Author's Note: When the text is alternating colors, please be aware that the scenes are alternating between the heroes.

The New Kid

Patrick Chatham entered the band room and nervously looked around. He was new to the area, as his father was a pilot for an F-35, and had just been transferred to Eielson Air Force Base.. Patrick was two grades ahead for his age, and this was his 2^nd semester of ninth grade.

He carried his flute in and went to see the band director, Mr. Thomas. Mr. Thomas had the flutes make room and placed Patrick with the 3^rd chair, until he had a chance to challenge.

Looking at his academic record, he didn’t think there would be any problems until he went against his top 1^st chair, Michelle. Then, who knew what the outcome would be.

The class got started, and Mr. Thomas looked at Patrick. “Would you introduce yourself?”

“I’d rather not.”

The band director smiled, and asked, “Do you go by Pat?”

“Yes,” Pat said very quietly.

“Alright. Class, this is Pat Chatham just moved in from Joint Base Lewis-McChord.. Am I right, Pat?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Let’s give his family a round of applause of welcome.”

There was a polite patter of applause, but the snare drum started into a roll, and the trumpet players did a fanfare to accompany it.

Pat blushed.

“They love a chance to do that,” the girl sitting next to Pat said to him quietly. “I’m Trish, by the way. I’m glad you just go by Pat. It would be strange having two Trishes sitting side by side.” She flashed a bright smile, and Pat was about to correct her mistake, when Mr. Thomas tapped his baton on his stand.

“Let’s take out Michelle, Eleanor Rigby.” The song was a medley of three Beatles songs, starting with Michelle, then Eleanor Rigby, and ending with Yesterday.

“We’re going to have a cabaret right before spring break,” Trish told him.

“Trish, would you please zip it?” Mr. Thomas said.

Rather than the way a lot of school band directors did it, Mr. Thomas gave a three and four beat, expecting the band to figure the speed of the piece by them.

Pat was surprised. The band was much more in tune than a lot of high school symphonic bands he had heard. As a matter of fact, there was a trumpet player that was slightly flat, and as they were playing Mr. Thomas shouted over the music, “Lit it up, Darryl!”

Immediately, the horn went into tune.

At the end of Michelle, Mr. Thomas brought the band to a halt. “What was that about, Darryl?”

“Sorry, Sir. I was just playing around.”

“Play around on your own time; not mine.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Mr. Thomas looked at Pat. “That was very good, Pat. He turned to the 2^nd chair flutes. “You’d better practice more. You’ve got some competition,” but he said it good naturedly.”

The class went well, and by the end, Pat was very impressed in how good they actually were. He could tell that Darryl actually had been playing around, because he was actually the top of the 1^st chair trumpets, and was very obviously very talented. Playing through The Magnificent Seven theme was a treat. The syncopation was performed flawlessly.

This class is full of people who could play in a symphony, he thought as he was cleaning his flute at the end.

Darryl came up to him and asked, “What’s your next class?”

Pat took out his schedule. “Biology.”

“Cool. Mine too. Want me to show you where it is?”

“Sure.”

Pat and Darryl became friends that day, and when Darryl walked Pat home, the younger boy said, "I don't want to embarrass you, but you do realize I'm a boy, don't you?"

Darryl took it in stride. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed that. I don't think anyone at the school did either."

Pat sighed. "I suppose that's better than my last school. I was with those kids for three years. We lived off base, and I was picked on pretty bad. I'd be a 7th grader, but I was placed ahead."

Darryl smiled. "So you're a genius too? That's cool."

Pat laughed. "Maybe if I just let everyone think I'm a girl, they wouldn't pick in me."

"There is that possibility."

"But the school has records that refer to me as Patrick."

"All you'd have to do is go to the office and tell them that you're really a girl."

"Probably not, but it could be done."

"I don't want to be a girl."

Darryl looked at him, appraising. "Too bad, " he said finally.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re pretty.”

Pat blushed, then turned to walk toward his house. Darryl chuckled. Pat held his books like a girl would. Granted, he had all his textbooks with him, plus his flute, but he held them in front of him with his arms wrapped around them.

“Would you like me to carry your books,” he asked.

“Why would you want to do that?”

“They’re heavy.”

“I’m not a girl, Darryl.”

“So you said.”

Pat sighed and handed them over. Darryl transferred his trumpet, in it’s leather gig bag, to his left hand, and carried Pat’s in his right. His own books were in a backpack.

“Pat, have you ever looked at your body language in relation to another guy’s?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You know what body language is, right?”

“Sure.” Pat said in a way that invited Darryl to go on.

“It’s not just your looks, Pat. You walk, talk, hold your books. Everything about you says you’re a girl. How come?’

Pat just stood there, staring at Darryl.

“Why didn’t you tell everyone you were a boy?”

Again, Pat said nothing, but Darryl noticed that his eyes were getting moist.

“Pat, please don’t take me wrong, but are you really a boy, or is that an act?”

“Is it that obvious?” Pat asked.

“If you’re really a girl, why are you worried if it’s obvious?”

“Because I don’t want to hurt my parents.” Pat turned and started toward his house again. The crowd that had started out at the school had thinned as kids were turning reaching their houses, or heading down different streets.

“They wouldn’t like it?”

“I know my dad wouldn’t. He always wants to get me interested in sports. I’m not sure about my mom.”

Darryl nodded. “Has your dad always been that way?”

“No. He started when we were at Lewis-McChord. He said I needed to have something the other kids would respect.”

“And?”

“I’m not into sports. This is my house,” Pat told Darryl as they arrived at 250E Northern Lights Drive.

Darryl started to follow as Pat walked up the driveway. “You don’t need to walk me to the door.”

