself. It went with a white bra, white shirt and black jeans. Very black and white.

Makeup was understated so it wouldn't need much to retouch. It was only when she was handing me the lipstick and mascara that she realised that I didn't have a handbag. Her handbag selection was astounding. I think she was a collector. I had to try all the black ones on until it passed the both comfortable and stylish test. Then she helped me fill it, knowing that I would have no clue what should be in it. The tampons and pads didn't surprise me. The extra two pairs of panties, just in case, did. Normally, she recommended one pair of panties and some supplies even if I wasn't due on. It was a girl code type of thing. It was likely that at some point in time you would find yourself caught short and the same was true for all girls, so having extra to help someone out was a good idea.

This was when she discovered that I also didn't have a purse, money or a phone. She chastised me for not asking or mentioning them. She dug through and found a suitable purse and put some cash in it. She told me she would sort out the phone for tomorrow. She also told me that if I wanted or needed anything I should just ask for it. She knew I was not after her for her money and I was going to be her daughter after all. She also suggested that I not start my business back up with Katie. To do so would present a risk that I didn't need to take. She had plenty of money so why take that risk.

I did feel a bit guilty for taking up so much of her time. She did seem to enjoy dressing me up, like a live barbie doll and I found myself smiling throughout the process. She wanted to go with me in the car, but knew that would be a mistake. So she gave me a kiss and a cuddle before sending me off in the limo. Since I had no phone the limo would be waiting from three pm, when the school was due to finish. I was going to be arriving early since I had a session with Dr Barn every morning until we worked out how well I coped.

My half hour with Dr Barn was not at all what I expected. We didn't go over the assault or any of my anxiety about men. She just wanted me to talk about myself. That was really awkward. I knew very little of Richard's life, so I had two choices. Stonewall her or talk about my life as Dillan, but call myself Richard. Stonewalling her would probably be the best option. I just couldn't bring myself to be that rude though. I just hoped that she didn't or couldn't check some of the things that I was saying against Richards real experiences. If she did, I could claim that I was lying because I didn't feel comfortable talking about it. Although, unless she was already suspicious, why would you question the names of my best friends and how would you. Since Richard had gone to an all boys school, I had to not talk about any of my girl friends. Surprisingly, that left me with very few boys to talk about. I knew the girls in my class quite well. The boys I only seemed to interact with during sport.

I was quite relieved when that was over and I could head to the principal's receptionist to get my schedule. Waiting for me with the receptionist was a tall, very skinny girl dressed very fashionably with heavy makeup. Her name was Ashley and she was a sophomore like me, with some of the same classes. She guided me to my first class while interrogating me. I could tell what she was interested in. In this school of the wealthy, your social standing depended on a number of things and the most important was how rich your family was. By telling her that I was staying with my Aunt who was working for someone wealthy, without divulging any names, her interest in me faded. My accent was hilarious, apparently. She asked about my parents and when I told her that I had lost them recently she offered me fake sympathy. That killed any possibility of a friendship. She guided me to a seat and then went elsewhere so that there was no obvious connection between us. She sat amongst other girls of a similar type and whispered about me. I could tell by the glances they all gave me. At the end of the class she was going to take me to the next one, but I told her, I considered her duty done and I could find my own way. She gratefully sped off.

Fortunately, I had enough academically to occupy myself. Maths was a breeze, English literature was fine, but it was about a book I hadn't read, and I was starting late in the year so there was a lot for me to catch up on. US history was interesting and I enjoyed it, however, again I had a big catch up ahead of me. I didn't manage to get Piano so I had a very boring Typing lesson before I could escape to lunch. I was very behind in typing as well, but no one was taking it seriously, so I didn't think that would be a problem.

The cafeteria was very interesting. The food was pretty good and I chose a nice pasta dish. Ashley and her group were all eating salads. The next question was where to sit. Lunch seemed to be a time you gathered by group. I wondered around with my tray trying to work out where I should sit. If there had been an empty table I probably would have just sat there. I did feel stares hitting me from all sides which is quite intimidating. I stayed away from any collections of large boys and found a girl sitting on her own. Her eyes were puffy, suggesting a recent bout of crying and she was sitting in a slumped dejected posture. Even so I thought she looked beautiful. I gently placed my tray opposite her and sat down. I have always hated seeing someone upset with an almost instinctive need to make them feel better. Jen had called it my paternal personality. I guess now I will have to call it my maternal sense.

She glanced up at me with a flick of her eyes before they went back to her food. “Are you new here?” She almost whispered, but I could still hear a faint French accent.

“Yes, my first day.” I replied brightly.

“That explains it.” She said morosely. “You're better off not associating with me.”

I was about to reply when I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Sophia, can I have a quick word.” Ashley said.

“Oh, hi Ashley. Sure, how can I help you?”

Ashley tried to suggest with her head movement that I needed to step away from the table to talk to her, but I pretended to not understand her. Keeping my expression open as if waiting for her to speak. Seeing that I was not responding how she had hoped, instead she brought her head really close to my ear. “She was one of those girls in the video of the gay room.” Then she looked at me expectantly.

I really didn't know how to respond to that. What I was thinking was...and.....because there had to be something else, surely. I mean, in this day and age being gay wasn't that big a deal and we were in California which I thought was pretty tolerant. So I carried on looking at Ashley expectantly, waiting for the rest. She just huffed, threw her hands up as if to say, well, I did my best and stalked off.

The girl in front of me kept looking at her plate. I thought I saw her eyes begin to tear up, but she blinked them back. I wanted to help this girl. I wanted to make her feel better. She was in a world of misery. Obviously she had wanted to keep this part of herself private and having it revealed in the way that it had, must have really hit her self esteem. I needed to do something, the question was what. I could whisper to her that I was a lesbian too. Then I thought, if I whispered it, that would also imply that there was something wrong with it. If I said it in a normal voice, yes that would indicate that I didn't see anything wrong with it, but there were enough people in hearing distance that I would be outing myself to the school. I knew that would cause me grief. Maybe it was short sighted of me, maybe I should have thought of something else that would cheer her up or let her know that she wasn't alone and there was nothing to be ashamed of.

I stuck my hand out. “Hi, I'm Sophia or Soph to my friends. I am a lesbian.” I didn't shout it and I didn't whisper, I just said it in what I would consider a normal tone of voice.

She looked up at me in shock.

I looked her in the eyes and then pointedly looked at my hand as if to say 'don't leave me hanging'. She tentatively reached forwards. “I'm Rochelle. Chelle to my friends.” She said in a tone slightly above a whisper. “You shouldn't have done that.”

“It's the truth and I'm not ashamed of it. Admittedly, I didn't really want to discuss it in public. I mean it is a private matter, not something that should concern anyone else.”

She looked at me a bit puzzled. “Then why did you say it?”

I leaned forwards gazing into her eyes. “I wanted to see you smile.” And there it was, a smile, gone so quick that if I wasn't looking for it, I wouldn't have seen it. “Mission accomplished.” I said softly.

Chapter 30

We ate in companionable silence for a while. Chelle looked in much better spirits.

“So....why is a pretty new girl not surrounded by admirers?” Chelle asked.

“Pretty?” I said with a smile. Chelle smiled back and blushed. “I think the whole school already knows that I am not from rich parents. That alone is likely to keep most away. I think most of the jocks have been asked to keep their distance.”

“Why would they do that?”

Now it was my turn to look down, embarrassed. “I have some anxiety issues around men.” I said a bit quieter. She reached across and stroked my hand which caused me to look up into her beautiful green eyes. She was smiling at me reassuringly. “Let's talk about something else. Tell me a bit about yourself.” I asked.

“OK. I'm a senior, I used to be the captain of the volleyball team, don't ask.” She emphasised both the 'used' and the 'don't'. “My passion in life is music. I love listening and I play the guitar and sing a bit. What else could I tell you? My mother was a French model and my father is an entrepreneur.” She replied. “What about you?”

“I am a sophomore. I like music and enjoy singing. I tried to get into Basic piano, but the schedule didn't work. I am staying with my Aunt and it is better if I don't talk about my parents at the moment. Do you have a favourite singer? What do you think of Eve?” I thought if she was a lesbian and into music it was a safe bet that she would like Eve.

“She is amazing though she hasn't done much new material recently. I heard a rumour that she visited the school.”

“She does live locally.” I commented. There was a big clock in the cafeteria and I knew our time was coming to a close. “I have had fun. Is it OK if I sit with you again tomorrow?”

“I would like that. I will see you shortly in gym.” Then she stood up. I think because she had hunched in on herself I couldn't tell that she was nearly six feet tall.

“Wow. What are you, an Amazon?” I said with appreciative glances.

She just smiled at me and walked away. Either she normally walks with a sexy bum wiggle or, knowing that I was probably watching, put a little extra in there for me. It took an effort of will to tear my eyes away. I may have even blushed, thinking that others had noticed my gaze.

Next was my Spanish class. It was a beginners class, but that was at the start of the year. The class itself was incomprehensible, all it really showed me was how behind I was and how much I had to learn to catch up. A bit daunting.

My last class was gym. I was extremely apprehensive heading for the girls changing rooms for gym. I had never been in a girls changing room, I knew almost no one and I had announced to the school, even if quietly, that I was a lesbian. I wanted to change away from everyone, where I couldn't look at anyone. There were, unfortunately, no hiding places, so I got changed as quickly as I could whilst trying not to look anywhere. Then I headed out onto the main gym area. I did hear some whispering and it may have been about me or somebody else. When you are trying your hardest to not catch anybodies eyes or even bodies it is hard to tell the direction of some whispers. I could be paranoid and think that all the nasty ones were directed at me, at they may well have been, but I decided that if I wasn't sure they were, for my sanity, it was better to think they were directed elsewhere.

The class itself was pretty fun. The whole of the high school had gym at the same time, the last lesson of the day, but you were able to choose out of quite a few different sports. I was a bit worried about interacting with other girls so I chose the obstacle course. I kept my eye out for Chelle and saw her on the basketball court. I waved at her, but there was no way I was going to play that game at barely five feet tall. I'm not sure she recognised me without my snow white blonde hair wig.

With skiing and then personal training sessions, I was in pretty good shape and enjoyed challenging myself on the various obstacles. This body was pretty skinny and weighed so much less that I did as Dillan. That helped, but the lack of height and wingspan to my arms made some elements almost impossible. I kept persevering and had fun.

I had been worried over how my anxiety would be with all the boys around me throughout the day. In the crowded hallways, moving from class to class, everyone was rushing around, paying little attention to me. Even though there were some big lads in the mix, none of them got close to me and there were always others between us which helped for some reason. I think I still had a heightened awareness of who was where, and probably looked around for situational knowledge more than most. Nonetheless, nothing really triggered my anxiety. During lunch I managed to steer clear and during gym, the only others doing the obstacle course, which was mainly boys, but smaller, lighter boys, who, again, didn't trigger any alarms.

The showers were in stalls and I got changed and out of there as quickly as possible. I didn't really have any worries about nudity. Getting dressed in front of others didn't concern me and I wasn't worried about anyone seeing my body. However, I was worried that others would accuse me of looking at them. I also knew that since my clothes had been chosen by Laura with Daphne's help, that it was unlikely they had much to criticise. Not that some of these girls needed much. I still heard whispers.

All in all, a good day. I wasn't going to be a popular girl since my social standing as judged by Ashley was too low, which was more of a relief than a worry. I had cheered up a beautiful Amazon who might even become my friend. I had admitted that I was a lesbian, so I had nothing further to hide. I had been verbally teased, but that didn't faze me. My biggest concern was catching up in all my classes.

Agent Atworth's POV

I knocked on the directors door and entered when given permission.

“So, give me an update.”

“Relatively good news. By chance, there was a vacancy in the school staff which meant we didn't have to do much to get an agent involved. Their school counsellor had recently resigned. Dr Barn was able, with a little pressure in the right places, to get the job and has already met with our target. She said that in her professional opinion the anxiety is real, so I have asked her to investigate her backstory. We are going to need to either liaise with the British or send some agents to check out whatever she discovers.”

“Send out our agents, I don't want the British involved. Have you managed to arrange anything with General Hatwell?”

