Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

Friday afternoon, Lance Vanderbilt headed out of Jefferson Elementary School where he was a fifth grader. He headed to his bike to ride to his favorite haunt on the way home. Soon he was walking into Gilbert’s Costumes. Yes, this ten-year-old’s favorite place was a costume shop.

“Hello Lance,” Ms. Gilbert greeted the young boy as he entered the shop. The boy returned the greeting before turning into the boys’ costume aisle. He was careful around the older lady because he knew her from church. He was sure if he caused any trouble, his parents would hear all about it.

After going all the way through the boys’ aisle, he used the back aisle to turn into the girls’ costume aisle. Expertly he went to where his size was located. Picking up a Belle costume he held it up to him while looking at the mirror at the end of the aisle. He wasn’t sure why that mirror was there, it just suddenly appeared one day. It was in just the right position to daydream about which costumes he would love to, but could never wear. One thing was for sure, he was glad it was there.

Putting the yellow Belle costume back where the hidden girl got it, she grabbed an Alice costume and held it up to herself. She particularly loved that Alice costume, it was one of her favorites, if not her favorite.

“We have changing rooms for you to try costumes on,” she … he heard Ms, Gilbert say, hopefully to another customer.

The crisis over the hidden girl took a chance to surface again by putting Alice back and grabbing what she thought was a bride costume. Placing against herself she discovered it was a Bride of Frankenstein costume. The unnamed girl made a disgusted face and quickly put it away.

Looking at the watch on her … his wrist, she decided to dream about one more costume. She grabbed the next costume on the rack with her eyes closed, and held it up to her. She slowly opened her eyes to see that she was holding a Shirley Temple costume.

She sighed because there was no way she … he would ever wear any of these costumes. He took the same way out of the Girls’ aisle as he got there. Going out of the store past Ms. Gilbert again, he noticed something posted there that wasn’t there yesterday.

The notice that caught his eye was an offer of limited surprise costume makeovers. “Ms. Gilbert, what is the makeover about?”

“Oh, I do only two makeovers a year, one on the thirtieth, and the last one on Halloween itself.”

“Oh for adults only?”

Shaking her head, the older lady corrected, “No you could gladly sign up for it, but it is expensive. I charge five hundred dollars to own the costume. Or two hundred fifty, with a two hundred fifty deposit to rent the costume.”

The shorter for his age boy's face fell, there was no way that he could afford that. He had maybe sixty dollars in his piggy bank.

Seeing the sad look on the boy’s face, the older lady pointed out, “For a sweet boy like you, we can make a deal. Let me have a discussion with your parents.”

Lance suspected this conversation would happen later, but nope, the shop lady picked up the phone and without asking for a phone number called his mother.

“Hello Susan, this is Alison.” …

“Lance would like one of my surprise makeovers.” …

“I only do two, one a day, but they are five hundred including the deposit.” …

“I am well aware you could very well afford that but yep it's a lot of money. You do get to keep the costume, which would be custom-made for Lance if you choose the full-cost option. If you choose the deposit option you don’t get to keep the costume, but you get half the money back. But hear me out, I have an idea. Lance can pay a ten percent deposit, and he can do a few chores for me to earn some money.” …

“You gladly match him, that does sound good.” …

“Here he is,” the older lady mentioned before handing the phone to the boy.

Lance grabbed the phone, and said “Hello Mom.” …

“Yes I do want the makeover, pretty please with sugar on it!” …

“I have sixty in my piggy bank.” …

“You will help me pay for it … THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Mom!” …

“I can gladly run home to get the deposit.” …

“Yes, I will hand the phone back to Ms. Gilbert,” he told his Mom before handing the phone back to the older lady.

“Yep, I understand he has permission. I can gladly call you tonight for a private talk.” …

“Goodbye, Susan,” she said as she hung up the phone.

Lance started to head to the door to rush home to get the money. He was stopped by the shop lady before he got to the door.

“Where are you going? You have a form to fill out.”

“I was going to get my money, Ms Gilbert.”

“You can pay me later, I trust you, Lance.”

Shrugging Lance returned to the counter where he was handed a form, a pen, and a book. Finding a nearby chair he started by filling out his personal details, including his name, address, and age.

“Where are you going to wear this costume, Lance?” Ms. Gilbert quizzed the boy.

“Only trick or treating, btw, what phone number?”

“You really should memorize your mom’s phone number, 555-555-4475. You also really should go to a children’s party too, I bet I can find you a nice one.”

The boy just nodded before filling in the given phone number. He continued down and checked the Saturday, Oct 31st option. Continuing down the form there was a large paragraph stressing that Gilbert’s Costumes reserves all rights to pick the costume for you. The … “Ms. Gilbert, what is this word?” he asked, putting his finger on a word.

“Applicant, in this context it means you.”

… Applicants can only give these themes and categories for the costume selection, the form continued. Applicants can expect to receive a full makeover, including the costume [either rental or fully owned by the Applicant], face, hair, feet, and hands as needed. Finally, the paragraph said that all the fully paid applicants had to bring was themselves to the makeover session.

He saw the first option it asked was the gender of the costume, the hidden girl decided to take her chance and surface to only check female, ignoring the male and unisex options.

The next question was if she was going to rent or buy, she shrugged and left that one blank for now. Continuing on down, it was a bunch of keywords, glancing through the list she quickly checked:

Royalty
Fantasy
Doll
Silly
Storybook

She hesitated at the Witch, Historical, and Clown options, before checking them. She shuddered and ignored the Horror, Scary, Monster, and Haunting options. She was indifferent to the Movie, Television, Party, and Current Affairs options, so again didn’t check them.

That appeared to be all on that side of the form, flipping it over she discovered it was a bunch of measurements. She again shrugged and since her work was done, went back to hiding inside the body.