The older boy lifted the books held under his right arm a bit.

“Come on,” Pat said simply. He opened the door and they entered. “I”m home,” he called.

It was Friday, and Pat’s dad didn’t start work until Monday, so they were still working on unpacking the boxes dropped off my Allied Van Lines the day before.

“*$#JFIE^ &kfa dfj9!” came from the master bedroom, followed by a bang and then a yell as if someone was injurred.

Darryl bent down and whispered in Pat’s ear. “Why would they station a Navy guy out here? We’re landlocked.”

Pat started laughing, and he heard his dad call, “You want to assemble this bed Pat?”

“I wasn’t laughing at you, Dad!”

“Uh huh,” his dad called, unconvinced. They heard him walk down the hall, “Oh. Hi,” Major Mike Chatham said when he saw Darryl.

“Hello, Sir. I’m Darryl Johnson.”

“Nice to meet you, Darryl. Are you any relation to the Colonel?”

“Yes, Sir. He’s my dad.”

“Well, it’s nice of you to take Pat under your wing.” He noticed that Pat only had his flute, and that Darryl had a backpack, and a stack of books in his hand. “Are those Pat’s?”

“Uh, Yes, Sir.”

Pat quickly took the books and hurried down the hall.

The major watched him go and shook his head. Then, he turned to Darryl and said, “He’s not a girl, you know.”

“Yes, Sir. I know that,” his eyes following his new friend as well.

“Thanks for carrying his books for her,” Pat’s dad said.

Darryl noticed the abrupt change in pronouns, and looked around at Pat’s dad. He was grinning, and gave Darryl a wink. What the heck?

“I don’t want to keep you,” Major Chatham said.

“I texted my mom and told her I’d be late, Sir. Do you need any help around here?”

“I don’t want anyone thinking I’m getting special treatment from the CO,”

“No problem, Sir. I’m in band along with Pat. I just want to help out a fellow musician.”

“Uh huh,” It was that same doubtful, almost knowing response that he had given his son.

“Pat still has to work on her room. She’d probably appreciate your help.”

“Sir?”

The man indicated the way into the kitchen behind him and stepped in. Darryl followed.

“Shelly and I know know about our son, or rather, daughter. She’s just got to figure it out for herself.”

“Dad?”

Mike Chatham looked around Darryl and saw Pat standing there, looking confused.

“Uh, I should be getting home,” Darryl said glancing at his watch. “It’s later than I thought it was.” With that he was headed out the door. He stopped for a moment, then rertrieved a post-it note pad and pen from his gig bag pocket, and quickly scrawled something on it. He handed it to Pat, who quickly read it and put it in his pocket. Darryl was out the door with a quick “Bye, Pat. Sir.”

“Very polite young man, don’t you think?” Mike asked Pat.

When Pat didn’t respond, he said, “What did the note say?”

“Just his name and phone number.”

“Can I see it?” Darryl had written a bit longer than just his name and number.

“Do you have to?”

“No.” Mike said gently.

Again, Pat was confused.

His dad motioned for his son to follow him, and they walked into the living room where his mom was busy getting unpacking. There was a playpen in the corner and a baby in a pink sleeper was out like a light.

Mike took a look at the baby, then said quietly, “I think the three of us need to talk, Shelly.”

-=#=-

Darryl walked quickly up the street. It was later in the day now, and the sky was clear. It could conceivably get down to minus forty or fifty below. Even colder if it was really angry. There wasn’t a lot of snow on the ground yet. That would be coming soon, he knew.

“What’s going on?” Shelly asked her husband.

As he walked, Darryl was trying to figure out what Major Chatham had said to him. Pat had said his parents didn’t know about him – her. He wasn’t sure which pronoun to use at the moment. What the hell, he figured. Pat is a girl. Plain and simple. And, according to HER, she wanted to be one.

Another band member, Darryl, the CO’s son, walked Pat home from school.

So what was going on? HER parents knew?

So did he know that Pat is a boy?

He walked by the high school, and on another couple of blocks till he came to his own house. He hadn’t told Pat that he lived the other direction. He wanted to walk her home. He didn’t realize that Pat was so young, but what the hell. In a couple of years, that wouldn’t matter at all.

“No Shelly. He knew that Pat is a girl.”

Darryl walked into his house, calling, “I’m home!”

“Didn’t you tell him you’re a boy, Pat?”

“Who was she?” his mom asked.

“Darryl thought for a moment, then said. “I told him, then he said that I acted like a girl.”

“She’s the daughter of Major Chatham. She’s like Margot.”

Chapter 2

“How did he take it when you said you were a boy?” Shelly asked Pat.

“He didn’t even react, Mom. He just said it was too bad I was a boy. That everything about me said I was a girl.”

“What did you think about that?” his dad asked.

This was the moment that Pat had feared for a long time. Whether to tell his parents about himself or not. He had known for a long time. He couldn’t exactly remember when he figured it out. It was like he had always known.

He always played with the neighborhood girls, but when his grandparents visited, his grandma said he shouldn’t do that. That he was a boy.

He was smart, and even for his age, he understood exactly what his grandma had said.

“Mom,” Shelly said. “He’s only three.”

“But he’ll get confused,” Grandma countered.

“Not yet.”

“Yes. you’ve got to get him playing with boys now. Not later. He needs to know now, that he’s not to play with dolls.”

“All kids play with dolls, Mom.”

“They do not,” her mother said, aghast at the thought.

“What do you think action figures are?”

“Boy’s toys.”

“Boy’s dolls,” Shelly argued.

“The key word is boy’s.”

