Okay, so my last serial on here didn't go over to well. In spite of my ambition to write a big crossover, I ended up getting far fewer reads than I expected-especially considering I was coming off the heels of Lanie's Journey and The Witch Hunt, both of which were well-received. And since almost nobody commented on my chapters, I don't even know what you thought of my story.

Since the crossover failed to pick up traction, I'm going to shift gears a bit. This time, I'm gonna write a prequel to Lanie's Journey centering around Rachel, and how she came to terms with her new life. Hopefully this one fares better.

***

"Mmmppphh...." Rachel murmured.

"Rachel? Are you okay?"

Rachel rose off her bed and rubbed her eyes. When she could see properly, she looked up and saw her roommate Lanie standing beside her bed. "Yeah, I'm fine," Rachel lied. "Why?"

"I just heard you talking in your sleep," said Lanie. "Were you having a bad dream?"

"Yeah," said Rachel. "What did you hear?"

"I'm not sure," Lanie admitted, "But it sounded like 'Jesse, don't leave me!'"

Rachel nodded slowly. "Yeah, that sounds about right," she said.

"Well? What were you dreaming about?"

"Just...my old life. Before Mr. Ryan's place, and before Pretty And Pink."

Lanie nodded understanding. "When you were a boy. Before Angelina found you."

"Yep. Back when I was Randy."

"Who is this Jesse?" Lanie asked. "Someone you knew?"

"Yeah," said Rachel. "I don't think I've told you about him yet, but..."

"Please do," said Lanie.

"Alright," said Rachel. "It all started three years ago..."

***

--The Year 2019--

Randy was strolling down the street with his older brother Freddie. The two of them had gone for a late-night walk in the park, but it was getting close to their curfew, and they had to get home soon. So that was where they were going.

"Do you really think Captain America's gonna die in Endgame?" Randy asked. The newest trailer for Avengers: Endgame had come out a few days earlier, and Randy and Freddie had spent the first part of their walk discussing it before inadvertently changing the subject. But now that they'd gone for a few minutes without talking, the hype for the upcoming movie was swimming to the front of Randy's mind.

"Of course," said Freddie. "Chris Evans has been talking about leaving the MCU for years now. If they kill him off, then that can be his excuse."

"I thought Robert Downey Jr. was the one who wanted out?"

"Him too. But I think it's more likely Captain America will die."

"I just hope Black Widow doesn't die," said Randy. He didn't like admitting it, but he kind of had a celebrity crush on Scarlett Johansson. She was one of the things that had drawn him into the MCU, and if her character was killed off...well, he didn't think he could bear it.

"Well, we'll find out soon..." Freddie trailed off. He and Randy had just rounded the corner of the street their house was located on. To both their shock, the house had been set ablaze. Flames roared all across the bottom floor, and they were quickly travelling up to the top floor.

"Oh no!" Randy gasped. "The house is on fire!"

"We've gotta call 911!" said Freddie. But when he got out his phone, he cursed. "Dammit! My phone's battery died!"

"The hose!" said Randy. "We can use the hose in our front yard!"

Freddie thought it was a stupid idea, but there was no time to argue. He took a deep breath and held it in as he ran across his front lawn to where the hose was coiled up beside the house. Freddie turned the hose's valve, then started spraying the house. At first, the walls just steamed when Freddie sprayed them, but then the flames started to die down.

"It's working!" Randy exclaimed.

"Don't celebrate yet," Freddie said as he continued spraying. Even with him spraying, the flames were still eating away at the house's walls. But after another minute, the hose's valve broke, and it stopped spraying water.

"No!" Freddie exclaimed. "No, no, no!"

"Get to the neighbors!" said Randy. "Get them to call 911!"

Just then, the boys heard a voice from above. They looked up at the second story of their house, where their mother was looking out the window and yelling "Boys! You have to get out of here!" Behind her, Randy and Freddie could see their dad, along with their sister Hailey.

"Oh no," said Freddie. He dropped the hose and ran for the front door.

"Freddie, what are you doing?" Randy asked.

"Mom and Dad-and Hailey-are in there," said Freddie. "Someone has to help." And with that, he threw the front door open and ran inside the burning building.

Randy just stood there, dumbstruck. Was his brother insane? He didn't have any breathing masks or fireproof clothing. He wouldn't last two seconds in there! But deep down, Randy knew Freddie was right. By the time the firemen got there, it would've been too late. His parents and sister would've died. For a second, Randy thought about rushing in to help Freddie. But then there was a loud cracking noise as the fire finally burned through the house's main support beams. The whole two-story house collapsed in on itself, setting off a small explosion in the process. The force of the explosion knocked Randy off his feet. When the smoke cleared, Randy looked up and saw that there was very little left of his house.

Randy knew his family could not have survived that explosion. He was now an orphaned, homeless 12-year-old boy.

To be continued...

Randy didn't know what to do. He'd lost his family and his house. He didn't have any immediate relatives he could live with, and as far as friends went...there was Jesse Pindle. He was Randy's best friend, and his family had always been very hospitable to Randy. But the Pindles were off on a cruise, and they wouldn't be home for another couple weeks. Randy wished very badly that he could stay with them, but they wouldn't be an option. All he could do was find a secluded alleyway and sleep in there for the night.

The following morning, Randy hoped the events of last night had been a bad dream-but it was not so. His house was still destroyed, and his family was dead. Randy couldn't even go to school, since all his books and binders had been burned in the fire. As Randy walked down the street, he realized that his worst fears were coming true. He was now a homeless 12-year-old kid.

Randy kept wandering the streets and begging strangers for food and water for over a week. Not everyone stopped to help him, but a fair number of passerby obliged. It wasn't until he was approached by a police officer that he finally got something beyond just getting fed.

"Hey kid," the policeman said, "What are you doing?"

"I'm homeless," Randy said miserably. "My house burned down last week, and my family died, too."

The policeman looked Randy up and down. "Hey, you're Randy Miller," he said. "We've been looking for you for a week!"