“Yes. He wants us to have more solid evidence before he can tell his daughter, so the initial plan is to gather evidence. We are hoping this can also be used to break the UE out of their cover when we do decide to collect her. A few times a year he sends a working party to sweep Eve's house for bugs. He thought he would tell her it was time for another sweep and use the opportunity to wire the place up and place lots of trackers. Her grounds are quite large so we are have quite a few teams in the local area ready for a rapid response. Already the limo has a tracker attached. After Eve has been brought on board, we should be able to station some men in her house and swap the limo driver for an agent.”

“Good, good. It seems you have things well in hand.” The director replied.

Chapter 31 Sophia's POV

I got a surprise when I got in the limo, Laura was there. She asked me about my day. Normally, when I had been asked about my day previously, it was just to check than nothing major had happened and that everything was alright. Laura wanted to know details, with good, obviously interested questions, she drew my entire day from me. Not just the facts, but how I felt and why I did what I did.

I love my original parents and thought they were great. They were always supportive and, although they both worked and led busy lives, I never felt neglected. At the same time, Laura was showing far more interest in my life than they had ever shown. She was also excited because Gem's legal guardianship had been finalised and on Friday, just two days time, Laura had arranged a meeting with a judge for us to sign adoption papers. She had come with the limo not just to pick me up, but to arrange with the school for me to leave early on Friday to be there.

There was a real sparkle to her today. Which fed an inner happiness to me, as it showed that Laura really wanted to adopt me. I know the logic behind the act, yet, it is almost like that was just a good excuse to do what she wanted to do anyway.

She teased me about Chelle and suggested inviting her to a movie night, but not this Sunday one, as we had other plans. She did have a few suggestions regarding catching up, which was mainly, studying and having tutoring sessions. Since I was having gym everyday, my joint personal training with Eve could be missed whenever I wanted. US history just required reading time, Spanish might require a tutor and she offered her own services for English Literature. She suggested we read to each other and discuss. Once I had less stress from a studying point of view, she knew Eve wanted to arrange Piano lessons if it hadn't worked with school and there were also the deportment lessons.

She said she was proud of me for my courage at lunch time and told me that there were cameras everywhere, so physical bullying on school grounds was unlikely. They included audio so it was possible that even the whispering that I had commented on would have been picked up. She was glad that it hadn't bothered me. Even so she was going to mention it to the principal to see if there was any evidence that he could use. I think she thought I was going to object to her telling the principal, but I knew, even if I wasn't bothered, such behaviour could really hurt someone else. All kids in high school were old enough to be responsible for what they said and needed to learn what was appropriate.

The next few days passed at a lightning pace. At home, I thought it was OK to call it that considering everything, my head was either buried in a book, I was attending one of the sessions or I was sleeping. I attended my singing lessons and my gym training with Eve. Spending that hour in the gym with Eve was pretty much the only time I spent with her, besides mealtimes. If I got bored reading about US history, there were various documentaries that Laura had found. Maria, our housekeeper, spoke fluent Spanish, so now our breakfasts and dinners were held in Spanish only. Initially, this was extremely frustrating, since I started off knowing almost nothing. It did drive me to learn as much vocabulary as quickly as possible. Gem, Eve and Laura all spoke some Spanish and did their best to help. Maria spoke to them in English and me in Spanish and I was only allowed to reply in Spanish. By speaking to them first, I had a good idea of what she was going to say to me and if one of them replied in Spanish, it helped me with my replies.

Each night I read my English literature book with Laura. She had completely taken over the night time duties. Her argument was that she would wake up regardless of whether Gem was taking a turn, so it made no sense for anyone else to do it. I did go to bed earlier than her, so she stayed with Eve and then slipped into my bed later, then went back to Eve in the morning. Whether it was because of her care and attention, my before school appointments with Dr Barn or time being a great healer, I was having less waking up in the middle of the night episodes.

At school the whispers continued, lunch was great with Chelle and I managed to invite her for a movie night the next Sunday. She agreed and thought I was taking her out on a date, so I had to explain what I meant which led her to think I had invited her to a sleepover. I loved the idea of her staying for a sleepover, but stressed about having a night episode. I decided to discuss it with Laura later. Laura suggested that we have the sleepover, but I should tell Chelle before about my sleeping issues.

The Friday meeting was both anticlimactic and emotional at the same time. Everyone involved turned up, signed in front of the judge who was a witness and that was it. We then went to a fancy salon, were pampered and polished. Dressed to the nines and had a gorgeous meal at an amazing restaurant. I was now officially Laura's daughter. To make a clean break with my past I decided that I would take on her surname. I was Sophia Kind. It was so different to my original name that it was going to take some getting used to. When Eve and Laura got married, I would become Eve's daughter in law. Since their surname was a good part of their career they weren't going to change them. Laura also presented me with the latest iphone, in a pink cover with sparkles on it, which made me laugh. Certain numbers were already programmed in. One of which almost made me cry. I had Gem and the limo driver, but I also had Mum and step mum for Laura and Eve.

I did keep contact with Jen, but only by email. I was swamped with work and so was she, still it was a highlight whenever I received anything from her. I told her about Chelle, hoping that it would prompt her to be honest about anyone she met, but she claimed that wasn't happening until after her finals. She did give her opinion as to why Chelle had been having so much trouble. Jen thought it was less about being a lesbian and more about not revealing it to friends. Close girl friends talk about everything, so by not revealing her secret, they may have felt betrayed, and reacted badly.

Sunday movie night went pretty much how I was expecting. The food was a bit better this time, since it was more planned. On Saturday, Maria prepared various dips and cut vegetables. There was a cold platter of various meats and cheeses, with grapes and apple slices. Then for the main movie, we made up some salted popcorn.

Laura chose a movie called 'The Swap', where a boy and a girl swap places. It was a comedy and we all laughed, even if some of it did hit quite close to home on a few occasions. At the end Laura and I went with a general script that we had rehearsed. We discussed between us about whether anything like that could happen in real life. Laura mentioning a documentary about a man who could remember a previous life. Eve interrupted to call it all rubbish. I then talked about my weird bus trip and the idea that I had swapped my male soul for a female one. Eve just laughed, not being nasty, but just completely not taking it seriously.

I looked at Laura who had a sad, resigned smile and knew it was time to change the subject and accept that Eve was never going to know or believe the truth about me. I had, sort of, told her. Not exactly or in detail, but the idea and that was too much for her conventional thinking. I didn't think there was any evidence to prove my story and until there was, Eve would never know or believe if she was told.

The next day the house was going to be swept for bugs by somebody that Eve knew, so everyone was going to be out of the house from early in the morning. I was going to school, so it wasn't going to affect me. I don't think I really said or did anything the MIB would be interested in anymore. Still, it was good to think that I could talk freely if I wanted to. Not that that was why Eve organised the sweep. That was related to the press impinging on her privacy. Mostly the tabloids publish gossip and rumours. At one point, secrets about her previous relationship were published that were too close to the truth, which prompted her first sweep. Since she found evidence that she was being spied on and listened to, this had become a regular precaution. I wondered if Laura had suggested it to her, to try and keep me safe.

In two weeks time there was a movie premiere that Laura and Eve would be attending. This was also going to be my first appearance in their company and where she would announce to the world that she was now my mother. After that I should be a lot safer, although from that point onwards, I would have to be very careful about my image. On that basis, for the next two weeks, in place of my training session with Eve, I was going to be having deportment and grace lessons. After the premiere I would continue them but only for one hour a week rather than every day. Laura mentioned other things I was going to need to learn like dancing and communicating with the press. They weren't immediate worries though. Of more urgent concern was finding the right dress for the occasion. There was only one answer to that though, shopping! Laura suggested that Chelle join us for a shopping trip on Saturday, potentially staying until we take her to school on Monday. Which meant I needed to talk to her today about my sleeping issues and ask if she wanted to join me for a shopping trip.

Chapter 32

I was having a few good nights now, so we were going to go back to the baby monitor solution. I had to promise to turn it on before I went to sleep. That gave me some privacy, allowed Laura to sleep with Eve and reassured Laura that she would know if I needed her.

The day started off fairly well. I spent my usual half an hour with Dr Barn. We still weren't really talking about my attack or even my previous gender issues, just concentrating on my previous life which was a complete fabrication. If asked to describe what my previous school looked like, I would just describe the one that I knew as Dillan. I couldn't see the point to most of the questions that I was being asked or how they would help me with my anxiety. Still, she should know what she was doing and I tried to answer as best as I could.

At lunch time I found Chelle's table and joined her as usual.

“Hi beautiful.” She greeted me.

“Hi amazon.” I replied. I settled myself with my tray and seat. “Chelle, there is this event I am going to next Saturday and I was wondering if you would like to help me pick out a dress. My adopted mother is taking me shopping on this Saturday and suggested you might like to join us.”

“I would love to, that sounds great.” Chelle said with enthusiasm and a big smile.

“You could stay Saturday and Sunday night if you like.”

“I will need to check with my parents, but that sounds great. They consider me old enough and mature enough to make my own decisions. They just like to be kept in the loop. Do you want me to come to your house on Saturday? I don't even know where you live.”

I smiled mysteriously. I had deliberately been keeping my connection to Laura and Eve a secret. I trusted Chelle to not blab. I hadn't told her because I wanted it to be a surprise. “I think mum has hired a limo, so we can pick you up on the way.”

“A limo, eh? I thought you said that your parents weren't rich.”

I lost my happy smile as I thought about Amy and Peter. I only really managed to speak to Chelle at lunch time so, although we had talked about many things, I had avoided the deeper stuff. In the cafeteria you have to accept that anything you say is being overheard and tailor your conversation accordingly. This weekend I figured I would have the privacy for us both to have a better, more meaningful chat. “Let's just say that my adopted mum is not hurting for money.” I then glanced around to indicate that I didn't want to talk about it where everyone could hear.

She reached forwards and stroked my hand in reassurance. “I am looking forward to it. I will text you my address and you can text me any details. Maybe a list of what clothes I will need. Will I be sleeping in the same room as you or a different one?” She asked with a glint in her eye.

Which meant I had come to the hard bit, when I had to talk about my sleeping issues. “We have a guest bedroom. Umm, this is a bit embarrassing. I think I mentioned that I had increased anxiety around men?”

“Yes. I have noticed you keep a constant surreptitious eye on your surroundings, but I haven't seen you getting too stressed.”

“As long they are not too big and don't get too close, I am alright. Well, the reason behind it is that I was attacked. Ever since then I have had a couple of issues. Anxiety around men and nightmares. I need to warn you that if you stay the night, there is a good chance I will wake you up in the middle of the night.”

“Are you OK with me staying the night?” She was still stroking my hand.

“As long as you are.” I replied.

She stopped stroking my hand to put her fingers under my chin and lift it up so that I could look her in the eyes. I hadn't even realised that I had started looking down, avoiding her gaze. “I will help in any way I can. If you are better with me in a different room, that is fine with me.”

“It is not that. I am fortunate that those who care about me have helped calm me at night after an episode. It is just not very pleasant to wake up in the middle of the night to someone screaming. Even if that person is yourself, I can tell you, it is not a very nice experience. I am getting better and hopefully it won't happen.”

“If there is a way for me to help, just let me know.”

This was a serious conversation and I felt a real connection as we were talking, but that didn't stop me from being aware when three rather large guys started heading in my direction. They were staring at me coming from behind Chelle. She noticed me me looking behind her and twisted around to see what I was looking at.

I shifted back on my seat automatically, so I was in a better position to get away. My heartbeat was speeding up and my mouth was going dry. They stopped besides Chelle staring at me aggressively.

Chelle stood up out of her chair to face them. “What do you want?” She asked fairly sternly, with a hint of anger.

“She got Beth and Cindy suspended.” He looked up at the cameras and smiled. “I am not going to threaten you or insult you, but there is nothing stopping me from approaching you, all friendly like.” He carried on smiling, with a nasty edge to it and then started going around the table slowly as if to catch me.

Chelle went around him quickly to stand besides me.

“How ddid I gget them sssusspended?” I said now stood up and backing away. I couldn't seem to help myself, I was looking around frantically checking that my only threat was in front of me.

Chelle moved so that she was slightly in front of me, so that they would have to get through her to get to me, but his friends started going out wider as if in a flanking manoeuvre. I didn't even know who Beth and Cindy were.

“You reported them to the principal for bullying.”