When her mother and father left, Shelly thought that maybe she had been right. Mike really didn’t understand kids very much. We was masculine as the day was long. He had never played with the girls. He played with trucks, and most importantly, toy airplanes.

“You probably understand this more,” he told his wife.

A few years later, when Pat was eight, Mike had been watching his son curiously. He had seen exactly what Darryl had seen. A younger version of it, to be sure, but his son was not acting normal. Not for a boy, anyway. For a little girl, perhaps. He decided to ask Shelly what she thought.

“Yes, I’ve been noticing. He won’t play with the boys in the neighborhood. I’ve tried to follow Mom’s direction. I’ve even talked to her about it. She says I’ve got to be more strict.”

“Have you tried that?”

“For a few days, yes. I kept him in, away from the girls. I heard him playing with his action figures. They were babies! He was treating them just the way a girl would treat a dolly.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to upset you. You’re up there in the sky, flying that plane! I didn’t want you worrying about your son.”

“Honey,” he said, taking Shelly in his arms. “We raise Pat together. I need to know what’s going on too. Don’t worry about me. When I’m up there, I put everything out of my mind, except what I”m doing.”

Immediately, Mike started trying to interest Pat in sports, not to drive away the girl that he knew was there, but to help the boy not be looked on as a pariah.

Pat couldn’t figure sports, though. She simply didn’t understand them. She also wasn’t able to act like a boy.

Mike doubled his efforts. His daughter was extremely smart, and was placed two grades ahead of her peers when they were at Lewis-McChord. Mike and Shelly wouldn’t have allowed it, but they didn’t want Pat to be bored.

Nothing Mike could do would get Pat interested in a boy’s activities. They almost had her put back in her own grade, but couldn’t bring themselves to do it. They discussed having her enrolled as a girl in Eielson, but didn’t think she realized she was trans yet. She had never mentioned it.

Pat, however, never liked her grandmother after she said she was a boy and shouldn’t be allowed to play with girls. She hated the fact that her grandma died, but there was another part of her that said, good.

In her mind, her name was Tricia, but she didn’t dare tell her parents.

Her dad had tried to get her interested in sports, and she had tried to understand. She couldn’t figure any of them out, though. Oh, she understood how they worked. She had memorized the rules, but to actually play? It was almost impossible.

She was constantly picked on, and bullied. Never anything physical, or it would have been reported. Her mom tried talking to the principal about it, but he said, being that Pat was going to be treated that way, no matter what anyone did. Boys would be boys.

She had no problem with the girls, although they didn’t understand the little boy who acted like one of them. They neither picked on her, nor did they encourage her participation in their activities. To them, she was a nobody.

Everyone at this new school had assumed she was just a late bloomer, but a girl. She had taken to androgynous clothes, to try to get the kids at Lewis-McChord to back off. It didn’t work there, but here she could have a fresh start if the kids would just assume.

She almost told Trish that she was a boy. It was so scary being thought of as a girl. What if kids found out?

Then, Darryl walked her home. On one level, she was thrilled. On another, she was scared to death. When it was clear that he was interested in her, she had to tell him the truth. He would find out one way or another, so she did.

He didn’t seem to care! Now what? He had even given her his number and said, call him if she needed anything. He had underlined anything three times!

She mustered all of her courage. “I am a girl.”

Her dad smiled. “We know that. We were letting you figure it out on your own.”

“How long have you known, Pat?” Shelly asked.

“I’ve always known, Mom. I hated Grandma for saying it was wrong for me to play with the other girls.”

She thought about it for a moment, then asked her parents, “Can you call me Tricia, please?”

“Of course,” her dad answered. “We’d be happy to.”

“I’m so sorry, Dad. I know you tried to get me interested in sports. It just seemed so wrong to me.”

“Hey,” Mike said. “That isn’t a problem at all. I wasn’t trying to make you masculine. Well, not because I didn’t want a daughter. I was trying to give you something the boys would respect.”

They talked late into the night, and finally, Tricia went to bed. It was one in the morning. Before she went to sleep, however, she took the paper out of her pocket and sent a text.

They knew! Monday, Mom is coming to the school with me and telling them that I’m trans!

Oh, my name is Tricia!

Chapter 3

Darryl and his parents had talked late into the night as well.

His sister had been born with male genitalia. She had been named Mark, but during high school, she had become Margot. She was also ahead in school, like Pat, but only by a year. She was three years older than Darryl and graduated at the end of last year. Now, she was attending college at the university in Fairbanks. She came home most weekends, but this being her first one back at school since the Christmas holidays, she had decided to stay with her friends. Darryl wondered if she was intending to party, but decided against bringing it up to his folks.

It was nearly 10 AM when Darryl got up. He had sent Tricia a congratulations text the night before and asked if she wanted help unpacking.

A little after 10, his phone rang. He recognized the number as belonging to Tricia, so he answered it. “Hi.”

“Darryl, I can’t believe it! My mom is taking me to the BX to get some new clothes! Can you believe it?”

Wow, Darryl thought. Just like Margot when she came out. A totally different person. “That’s great! Do you still want me to come over and help unpack?”

“Oh,” Tricia said, sounding considerable less enthusiastic. “I forgot about that.”

“Hey, it’s not a problem. What time will you be back?”

“I’m not sure. We have to get me a whole new wardrobe.”

He nodded. Exactly like Margot. He chuckled. “I’ll tell you what. Give me a call when you’re back, and I’ll come over and help you then, okay?”

Suddenly, Tricia was ebullient again, as if a light switch had been flipped on. He was happy to hear it. She was a totally different person. “You’ve got a date!” she enthused. “Um, I mean...”

Once more, he chuckled. “I understand. No need to worry.”

“Oh...” She sounded a bit upset at theat.