"You have?"

"Yes. The firemen found your family's corpses in the remains of the burned building, but you were nowhere to be found. And you look just like the pictures that my fellow police officers found of you!"

"So...what are you gonna do with me?"

"Hopefully, find you a new home," said the policeman. "Come with me."

***

At the police station, the cops identified Randy and determined that yes, he was the lost kid they'd been looking for. Unfortunately, finding a new home for him turned out to be a different matter altogether.

"Well, Mr. Miller, it looks like all the other foster homes have no vacancies," the police chief said to Randy. "Except for Pretty And Pink Foster Care."

"Pretty And Pink?" Randy asked.

"Yes, Pretty And Pink," said the police chief. "It appears that it's an all-girls foster home."

"It is," said Randy. "I know some people from school who live there."

"There are some vacancies there," said the police chief, "But you're not a girl."

"Like gender even matters in this day and age," Randy scoffed.

The police chief chuckled. "I suppose," he said. "But I doubt whether the Pretty And Pink foster workers will allow you there."

"Are you sure?" Randy asked. Truthfully, an all-girls foster home didn't seem very appealing to him, but he was getting desperate at this point. "Maybe they can make an exception for me?"

As if on cue, a woman in her early thirties, dressed in a nice-looking suit, came into the room. "Hello, Chief Hall," she said. "I hear you have a kid in need of a foster home?"

"Yes, Ms. Kayne," said the police chief. "But he identifies as a male, so he wouldn't fit within your all-girls foster home..."

The woman looked at Randy curiously. "What happened to him?"

"My family died in a fire," Randy answered. "And my house burned down, too. I've been living on the streets for a week and a half now, and I don't have anywhere else to go."

The woman stroked her chin. "You know," she said, "I think I can work something out with you."

"You mean you'll let me into your foster home?" Randy asked.

"Yes, of course," said the woman.

"Wow," said the police chief, clearly surprised. "Well then...I guess that clears up that matter!"

***

The woman, who introduced herself as Ruth Kayne, had to fill out some more paperwork with the police before she could take Randy with her. But an hour and a half after she'd met Randy, Ruth took him back to her house.

"Uh, this is your foster home?" Randy asked when he saw Ruth's house.

"No," said Ruth. "This is my house where I live. I brought you here because we have some...things to discuss."

Randy assumed she meant how he'd fit in at the all-girls foster home. "Okay," he said.

When the two of them entered Ruth's house, they found a bunch of shopping bags on the counter. "Oh, good!" said Ruth. "Caitlyn brought your new clothes!"

"What-you already got me new clothes?"

"Yes," said Ruth. "I texted Caitlyn-she's one of my workers-when we were getting started with the paperwork. I told her to go shopping for some new clothes and drop them off at my house."

"Well, that's good," said Randy. "What kind of..."

"Actually, we should sit down first," said Ruth. "There's something I have to tell you."

Randy sat down with Ruth. "What is it?"

"Randy, my foster home is an all-girls one."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that," said Randy. "I'm not a girl, so..."

"But you can become one."

For a second, Randy wasn't sure if he'd understood Ruth correctly. "What do you mean?"

"You need a home, do you not? But the only available spots are at my foster home, which only allows girls. Therefore, the only way to get a home there is to become a girl."

Randy was starting to regret accepting Ruth's offer. "How am I supposed to become a girl?"

"It's easy," said Ruth. "I have a potion that I created."

"You're a witch," Randy suddenly realized.

Ruth nodded. "I am indeed," she said.

"No," said Randy. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this. I can't be a girl."

"It's too late. I've already filled out the paperwork to adopt you into my foster home."

Randy was speechless.

"Randy, I'm sorry it had to begin this way. I really am. But I can promise you that Pretty And Pink Foster Care is one of the best foster homes in the business, and that you will live a very happy life there. Everyone you meet will corroborate to that."

"Is it really too late?"

"Sadly, it is. We've already reserved a bed for you, and gotten you some new clothes."

"Wait a minute." Randy got up and went over to the counter where the bags of clothes were. To his shock, the bags were full of girls' clothes-tank tops, tight jeans, skirts, and...bras. Real bras.

"Yes," said Ruth. "We're going to have to turn you female."

Randy's heart sank. It really was too late. "Alright," he said. "Where's that potion?"

"I'll get it for you," said Ruth. She got up and went up to her fridge. She got out a small bottle full of reddish-pink liquid. "You have to drink the whole bottle," she said. "But I warn you, it's a painful process."

"Let's just get it over with," said Randy. He took the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took a deep breath. Here goes, he thought. These were his last moments as a male. He drank the potion-which tasted like a strawberry milkshake-and put the bottle down on the counter.

For a moment there, Randy felt nothing. But then his insides started heating up like they were on fire. "Ah!" Randy exclaimed. He could feel his whole body bubbling and distorting like hot wax, reshaping itself into a more feminine shape. His body fat melted away, his hair grew out, and his hips and butt swelled a little. The biggest pain came was when his penis and balls folded in on themselves, giving way to a soft, warm vagina.

The whole process lasted less than a minute, but it felt much longer to Randy. He was so distracted from the agony, he didn't even notice when it disappeared. But when it did, he felt a lot lighter.

"Well, princess," said Ruth. "You took it better than I thought."

"I did?" Randy asked. His voice sounded higher now. He hadn't quite hit the voice-changing part of puberty yet, but turning into a girl still seemed to have made his voice higher.

"Yes," said Ruth. "And I must say, you look rather pretty."

Randy looked his, or rather her, new body up and down. She was only twelve, so she wasn't particularly "hot" or "busty," but she still looked pretty cute. Her torso was on its way to forming a nice hourglass, and her hair went down to her lower back. "Wow," she said. "I do look really good for 12."

"Yes, you do," said Ruth. "But you mustn't tell anyone at Pretty And Pink that you were a boy."

"Why not?"

"Because they're all girls," said Ruth. "What I did with you was a very special circumstance. If word broke out about what really happened..." She shuddered. "I'd rather not think about that."