At this point I was very close to panic and I don't think I could have answered him if I had tried. I shook my head to indicate that he was wrong, backing away quicker and quicker. I wasn't too far from the exit from the cafeteria into the corridor. I checked one more time for the threats around me and then turned and fled. I rushed into the first women's toilets I could find and locked myself in a stall, shivering in overwhelming fear, trying to get my breathing under control.

I'm not sure how long Chelle was there before I heard her through the door, telling me that they were gone and everything was alright. I managed to gather the courage to unlock the door and check outside it. Chelle was there, but no one else was. She didn't approach me, just stood there with her arms open for a hug if I wanted. I pulled her into the cubicle, which was a tight squeeze, locked the door again and then hugged her tightly and started sobbing. She held me, stroking my back and whispering reassurances from above, her chin on my head.

I started calming down and feeling better. It took some time though.

“Ummm.. I think I better let you get to your next class.” I said to Chelle still holding her.

She laughed. “Class started awhile ago. Don't worry I've sorted everything, just relax until you are ready to face the world.”

“My handbag!” In my, shall we call it strategic retreat, I had left all my stuff behind.

“I've got it all. I hope you don't mind, but I used your phone to call your mum. She said she would be here as quick as she can and asked me to stay with you. Not that she needed to ask, I would have stayed anyway. She said she would phone the school and tell them that she was picking you up and stop me from getting in trouble for missing class.”

“Thank you. Do I need to go somewhere to meet her?”

“I don't know. Why don't you call her?” She said, passing me my phone from her back pocket.

Laura picked up on the first ring. “Mum?”

“How are you doing, are you alright, where are you?” Laura asked in rapid fire.

“I'm better. I'm in the girls loos. I'm so sorry, mum, I just panicked.”

“Shhh, darling. I'm almost at the school. You stay there, I will find you. Is Chelle with you?”

“Yes.” I passed the phone to Chelle.

“Hi, err.. Soph's mum. I'm still here with her. I'll stay until you arrive. We are in the toilet near the cafeteria.”

“Thanks Chelle. I will be there as quick as I can. Give her a hug from me.”

Chapter 33 Laura's POV

We all had to get out of the house today, so that Eve's contacts could check it for bugs. Not a nice thought, one of the disadvantages of being a celebrity. My agent had been urging me to get out into the public eye. What that usually meant was having a lunch in one of the celebrity restaurants, where people go to be seen. Eve was going to a music studio to produce one of her new songs so I rang Mya, an actress friend of mine.

Since I had started dating Eve, going out to lunches had become a lot more problematic. I enjoyed them and only chose people whose company I found pleasant, but now that I had shown a romantic interest in both men and women, anybody single that I lunched with was usually followed by some gossip mag or another suggesting we were now dating. Mya was fairly safe since she was already married and was having a break in her acting career to have children. That was the plan anyway, so far she hadn't managed to catch.

I went with a no disguise, full Laura movie star look, as I thought of it, to meet with Daphne to go through my choices of dresses for the movie premiere. I was openly covered by my bodyguards, this time a female set, since I had requested shifting that way. We could have had Daphne choose for Soph, however I wanted to do the full shopping fun. Eve was not that bothered by clothes so Soph gave me an opportunity to enjoy one of my favourite pastimes, shopping. Daphne being her usual helpful self, had automatically collected a selection of dresses that would suit Soph and if we didn't find anything shopping, we could chose one of those.

I tried on a few of the offerings that Daphne had supplied. I looked in the multiple mirror setup and Daphne critiqued the look. This was how I normally chose my dresses and yet this time it felt like something was missing. There was usually an excited energy to the whole process, which today was sadly lacking. My initial thought was that I just hadn't found the right dress, but when I pondered how I could make this experience better, I realised that I wanted Soph to be here. Soph didn't have, or pretend to have, any knowledge of fashion or design. However, she was such an honest person, her body language and her words matched to let you know exactly what she was thinking. It brought a joie de vivre type energy that this type of shopping was missing. I booked Daphne for our shopping session on Saturday, thanked her for her efforts and said that if we didn't find what we were looking for, we would come back to her selections.

It was a bit strange, I thought I was enjoying life. My career was going fantastic, my romantic life was amazing and I had plenty of time and money to do what I wanted, when I wanted. And yet, Soph just made my life better. I had many nights disturbed sleep, but they were also nights when I felt needed and appreciated for offering love and support to someone else. I had a beautiful relationship with Eve. She was someone I could see myself always loving and wanted her to be a part of the rest of my life. We didn't live in each others pocket and when we saw each other it was as if we had never separated. She didn't need me, though, and she didn't like everything that I liked. Soph seemed to fill a need in me that I didn't even know I had. I had never thought of myself as maternal and had never had the desire for children. Now I wondered if I was missing out.

I was in the middle of my lunch with Mya discussing motherhood and careers when my phone vibrated. The only people who had my phone number were close friends, everyone else had to contact either my agent or Lisa, Eve's PA. Still, I hated when I was interrupted by a ringing phone, which was why I had set mine to vibrate. I gestured for Mya to pause while I checked the caller id and when I saw it was Soph, I apologetically told Mya that I needed to take it.

“Hi, Soph.”

“Err..it's Chelle. There's umm.. been an incident.”

My heart rate picked up with instant stress. “What's happened? Is Soph alright?”

“These guys deliberately triggered her anxiety. I think she might be having a panic attack. She is safe, she has locked herself in the toilet and I can't seem to calm her down. I didn't want to leave her, but she needs help.”

“You stay with her. Keep talking to her gently, I will be there as quickly as I can. I will talk to the principal and excuse you from whatever else you are supposed to be doing. Thank you for looking after her. If she calms down enough, please ask her to call me. I've got to go now, so I can get moving. Call me if anything changes.” I put the phone down and looked at Mya. “I've got to go.”

Mya had already flagged a waiter. “I've got this.” She told me. Then she shooed me away.

I called my limo and went to the front to wait and then called the school. I jumped into the car when it arrived. The principal was aware that something happened and was going to look at the footage and get back to me. I was halfway to the school when he rang back. Apparently, three large football players approached Soph and deliberately tried to get close to her. This may have been a reaction to the fact that he had suspended a couple of cheerleaders for verbal abuse about Soph. He had followed up my suggestion to listen for a whispering campaign of abuse against Soph. The problem was that the coach and Dr Barn had spoken to the football team and explained Soph's anxiety and the need to keep their distance. There was no way to enforce this and he was unable to take disciplinary action against them. They had not said anything abusive and there was no physical or verbal threat. He would confer with Dr Barn and see if they could come up with something to try and prevent this from happening again.

I was fuming, so angry that anyone could be vicious enough to harm my Soph. At the same time, I knew yelling at the principal was not going to get me anywhere and he was actually on my side.

When I was close to arriving my phone rang again.

“Mum?” Soph said. Bless her, she still sounded like a scared rabbit. Calling me mum tugged on my heart strings and the fact that she did it unconsciously was like a warm breath on my heart.

“How are you doing, are you alright, where are you?” I asked.

“I'm better. I'm in the girls loos. I'm so sorry, mum, I just panicked.”

“Shhh, darling. I'm almost at the school. You stay there, I will find you. Is Chelle with you?”

“Yes.” I could tell she passed the phone to Chelle.

“Hi, err.. Soph's mum. I'm still here with her. I'll stay until you arrive. We are in the toilet near the cafeteria.”

“Thanks Chelle. I will be there as quick as I can. Give her a hug from me.” I had to end the conversation as we were pulling up in front of the school.

I stalked in, surrounded by four female bodyguards. I was really glad that I had spoken to the agency that supplies my bodyguards and managed to change them to female. I was angry at the student body, so it was just as well that it was pretty empty with virtually everyone in class. Those I did see I couldn't help glaring at. I know only a few were responsible, but I also knew that, besides Chelle, no one had reached out to Soph or spoken up for her during the whispering campaign or stopped the lunch time intimidation. Soph was such a gentle soul that I hated the idea of anyone trying to squash my baby.

Normally, when I wasn't disguising myself, I was recognised and would have the brave approaching for autographs and the like. This time my glare was enough to keep everyone away. I think I was still noticed, however, no one was brave enough to get near me, which was just as well, as I think I would have bitten their heads off.

I rushed into the ladies restroom only to find it empty. So I called out gently. “Soph?”

I heard the lock in a stall unlock and a head peer out, then Soph ran into my arms. “Mum!” Then she started crying which was breaking my heart. I just held her as tight as I could. This tall girl emerged from the same stall, looking at me with a shocked expression.

“Your mum is Laura Kind?” Chelle half whispered, but I don't think Soph heard her.

I smiled at her over the top of Soph's head, she was such a little thing. “Thanks for looking after her Chelle.”

Chapter 34 Sophia's POV

Laura was holding me tightly. This was the same woman who had cuddled me at night and helped keep my nightmares away. I felt so much safer in her arms. Then the bell rang to indicate end of class and I felt a frisson of fear, knowing that there was going to be a rush of people in the corridor.

“Shhhh...it's alright baby. We'll just wait for the rush to pass. There is no hurry.” Laura murmured into my head.

She spoke to Chelle organising for us to pick her up on Saturday. She didn't know if I was going to be back at school before then. When we couldn't hear a stampede outside the door, we made our way back to the limo. Somehow we managed to walk while she was still hugging me with one arm. We were surrounded by four women who I guessed were our new security. There were still people about and I could feel their stares on us as we passed. It didn't affect my stress levels. I think the four guards around us, clearly keeping everyone at a distance and placing themselves between us and potential threats, allowed me to relax a little.

By the time we arrived home I was exhausted and struggling to keep my eyes open. When I went straight to bed, Laura came with me and just unselfconsciously stripped down to her underwear and cuddled me until I dropped off. When I woke up she was gone. Her presence had been so comforting, so reassuring. I had been so lucky to meet her. I had a shower to refresh myself and dragged myself back out to face the world.

I tried to get back into my routine for the rest of the day. I did my best with my singing and deportment lessons although my heart wasn't really in it. I think Laura or Eve had spoken to the teachers and they were kind to me that day. Still demanding, but less critical and more encouraging. Danica even had me memorising and singing a new Eve song. We talked about the episode over dinner that evening. No one had a good suggestion to prevent it from happening again. The best plan was to see Dr Barn the next morning and see what she suggested. Laura was going to be coming with me and if nothing could be resolved to her satisfaction I would immediately return home.

“So, err... how did Chelle react to finding out who my mum is?” I was starting to feel comfortable calling Laura mum. Somehow, in such a short period of time, she had really stepped into my life in a way that I hoped she would never be out of it.

Mum laughed. “You kept me a secret, you naughty rascal. I could have blown her over with a feather.”

“Well, I don't have any classes with her, so I only get the chance to talk during lunch time and it is not exactly a private conversation. I really wish I had been more compus mentus. I would have loved to see her face. I can't wait until she can meet you, Eve. She loves music and I think you are one of her hero's. Did she ask for an autograph?” I smirked.

Laura's smile lost some of its sparkle. “I think we were both more concerned about someone else in the room at the time. She did get all excited when I organised pick up on Saturday. I did tell her that I would be in disguise though.”

I had really wanted to see Chelle all happy and excited. I thought meeting Laura and Eve would do that. It was a shame that I had ruined it by being in such a sad state. I would have to plot another event to achieve my goals.

Laura decided that after another panic attack that it would be better if she stayed with me that night and she was right, it was a bad one. I actually had to get up and move around, have a glass of water, before I could even try and settle back in bed.

My body seems so much more fragile than it was previously. I now cry at the drop of a hat, I get scared so easily and literally shake with fright. I never did that as Dillan, on the other hand, I had never been assaulted as Dillan. Despite that, I'm not sure I would change anything. If I could go back in time, I would definitely want to stop Richard, but there was something about being in a female body that suited me. I was making deeper emotional connections with the people around me. I was somehow more myself. I don't think I realised it at the time, but, as Dillan, I was holding myself back.

The next morning Laura came with me for my meeting with Dr Barn. She was disappointed with what had happened and claimed that I had been improving. I hadn't noticed anything, but she believed that by going to school with boys all around me, I was overcoming my fear. This episode was a clear set back and may have worsened my condition. Nor could she stop it from happening again. She had already spoken to the coach who would again talk to the team, but it had to be a voluntary action on their part. That was not good enough for Laura, she wasn't going to leave me to be terrorised again.