“Unless you want me to,” he added.

Now she was completely caught off guard. “Uh… I’m not sure. I’m only 13.”

“Don’t worry. I only want to help. Right now,” There was something about her that said they could become very good friends later, and he didn’t want to blow his chances early.

“Alright.”

“I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Sure!” She was bubbly again.

“I’m sure your dad isn’t going.”

“Well, he was going to, but Mom said this is our time together, and besides. He’d be bored,” she said giggling.

“I can see that.”

They said goodbye, an Tricia started going through some boxes, trying to find her most girly, but androgynous clothes. She sighed. There wasn’t much to choose from. She’d been very careful as Pat.

Darryl waited about an hour, then started toward the Chatham house. He was pleased to see that their car was gone. He knocked on the door, and a few minutes it was opened by the Major.

“Sorry, Darryl. Tricia, or rather Pat, isn’t here.”

“I know, Sir. She called me this morning, and told me she was Tricia now. She sounded so different.”

Mike chuckled. “Come on in, Darryl. It’s really cold outside.”

“Thank you, Sir.

As they moved into the living room, Darryl took stock. There was still a lot to do. He was mildly surprised to see a baby in a playpen in one corner of the room.

She was getting fussy, so Mike picked her up. “This is Amber. She’s about three months old now.”

“I like babies,” Darryl said. “I’m kinda sorry my sister can’t have any. I’d like to be an uncle.”

Mike wondered if Darryl was trying to get on his good side, but he was still focused on the baby, and there was an honest smile on his face.

“Your sister can’t have kids?”

Darryl gulped. He hadn’t intended to say anything that might lead Major Chatham to know that he was interested in his daughter. He decided that honesty was the best. “No, Sir.” he said, “She’s like Tricia.”

“You mean...”

“She’ll be having her surgery after she turns eighteen.”

“I had no idea.”

“Dad doesn’t talk about it, although it was kinda apparent to everyone on base when Mark became Margot.”

Mike nodded.

“So if you knew Tricia wasn’t here right now, how come you came over? Wanting to talk to me about asking her out?” His eyes were twinkling as he said it.

Darryl laughed. “No, sir, although now that you mention it… “ He let the implication be, but explained. “I have to admit. She’s a great girl, and I am interested, but I came over to see if you needed any help setting anything up. Unpacking. Anything.”

“You’re trying to impress her,” Mike laughed.

“I don’t see any reason to let someone else grab her first. If you’ll forgive me, Sir, I’d like first dibs.”

Mike laughed out loud, to which his younger daughter giggled. “When you make a decision, you make it, don’t you.”

“I think I got that from my Dad, Sir.”

“I’ll tell you what, You drop the Sir, and I’ll approve you having first dibs, but the ultimate decision will be hers, deal?”

“Deal.” After the Major gave Amber a bottle, Darryl held her for a few minutes while Mike got the stuff to change her with, and then they got to work.

They assembled the dining room table, then arranged the furniture in the living room. There was an L shaped couch with separate reclining ends that was much easier to put together with two people.

Because of military housing, pictures were hung on the wall with putty instead of nails. Mike had paid particular attention to Shelly when she decided where things should go, and what pictures should be hung where.

Darryl had watched his father and how he treated his wife. It seemed to be different than how the major did it, but he suspected that Shelly was a bit different, and would need a different love language. He wanted to ask the major if he had any say in where things went, but he figured that was just how he was. He did take note of the careful attention to even the littlest details. When the end tables were placed and lamps put on them, the lace doilies under the lamps were carefully set.

Mark was surprised that the furniture hadn’t been placed by Allied. Usually they were really good about that.

Me was also surprised when they moved an antique console stereo into the living room. “This is really nice,” he said, and was honestly impressed.

“I’ll show you what I did,” Mike told him. He opened the front where the old black and white TV was, and Darryl was surprised to see a flat screen mounted inside. Mike plugged it in, and put a record on the turntable. The music was the theme to The Magnificent Seven. The music was beautiful coming out of the console speakers. While he listened, Mike set some surround sound speakers on stands and arranged them around the living room. He plugged the speakers into the back of the console. then, he opened a door on the top, behind the flat screen. He pushed a couple of buttons and the music changed to the surround speakers.

The sound was excellent, but Darryl found that it had changed. The subtle sounds were replaced by the crisp clean sounds of a new setup.

“Honestly, I think it sounds better the other way.”

“Me too. That’s why I left the tubed amp inside. It’s not surround, but these old records, and in my opinion the CDs sound much nicer on it.”

“The sound is mellow.”

“The bass is, but let me show you something.”

He carefully lifted the tonearm, and put a CD into the blue-ray player installed in the hidden compartment. It was the same song. He turned up the volume and hit play. The violins at the beginning was extremely crisp, almost to the point of painful. The bass was also. He could hear the pizzicato strings better, but somehow it just didn’t sound right. He didn’t understand it.

“Most people when they hear music like this on a tube amplifier find it more soothing. If you put romantic music on this and put it on softly...” He stopped, and Darryl saw the, by now familiar twinkle. “Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this.”

“It’s alright, Mike. I’ll file that for later.”

Both of them laughed, then went into the nursery and worked on it. After that, they entered Tricia’s room.

“I’m not sure what to do in here,” Mike told Darryl. “Of course, we can get her bed set up, and dresser. Decorations, however. Well, I have a feeling they’ll be changing pretty soon.”

Darryl wasn’t surprised in the least by the dresser that was they brought in from the garage. It was an antique painted lavender. Her desk was actually a vanity, also the lavender.