Randy wilted slightly. She couldn't even tell anybody? Not her new roommates, not her friends at school? That was...discouraging. "But what's my new name gonna be?"

Ruth thought for a moment. "What do you think of Rachel?" she asked.

Randy shrugged. "I guess," she said.

"Alright, Rachel," said Ruth. "Let's get you changed now. I think those boy clothes might be a little...uncomfortable on you now."

"Oh yeah." Rachel was only just realizing that her clothes didn't quite fit her anymore. Her boxer shorts were a lot looser on her crotch, and her shirt was itching her chest like crazy. Her now-flared-up nipples were extremely sensitive. "I could definitely use some new clothes."

To be continued...

Ruth took Rachel down to her foster home building, called Pretty And Pink Foster Care. Rachel had heard of the place before, but she'd never seen it in person. It was a lot bigger than she expected-four stories high. "This is your foster home?" Rachel asked.

"Well, it's not really 'my' foster home," said Ruth. "Pretty And Pink Foster Care has establishments in Virginia and Pennsylvania, too. The company is owned by Angelina Aguilar-our founder. But our Nashville location is the one that I'm in charge of managing."

"So what's it like?" Rachel asked. "Am I gonna get my own dorm, or will I share it with someone?"

"Yes, you will share it with someone," said Ruth. "I have set you up with three roommates in a dorm on the first floor. They're all around your age, so it should be easy for you to get along with them."

"Okay..."

"And there's one other thing," said Ruth. "I know you're still very sad about losing your family in that house fire. If you feel like you need some grief counseling, I can set it up for you."

Rachel thought for a moment. Ruth was right: the loss of her family was still eating at her. But she still wasn't sure if she trusted the Pretty And Pink people enough to do grief counseling with them. "I'll think about it," she said.

"Very well," said Ruth. "Let's get you to your room."

Ruth took Rachel inside the building and down the hall where the first floor's dorms were located. They stopped at Room #106 and knocked three times. "Come in!" said a female voice from inside.

Ruth opened the door to the dorm. Rachel entered and saw that the room had two bunk beds, a couch, and a TV. Two other girls her age were watching the TV, and another one was folding laundry. "This is Vanessa," Ruth said, pointing at the laundry girl. "She will be your bunkmate."

Vanessa turned and awkwardly smiled at Rachel. She had blue-rimmed braces, thick glasses, and blonde hair. "Hi," she said.

"And these," said Ruth, "Are Hattie and Maddie."

Rachel looked at the girls on the couch and gasped. She recognized them! They were Hattie and Maddie Dominguez-the two meanest girls at Randy's middle school! Hattie and Maddie were twins, and they ruled the school's hallways with iron fists. Wherever they went, the crowds parted for them. Anyone who crossed them was met with a mean look and a snarky insult. Randy had gotten on their bad side once, and he'd really come to regret it. And to think that Rachel would now be sharing a room with them...

"So you're the new kid," said Hattie. She and her sister both had flaming red hair, smooth facial features, and dark brown eyes. The only think that set them apart was that Hattie had pierced ears, and Maddie had a pierced nose.

"Uh...yeah," said Rachel.

"Welcome to Pretty And Pink," Maddie said, though she didn't sound particularly happy to see Rachel.

"What's your name?" Hattie asked.

"Oh...I'm Rachel," said Rachel. She was still getting used to using her new name.

"Well, now that you're introduced, I'll just let you mingle," said Ruth. And with that, she left the room.

The second Ruth had closed the door behind her, Maddie and Hattie both got up and stared down Rachel. "Listen up, Rachel," said Maddie. "In here, my sister and I are in charge. Just stay out of our way, don't try to 'borrow' any of our stuff, and we'll be good."

Rachel awkwardly nodded. "Okay," she said. "Can...can I just go take a shower?"

"Of course," said Hattie. "The showers are behind the bathroom."

Vanessa looked up from her laundry. "Want me to show you?" she asked.

"I guess," said Rachel.

Vanessa led Rachel into the bathroom area that was attached to the dorm. Once they were out of earshot of the other girls, Vanessa said "Don't worry about them. They're actually not that hard to live with."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. You just have to avoid crossing them."

"Yeah, like that's gonna be easy."

"Well...yeah, Hattie and Maddie are pretty ruthless," said Vanessa. "I've learned not to start anything with them."

"Me too," said Rachel.

"What-you know them?"

Rachel bit her lip. She remembered what Ruth had said about not divulging her gender situation to anyone. "We've met," she said. "I just didn't think I'd end up having to live with them."

"Well, at least you're not alone in not liking them," said Vanessa. "C'mon, this is the shower area."

Rachel's jaw dropped when she saw that there were no stalls in the shower area. It was just a wall with a bunch of nozzles and a bench for clothes and towels. "Are you kidding me?" she asked. "Is there no privacy here?"

"No," Vanessa said sadly. "For some reason, the people who built this place left out stalls in the showers."

"This is stupid," said Rachel. "I'm not showering naked with a bunch of other people."

"Sorry, but you're going to have to."

"Can you stand guard outside? Make sure Maddie and Hattie don't come in?"

Vanessa let out an uneasy laugh. "I don't think I could stop them," she said, "But sure, I'll keep an eye out."

Once Vanessa had stepped out of view, Rachel gingerly started taking off her clothes. She put them down on the bench and started showering at one of the nozzles. After ten minutes of soaping down, she shut off the water and dried herself off. Then she put on a new set of clean clothes.

"You all done?" Vanessa asked.

"Yes."

"Good."

***

While Maddie and Hattie continued watching their TV show, Rachel lay down on her bed. She couldn't believe what she'd gotten herself into. She'd been turned into a girl and put into a dorm room with the two meanest girls she'd ever met. Worse yet, Pretty And Pink apparently had no respect for privacy. How could Rachel ever survive something like this?