The obvious answers of going to an all girls school or home schooling didn't address the problem and had their own issues. There were no local all girls schools, so I would have to go into a boarding school and home schooling wouldn't address the socialisation that Dr Barn thought was needed to help me overcome my fears.

In the end there was only one answer that she could come up with and it needed to be tested first. Laura was not in disguise this morning and her bodyguards were present outside the door which is what gave the good Dr the idea. Would I be less anxious if I was being protected? It would need to be more than one person, as with multiple perceived threats, all my mind would need to see is that I could not avoid the confrontation and panic may well ensue.

If we were going to potentially bring bodyguards to the school the principle needed to OK it and we needed to see if it made any difference. So we had to wait for the principal to arrive and be available to talk. I stayed in Dr Barn's office with Laura while she went to see the principal and discuss the issue with him. Laura phoned the company that provided security for her to check availability. Female bodyguards were a lot less common than male ones, so it would need to be carefully scheduled.

The principal did not like the idea of bodyguards in classrooms and didn't want to set a precedent. However he thought that it was possible during the lunch break which was thought to be the most likely time an incident would take place. The next question was would it help my anxiety. He arranged to have three large lads approach me in the cafeteria while I had four bodyguards around me. It worked. As long as they placed themselves between me and the boy approaching, my stress levels stayed within manageable levels.

Since these were Laura's bodyguards and it was difficult to find replacements, and they were only going to be needed for an hour, the principal agreed that Laura could join me for that lunch hour with the bodyguards. It also made it seem less like I was guarded and more that Laura was. There was a bit of concern that Laura's presence would be a disruption, but it was not during lesson time, so the worst that could happen was someone would go hungry. There would also be times when she was unable to make it, but hopefully then Eve would come in her place with the same bodyguards. Laura could always have male ones as a replacement.

So I was a bit late for my first lesson of the day, but able to continue with school. I was not that fussed by school to be honest. I don't think I was getting much socialisation anyway, since I had been avoided up until now. I suspected that would now change, but only because of my connection to Laura, so no real friendships. Learning wise, I could achieve as much or more at home. Eve was very pro education and schools in general and since she didn't believe that I could be Dillan, I couldn't argue that I had almost already graduated.

Chapter 35

The whispering around me was very different today. Other girls in particular, were smiling at me and saying hello. I stayed friendly but didn't encourage any further conversation. They asked me if I knew Laura Kind, to which I answered yes. No elaboration, just yes. I knew that Laura did not want my adoption to be public before she announced it on television during an interview on the red carpet. I thought lunch was going to be interesting and I was right.

Laura was waiting by the entrance to the cafeteria with her bodyguards. The idea was that I would just join them and we would get our lunch together. However, instead of people moving into the room they stayed around Laura to see what was going on. The brave ones tried to talk to her. Her response was that she was waiting for someone and then she ignored anything further. This caused a crowd to form at the entrance making it difficult for me to join her.

In the end, realising that it wasn't working, she announced in a loud voice that everyone should go through and sit down and she would address them all. She pulled her phone out and spoke to someone and slowly there was movement past her and I was able to join her. We went to my normal table without having collected our food. Chelle was already sitting there, alone as usual.

Laura gracefully stepped onto a chair and then onto the table. Something about her bearing or attitude or maybe just charisma resulted in the entire cafeteria going quiet to listen to what she had to say.

“Thank you for your well wishing and compliments that you have thrown in my direction. I'm sorry, but I won't be signing autographs or spending time talking to you. I am here to have lunch with someone I care deeply for. Someone who has been wronged by you, the students of this school. I know that some of you will be thinking that I am not talking about you, I am only referring to those who have started a whispering campaign or those who have deliberately tried to intimidate her. No, with very few exceptions, I mean all of you. If you have not participated, you have heard those whispers and done nothing, you have seen the intimidation and done nothing. I know you are young, but you want to be treated like an adult. First you need to act like one.” Her gaze swept the room. “Please forget that I am here and lets have lunch.” She nodded to the principal who was standing by the entrance and then sat down. We sent one of the bodyguards to fetch our lunch since we thought it would be more problematic for us to go up.

Despite that speech, there were a couple of kids who wanted to join our table so I politely told them that the seats were taken, although they obviously weren't. So Chelle, Laura and I had lunch and no one dared come near. This could work, I thought to myself, this could work. Then we had gym and it all fell apart.

Laura had left with the bodyguards after escorting me to my next class. That was fine, but the last class of the day is gym. Since everyone stayed in the section relating to their practice, I was not expecting any trouble. I was pretty sure that the three guys from the previous lunch were football players and they practised in a completely different area to the obstacle course, it didn't even occur to me to worry. However, I'm guessing the football coach was not happy with their behaviour and had kicked them off the team, which left them both free to harass me and angry. I noticed them behind me lining up for the first obstacle. There was a smaller boy in between us initially, but they moved him aside just as I started. I don't think I have ever put more effort in moving across the course. They fell off before I did, but instead of heading back to the beginning of the obstacle they were waiting for me. I didn't wait for them to start their intimidation tactics, I just ran to the women's changing rooms and hid in there until the end of class. I was stressed but not in full panic mode.

That night Laura made the decision to pull me out of school. I could see that Eve wanted to argue, but didn't really have an alternative. When we phoned Dr Barn to cancel our next morning appointment, she suggested that I continue seeing her, even if I wasn't going to school. I had already spoken to Laura and told her that I would prefer finding another therapist. My first session with her was great, but after that I didn't really think we had accomplished anything.

Laura was worried that I would have another bad night, so she stayed with me again. Whether it was her presence which I always find calming or that I wasn't affected too much by my gym experience, the result was a good night's sleep.

The next morning we phoned the principal to formally tell him that I wouldn't be attending and explaining why. We thanked him for his efforts. He really did try to accommodate us, but you can't force people to behave and I was too vulnerable for me to remain. He was able to pass on the credits that I received for my English education. It only related to what was required for high school graduation according to California. There are minimum requirements for graduating in California and my English education would account for some of those requirements and I would have to finish the rest either online or with a teacher. Funnily enough there was no legal requirement for any teachers to have state credentials. Since I was already credited with two years of English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, French and PE, most of the requirements had already been met. I discussed this with Gem, Eve and Laura at lunch time. What we decided was that I would complete the minimum requirements by doing online courses for the bits that I was missing like one more year of English, US history, American government, civics and economics. Then I would have private tutors in for any subject that I wanted to learn more about. Already scheduled was my singing lessons, deportment class and personal training. Eve wanted me to add and I agreed with her, music lessons starting with music theory and piano lessons. Laura wanted me to do drama and was hoping to enrol me in a local amateur group. That would combine learning and socialisation. I wanted to continue with my Spanish so Gem said she would organise that for me. We would keep any tutors female so as not to trip my issues. Laura also wanted me to go out with her on a regular basis. She hoped that with our bodyguards around us, I would be able to face my fears whilst still feeling secure enough not to go into panic mode.

The only thing that worried me was leaving Chelle alone at lunch time. I sent her a text that morning so she knew not to expect me. The good news for me was that I was less overwhelmed with work, trying to catch up in classes where I was way behind. We could also reschedule our singing lessons and personal training to be more in line with Eve's normal day routine, which would leave me much more time after school to catch up with Chelle. That didn't change the fact that she would be on her own. Except that was not what happened. Maybe Laura's speech regarding those who don't participate still being guilty because they did not stop the action or maybe others wanted to associate with Chelle because she knew Laura and had spent the last lunch period talking to her. Regardless, it meant Chelle was again surrounded by former friends. She told me that she now considered them more acquaintances rather than friends, since they had deserted her so easily. She would be friendly towards them, but not anything further.

Agent Atworth's POV

I knocked and entered the directors office when he acknowledged me. After Dr Barn's call this morning, in combination with what we had heard in Eve's house, I had called this meeting.

“So, what is the problem?” He asked me.

“We have to make a decision fairly quickly, so I thought it best if I had your input. From our surveillance and Dr Barn's questioning we have come to a few conclusions. I'll start with Dr Barn. I should mention that Dr Barn is of the opinion that Sophia's behaviour is entirely within normal human expectation. However, all the information that Sophia is providing regarding her life in England, is complete nonsense. Nothing matches up. Teachers names, friends, descriptions of locations and even how she was treated. Even her handwriting is evidence that she is not the same person.”

“Dr Barn agrees that Sophia is an UE?”

“Sort of. She has not seen anything non-human. She can confirm that while Sophia is giving false information, there are no signs that a human would normally give to indicate that she was lying. Otherwise body language is consistent with human mannerisms. There is also not even a suggestion of a gender issue, which again confirms that Sophia is not Richard. Going over the taped recording of the original session, when Sophia talked about her attack, she called her attacker Richard, which we have no explanation for. Part of the reason for this meeting is that Dr Barn is no longer in a position to further interrogate Sophia. Sophia is using the anxiety issue as a reason to stop attending school and despite Dr Barn continuing to offer her services, Sophia is not continuing treatment.”

“Where does that leave us?” He asked me.

“I think we can conclude that Sophia is definitely not Richard. The question is, who is she? It is still possible that she is an UE, but there may be another answer. The only way to find out is to bring her in and, after reviewing our surveillance footage, we may have to do that sooner rather than later.”

“What's happened?”

“We were aware that Gem Haven had received formal guardianship of Sophia and approached a judge for a formal adoption. We did not know that it was Laura Kind who actually adopted Sophia and plans to announce that fact to the world next Saturday on the red carpet. After that it will become very difficult to extract her without an elaborate cover story.”

“I see. So what is the plan?”

“Providing that you agree, we, that is the General and I, have arranged for Eve to meet her father on Monday where he will explain everything. Hopefully, Eve will then arrange for our men to be able to bring Sophia in. That seems the least messy. Eve will probably have to talk to Laura and Gem. Unlike Eve, they don't have clearance, but that doesn't matter. Our policy of allowing unsubstantiated information to be distributed as anyone talking to the press is just laughed at, should serve us well.”

I waited while the director thought for a moment. Then he nodded his head. “Do it.” He said.

Chapter 36 Chelle's POV

I woke up with my usual fuzzy headedness. Then I went through my usual where am I? What time is it? What day is it? Then I felt a surge of adrenaline as I realised it was Saturday. My goodness it had been a long week, but now it was the day I had been waiting for.

In some respects I had a much better week than any since the big reveal. I was surrounded by people trying to be friendly. I was popular again. This time though, I could sense how artificial and superficial it all was. I almost preferred my isolated truth. Still, I pretended with the best of them while longing for the week to end and Saturday to arrive.

I jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. I had plenty of time and knew I was going to be ready far too early, but I couldn't help myself, I had this eager energy surging through me. Soph had told me not to shave as we would be going to the spa after we had finished shopping and that would include a waxing. My hair was really quite dark and showed up terribly on my legs, so I had had a course of laser treatments some time ago. I still had some hair show up occasionally, but it was hardly noticeable.

So a day of shopping with my only real friend, then spa treatments and then dinner in a posh restaurant. Sleeping the night at Laura Kind's house. I knew it was Eve's house as well, but I imagined she was off doing rock star stuff, so I probably wasn't going to meet her. Spend the day with my friend, who I was hoping would become my girlfriend, and a massive celebrity, followed by watching a movie, with Soph cuddled in my arms and sleeping another night. It felt like someone had bundled all my Christmasses and birthdays for the next ten years into one amazing weekend.

In the shower with the hot water pounding me and my hands all covered in soap, I couldn't help imagining kissing Soph and her hands touching me. That girl turned me on something fierce. We had been sitting across from each other with me staring into her gorgeous eyes, her face all alight with light and life when I had to stop myself from leaning forwards to kiss those juicy lips. Now, I could pretend that I had had that courage. Tonight or maybe tomorrow night I was going to screw my courage to that sticking place as I think Shakespeare said, and take my chance. It had to be spontaneous, but I just knew it was going to be perfect. I was getting quite excited just thinking about it. I spent a little longer than I usually did in the shower and came out a little more flushed than I did going in.