“We got these from Shelly’s dad, when her mother died. I know Tricia didn’t like her very much, as she was set on her being a boy, but in reality, they had very similar tastes.” He laughed. “When we got them, I offered to paint them a different color, but she said, ‘We can do that later. You have too much other things to do.’ I do a lot of woodwork, as you can see. I have a paint sprayer. It wouldn’t have taken more than a few hours to do. She just likes the color.”

Darryl laughed. “Does he know about Tricia?’

“Yeah. He didn’t like the interference. I think he gave these to Tricia as a way to apologize. I suppose Shelly’s mom would be rolling in her grave if she knew.”

“So he approves?”

“I don’t know if he approves, but I know he accepts it.”

They heard the front door open, and Tricia’s excited voice. Suddenly, “Mom! You’ve gotta see this! Daddy got the living room finished!”

Mike finished tightening the last bolt on the soon to be lavender bed, and they went out to the living room.

Shelly’s eyes were bright as she looked around. “Mike! She enthused it’s amazing!”

“I had a lot of good help,” he said.

“Darryl!” Tricia said running up to him. She stopped just short of giving him a hug, and Darryl was somewhat disappointed. He had thought Pat was pretty, but this new Tricia was so exuberant. She was a marvel as far as he was concerned.

“Daddy, I’ve got to show you some things,” she said, but here eyes were happy as she looked at Darryl.

She ran into her room and squealed with joy when she saw her furniture set up.

“Think she liked what we did?” Mike asked Darryl.

“That seems like a reasonable assumption,” Darryl replied.

“Yeah. I think I know what her decision I spoke of earlier will be.”

“What decision is that?” Shelly asked.

“Well,” Mike started. He didn’t know how his wife would react, but Darryl jumped in with both feet.

“I’d like first dibs on dating your daughter.”

“Oh,” was all Shelly could think of to say.

---

Author’s note: This story was originally going to be a solo, but it kept growing, and growing. Finally, it has become a multi part story. I’m not sure how many parts it will be, but It is certainly not done. I suppose the length will depend on the number of Kudos and comments this gets.

The New Kid Pt 2

Chapter 4

Tricia modeled her new clothes for her parents and Darryl. Darryl didn't say a lot but was very impressed. He had thought that Tricia was pretty before. Now there was absolutely no doubt of her gender or the beauty that she would have as an adult. He was pleased that he had acted quickly. Not only was she a fox, she was one of the most beautiful inside as well.

Sunday morning came and found both families in church, and interestingly, the same one. Tricia took the opportunity to sit next to Darryl, which pleased him to no end.

Afterward, the colonel invited the Chathams to join his family at the officer's club.

"I'd like to get to know my new pilot, " he told the Major. Not to mention, I'm curious about this young lady that has my son smitten, he thought.

When they sat down, he got a good look at Tricia. He knew that she was young, but then, he had known that. She was small and had light hair, a strawberry blonde. She was quite pretty, and he could see why Darryl was drawn to her. He also knew that she was like his own daughter. He wasn't pleased that his firstborn turned out to be a trans-girl, but he chose not to fight it.

When she started taking flack at school, he backed her with the principal. The head of the school fought it half-heartedly as he didn't figure that he should go too far against the base CO.

That had changed the colonel's view. Not entirely, but enough to where he supported Margot. He still didn't like it, but he was willing to back her however he could.

Looking at Tricia, he saw that she had a lot of developing to do, but she had just come out publicly. Thankfully, it was before her voice even broke. She might be able to transition without some of the problems Margot had.

All through dinner, Tricia was polite and very well mannered, and the colonel learned just how brilliant she was. When asked how she had liked Lewis-McChord, she said she was often bored.

“Why?” asked the colonel.

Tricia blushed. “School. It was so easy.”

“Easy? You’re two years ahead for your age, aren't you?”

“Yes, Sir.”

He looked at her, almost stupefied. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

“No, Sir.”

He looked at Shelly and asked, “How far could she have gone?”

“She could have been a senior. She does a lot of reading. They wanted to put her into ninth grade, and that only because she needs the credits to graduate. We didn’t want her to go to the ninth grade, though. We figured she’d be picked on, a fifth-grader as a high school freshman. A GED was possible, but it doesn’t look as good as a diploma.”

“I was picked on anyway,” Tricia said. “People didn’t like a fifth-grader in seventh grade.”

The colonel didn’t know what to say. He’d never met anyone so advanced for their years. Liz Johnson, Darryl’s mother, finally asked, “Is that why you read so much?”

“Partly. Mom was a science teacher, and she taught me a lot.”

“What do you want to do with your life?”

Tricia glanced at Darryl, hoping none of this would intimidate him, but science was her passion. That and music. “Biology is very interesting, but I think I like geology much more. It’s exciting! When we were in Washington, I loved reading about the volcanoes there. There are so many in just one state alone! I also love music. I taught a couple of my friends how to play some basic flute.”

“So would you do both? Geology and music?”

“Maybe. If I became a geologist, I could teach music on the side.”

“So you take after your mother? You like to teach.”

“Oh, yes!” she enthused. “Passing on what I know is fun!”

Darryl had always admired Margot, but this far surpassed what she was capable of, although he knew she would be thrilled to meet Tricia. Wow! Thought Darryl as he listened to the conversation. I’m glad I got first dibs here. I sure don’t want anyone else getting her! The more he heard, the more he was impressed. Beautiful and a genius!

As much as she had been thrilled at the prospect of being listed as trans, she was nervous entering the office with her mom. She wanted to be as girly as she could be, but she figured it was a bit early. Her mom said that since the kids all thought of her as a girl anyway, there was no problem there, but it might be a surprise for the teachers.