Rachel missed her family deeply. She wished she could see her parents, and Freddie, and Hailey, again. Were they watching down on her from Heaven? Randy had never been overly religious, but he did believe in there being life after death. If there really was a Heaven, then surely the rest of the Millers had gone there when they died. Rachel wondered what they'd think of their son and brother turning into a girl. Sadly, she'd never find out what they thought, because they were dead. It was gone. It was all over. Rachel's old life was over. There was nobody she could go to.

Except...maybe...

Rachel thought of her best friend Jesse Pindle. Randy had met Jesse back in Third Grade, and they'd grown closer and closer as the years went by. Randy had thought about going to his house after his family died, but that hadn't been an option, as Jesse and his family were out of town. But he'd be back soon, and he'd surely hear about the Miller family. And if Hattie and Maddie were at Pretty And Pink, then could that mean Rachel would be able to go back to her old middle school? If that was the case, could she reconnect with her old friend? Could she reestablish a connection from her old life? It all seemed too much to hope for.

And yet, after everything that had happened, an old friend felt like the one thing Rachel needed.

To be continued...

For the next couple days, Rachel mostly just hung out at Pretty And Pink with Vanessa. Ruth still had to do some work to register Rachel to go to school, since she'd be going in as a new student. But it turned out Pretty And Pink was a nice place to be. The cafeteria served good food three times a day, and there was a game room where you could play board games or video games with your friends. The only thing Rachel had to keep in mind was to stay out of Maddie and Hattie's way.

By the time the following Monday rolled around, Ruth had managed to go through all the paperwork for Rachel to go back to school. Much to Rachel's surprise, it was at Old-Timey Middle School-the same school where she'd gone as Randy! So when Rachel got to school, she was excited. All her old friends and classmates would still be there, and...okay, no one would know she used to be Randy, but it would still be nice to see them, right?

The first person Rachel ran into was Otto Henderson. Otto was a guy Randy had known since elementary school, and had had several classes together over the years. "Hey Otto!" Rachel exclaimed.

Otto looked at Rachel with a puzzled expression. "Uh...do I know you?" he asked.

Rachel chided herself. What was she thinking? Nobody here would recognize her! "Maybe," she said.

"You do look kind of familiar..." said Otto.

"Well, I am new here," said Rachel.

None of this made sense to Otto, but he wasn't one to question it. "Well, welcome to the school..." he started.

"Oh-I'm Rachel."

"Rachel," Otto repeated.

After that, Rachel saw several more familiar faces, but she did not attempt to make conversation with anyone. Her exchange with Otto had left a disappointed taste in her mouth. It should've felt nice to see all her old friends again, but to have them not even recognize her just...it hurt. And as the day went by, the pain slowly increased. By lunch, Rachel felt like she had a big, sad hole inside her.

"Hey."

"What-hey me?"

"Yeah, you."

Rachel looked up to see Vanessa standing in front of her in the lunch line. "Oh. Hey...Vanessa." Seeing her bunkmate brought some comfort to Rachel. At least SOMEONE here acknowledged her.

"How's your first day here?"

"Oh, it..." Rachel wanted to say it was horrible, but she stopped herself. "It's great."

"Nice," said Vanessa. "Are your classes alright?"

"Yeah, except for Math..." Rachel trailed off when she saw someone enter the lunchroom. It was a boy her age with curly blonde hair, gray eyes, and a thin body frame. Rachel recognized him immediately. It was Jesse Pindle-her best friend from when she was a boy!

"Jesse!" Rachel exclaimed, completely forgetting her regime of not approaching anyone she recognized. She ran for Jesse and pulled him into a deep hug. She wasn't sure why she was hugging her guy-friend. Maybe it was a feminine instinct to hug people? Regardless, it felt so good to see him again. He was the last connection she had to her old life, perhaps the only one she could-

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jesse said, shaking himself out of Rachel's hug. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Oh, Jesse, I'm so sorry," said Rachel. "I'm just...kind of excited."

"But...why?"

"Excuse me!" said a new voice. Rachel turned and saw the only two people that could ruin the moment: Hattie and Maddie. The twin girls clad in matching white shirts and black skirts were strutting toward Rachel and looking at her the way an FBI agent would look at a criminal.

"What-Maddie? Hattie?"

"Uh..." Jesse stammered.

"She's with us," said Maddie. "She's our new roommate at our foster home."

"Oh," said Jesse. "So she's another one of you."

"No!" Rachel protested. "I'm not like them, I-"

"Come with us," said Hattie. "We need to talk."

Rachel reluctantly left Jesse and went with Maddie and Hattie to the other side of the cafeteria. "How do you know him?" Maddie asked.

"What?"

"How do you know Jesse Pindle? We saw you run up and hug him. Clearly you know him."

For a few seconds, Rachel just stood there, trying to think of an answer. She couldn't tell Maddie and Hattie she was a boy and was friends with Jesse. But what other excuse could she use? Lots of different ideas bounced around in Rachel's head, each one dumber than the last. But when she saw Maddie and Hattie staring her down, waiting for a response, anger started to rise in her.

"It's none of your business," said Rachel.

"You're our roommate now," said Hattie. "It IS our business."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"Fine, be like that," said Maddie. "But you stay away from Jesse Pindle. He may not realize it yet, but he is ours."

"What do you..." Rachel trailed off when she realized what Maddie meant. "You guys...like him?"

"Yes," said Hattie.

"But...how are both of you going to have him?"

"That's not your concern," said Hattie. "Just don't try to hook up with Jesse. Capiche?"

Rachel scowled, but she said "Capiche."

"Great. That's all we want to say." And with that, Maddie and Hattie left Rachel.

***

For the next little while, Rachel was even more down in the dumps. She'd tried to reconnect with Jesse, only to get shot down by her roommates Maddie and Hattie. Jeez, Rachel hated those bitches. She'd never liked them before, but now it was ascending to a level that could only be called "hate." Rachel made a mental note to talk to Ruth about getting transferred to a different dorm at Pretty And Pink.