I did wonder what it was going to be like spending time with a major Hollywood star. Both times that I had interacted with her, my major impression was of an angry protective mother bear type attitude. Today should be quite different. I knew I had to treat her as if she was nothing special, just Soph's mum. It was going to be hard, but for the day to go well, I needed to chill out and just have fun.

I had met some pretty important people through mum and dad's social functions. Mainly politicians and business people, nothing of Laura's fame. They acted like I should know who they were and treat them like royalty. Laura, who was a much bigger celebrity, seemed to act with more confidence and grace. It was like she didn't need people to recognise her or praise her, and yet, almost because of that attitude she stood out as someone who was obviously important and worthy.

I took my time and tried to get my makeup and hair as perfect as possible. I even asked my mum for help to make sure I had done a good job and pick out the right clothes. It was nice to be able to spend time with mum, not arguing or having another lecture on how much easier my life would be if I would put men back on the menu. She had even admitted that she found both women and men attractive and if I was the same I should chose a man. Ever since I had been forced to come out of the closet and tell her that I preferred women, she had been saying that she loved me and accepted me for who I was, while at the same time setting up dates with sons of people that she or dad knew. Her explanation was that it gave me the opportunity to make sure I knew what I wanted. All it had done was keep us in conflict. I don't think anyone wants to be different and I knew how much easier my life would be if I fancied men, but I just didn't. I had already spent enough time agonising over it that it really wasn't in debate any more. I had been forced to accept that it was just the way it was.

Before agreeing to me staying over with Soph, mum had asked me whether Soph was a friend who was a girl or a girlfriend. I answered honestly that Soph was a friend. The fact that I wanted that to change and that Soph had admitted that she was lesbian, I kept to myself. I don't think mum had come to terms with my reality yet and I could see more disagreements in our near future. If this weekend went as well as I hoped, I would refuse any more attempts from my mother to get me to date others. I was eighteen now and didn't feel I needed her permission for anything in my life. I just wanted the relationship that we had before I came out, back.

After breakfast and a quick repair job on my makeup I needed to distract myself while I waited. I went to my music room and tried to capture my excitement with a song. I have written a few songs, but I have never been in a band, so only wrote the songs with guitar accompaniment and although I was happy with my experiments, I could tell that they needed more than what they currently were. Even if they probably weren't commercial, they were fun and helped distract me while I was waiting. I did keep checking the time, so I wasn't fully focussed.

Ten minutes before they were due to arrive I couldn't contain myself anymore and ended up waiting by the front door, looking out the side panels to see the car coming. I noticed I was bouncing on my heels in excitement and tried to calm myself down and when I saw a limo coming up the drive I shouted bye to mum and stepped outside with my suitcase. Dad as usual was working somewhere, probably in the house and hates being disturbed.

After coming to a careful stop besides me, the limo driver rushed round to let me in and then took my suitcase to place it in the boot. It was a stretched limo so there was plenty of room inside, even with Laura and Soph waiting for me.

“Shouldn't I get out and meet your mother?” Laura asked.

“You can if you like, but it might be best if you didn't. I told her that Soph's mum was picking us up and I know you are keeping that on the down low at the moment.” My mum hadn't come to the door. I suspected she was being a little disrespectful deliberately since she was always around when she had organised a date for me. Which also meant she probably didn't buy the friend rather than girlfriend answer. Oh well.

With a bit of a frown that only lasted a second and was then hidden by her usual smile, Laura asked the driver to take us to the mall. Stretched limos are common enough that they don't always contain celebrities. Still, the driver took us into an underground car park and dropped us off near a less frequented entrance. Laura put on a very dark brown wig and glasses that made it difficult to recognise her and we started our shopping expedition. Waiting for us by the entrance was another lady that Laura introduced as Daphne, a fashion consultant.

Daphne asked Laura the aim of this mission, which was number one, find a red carpet gown for both Laura and Soph and number two, shop until we dropped. We would have lunch when one of us felt hungry and visit the spa at four pm. Laura asked me to keep close to Soph, especially if there were any men who approached too close and, if need be, lead her to the ladies and calm her down.

Thus began one of the best days of my life. I used the suggestion to get close to Soph and side hug her when I could. She was such a little thing and would look up at me with these huge eyes so full of gratitude that my heart melted. Laura was fun and much more relaxed than when I had last met her. She had so many interesting stories that we could have been constantly entertained by her, but she didn't hog the conversation and allowed us all to feel comfortable. Daphne was a font of knowledge on the fashion front. I am not always the easiest to fit, with my tall slim frame, but Daphne seemed to instinctively know what would look good on me and helped me enormously finding clothes that I loved. I offered to pay and had brought my purse and handbag, but Laura refused, insisting that since they had invited me, this was on her.

There were a few times that we had to manoeuvre ourselves so that Soph would feel more secure and I glared at a few boys that seemed to be taking an unhealthy interest in my girl. During lunch we found a corner where Soph could sit with us around her. Overall, her anxiety remained under control and didn't detract from the wonderful day. It did really annoy me to think that she should have been able to go to school if it wasn't for idiots deliberately trying to provoke her. It was frustrating since there was nothing that could be legally done to stop them.

The perfect gowns were found, then we had to find others that were almost as nice to go out in that evening. When it was time for the spa we had achieved all that we wanted. We said goodbye to Daphne and started our pampering. Rather than waxing we had laser treatments, then some kind of moisturising wrap, followed by massage and ended with hair, nails and makeup. We then dressed in the gowns we had chosen for today. Now Laura's wig came off and she somehow altered her posture and seemed to bring this instant change from mum next door to movie star. As we left the spa we were surrounded by four female bodyguards who guided us back to the waiting limo. Laura was now recognisable and we stopped a few times for her to sign autographs.

Chapter 37 Sophia's POV

I had had an amazing day so far. I'd been shopping with Laura and Daphne before, but adding Chelle added a whole other dimension to it. I really, really wanted to look good for her. Previously, I had listened carefully and tried to absorb as much information as possible. I had been trying to learn insights into a world I had never travelled before.

Today, I wanted to impress Chelle. I needed her to see me as beautiful. I wasn't just looking at colours and fashions, but concentrating on what I thought enhanced my looks. I also loved the attention that Chelle was showing me. When I had been with Jen, my role had been that of the protector. Now I was the small delicate flower and I was being looked after by my strong Amazon. A small voice was trying to say that I needed to toughen up, be the man, but the larger part of me was enjoying that feeling of vulnerability surrounded by someone else's aura of love and protection. It was the same feeling I got at night when Laura or Gem spooned me. With Jen I did the spooning and now I was being spooned both physically and emotionally, and, as much as a small part of me fought that, the rest of me felt a warm glow that people could care for me that much. It was like being hugged in a way that you couldn't hug back, so you knew they weren't doing it for themselves, only for you.

A spa experience is usually a pleasurable one and how do you make it better? You share it with those that you care for. I almost thought love, but I didn't feel confident using that word, even in my mind, about Chelle just yet. Laura, absolutely, Chelle, not quite yet. I think I was heading in that direction. It was fairly obvious that we found each other attractive and so far her personality made me think she was amazing. I was mature enough to know that I shouldn't put her on a pedestal, and that no one was perfect. I hadn't found any faults yet and, to be honest, had no intention of looking for any.

I loved the look on Chelle's face when Laura turned on her star quality and we met up with our bodyguards. It was somewhere between shock and pleasure. Laura was very good at putting people at their ease, so it didn't last long, but it did make me want to rub my hands in glee for what I had planned next. Since I had missed mum's first meeting with Chelle, I wanted to capture Chelle's first meeting with Eve. I know it was a bit naughty, still, I had managed to get Eve and Laura on board.

We arrived at the restaurant before Eve and were seated in a booth. I made sure that both Chelle and myself had our backs to the padded bench. When Eve texted me that she was at the entrance. I apologised to Chelle and asked her to remain while I had a quick private conversation with mum. I then took mum out of sight and then back around to that I could see Chelle from the side.

Eve casually walked up to Chelle. She knew what Chelle looked like because I had sent her a photo from my phone earlier and let's face it, you rarely find a woman sitting in a restaurant on her own.

“Is this seat taken?” Eve asked.

“Umm.. yes, I mean no.” Chelle responded. I was taking photos with my phone and her face was a real picture. Flustered, excited, scared and shocked.

I couldn't leave her struggling so I rushed back to the table with the biggest grin. I kissed Eve on the cheek and whispered 'thank you' to her and then sat besides Chelle. “Got you.”

Chelle was still a bit red faced, but laughed it off. Laura settled herself next to Eve. Chelle then tapped me on the shoulder so I turned to face her. She put her finger under my chin to lift my face up and then gave me the softest, sweetest and most sensual kiss that I had ever received. Wow. I think my face was left with this expression of wonder.

“Got you back.” She answered.

I blushed when I remembered we had an audience. Laura and Eve were laughing at me, which I guess was fair enough. Once I had calmed down, I moved myself closer to Chelle, so that our legs were touching and then whispered in her ear. “I want more.” That left her blushing again.

We managed to tone it down for the rest of the meal and have a decent conversation with the two celebrities in front of us, but I was constantly aware of our legs touching or when she stroked my back or touched my hand. I felt flushed in a way I was not familiar. I was guessing that this was what it felt like to be turned on as a woman. My body was definitely saying more, more, more.

Mum was smiling in a way that let me know she knew what was going on and was both encouraging and amused. During the meal Eve found out that Chelle had written some songs and since we didn't have anything really planned for tomorrow apart from the evening, she suggested that Chelle retrieve her guitar and notes for a music session. Laura as the versatile actress that she was, was a trained singer with a lovely voice and I had been having daily lessons, so it was something we could all participate in.

We all had a great restaurant experience. When we returned home Laura and Eve did sit us down for a semi serious conversation. Laura was the main talker with Eve supporting her.

“I'm new to this mum thing, so I have had no time to work out the right way to talk about this, or even what I think is the right thing to suggest. Clearly, if you both sleep in the same room...”

“Mum!” I said already embarrassed.

“I know this is awkward, honey, but we need to have this discussion. You obviously care for each other and we all know where that leads. On the one hand I'm thinking, you can't get pregnant, so why can't you have your fun and on the other I'm worried that if you are not ready for that it could hurt you emotionally. There has got to be a balance in there somewhere and I have no idea where that is.”

Chelle coughed into her hands which I think was a nervous reaction. “Umm, how about we put some rules in place.”

“What do you suggest?” Laura asked.

Chelle thought for a bit. “How about no skin on skin near erogenous zones?” She then looked at me quite intensely. “Apart from my lips.”

Eve laughed then. “I don't think allowing lips on erogenous zones will keep things chaste.”

Chelle and I both blushed at that. “Errr... I mean lips on lips.” Chelle said.

Eve laughed again and didn't need to say anything to keep us from working that one out.

“How about we say no skin on skin near erogenous zones. You can kiss, but nothing below the shoulders.” Laura said with a smile. “We can change the rules later, but I want you to promise me that you will keep them and if it ever goes beyond them, you will tell me as soon as possible.”

I was then sent off to get changed while mum talked to Chelle. I knew it was going to be about my nightmares and I didn't really want to be present for that anyway. I did think that turn about was fair play and when were alone I was going to quiz her as to when she had lost her virginity and how she felt about that. That also might help us formulate a plan as to what could be allowed, when.

With all that resolved Chelle was going to be able to sleep in my bed with me. Which I thought was pretty liberal of mum. Both of us in PJ's and honour bound to be relatively good. Having had the intimacy talk, with both of us probably working out what was still possible, getting into bed together actually turned out to be a bit awkward. I think neither of us were quite sure how to start.

“Let's not stress about this. Tonight please just spoon me, Chelle. I want to feel held in your strong arms. Anything else needs to happen naturally.” I told her, as I turned away from her and then backed into her. With relief I felt her arms around me and her warmth against my back, holding me firmly.

“My pleasure.” She murmured into the back of my head with that sweet sexy French accent.

Initially we were both a bit tense. I couldn't help thinking of her breasts pressed against me and her body covering around my bottom, but as nothing further happened, we both relaxed and eased into each other. Pretty soon I was dropping off to sleep.