Chuck Grayson was the principal of the high school, and he listened to Shelly as she laid out the facts. Finally, he said, “A genius and a trans-girl. I know this is something that has to be done for her well-being, but you realize this is going to be hard for us. We can do it, but if Tricia is discovered, there could be problems. Our kids are generally decent, but there’s only so much they’re likely to take. I want to be cautious here.”

He addressed Tricia directly now. “Tell me. What did you do about restrooms Friday?”

“I used the staff one,” she said, looking ashamed. “I don’t like boy’s restrooms, and while most of the girls at my old school just treated me like I didn’t exist, there were some that were mean to me. They thought I was trying to be a girl like them.” She giggled. “I was, but they didn’t know that.”

“Excellent,” said Mister Grayson. “Not that you were treated that way, but we can use this to our advantage if you agree to it.” He paused as he thought. “For your own sake, I believe you need the social interaction of school; otherwise, I would suggest that you simply test your way out of as many classes as possible.”

“I wouldn’t want to do that!” she exclaimed.

“Your mother said you were bored in your old school. Don’t you think you will be here?”

Of course, I would, she thought to herself. But I don't want to advance past Darryl and be in a different grade, or worse yet, be out of school!

“That’s not the point,” she said. “As you just said, I need the social interaction.”

He smiled, realizing she must have a crush on someone, but he didn’t pursue it. He’d find out sooner or later.

He glanced at the clock. “Okay. It’s almost time for your first class to start. Go ahead and head there, and I’ll inform Mister Thomas what’s going on. He’s a nice guy. He’s dealt with this in his class before, and he knows not to say anything that will make it harder for you. Keep using the staff restroom, and if any of the kids say anything, just tell them I said you could. If they want to know why you can let them know that people were mean to you about your age at our old school. They should realize that you’re not developed like the other girls are getting to be, so hopefully, they’ll leave it alone after that.”

She thought about it. It would be somewhat embarrassing leaving that impression, but at the same time, it was sensible. “Thank you, Mister Grayson,” she said as she headed out of his office.

She got to class a bit early and found Darryl waiting for her outside the band room. “How did it go?”

Before she could answer, they heard the intercom sound. “Mister Thomas to the office, please. Mister Thomas to the office.”

Suddenly her face went white as Mister Thomas exited the room and hurried to the office. He had to start class soon, and he wasn’t thrilled.

“You okay?” Darryl asked.

“He’s going to find out about me.”

Darryl glanced around to make sure no one was in earshot. “Don’t worry about it. He helped Margot when she came out. It’ll be fine.”

“That’s what Mister Grayson said. Well, he didn’t mention her name, but I suspected that’s who he was talking about.” Darryl nodded. “I’ll use the staff bathrooms. That’s what I did on Friday.”

“Good,” Darryl said. He noticed Mister Thomas coming down the hall. “I was really impressed with what you said about your future yesterday.“ He smiled wide. “You're beautiful and a genius. That’s cool!” Mister Thomas was almost to them, and definitely within earshot. “If anyone gives you trouble, let me know, okay?”

She smiled as Darryl went into the band room. She started to follow, but the band director said, “Just a moment, Miss Chatham. The principal said you’d prefer to be called Tricia. He also told me about the restroom situation.” He lowered his voice a bit. “You’ve got a good friend in Darryl. I’ve known him for a while, as I teach band at the junior high. Your mom told me that he knows. She also told me how he’s expressed interest in you.” His eyes took on a twinkle, and he spoke sotto voce. “Don’t lose him.”

Suddenly, he was speaking so the class could hear him. “Let’s get into class, Miss Chatham.

Chapter 5

School that day went by without a hitch. Tricia and Darryl had four of their six classes together, and every chance he could get, Darryl walked with her to wherever she needed to go. On the way home from school, a sophomore decided to pick on the two.

"Kinda the long way around going this way, huh Johnson?"

"Funny, Chet. I don't remember asking for your opinion."

"Can't get a girl your own age? Have to go for the babies?"

Darryl turned to Tricia and said, "Can you hang on for a moment?" He handed her his backpack.

"It's not necessary, Darryl."

He stopped. "I think it is. I told you I'd protect you."

"Thanks, but let him have his fun. If he can't come up with anything better than calling me a baby, that's his problem."

Chet's face got red as he heard it. He stormed up to the two and got right into Darryl's face. "She's got a pretty face, but no figure. Must be a boy." He started to laugh at his own joke, but suddenly found himself lying on the ground, holding his jaw.

Darryl said to Tricia, "I thought you said it wasn't necessary."

"Well, that was before he messed with your reputation. If I was a boy, you wouldn't be walking me home."

"So, you can protect me, but I can't protect you?"

"Uh, guys?"

Darryl looked down. "Shut up, Chet."

"Well, I didn't think calling me a baby was that bad."

"You're not a baby!"

"Lots of girls are called ‘baby’ by guys!"

"That's not how he meant it!"

"Uh, guys!"

"Darryl told you to shut up, Chet!"

She turned back to Darryl. "That's how I chose to take it!"

Darryl was about to say something else, but Chet had gotten shakily to his feet. "Sorry, guys, " he muttered as he scurried away.

They watched as he hurried to his house, where his mom was apparently waiting on the steps. "I saw what happened Chester. Don't you dare try to make up some sob story! Just wait till your father gets home!" Then she reached up and grabbed his ear, and pulled him into the house.

The two stood staring at the closed door until Tricia asked. "Did we just go through a time warp? I swear June Cleaver was just here.”

“More like Mrs. Haskell.” They both started to laugh, as both knew the references. When their laughter died down, Tricia held up the backpack. "I might have torn the straps on your backpack."

He took it and looked at them. "You hit him hard."