The last class Rachel had that day was Science. When she came in, she wasn't paying attention to her classmates' names or faces. But when the teacher sat her down at her table, Rachel was surprised to see that her lab partner was-

"Jesse?"

"Oh hey..." said Jesse. "You're that girl from lunch who..."

"Yeah," said Rachel. She was starting to feel embarrassed by that whole ordeal. "Sorry about that."

"I don't mean to be rude here, but who are you?" Jesse asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"I...thought you were someone else," Rachel lied.

This made no sense, but neither did anything else. "Whatever," said Jesse.

"Look, I'm sorry if I offended you or anything," said Rachel. "In fact, if you want to switch lab partners-"

"No, it's okay," said Jesse. "Everyone else is already taken anyway. And besides, I just lost my old lab partner, so I kind of needed a new one."

"Oh, you did?"

"Yeah," said Jesse. "His name was Randy, and he was my best friend. But he died in a fire while I was on a cruise last week."

Rachel didn't know what to think. This was her that Jesse was talking about, but he didn't know it! But what Jesse said about Randy dying with the rest of his family in the fire...was that the official story? Had the police/firemen/whoever concluded that Randy had gone into the burning house with Freddie and ended up dying? It hurt Rachel to hear that her best friend thought she was dead. And what hurt even more was that she couldn't tell him that she wasn't. Well, she would've liked to, but now didn't seem like the time.

"That's horrible," said Rachel. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"Thanks," said Jesse. "Those girls Maddie and Hattie said you were their new roommate at Pretty And Pink Foster Care. Did you lose your family, too?"

"Sadly, yes," said Rachel. "They died in a burning building."

"Wow, what a coincidence," said Jesse. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, it sucks," said Rachel. "And now I'm stuck with Hattie and Maddie."

"I know," said Jesse. "I hate them so much."

"And the worst part? Both of them have a crush on you."

Jesse's jaw dropped. "They WHAT?"

"Yeah. That's why they pulled me aside at lunch. They told me not to move in on you."

Jesse looked like he'd just swallowed a live cockroach. "Those bitches are in love with me? Ugh. Just...just ugh."

"I know," said Rachel. She knew Maddie and Hattie would be furious at her if they found out she'd told Jesse their secret, but she didn't care. Those girls hade made lots of other people hurt, so now Rachel was gonna make them hurt.

"Well, I'm definitely not gonna date either of them," said Jesse. "Thanks for warning me, Rachel."

"Oh, no problem," said Rachel. "No problem at all..."

To be continued...

For the next few days, Rachel kept going to school and working with Jesse as her lab partner. It felt weird, since she knew him so well and he didn't know her (or so he thought), but their interactions were mostly good. There was one incident where Rachel felt like she'd slightly annoyed Jesse, but he seemed to have gotten over it by the end of class.

The next week, however, things were different. When Rachel got to her Science class, the teacher Mrs. McLain had an announcement. "Okay, everyone," she said, "Today's the first day of our Sex Ed unit. And you know what that means."

"Oh yeah," said Jesse. "We're all gonna be separated."

"That's right, Mr. Pindle," said Mrs. McLain. "All the boys are gonna go down to Mr. Blake's classroom, and the girls are gonna gather here."

A sex ed unit? Oh boy. Rachel had gotten "the talk" from her parents, but since she'd been male at that point, it was from a "boy" perspective. From a "girl" perspective, she wasn't sure what to expect. Well, she knew the basic stuff, but not a lot more than that.

As the boys were clearing out of Mrs. McLain's classroom, some more girls came in and sat in their seats. Once everyone had settled in, Mrs. McLain addressed the girls. "Hello, ladies," she said. "This is the first day of our sex ed unit. I would like to remind you that you are not to talk about anything you learn here with boys."

"Why not?" said a girl sitting diagonally across from Rachel. "Why do we have to be separated into two groups?"

"Because that is how the curriculum works," Mrs. McLain said simply.

"But what about trans kids?" Rachel asked. "Or...what if we already know about the 'boy' stuff?"

"We're just doing what the school board wants us to do," said Mrs. McLain. "And they also want us to show you this educational video about puberty." She hooked her computer up to the classroom's projector and started playing the sex ed video.

The video started with a title card reading "Girls' Big Changes" before fading into a blank blue screen. A white, animated cartoon character with a long cylindrical body, a smiley face, and spindly stick figure-like legs pranced onto the screen. "Hi!" the character said in a peppy, feminine voice. "I'm Tammy the Tampon! And I'm going to teach you all about menstruation!"

"Tammy the Tampon?" Rachel groaned. What were these people thinking? Were they just trying to turn her and her classmates off? Of course she knew what a tampon was, but a walking, talking cartoon one? It was too cringey for words.

Unfortunately, the anthropomorphic tampon was just the tip of the iceberg. The video talked a lot about breast development, PMS, menstruation, pubic hair, and-erp!-sex. All throughout the video, Rachel felt disgusted and uncomfortable. She'd barely gotten used to wearing a bra all the time, and the idea of having to wear pads in her underwear-or, worse yet, stick a tampon inside of her-was just too much to handle. She wished more than anything that she could go back to being a boy, where the worst she had to worry about was a wet dream every once in a while.

Rachel sighed in relief when the video was over. "Thank goodness," she said to herself.

"Well, I hope you all learned something," Mrs. McLain said as she turned off the projector. "Tomorrow we're gonna start looking at each aspect of puberty in more detail. But remember, you're not allowed to tell any of your boy friends about anything we talk about. And they're not allowed to tell you about what they learn, either."

***

The next day in Third Period, there was an assembly. Rachel went with her English class to the multi-use room where the school always held its assemblies. At first, she wasn't sure what the assembly was for. But when she entered the multi-use room, she had a nasty surprise. Hanging on the wall above the stage was a picture of her-or, more accurately, him. The picture showed Randy standing at the school's front gate with his backpack, looking really happy and excited about school. Rachel remembered that picture. He'd taken that picture for the yearbook at the start of the school year.