Chapter 38 Chelle's POV

In the middle of the night I woke up, not quite sure what had awoken me. Then I felt Soph breathing fast, almost hyperventilating and occasionally twitching. I started stroking her and telling her that she was safe, that I was here to look after her and protect her and that her mum was nearby and wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

I kept repeating myself and tenderly touching her through her PJ's. Laura had warned me not to hold her too tightly as sometimes that made it worse. It seemed to be working as her breathing seemed less frantic. Slowly, over five minutes or so, she returned to normal. I don't think she woke up fully at any point. When I thought it was over I hugged her to me and felt her clutch my hand, like she didn't want to let me go. I felt such a warm feeling in my heart when she did that. I was really falling for her.

In the morning I asked her how she slept and she was so pleased that she hadn't disturbed me with a scream that I didn't have the heart to tell her what had happened. Besides she kissed in joy thinking that she had slept through. We both had to have a quick bathroom break or I think we would have stayed lip locked for the rest of the day.

We both climbed back into bed and lay on our sides facing each other.

“We have had to be very careful what we have said to each other for fear of others overhearing us. I have left out or avoided certain topics.” While she said this to me she was staring me intently in the eyes, then she looked away. “I really care for you, Chelle, so I want to be as honest as possible and answer any questions you may have.”

“You came to me when I was lost and alone. My supposed friends had abandoned me, my father has always been a distant figure and didn't care one way or another, but I thought my mother supported me. She says she does and then she sets me up with dates with boys to try and change my mind. I hope you don't mind, but.” I stroked her face causing her eyes to rise up and meet mine. I somehow sensed that I needed to be the dominant one in this relationship, so I needed to ask less and do more. “Since I am now in a committed relationship with you, ma belle, I will be stopping that. Through your actions I know all I need to know about you. I would like to know more, but I do not need to. Tell me about yourself, ma belle, but only what you want to.”

“What would you like to know?” She asked me in a small voice. She has secrets, I could tell and she was opening up and giving me the opportunity to know her skeletons, and yet doing so would hurt her.

“I do not really care what is in your past. I wouldn't mind knowing how you ended up with Laura Kind as your mother. Not if it is too painful though.”

She smiled sadly. “It will be painful, but you should know. Could you hold me and I will tell you.”

I lay on my back and pulled her onto my chest. I am not particularly big in the chest department so there wasn't a lot of cushioning and she had to shift a little to get comfortable. Then she told me about falling in love with a straight girl, Jen, whose boyfriend attacked her and killed her parents, her Aunt rescuing her and bringing her to the states. Her Aunt, Gem, working for Eve and Laura and then being invited into their home and the connection she made with Laura.

The tale did not take long to tell and was short on detail, but heavy on emotion. I stroked her as she lay on my chest, pulling herself together. “That is enough. Do you have any questions about me?” I asked her. She shook her head on my chest. Even if she did, I don't think she was in the right frame of mind to ask them.

After she had been quiet for awhile she sat up abruptly. “Enough moping.” She said and then took herself off to the bathroom. I had been enjoying her lying on me, but it probably was time to get up.

While she was in the bathroom I checked to see if anyone else was up and found Laura in the kitchen making breakfast. She asked me how the night went, so I told her what happened in the middle of the night and that Soph was unaware and I wanted it to stay that way. She thanked me for looking after her. I stayed to help her out in my PJ's until Soph emerged and then we swapped and she helped while I got myself sorted.

By the time I was ready Gem and Eve were at the table. Gem was introduced to me and I could see a vague resemblance if you discounted how stacked she was. I wondered if that meant Soph was going to end up like that and sort of hoped she did. I can't deny I am a fan of a nice big chest. I tried hard to keep eye contact with Gem when I spoke to her while feeling this almost magnetic pull down. It didn't help that I ended up sitting opposite her.

Gem had some things she wanted to do so it was going to be the four of us until the evening. The plan was to have the limo take us back to my house so that I could pick up my music stuff and then we would all play with it here. Eve didn't want to get my hopes up and said this was all about having fun. With my permission we would take the songs that I had written and try and see what we could do with them and then sing them. Maybe even record it. Not for a record company, but our own enjoyment. If it turned out fantastic then she could talk to her contacts, but that was not the purpose. Again she repeated, the idea was to have fun.

I phoned my mum, just to let her know that I would be popping round to pick my stuff up. The conversation did not go exactly to plan.

“Hi mum, one of Soph's parents is really musical so we thought we would have a play together. I'll be round in the next half an hour to pick up my guitar and stuff.”

“That is fine dear. Do you still want to stay the night? If you can get home before seven I have a handsome boy who is just dying to meet you. You never know, he could be the one.”

I was getting fed up with this. “I will still be staying the night and no, I am not interested in dating any boy, handsome or ugly, rich or poor. No more, mum, please, no more. Just accept me for who I am, please.” I felt Soph's arms cuddling me from behind. I was so glad that I had moved into her bedroom to make the call. She had asked if I wanted privacy, but I really didn't expect anything more than a two minute conversation, just letting mum know that I was on my way.

“Is this about your friend who is not your girlfriend?” Her voice became harder. “Have you slept with her?”

“I am happy to say that Soph has moved from the friend to girlfriend category.” I tried to avoid the sleep question, since it was misleading. Yes we had slept together but no, we hadn't had sex, none of which I wanted to discuss with my mother.

“You have slept with her, haven't you, I can hear it in your voice. You know that doesn't speak well for her character, sleeping with someone on the first date. You can do so much better, baby.”

Now I was getting really annoyed. “What you are probably hearing in my voice is happiness, at least until I started this conversation with you. And if I did sleep with her on our first date wouldn't that mean your daughter was of low character and SHE could do better?” This wasn't going well. “I'll be round in half an hour. Bye.” I put the phone down. I turned to Soph. “Sorry about that. I think I should go on my own to pick up my stuff.”

She smiled at me mischievously. “I'll ask Eve to go with you. No one says no to Eve. She is like a force of nature. Besides, can you imagine the look on your mothers face when Eve turns up to help you pick up your guitar.”

I had to smile at that.

I filled Eve in on my circumstances a little. How on the surface my mother has pretended to be supportive and then, with a complete lack of understanding is trying to convert my sexuality by forcing me to go on dates with men, under the mistaken belief that I am bisexual. I also told her how my phone call went. She was sympathetic with my plight and willing to help.

Chapter 39

We jumped into the limo and drove to my house. I was feeling nervous and a bit scared that mum was going to muck this up for me. On the other hand, Eve had this grin on her face, ready for a confrontation and looking forward to it. I think she was trying to keep me from freaking out by keeping a conversation going. We talked about music generally, favourite songs and artists.

When we arrived Eve strode confidently up to the door and rang the bell. I did have a key and was half thinking that I could sneak in and grab my stuff with no one the wiser, although arriving in a limo would probably have announced my presence anyway. I think mum was waiting for me as she answered the door pretty quickly. Not too surprising considering I had told her I was coming and even told her how long I thought it would take to get here.

The next encounter was almost funny to watch. Mum opened the door quite forcefully with anger in her eyes and an argument on her lips. Instead of encountering her wayward daughter, she was faced with Eve. I am fairly tall at five feet eleven, Eve is a touch taller and yet not enough to really account for the way she seemed to loom like a giant over my mother. Mum was only a couple of inches smaller than me, but right now, it looked like a confrontation between David and Goliath, I only it hoped it didn't turn out the same way.

Mum's expression went from anger, to confusion, to a half hearted attempt at a welcoming face. “Err...pleased to meet you. You must be Sophia's parent?”

“Eve.” Eve said, holding out a hand to shake, pretending that mum hadn't recognised her.

“Oh, err... I'm Regine.” Mum said, flustered.

I think Eve is a master of mental judo. She sort of looked like she was moving forward, which caused my mum to back away, making it look like she was inviting us in and then Eve and I went in.

“I think it is great that you are so supportive of your daughter and her life choices. I can't imagine how hard her school life has been considering how bigoted some people are. At least she has you to rely on, someone who loves her no matter what.” Eve said. I picked up on a subtle hand signal so I missed the rest of the talk as I went to gather my guitar and music notes and rushed back.

It was a bit of a shame really, I wanted to hear what my mum was going to say. I was pretty sure she had been going to tell me that I wasn't allowed to go back and had to stay home. Now, if she did that, she was going to look so foolish. I did manage to hear mum thank Eve for indulging my music fantasies. She managed to say it in such a way that the thanks appeared genuine while putting down my music ability, which was impressive considering English was not her first language. Normally I would have kissed her on my way past, but I really didn't feeling like it right then, so I hurried past her with a muttered 'see ya'.

I felt a great sense of relief as we were driving away. This was my first little bit of joy in my life for a long time and I feared mum was going to put a stop to it.

“See, that wasn't so hard.” Eve said.

For some reason that caused me to laugh. Maybe it was a way to relieve my tension. I knew Eve had gone into the situation with only one outcome in mind and achieved that effortlessly. I wish I had some of her strength and self confidence.

“Thanks, Eve. That was awesome.”

“No worries, kid, no worries.”

By the time we returned Gem was off out on her errands so the four of us gathered around the table with my music in front of us. First Eve asked me to pick out a song and then I sang it quietly. I got my guitar out and tried to express it as best a possible. Eve then pointed out, where the song was weak and between us we tried to make it better. When you write something, it is almost like it is a part of you and when someone criticises it, you feel wounded emotionally. But Eve did it so matter of factly, that all I felt was a desire to improve it.

Soph really came into her own. First she asked me to describe what I was trying express in the song and then seemed to come up with much better words. In the end, she almost completely re wrote the song, saying this bit didn't quite fit, and then the bit before it needed to change. Eve played with the guitar sound and then we all went to this stage which had a complete set of instruments on it. Eve then managed to add a piano sound while Laura practised singing it with Soph. Between them they came up with some background singing suggestions, while I was playing the guitar. I tried singing it, but it was much better with Soph singing it with Laura as a background singer, me on guitar and Eve on piano.

We then went to another room which was a miniature recording studio. Eve explained that she had a pretty good system, but would go to the record studio when she was ready to record songs for the public. She reckoned that we could get a good enough recording with what she had available to produce a demo CD for the record company. And yes, she did think it was good enough for her to present it.

We did our best to record it and then broke for lunch. I never knew producing music was so hard. Eve seemed hypercritical and we had to repeat ourselves so many times, but the end product, I have to say, I was very proud of.

Laura and Soph prepared lunch. I was so surprised that this mega star was doing her own cooking and cleaning that I had to ask. When I did Soph answered very weirdly.

“Don't mention the war!” Soph said. Which caused Laura to chuckle and Eve to smile.

Seeing my look of confusion Laura explained. “What Soph is trying to say is that it is a touchy subject. I used to have a team who did pretty much everything for me. They betrayed my trust so now I am very wary of hiring anyone new. We have a housekeeper who does the cooking five days a week, but never on a Sunday. I actually quite like doing a bit myself. I think it helps to keep me grounded.”

“Oh, umm... OK. Err... what has that got to do with the war?” I said thoroughly puzzled.

“Have you ever heard of 'Fawlty Towers'?” Laura asked me. Of course, I hadn't, which lead to an after lunch watch this old English sitcom session. Laura chose her favourite episode, which at one point had this guy beating up his car with a branch for not listening to him. I was almost rolling on the floor in laughter.

After that Soph wanted to do a gym workout, so we all ended up going to the gym. I couldn't believe how much Eve and Soph pushed themselves. Laura and I did more of a cardiovascular workout. Eve and Soph did that and then followed it with a weight session. For all that Soph was such a little thing, she sure managed some heavy weights. Then we had a warm down in the pool and a relax in the hot tub after. For the movie we ordered some pizza and Laura prepared some popcorn.

We watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Some parts of it, I just didn't get, other parts made me laugh so much my stomach hurt and others made me laugh and I had no idea why. The second movie was a romantic sweet sentimental movie. To be honest I spent most of it cuddled up to Soph, not concentrating on the screen. Soph was watching it and it was fascinating seeing all these expressions crossing her face and altering her body posture.

When we went to bed, this time, I stroked her, caressed her and kissed her. I kept to the rules and we managed to keep it relatively chaste, but I was, oh so tempted. In the end, I physically turned her away and cuddled her from behind to stop us from going further. I could feel her heart beating fast from excitement and just held her as we both came down from such a high.

The best two days of my life.