"I hope I didn't break his jaw."

"If you did, that's a good thing. Maybe the hospital will wire it shut, and nobody will have to listen to him for a while."

"But that's considered assault."

"He's not gonna tell anybody he got laid out by a girl."

She stared at him for a while, then giggled. "Sure wouldn't do his reputation any good, would it?"

He grinned and took her arm as they started walking again. "Maybe I should ask for your protection instead of offering mine to you."

"Naw," she said. "I don't have a book bag, and it looks like I'll need to sew up your backpack."

They arrived at Tricia's house without any other incidents. Before he left, she asked. "Do you really live the other direction?"

"Yeah."

"So, why are you walking me home?"

"You really want to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

"Okay, " he told her. "Like I told your parents, I want to make a good impression on you."

"Uh, huh. You said you wanted first dibs."

"They told you that?"

"Yep. And you know what?"

"Huh?"

"You got 'em." She stood on her tiptoes, kissed his cheek, and hurried into the house.

It was a couple of minutes until he could move from the spot. He was confused but soon raised his arm in victory. "Yes!!!" Then he turned and headed for home, running in joy.

Chapter 6

At the dinner table that night, Tricia told her parents what happened. Mike was impressed and started to compliment her when her mother exploded. "Michael Allen!"

He jerked as if he'd been slapped. Shelly turned to her daughter. "What were you thinking, Patricia Marie Chatham?"

Tricia was sitting up straight, and her eyes were wide. "I didn't like him running down Darryl."

"I understand that, but don't you think keeping a lower profile might be the better thing to do?"

"I suppose so."

"Now, young lady, I have one thing to say to you. Well, two things."

Tricia was not looking forward to this. Here it comes, she thought.

"Number one. Don't you ever do something like that again! And number two, I wish I'd been there to see it." Shelly started to giggle. "The look on his face must have been priceless."

Mike started laughing, and slowly Tricia realized she wasn't in trouble. As she began to giggle, she said, "It was."

The next day at school, Chet's mouth was, in fact, wired shut. The left side of his face was a vivid purple, and several kids were teasing him. Many had heard what happened, and the story had spread.

Mister Grayson met Tricia as she entered the school. "A word, Miss Chatham."

Darryl started to accompany her, but Grayson held up his hand. "I need to speak to Miss Chatham."

"I was there, Sir."

He realized that for appearance's sake, it might be better if Darryl did accompany them. "Alright, Darryl. Come on."

They got into the principal's office, and he sat down, as did the kids. "Tricia, does Darryl know about the restroom problem?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Everything?"

"Darryl knows that I'm trans."

"Alright. You do realize that this messes up our story for why you don't use the girl's bathroom, right? Chet isn't well-liked around here. You're now a hero. No one will pick on you in the restrooms."

She sighed as she realized the implications. "Oh, no."

Darryl asked, "As you said, Sir. Tricia is a hero. Do you think people will pick on her if they know?"

"They got used to Margot being trans,” Mister Grayson said. "We all did, but it's different for Tricia, considering her age."

Mister Grayson sent Darryl to class and called Tricia’s mom. Tricia was afraid this wasn’t going to be a good day.

There was a lot of ribbing, but most of it seemed to be at Chet's expense, more than anything. It seemed people were happy that the new girl was able to take out the big bully. With the help of some textbooks, that is.

Shelly and Mike talked to Mister Grayson that evening. It was decided that Tricia needed this time to become accustomed to being herself rather than Pat, without interference from kids knowing she was trans.

The story was maintained, but the incident on Monday was described as being because she panicked, which was true, after a fashion.

January had started with a bang, but breaking Chet’s jaw did act to minimize the tormenting she had to endure. No one wanted to suffer the same fate.

In February, was the Fur Rendezvous, or Fur Rondy as it was called, and the band made a day of it, marching in the parade, and visiting the exhibits. Unfortunately, it was so cold that the instruments’ valves wouldn’t work, so the band could do nothing more than march.

There was some time for the kids to wander on their own through the exhibits. Tricia and Darryl, along with Trish and Marcus, her boyfriend, made their way to see the dog sled races. Tricia had never seen anything like it in person and found the huskies and malamutes to be beautiful dogs.

On their way back, they stopped to see some ice sculptures and watched a man using a chainsaw to carve. He was incredibly gifted.

Next to the carving was a blanket toss demonstration. Some of the kids were tossed a little bit, including Tricia and Darryl. None, however, went as high as people who were used to it.

Right before Spring break, was the cabaret. It was a great time watching kids as they demonstrated their talents, and the band played better than Tricia had heard it before. She was now playing at the top of second chair, and Mister Thomas knew that if she challenged again, she would be playing first.

Chapter 7

May third was Tricia’s birthday. She turned fourteen and had a wonderful time with her parents, Darryl, Trish, and Margot. Marcus wasn’t there as he and Trish had broken up.

Margot and Tricia had met a few months ago, and despite their age difference, had become fast friends. Margot secretly hoped that Darryl could hold onto her, as she didn’t want to have the friendship tainted with bad feelings between her brother and ex-girlfriend.

Darryl had obtained special permission from Mike to take Tricia to Fairbanks on a date, as long as an adult chaperoned it. Margot had turned eighteen in April, so she was able to go along a chaperone. Darryl agreed to pay for gas, and Margot arranged for Brad, her boyfriend, to take them in his car. Brad would foot the bill for him and Margot.

It was a beautiful day in May, and the temperature was in the high in the sixties, and when Darryl knocked on the door, Tricia was ready. “Darryl’s here!” She called to her mom. “I’ll see ya later!”

“You behave yourself! And no…!” The door was already closed.