When everyone had taken their seat, the student body president Fiona Guzman came up onto the stage. "Good morning, everyone," she said gravely. "We are all here today to honor a classmate who died recently. Randy Miller was a sixth-grader at our school who had a lot of promise. He was very talented, and he was very outgoing. All of his teachers felt he was on the road that led to a successful future. But a couple weeks ago, he and his family died in a house fire."

Several of the kids surrounding Rachel were starting to cry. Rachel was crying, too-but for different reasons. This was her that Fiona was talking about. Fiona was spreading the story that Randy had died the same night as the rest of the Millers did. Rachel knew that wasn't true-she had survived, and been adopted by Ruth, and turned into a girl because Pretty And Pink didn't allow boys. But since nobody knew, the cover story was that she was dead. It hurt her to know that, even though she was there, everyone else thought she'd died.

"Randy's best friend, Jesse Pindle, has kindly volunteered to share some words," said Fiona.

Fiona stepped aside to allow Jesse to come onto the stage and stand before the crowd with a microphone. "Yeah, I knew Randy," said Jesse. "He and I met in Third Grade at Redhouse Elementary School. At the time, I didn't have many friends, but that changed when Randy invited me for a playdate. I went over to his house, and we had a lot of fun playing together. Many more playdates followed, and we grew closer. So much that after we graduated elementary school, I went with him and his family on a trip to the Caribbean."

Rachel remembered that. She and Jesse had shared a room in the rental house her family had rented out. The trip was probably one of the highlights of her life.

"He and I had several classes together here. Randy was even my lab partner in Science. But then, when I got back from my cruise last week, and I heard about the fire..." Jesse's voice cracked. "I couldn't believe what I heard. I went to Randy's house, hoping it wasn't true, but it was. The Millers' house was just a pile of ashes. The police even showed me Randy's death certificate."

Jesse tried his best to hold back his tears as he continued. "I miss Randy," he sobbed. "He...he was a good friend. Not just to me, but to everyone. Losing him has been a huge blow to all of us. But to everyone he knew, and touched...he will still live on in our hearts." Jesse bowed in sorrow and walked off the stage.

"Thank you, Jesse," said Fiona. "Thank you, everyone, for coming to remember our classmate and friend. Randy, if you're watching down on us from Heaven...we miss you."

"But I'm here," Rachel murmured to herself. It hurt so much to see her best friend grieving for her "death." She appreciated hearing the nice things Jesse said about her, but at the same time...Jesse was her best friend. Surely he had a right to know the truth.

As everyone was filing out of the multi-use room, Rachel looked to see if she could catch Jesse on her way out. She ended up running into him right as she was going back into the school's hallway. "Oh...hey Rachel," Jesse said, barely giving her a sideways glance.

For a few seconds, Rachel just stood there, unsure of how to react. "Hey Jesse!" she called.

Jesse turned her way. "What?"

"It's me!"

"What are you talking about?"

Rachel's face fell. She had not thought this through very well. "I was just...nothing."

"Whatever," said Jesse.

Rachel felt worse than she had at any point in the multi-use room. How was she going to tell Jesse the truth about herself?

To be continued...

What was Rachel thinking? She should've just told Jesse she was Randy from the start. Then maybe Jesse wouldn't have agreed to give the speech at Randy's memorial and made it that much more awkward for Rachel to come clean with him. But it was too late now.

The day after the memorial assembly, Jesse seemed pretty down in the dumps when he came into Science. "Hey," said Rachel. "About yesterday, I just..."

"Don't be sorry," Jesse said miserably. "It's not your fault."

So Jesse wasn't mad at her. "Well...okay, I guess," said Rachel.

"You said those girls Maddie and Hattie were your roommates, right?" Jesse asked.

"Sadly, yes," Rachel answered. "Why?"

"Because they just tried to hit on me," Jesse answered. "Hattie came up to me and asked me if I was free tonight."

"Really? What did you tell her?"

"I told her no. I didn't like her or her sister, and I was not going to go out with them."

Wow, Rachel thought. Her friend had given Maddie and Hattie just the tongue-lashing they deserved! "Props," she said, sticking out her fist. Jesse willingly bumped it with his own.

"Thanks," said Jesse. "I just hope they don't try hitting on me again."

***

That afternoon, when Rachel got back to Pretty And Pink, she went right to her dorm room. Vanessa was already there, working on her homework. "Hey Vanessa," said Rachel.

"Hey Rachel," said Vanessa. "How's it going?"

"It's...fine, I guess," Rachel answered. She sat down on her bed and got out her phone.

Less than a minute later, Hattie and Maddie burst into the room. "Rachel!" Maddie shouted.

"What?"

Maddie came up and grabbed Rachel by the shoulder. "You told Jesse that my sister and I wanted him, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Rachel said frantically.

"Oh, yes you do," said Maddie. "Jesse said he'd heard that we liked him, and you're the only one who we've told."

"That's not true!" Vanessa defended. "You told me-"

"Stay out of it, Vanessa!" Hattie barked.

Maddie threw Rachel onto the floor. "You stole our chances with Jesse Pindle," she said. "And you're gonna pay." She and her sister both stood over Rachel with their fists clenched.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said a new voice. "What is going on here?" All heads turned to see Ruth poking her head into the dorm room.

"They're beating up Rachel!" said Vanessa.

"Because she broke her promise!" said Hattie.

"What the fuck-I didn't promise you!" said Rachel.

"Oh, yes you did!" Hattie said, angrily giving Rachel another kick. "You told us-"

"Hey!" Ruth shouted. She clenched her fist, and Maddie and Hattie both doubled over as their heads suddenly exploded with pain. "Maddie, Hattie, and Rachel, all three of you come to my office at once! I will not tolerate this kind of behavior!"

***

Ruth had some of her workers keep an eye on Maddie and Hattie as she took Rachel in to question her about her feud with Hattie and Maddie. Rachel willingly told Ruth everything-her failed reunion with Jesse, Hattie and Maddie confronting her, Rachel spilling the beans about the twins' crushes on Jesse, and the fight that had ensued in their dorm.