Chapter 40 Sophia's POV

I had another great night sleep. Two in a row was a new record for me. Sleeping all the way through without waking and I could only put it down to Chelle being in my bed with me. I wish she could be there every night. Whether it was the great sleep, or the wonderful weekend that I had just had, I woke up with such a feeling of elation. My life was turning out to be amazing.

Chelle had school today so she had to be up and ready quite early. Maria already had breakfast prepared. I sent Chelle off to school with a long passionate kiss. We wanted to immediately organise another time to meet, but Chelle said she needed a long chat with her mother before she could do that. She was going to call me that evening after she had sorted everything out.

Eve was off to visit her father today, Gem and Lisa still had lots of work to do, which left mum and me at the breakfast table relaxing.

“What are your plans for today?” mum asked me.

“We still haven't changed my schedule yet so this afternoon I have a singing lesson with Danica followed by my deportment and grace lesson. I figured this morning I would do a gym session and then some online lessons and some reading. Shall we meet at lunch time?”

“Yes. I will join you for the gym session. You make me feel positively lazy and after that pizza last night, I feel the need to burn some calories. I've got some scripts to read through then I will join you for lunch.” She paused to have another sip of her coffee, both hands wrapped around the mug like she was holding something precious. “I had an interesting conversation with Eve last night.” She looked up at me.

“Umm?” I said very intelligently, looking back at her.

“Do you know what you want to do with your life? I know you are only sixteen, or almost sixteen. Money really isn't an issue, so the question is, what do you want to do?”

I thought about it for a bit. “I don't know. As you know, I was into computers and websites, but that wasn't because I enjoyed it. It was a way to earn money, or more accurately it was a way for Katie, Jen's mum, to earn money and do something that she relished. All I know for certain is I don't want to do nothing.”

“Well, Eve said that she was impressed with your song writing and thought the song that we made in collaboration had a good chance of success. Your singing voice fit the song very nicely. I've also noticed that you have a very expressive face which is a fantastic asset in acting. I was thinking that you could try them both and see what you liked. We can follow Eve on her tour as a family and on my next movie you can come with me and see what is involved. Since most of your learning is now internet dependent which can be done anywhere, we can involve you in as much as you want. You don't need to come up with any answers. You've got plenty of time. I just wanted you to think about it.”

“Both sound like fun, but I don't know what is actually involved and the only way to find out is to follow those who do. I would love to follow you two around as long as I am not going to be in the way.”

Mum smiled at me. “You'll never be in the way. You'll just add to our joy.”

She certainly had given me a lot to think about. I tried to imagine myself as a rock star or an actress and just couldn't quite see it. I had really enjoyed working on the song with Chelle and she had lots more for us to work on. That could also be an excuse to bring Chelle further into my life. As far as acting went, I really didn't know what was involved. I had always thought becoming an actor or actress required huge amounts of hard work, effort, skill and luck. By having Laura as a parent I was probably going to have a short cut into the business, but that would only give me a chance, the rest would be up to me.

It did make me want to finish my educational requirements as quickly as possible, so that I could concentrate on the more fun activities. So that is what I was doing after lunch until it was time for my singing lesson.

Eve's POV

I was angry, hurt and generally pissed off. There was probably a good amount of disbelief and shock thrown in. When dad told me that Soph was not who I thought she was, I was surprised that he even knew about her. He came up with the preposterous idea that she was some kind of alien or a UE, unknown entity. I almost laughed in his face. Then he went through the evidence. Handwriting, recorded conversations with Dr Barn that didn't relate to reality, videos of Soph swimming along with school records which included her lack of swimming ability. Her complete personality change from being transgender with aggressive, almost overly masculine traits to what she was now. He also admitted that all high level military personnel were told that there was incontrovertible proof that UE's existed and went through the testimony of the others who were on that same bus journey. He showed pictures of disturbed debris where the bus was supposed to have fallen down and page following page of accounts saying there was no doubt, something had happened and Sophia was not Sophia.

When I could deny it no longer I felt betrayed. Then dad asked for my help to bring her in and I realised that Laura was going to be even more devastated. Laura really had her heart involved and after previous betrayals this was going to hit her so hard, I didn't even want to contemplate it. Nor could I deny dad's request, so we worked out a plan. I cancelled Danica for both of our singing lessons and then phoned Laura and told her that I had been held up and had cancelled my singing lesson but not Soph's. I had some news that I needed to share, so I was going to pick up everyone as soon as Soph went for her lesson and we would go to a cafe for me to explain. By everyone I meant Laura, Gem and Lisa. I figured asking Maria to join us might raise some red flags and she shouldn't be anywhere near the stage which was where Soph was going to have her lesson.

I didn't think I could face Soph without giving anything away so I waited just outside our estate until the time was right and turned up to pick everyone up as soon as Laura texted me that Soph had gone to her lesson.

Of course, as soon as Laura got in the car she started quizzing me to find out what was going on. I told her that I would reveal all when we got to the cafe which was about a fifteen minute drive. I thought, by then, it would all be over.

When we got to the cafe I chose a sofa to sit in. I wanted Laura in my arms when I told her. Nothing was going to make this any easier, but I wanted to be there for her as much as I could. I settled us together on the sofa.

“What is it?” Gem asked. “You are stressing me out.”

“Shall we get some drinks first?” I asked, trying to prolong the moment before I had to break Laura's world.

“Just tell us.” Laura said.

I sighed and held Laura tightly. “Soph is not who she says she is.”

Laura pulled away from me forcefully so that she could look me in the eyes. “What have you done!” She almost shouted.

Sophia's POV

I went to the stage where I expected to see Danica waiting for me, but the stage was empty. I figured that she was either running a bit late or had gone to use the rest room. So I sat on the edge of the stage kicking my feet, waiting.

After a few minutes, not enough to have really started thinking that something was wrong, I saw a large guy in a suit come in through the distant door. I immediately turned to look at the other exit which was behind and to the side of the stage as a dose of adrenaline kicked into my system. That doorway was only about four metres away from me and was filled with another large guy in a suit. I leapt off the stage to keep as far away from them both as possible, but there were no other exits. Trying to keep them both in view by whipping my head from side to side and backing towards the windows as they approached me. I know they were saying something, however, I was in a full blown panic by that stage and was only thinking of escape. They had both their hands out as if to grab me and I knew I had to get past them to get to the exit.

I used my almost forgotten rugby skills to dodge one guy by faking a left and going right with a hand off to stop him from getting me only to face a third guy coming out of the door way holding a gun towards me and firing. I felt this unbelievable pain in my chest as I collapsed to the floor, no more strength left in me, like a puppet with its strings cut.

Laura's POV

I was looking at Eve in horror. I called the limo to come and pick me up. He shouldn't have gone far so he should only be a few seconds. I needed to get back to Soph as quick as possible.

“You don't understand Laura. Honey. Dad has shown me the evidence, Soph has been replaced. I know this sounds crazy, but she is not Sophia.”

“I know that.” I started heading for the street so I could jump into the limo as soon as it arrived. Eve, Gem and Lisa followed me.

“What?” Eve said thoroughly confused.

“Richard became Dillan and Dillan became Sophia. We tried to tell you, but you laugh off anything supernatural.” The limo had arrived so I jumped in and told him to head home as quickly as possible. Eve, Gem and Lisa jumped in as well. “What did you do?” I asked her again. I couldn't help the anger in my voice.

“I, err... arranged for her to be picked up.”

“By who?” I asked Eve.

“Some of my father's men, I guess. I was more worried about you and how you would react to find out you had been betrayed. You should have told me.”

“Let me ask you this, Eve. What did it take to convince you? Would you have believed me if I had told you? Do you remember the movie, The Swap and how afterwards Soph talked about being changed on the bus and your reaction? Soph has had to cope with so much. She gets swapped from a boy to a girl and as she is coming to terms with that, is brutally attacked by Richard in her old body and wakes up to find her substitute parents have been killed. She is taken away by a relative she doesn't know to a country she is completely unfamiliar with. She finally is starting to get some stability in her life and you do this. Why didn't you speak to me first? She is my daughter, why didn't you ask me before you did anything? I do feel betrayed, by you.”

As we came closer to our driveway I saw an ambulance pulling out of our driveway and with a mothers instinct redirected the limo to follow the ambulance. I called Maria. It was difficult to understand since she was crying and speaking Spanish, but I was right, Soph was in the ambulance. I looked at Eve. “Please phone your father and find out what happened and make sure I am allowed access.”

Eve spoke on her phone. Most of her side of the conversation didn't make sense so I had to wait for her to finish before I could get any sense out of her.

“She resisted arrest.” Eve said

“You mean she ran away from large men?” I said with a sarcastic voice.

“She was hit with a taser in the chest. It, umm... stopped her heart. They performed CPR and eventually got it started again, but she has remained unconscious. There is talk about brain damage.” Eve said quietly.

“Oh God!” My anger evaporated as my heart screamed in agony and I broke down crying. Gem comforted me as I wouldn't let Eve touch me.

Chapter 41 Sophia's POV

I woke up and struggled to open my eyes. For some reason my eyelids were really heavy, but I managed to blink a few times and finally open them properly. I looked around trying to work out where the hell I was, who I was and even what the hell happened. The room was clearly a hospital room and it was empty. It being empty was comforting for some unknown reason.

I tried to sit up. Although I wasn't strapped down I did have all these tubes attached to me that were stopping me moving properly. They felt wrong, so I started trying to pull them out. It hurt, but that just spurred me on. Something I was doing set off an alarm which made me more frantic to pull them out. The worst one was in my nose. I'm guessing that went all the way into my stomach.

A nurse rushed into the room and then stopped in sudden surprise seeing me sitting up staring at her. “Well, hello, sugar. Just let me switch these alarms off.” She proceeded to fiddle with things above my head. “You're not supposed to remove the tubes yourself. All you had to do was ask.” Then she checked some of the places where I had pulled tubes out or wires off me. She needed to bandage me a little to stop me from bleeding.

“I will go and let them know that you are awake.” She reassured me.

Except I wasn't reassured. I couldn't remember who I was or where I was, but I knew they were coming to get me and I needed to get out of there. As soon as she closed the door behind her, I tried to get out of bed. I was in some kind of hospital gown with blankets on top of me. I had managed to remove all the tubes I could see and that included some wires that were going to my chest and the nurse had removed the few I had missed, but there was still something attached to me around my groin. I also noticed that my chest felt funny, like had something there that wasn't supposed to be there. I lifted my gown to find I had breasts and that struck me as both right and wrong. I reached between my legs, through some padded panties and found that tube that I was missing and not a lot else, which again confused me. I tried pulling on the tube, but that hurt.

My worry that someone was going to come in soon made me come to the decision to pull the tube out as quick as possible, but before I could the door opened, so I quickly tried to pretend that I wasn't doing anything. I don't think I fooled anybody as the female doctor came in with the nurse, looking at me intently.

“What are you trying to do?” She asked me.

“Nothing.” I replied. I didn't trust anybody at this stage. My voice sounded strange, like it was my voice, but it also wasn't. Maybe I was in here because I was insane.

Then she started asking me a series of questions. I could answer all the logic based ones like what is two plus two, but I didn't know my name, what year it was, who was the president or who my parents were. Eventually she informed me that my mother had been informed of my awakening and was on her way, when she arrived, any questions would be answered. Then the doctor left, but the nurse didn't. She pulled up a chair and told me bluntly that she was here to make sure I relaxed and stayed still. I asked if she could pull the last tube out and she said she needed the doctors permission. In the meantime, if I felt the need to go to the toilet, I could and it would be caught in a bag under the bed.

I lay back and tried to think on any of the questions, attempting to encourage any memory to come to light. I couldn't even think what my mum and dad looked like.

“Have my mum and dad been visiting me?” I asked the nurse.

“Your mum has been coming everyday. If you had awoken a few hours later she would have been here talking to you. She clearly loves you very much.”

“And my dad?”

She just shook her head, not answering me fully. “Why are you trying to get out of bed?” She asked instead.

“I don't remember anything really, but I have this sense of danger, like something is after me. Being stuck, trapped, held in place is making me feel uncomfortable.”

She looked at me thoughtfully, then got up and pressed a button by my bed. A few seconds later another nurse came in. They both stepped outside my door, but left the door open, so I didn't try anything. After a whispered conversation, my observer came back in again.