Brad and Margot were waiting, and they hurried out to the car and got into the backseat. Margot smiled as she turned to look at them. The backseat was made for three, and Darryl sat on the left, but Tricia didn’t sit on the right. She very deliberately moved to the center and put on the seat belt. Then she grinned at Margot.

“No funny business back there, okay?”

“Oh come on, Sis,” Darryl said as he put his arm around his girlfriend.

“Don’t worry,” Brad said as he pulled away from the curb. “The car’ll tell me if they take off their seat belts.” He picked up a coke can from the drink holder and took a sip.

“There’s a lot they can do with their seat belts on,” Margot said as she turned forward again.

“Like what?” Tricia asked brightly.

Brad sprayed coke all over the windshield as he tried to keep from laughing. He quickly pulled to the curb again and began searching for something to clean the sugary mess up.

Margot turned back to see if Tricia was really so naive. She was sitting up straight, a completely innocent look on her face.

Brad did his best to clean his windshield off, then turned around. “That was good,” he said, still laughing. “Perfect timing.”

The traffic into Fairbanks was light, and they made good time. They caught a matinee at the theater. Originally, they were going to watch a reshowing of Star Wars: A New Hope, but the line was immense because of it being "May the Fourth.” Margot picked out a chick flick instead, but it worked great for Darryl as Tricia snuggled against him, and he was able to hold her tight in the emotional scenes.

They went to a burger joint, and Margot and Tricia talked about the tear-jerker ending they had just watched. Once they finished their food, they started heading to Pioneer Park. Partway there, Margot’s phone rang. She answered it, listened for a moment, and said, “Oh no! I guess we’ll have to cut things short then.”

She hung up and put her hand on top of Brad’s as he pulled off the road into a parking lot. She gave a significant squeeze, then sent a text on her phone. A moment later, Brad picked his up. He read what was there and pulled back onto the road.

Hurry back to the base, but don’t seem like you’re hurrying he had read.

What the hell?

Chapter 8

Brad drove normally, and Margot tried to keep up a light banter, but it was apparent to Darryl and Tricia that something was wrong.

“So, what do you think of Fairbanks?” Margot asked Tricia.

“It hasn’t changed since the last time you asked, really,” was Tricia’s answer. “What’s wrong, Margot?”

“Whaddya mean?” Margot was really trying to sound happy, but it just wasn’t working.

“This is the third time you’ve asked me that today, and this time you sound scared. Plus, you said, ‘Oh no’ on the phone, then texted something to Brad that you didn’t want one of us to see.”

Margot sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy, and she turned around to face her friend. “There’s been an accident, Tricia. Your mom is in the hospital. Beyond that, I don’t know.”

“Who called?”

“My dad. He is at the hospital along with yours.”

“Okay… Wait a minute! Where’s Amber?”

Margot blanched. “I don’t know, Tricia. Daddy didn’t say.”

Tricia was frightened now. “Hurry, Brad.”

“I am,” he answered, and indeed, their speed had picked up considerably, as soon as he heard what was going on.

“Brad, please. Just keep in mind that getting a ticket won’t help us get there faster.”

A moment later, a police car headed the other direction spun around and started pursuing its lights flashing. Rather than slowing down, Brad dialed a number on his phone.

They could all hear the sound of the phone ringing through the car’s speakers, and a moment later, someone answered. “Brad, what the hell are you doing? You know I’m gonna have to write you a ticket. Would you stop!?”

“I thought it was you. Sorry, Dusty. Darryl’s girlfriend’s mom was in an accident, and she’s in the hospital. We don’t know the status. Could we get an escort?”

“Shit! Yeah. Hang on.”

Suddenly, the police car accelerated around them. Brad pushed his foot down, and they started speeding up as well.

They could hear the police officer speaking on his radio, making sure that the way was clear, and Margot turned to look at Tricia, who frankly, was wondering what was happening. “The cop is Brad’s brother. We’ll get there as quick as we can, now.”

Tricia glanced at the speedometer and was astonished to see that they were moving around ninety miles an hour. The frost heaves in the road made it a rough ride, but she wished they could go faster.

It was about fifteen minutes later that they pulled up at the emergency room entrance. Tricia had the door opened even before Brad came to a stop. She hurried into the hospital and was quickly being held by Darryl’s dad.

“What’s going on, Colonel?” she asked, worried.

“Your mom was driving home from North Pole, and another car ran a red light.”

The colonel glanced up and saw Tricia’s dad standing across the room. He had just come from Shelly’s room, and his eyes were red-rimmed. He shook his head.

He hurried across the waiting room and gave his daughter a huge hug.

“Is she alright, Daddy? Can I see her?”

“She didn’t make it, Honey,” her dad responded.

“I want to see her!” Tricia cried.

“She’s dead, Sweetheart.”

“I don’t care! I wanna see Mama!”

Mike glanced over where the CO and his family waited. Darryl and Margot both were crying, and the colonel was looking away as he wiped his face.

A nurse came out of the area where his wife was and told him it was alright to take his daughter back to see her mom.

They made their way back, and all the sounds and smells of the hospital terrified Tricia. She knew what most of the stuff was and what it did, and that made it worse.

Quietly, they entered the room where her mom lay. The last of the nurses was taking the equipment away, and Tricia approached the bedside. Shelly’s face was battered, and there was a bandage covering the right side. It was very bloody.

Tricia gently took her mom’s lifeless hand, knelt down on the floor, and cried.

-=#=-

Author’s note: I know this seems like a horrible place to end this story, and it would be if I said the story was over. However, this story will be continued under the name, “The Arctic Fox.” The story is far from over, for one that started out as a one-shot.