"So they didn't want you moving in on their crush," Ruth said when Rachel had finished.

"I wasn't moving in on him," said Rachel. "The reason Maddie and Hattie confronted me in the first place was to tell me not to do that."

"But you still told Jesse about how Maddie and Hattie had crushes on him."

"Yes. He has a right to know."

Ruth looked at Rachel very seriously. "You said Jesse was your friend when you were a boy," she said. "You didn't tell him about your change, did you?"

"No," Rachel said in a kneejerk reaction. She didn't want to give any hints that she was meaning to tell Jesse. "And I don't think he suspects anything. He thinks I'm a different person from the Randy Miller he knew."

"Good," said Ruth. "That is how it should be."

"But why?"

Ruth sighed. "Let's just say my superiors have their reasons," she said.

That told Rachel absolutely nothing, but she didn't push it. "What about Hattie and Maddie?" she asked.

"I will talk to them next," Ruth answered. "But given their history of not only bullying you and Vanessa, but also many of the other girls here, I think a transfer is in order."

"A transfer?"

"Yes, a transfer. I think I should transfer them to one of our other Pretty And Pink locations-perhaps the one in Virginia."

"Well, as long as we don't have to deal with them anymore," said Rachel.

"Yes," said Ruth. "I will have you and Vanessa remain in your current dorm for the time being. But after I've transferred Maddie and Hattie, I will find another dorm for you two to move into."

Rachel nodded. "Okay," she said. "I think I can live with that."

To be continued. Sorry for the gaps in chapter uploads, but I...well, there's this thing called "life..."

The next morning, Ruth came to Rachel's dorm to oversee Maddie and Hattie pack their things. The twins would be sent to Pretty And Pink's Virginia building, which happened to be the company's first establishment. The whole time Maddie and Hattie were packing, they cast dirty looks in Rachel's direction.

"I hope you're happy, bitch," Maddie said to Rachel. "Now we're getting yanked out of our lives here."

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to get yanked out of my old life, either," Rachel said coldly.

"Where did you live, in another orphanage?" Hattie asked.

"That's enough!" Ruth snapped. "Maddie, Hattie, if I hear you keep up this behavior at the Virginia location..." She let the threat hang in the air.

Half an hour later, Maddie and Hattie left the dorm for the last time. When they were gone, Rachel and Vanessa both breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally," said Vanessa. "They're gone!"

"Yep," said Rachel. But what she thought was "Now it'll be easier for me to get closer to Jesse."

***

For a week after that, Rachel contemplated how she might approach Jesse and tell him the truth. They were still lab partners, and Jesse seemed to like hanging out with her, but Rachel wanted him to know she was Randy. Only thing was, Jesse didn't believe in magic, as far as Rachel knew. So how could she convince him?

Eventually, Rachel decided she would just be up front and tell Jesse point-blank. So one morning, while she was taking a shower, she rehearsed the conversation in her head. For the rest of the day, she mustered up all her courage to go up to Jesse and ask to meet with him in private. And at the end of their Science class, she asked him the big question. "Jesse," she said, "Could we meet up after school? There's something I have to tell you."

Jesse's face lit up with excitement. "Sure," he said. From the way he said it, he seemed to think Rachel wanted to tell him she had a crush on him. Which...wasn't exactly true, but Rachel wasn't gonna let that dampen her motivation.

After school, Rachel met Jesse at the school's front gate after everyone else had left. "Okay, Rachel," said Jesse. "What is it you want to tell me?"

"Well, there's something I've been meaning to tell you ever since I came to this school," said Rachel. "I know it's gonna be a bit of a shock, but you have a right to know."

"What is it?"

"I'm Randy."

For a few seconds, Jesse just stood there, not sure what to make of what Rachel said. "What?"

"Your friend, Randy Miller. I'm him. Except I'm Rachel now."

Jesse shook his head in disbelief. "No you're not," he said. "Randy died in that fire."

"That's what the fire department thought," said Rachel, "But they were wrong."

"Well, I guess they didn't find a body," said Jesse, "But even I believed that, why are you a girl?"

"There was a witch. She turned me into a girl. I still don't know why, but-"

"No," Jesse said, shaking his head. "This is a bad joke."

"No it's not! Remember when you and I went hiking the Old Willow Trail? When you tripped and fell and broke your wrist, and I had to go back and get your mom?"

Jesse stared at Rachel. "Yeah, that did happen," he said.

"Or when we snuck onto the school roof that one time?"

That got Jesse. He and Randy had sworn on everything that was holy not to tell anyone that they'd been on the school roof, and they'd kept their promises. "You..."

"Or that old handshake we used to do in elementary school," said Rachel. She reached out her hand, gave Jesse a shake, then bumped her fist on the top and bottom of Jesse's before doing a normal fist-bump. It was a handshake Randy and Jesse had patented when they were in Fourth Grade, and though they used it less often in middle school, they'd still done it sometimes.

Jesse gaped at Rachel. "Oh my...it really is you!" he exclaimed.

"Yes!" Rachel exclaimed. She was so elated that Jesse finally knew it was her, she threw her arms around him and hugged him.

Unfortunately, her euphoria was short-lived. For Jesse quickly broke free of her grasp and glared at her. "How could you do this to me?"

"What?"

"You faked your own death, then came back as a girl? For what? Was this all just some big joke?"

"Jesse, I didn't ask to be turned into a girl! The witch who took me in-she insisted-"

"I believed you were dead!" Jesse shouted. "I gave that speech at your memorial! I cried all night when I found out you had died! And now you're telling me it was all a lie!"

"I didn't want it to be this way! Really, I didn't!"

"You stay away from me!" Jesse shouted. "Don't call me, don't talk to me-don't even sit with me at lunch!" And with that, he turned and stormed away. Rachel watched in horror as her only friend, the last connection she thought she had to her old life, left her behind.