“I've asked, that's all I can do. In theory, you shouldn't even have the strength to sit up, let alone get up, so I'm not sure they will allow me to remove the catheter. They won't reattach anything without your mum's permission.”

“Why shouldn't I be strong enough?” I asked her.

She just looked at me with a sad smile shaking her head, not answering. So we stayed in silence for awhile.

Then the door opened suddenly and Laura, mum, rushed in and I knew who it was. I tried to move towards her, forgetting that I was still tethered to the bed. Before I could feel more than a painful tug in my groin, she reached me and wrapped me up in a hug, holding me tightly. She was crying, and I was crying and I was remembering.

When she was able to she started saying. “Don't ever do that to me again.”

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry.” Was all I could repeat until we had both calmed down. “Umm.. what did I do?”

Then she started laughing. When she had got herself under control, she released me a little so that she could see my face. “What do you remember? I was told you couldn't remember anything.”

“When you came in, it all came back to me. The last thing I remember is going for a singing lesson, trying to run away from these men in suits and being shot in the chest.” I quickly checked my chest for any bullet holes.

“It was a taser sweetie. Unfortunately, it stopped your heart.”

“I didn't think tasers are supposed to do that. I died?” I asked.

“Yes, you died and no, tasers aren't supposed to do that. I didn't know this but if your heart is beating very fast or there is a heart condition, a taser can cause the heart to go into fibrillation. I suspect you were in the midst of a panic attack with your heart going as fast as it could.”

“So I died? I hate to break it to you, but I can't really promise to never do that again.”

She smiled at me again. “Maybe no one else could, but you might be able to. When I say you died, I mean you really died. I don't think they realised that your heart had stopped, when they did, they performed CPR, but didn't succeed. A few minutes after they had given up, your heart started beating again. Because you had been clinically dead they were worried about brain damage, so you have had numerous scans. Initially there was significant brain damage, but slowly, over time it started to regenerate. This caused a sensation, I can tell you. The brain has the ability to adapt, but it is not supposed to be able to regenerate. At the same time your broken ribs and frontal trauma repaired itself in record time.”

“Broken ribs?” I asked confused.

“A consequence of CPR. The ribs repaired quite quickly, but the brain damage took a lot longer. You have been having brain scans every week. We thought it was finished two weeks ago but you haven't woken up until today. As far as we can tell, you haven't had the normal muscle wasting that normally occurs in coma patients either.”

“So I am really not normal, am I? Does this mean the MIB are going to take me away?”

“NO! I announced to the world that you are my daughter. And besides, all the investigation that they had been doing whilst we were unaware also proved that you had previously been Dillan. Your handwriting matched, all your descriptions fit Dillan's life and all your behaviour makes sense when you know the truth. All they needed was one more piece of the puzzle, which was Amy's diary.”

I felt such a sense of relief. “So Eve knows the truth now?”

Mum turned away from me a bit. “I suppose it is better if you know all that happened on that day. Eve's father is a General and works in the intelligence field, that is as much as I know about him. Anyway, he was involved in your investigation. They knew about the bus trip and they knew that you weren't Sophia, what they didn't know was who you were. They presumed that you were an alien. I think they called it a UE for unknown entity. When they realised that I had adopted you and were going to tell the world, they thought they had to take you in for questioning before that happened. They enlisted Eve's help by showing her all the evidence. Rather than telling me, she decided to organise for me, as well as Gem and Lisa to be absent so that you could be captured without resistance.” She looked back to me. “I felt very betrayed at the time. How do you feel?”

I thought about it. “It fits with her personality.” I said finally.

“What?” mum asked me curiously.

“We knew that the only way to convince Eve was to have overwhelming evidence otherwise she would never believe. I love Eve. She is beautiful and strong, will fight for what she believes in and has a huge generous heart, but she is also as stubborn as a mule and needs the equivalent of a meteor strike to change her mind about something. Maybe we should have tried harder to gather the evidence, like they did, but let's be honest, it was all in the past and had no bearing on our future, so why bother. Unless you have twenty twenty hindsight, we would never have seen this coming.”

“So you don't blame her?”

“For being herself? How could I? Hang on a second. Do you blame her?”

Mum sighed. “Sort of. Initially I did. We called off the wedding. I couldn't even think about marrying her while you were in a coma. I asked her to give me time and not to call me until you had recovered. Over time I have come to realise that she isn't totally to blame.” Then mum chuckled. “Her music company phoned me and asked me to not contact her yet. She has produced a whole new album in under two months. Saying sorry, asking forgiveness. I think the whole country would crucify me if I didn't at least try a reconciliation and to be honest, I have really missed her. It was just the thought of you lying in a coma every time I looked at her face that has stopped me.”

“How long have I been here?” I asked curiously.

“A little bit over three months.”

“That probably explains my hair and my boobs.” My chest was a lot larger than I remembered. “I hope that pleases Chelle. How has she been?”

“She made a deal with her mother. She has joined me every Saturday to visit you, but has had to date a man of her mother's choice, one date per week. However, if she hasn't changed her mind by the beginning of the summer holiday, her mum will stop trying to pressure her. Chelle is not happy about it, but it was the best she could do. Gem is now my PA and is usually with me. Today we had separate tasks and now that I know you are alright, I think we should make some phone calls. Now that everything is in the open, you can even speak to Dillan's mum and dad. If you want I'm sure we could arrange for them to adopt you.” Mum's voice caught a little on that suggestion.

“No mum. You are my mum and not getting out of it that easily.”

She laughed a little and wiped her eyes. “But I have only known you for a little while, they have been your parents for eighteen years.”

“True. I don't know if it is because my mind has been repaired or I just never thought about it before, but I have memories that are not so pleasant. I think I have always been a girl, suppressing that part of me because I had to. I remember when I was maybe five and all the boys were saying that hugging your parents goodbye was the sign of a sissy. Real boys or real men don't hug, don't cry or show emotion. Well, I decided that I didn't care what others did, I would do what I felt was right. My mother was embarrassed when I was the only boy hugging his mum goodbye and urged me to stop. I remember sitting next to my dad on the sofa, getting as close to him as possible, almost begging him to put his arm around me and he just....wouldn't. I remember him telling me to toughen up, stop crying, stop behaving like a girl. Maybe my parents would treat me differently now that I was a girl, but, you know what, you have always shown me affection, showed that you cared. I wouldn't give you up for the world. I want to know that they are alright, I want them to know that I am alright, but that is it. You are my mum and I love you.” We had another cuddle fest.

Sometimes you have to lose everything to find out what is precious. I knew what was important and no way was I giving that up without a fight.

The End.

The Epilogue

I couldn't phone Chelle since she was in school, so I sent her a text saying I was back in the land of the living and looking forward to speaking to her. I did manage to speak to Gem. The real question was what to do about Eve and Laura. It was obvious that they both wanted to get together, I just needed to come up with something to get them over their self created barriers.

Chelle phoned me as soon as she had a break and it was wonderful hearing her voice. Of course to me, we had only spoken yesterday, but to her that was over three months ago. She felt the need to apologise about going on these dates. She felt guilty having a good time and seeing someone who was romantically interested in her. She assured me that she was not in the slightest sexually interested in them. She felt so awkward during the process, worried that every time she smiled they would feel that she was leading them on. Most of them had been alright, with a few quite pleasant and some truly shocking bad ones. At least, after the fact, they made good stories.

I texted Jen, not sure about the time difference and not wanting to disturb anyone. She didn't immediately phone me, but we had a chat later. Laura had been keeping them informed, but there was nothing anyone could do but wait for me to wake up. Initially it had been hard and she as well as Katie and Dillans parents wanted to come over and visit me, however, at the same time, access to me was very restricted and until the MIB had come to the conclusion that I was, in fact, Dillan in a different body, no one was allowed to see me. They are still very interested in my healing ability, presuming it is associated with what I had gone through on the bus. While I was unconscious they had done all sorts of tests and if Laura hadn't intervened, I suspect they would still be using me as a lab rat.

When mum announced my adoption to the media and created a media frenzy, the government decided that what little they could gain by further examination was not worth the price. I was still being tested, but now only non invasive and necessary ones. My real challenge, was getting out of hospital. Theoretically, after three months in a coma I should have been weak as anything and need rehabilitation to be able to get about. Since that thankfully wasn't the case, I just needed to convince the doctors. They already knew that I was an anomaly in regards to my healing, still they wanted me to stay over night to make sure of my recovery. Mum decided that she was going to stay with me and organised a fold out bed. Gem came in later and we were able to cry and hug together.

I wanted to get Gem alone so that I could set something up for bringing Eve and Laura together, but mum didn't really want me to leave her sight so I didn't have the chance. Instead I decided to communicate with Gem via text. I suggested we went out for a meal the following night, to celebrate my release and recovery. Mum agreed with that and left it in Gem's hands to organise which gave me an opportunity. I asked Gem to set it all up. Book two separate tables, a three seat and two seat and tell Eve to go all out on the romance front.

Glory of glories, they removed the catheter as part of my release agreement with the doctors was that I showed myself to be fully recovered. I did have a nightmare in the night. I think that was part of the reason mum insisted on sleeping in the same room. For the first time I remembered a bit of it. Large men with shadows for faces chasing me. I was running but couldn't get away and when they caught me, I woke up screaming. Laura was there stroking me, soothing me. Then she climbed into bed and spooned me. The door to our hospital room did open and a nurse checked on us, then left us to it.

After a thorough exam the next day I was cleared to go. We didn't go back to the house though. Mum had moved out and was living in a hotel near the hospital. Gem had gathered my clothes so I could leave the hospital with some dignity. Mum arranged to have someone come in and style my much longer hair. The pink colour had gone. I didn't notice at the time but it was semi permanent and after three months was non existent. Besides a slight trim and style, mum also carefully applied some makeup. It wasn't until when I left and we had to go through all the camera flashes that I realised why we had bothered. I was officially a celebrity now and would have to be on my best behaviour on an almost permanent basis.

My hair wasn't the only thing that had changed during my three month sleep. My breasts had grown from an A cup to somewhere between a C and a D cup. This meant my clothes didn't fit right. The answer, of course, was more shopping. First for a bra fitting and then everything else. Although I didn't have the muscle wasting that was expected, I still didn't have any stamina. Mum was really good with me, so we stopped whenever I felt tired. During the spa treatments afterwards, I slept through a good part of my massage. That did give me a second wind so I was ready for our restaurant adventure.

We had sat down and ordered our drinks when I received a text that Eve had arrived. I stood up and asked mum to come with me. With a confused look she acquiesced, so I led her to the reserved two seater table next to ours and asked her to sit. As she sat down, Eve appeared with flowers in her hand and her guitar on a strap over her shoulder. I kissed mum on the cheek, then gave Eve a hug and a kiss, before moving back to my table with Gem. Then I watched with a smile on my face as Eve went down on one knee and presented the flowers and followed it with a song, saying how much she loved her. I had tears in my eyes as they hugged and kissed. Gem had managed a surprise for me, since Chelle sneaked up to hug and kiss me.

Eve managed to convince mum to move back in. I managed to have a good chat with Eve later. She was very grateful for my assistance and felt the need to apologise for her actions. I forgave her and all was right with the world. Chelle couldn't stay the night as she still had this deal with her mother. At least I had missed three months of that and there was only another month to go before that was over. Until then she was allowed to see me and have dates with me, but only as often as she had dates with her mother's choices and no sleeping over. After June all bets were off.

Once life had returned back to normal Eve invited Chelle and I to accompany her on her summer tour. She suggested since we all had fun working on a song together that we do it again. She had shown our song to her record company and they were interested but wanted enough songs to make up an album before releasing any singles. Eve had already recorded a new album of her own, and I was included as the inspiration on four of the songs. Laura had chosen her next movie role, bearing in mind that she was going to be on tour with Eve first. Neither Laura or Eve needed to make an album with us, but both had enjoyed the process and sometimes you do something for fun, not just to further your career.

The tour included London, so I could meet my previous family then. Eve had already put aside the tickets and sent them an invitation to the show. Life was looking good. The marriage was back on but a new date would need to be worked out and I was going to be a bridesmaid. They were thinking of a smaller affair on a sunny beach in the Bahamas.