***

Rachel didn't even remember walking back to Pretty And Pink. All she remembered was that when she got to her dorm, she flopped facefirst onto her bed and started crying. She cried so hard, it soaked her pillow. It was gone, all gone. Her family, her best friend...there was nobody else there for her now. Rachel was destined to grow up, get old, and die alone, and nobody would even know when she'd passed on.

Well, except one person.

"Rachel?" Vanessa asked.

Rachel did not respond.

"Rachel, are you okay?"

"No," Rachel admitted.

"What happened?" Vanessa asked. "Did someone bully you at school?"

"No. Well...kind of?"

"Who?"

"My best friend Jesse."

"Jesse Pindle?"

Rachel sat up and looked around to make sure they really were alone in the room. "Vanessa, can I tell you a secret?" she asked.

"Sure."

"I wasn't always female. I used to be a boy."

Vanessa's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Yeah. Before I came her, I somehow got turned into a girl," said Rachel. She deliberately left out the part where Ruth was a witch, and that she'd changed her. She didn't want to risk tarnishing her bunkmate's view of their kindly foster mom.

"Oh my..."

"I know, it's crazy," said Rachel. "Before it happened, Jesse was my best friend. But he didn't know I turned into a girl, so when I came back to school, he thought I was a new person. I wanted to tell him it was me, but I did just now, and he...he didn't take it very well."

"Rachel, I'm so sorry," said Vanessa.

"He was the last connection I had," said Rachel. "I'd already lost my family, and now I've lost my only friend-the only one who can help me adjust to this new girly life."

"Well, I can help you adjust," said Vanessa.

"I know. It's just..."

Vanessa sat down next to Rachel and put her arm around Rachel's shoulder. "I'm sorry that you lost your old life. But if everything you had is really gone, then maybe...maybe you should just move on."

"Move on?"

"Yes. You're not a boy anymore. You're a girl. And you're living at a new foster home, so this is your new life. It looks like this is what your future is, so you might as well embrace it."

"Really?"

"Yes," said Vanessa. "A wise person told me that, when I got transferred to Pretty And Pink."

"What-transferred?"

"Yes. I was in several different foster homes before this one. It was hard to move in with a bunch of new people, but Ruth advised me that if I just let go of my past, then it'll be easier to embrace my future."

Maybe Vanessa was right, Rachel realized. Maybe she really wasn't meant to have Jesse Pindle in her life anymore. Maybe, now that she was a girl, there were more connections to be had. "I guess so," she said. "I guess so."

A minute later, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" said Vanessa.

The door opened, and Ruth walked into the room. "Hello, girls," she said. "How's it without Maddie and Hattie?"

"Much better," said Rachel.

"Except now we're the only girls here," said Vanessa.

"About that," said Ruth, "I was thinking, these dorms were all built for four to six people to share. Having only two in a room is a bit too little, wouldn't you think?"

"I guess so," said Rachel.

"So what would you think of me transferring you to another dorm?"

Rachel and Vanessa exchanged glances. "Another dorm?" Rachel asked.

"Who's in there?" Vanessa asked.

"I don't know if you know them," said Ruth, "But their names are Melody, Taylor, and Alexis."

"Oh, I know Melody!" said Vanessa. "She's really nice!"

"Would you like to be transferred to their dorm?" Ruth asked.

Rachel and Vanessa exchanged glances. "Sure!" they said in unison.

"Very well then," said Ruth. "Just pack up your things, then come with me to their room!"

"Oh, we will," said Rachel. After all, this was her new life. And she was going to make the most of it.

***

--The Present Day--

"So that's how you got to be with Melody," said Lanie. "And Taylor and Alexis, too."

"Yep," said Rachel. She hadn't recounted the story of how she'd adjusted to Pretty And Pink to anyone else, but it felt good to finally get it off her chest. "Me and Vanessa lived with them for a few years, until Vanessa got adopted and moved away. Then you got admitted to Pretty And Pink, and..."

Lanie nodded. She remembered her own experience all too well. It was her coming that had led to Ruth and the other witches exposed, and Pretty And Pink being shut down. "I can't believe Vanessa didn't suspect anything," she said. "You said you told her you were a changed boy, and we know all the other girls at Pretty And Pink were changed boys too, so..."

"Well, I didn't actually say Ruth had changed me," said Rachel. "Maybe that's why Vanessa didn't get suspicious."

"Have you heard from her at all since then?"

"A couple times."

"Did you tell her about...you know..."

"She's the one who asked me," said Rachel. "After we destroyed Genetics Engineering, and our story went public, Vanessa put two and two together about Pretty And Pink. She texted me about it, and I told her yes, I was one of the kids who'd exposed the witches from Genetics Engineering. And Pretty And Pink, and the Y. F. F. H."

"Uh, that was Olivia and Saige," said Lanie. "The whole Y. F. F. H. thing had nothing to do with us."

"You're right," Rachel admitted. "But you know what I mean."

Lanie nodded. "What about Jesse?" she asked. "Did you ever talk to him again after you spilled the beans to him?"

"No," Rachel answered. "He talked our Science teacher into giving him a different lab partner after our falling-out. I might've said hi to him once or twice after that, but nothing more than that. And we ended up going to different high schools, so..."

"Do you still miss him?"

"Sometimes, yeah," Rachel admitted. "Sometimes I regret not telling him from the start. Maybe if I did, then he would've been more accepting."

"What if Ruth or Angelina had taken him into Pretty And Pink? Maybe he would've become Jessie."

Rachel cracked a smile. "Maybe," she said. "But at least everything worked out with me and Vanessa. And Melody, and Taylor, and Alexis. And you, of course."

Lanie hugged her roommate and surrogate sister. "Yes," she said. "And I'm very grateful for that."

***

And...that's the end. This series has proven to be shorter than the last few serials I've written/posted on here, but it was still fun to write. And to those of you who've made it this far...please feel free to share your thoughts. Like I say every time, feedback is appreciated.