“Ms. Gilbert?”

“Yes, Lance?”

“I don’t know how to answer the rent or own question, and I don’t know these measurements.”

“I will get your Mother’s opinion on the first one, and we are going to measure you right now. Please take your shoes off and follow me,” she said while holding her hand for the form. After she received it, she quickly glanced over it, and with a large smile on her face flipped it over to the measurements page.

Lance in his bare feet just blushed at what she read, since it was a girl’s costume he was asking for. He stepped on a box she had pointed to in front of a mirror.

She proceeded to measure this and that for thirty minutes. He swore that tape measure had been on every inch of his body, including a few that he had never given before. She even threaded the tape through his legs and held both ends to his shoulders. Before she took that measurement, she made sure that it was just right. His forehead was another measurement that she got, that he couldn’t remember giving before.

“Please sit down on the box, Sweetie”

After the boy had sat down, she proceeded to get more measurements. He was then instructed to stay, while she walked away to the back room. She soon returned with a few pairs of heels. She proceeded to bend down and removed the boy's left sock. Lance decided not to question it.

Something silky was put on his foot, which made the boy question what it was.

“This is called a dance tight, we really just need it to find your correct shoe size. I know it looks funny to only put it on one foot, and not fully pull it up, but there is a method to my madness.” She mentioned, as she tried various heels on his feet, and checked the fit.

Of course, that was the moment that another customer came over to ask the shop lady a question. Lance could only turn red with the embarrassment of the vision that person got of a ten-year-old boy with white tights, a black heel on his left foot, and a dirty gray sock on the other foot.

After the customer went away she proceeded to pull off the other sock and make the right foot match the left foot. Helping him up, she instructed, “Please walk around sweetie, I know you can only take small steps, but we want to know if the size is comfortable.”

Again with a blush on his face, since they weren’t alone in the store, he did as instructed awkwardly. After pronouncing that size was comfortable, Lance was helped back down on the box.

After she stripped off the heels and tights, she put his socks and shoes back on him. Again she measured the fit, but she must have not liked that fit. Because she was shaking her head, and taking the shoes off again. Returning to the back room, she soon returned with a pair of pink shoes. After trying them on, and smiling, she wrote that size down. “I will inform your mother you need new shoes, Sweetie.”

After removing the pink shoes, his own shoes were put back on him, and he was helped up. “We are all set, Lance, we just need that fifty-dollar deposit. I will discuss with your mother tonight how you can earn your share, and the rent or own question.”

The young boy looked at his watch and discovered it was already five o’clock, he was late for dinner. He normally would have left here and gone a couple of doors down to walk through the toy store and the hobby shop. There was no time for that today, and he HAD to pay that deposit. He questioned, “Can I pay you later, I am late for dinner.”

“You can pay me tomorrow, Sweetie.”

With that statement, he rushed out the door to where his bike was locked. He continued rushing the two blocks home, before basically throwing his bike into the garage before running into the house.

“LANCE ANDREW VANDERBILT, no running in the house!” His mother yelled from the kitchen.

The young boy hung his head and informed his mother, “Sorry, Mother, I was late for dinner because signing up for that makeover took too long.”

“We delayed dinner on purpose for you, take your shoes off and sit at the table.”

“Yes Mother,” he said, with a pause, “Thank you for allowing me to do that.”

“You are welcome.”

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed -- Thanks Becky

I was hoping to get this story from my muse to the paper earlier in the month. Better late than never.

This story is fully written, and will try to keep a 2 to 3 day posting schedule.

Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

Edited to clarify a line.

The next day, Lance was informed by his mom to take his tablet and his fifty bucks and walk to the costume shop. Following the instructions, he walked into Ms. Gilbert’s shop soon after it opened.

“Hello Lance, I set a costume out in the back room for you, Hanna should be back there if you need any help getting it on,” she informed him after taking his money.

Walking into the backroom, he found a pile of green staring at him. He stripped his clothes off with a huge blush on his face because of the presence of Hanna. He stared at the clothes confused, they were no clothes he was used to.

“Hanna, how does this costume go on?” He asked Ms. Gilbert’s daughter.

“Let me dress you, sweetheart, oh you will need to take those socks off too.” She informed, which was rewarded with an even redder face.

“Sit down and point your toes out”, he was instructed before she proceeded to put on a green pair of … he believed that Ms. Gilbert called them dance tights yesterday … on him. Still dressing him, she helped him into a pair of green shorts before placing brown pointed slippers on him.

“Arms up, sweetheart.”

Once he had done that, what she called a tunic was dropped over his head. After he stood up she did some laces in the front before tying a belt around his waist. A flimsy wood sword was soon tucked in the belt. The crowning achievement was a green cap with a red feather. “There you go Peter Pan all dressed up to meet your fans, or at least my mother,” she told him, before shooing him out of the back room.

He stopped at the mirror from yesterday to admire himself before reporting to Ms. Gilbert. He was told he looked excellent, and that he could play on his tablet in the face paint area which was near the front windows. The young boy just shrugged because this was no work he had ever been informed of, or saw being done.

After an hour or two, Ms. Gilbert temporarily kicked him out of his seat. He watched for the next twenty or so minutes as she proceeded to paint a cat face on a younger girl before giving him the seat back.

Before he knew it, Ms. Gilbert was informing him it was time to get into his own clothes again. Getting out of the borrowed costume was a lot easier than getting into it. Next thing he knew, before he could say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Ms. Gilbert was dropping him off at home.

Sunday Lance told his parents, “Bye Mom and Dad,” before getting on his bike to ride to Ms. Gilbert’s house. He is eager to keep earning his share of the hundreds of dollars he owes. His parents offered to match two dollars for each dollar he earned.

Getting to Ms. Gilbert’s house, he hopped off his secondhand bike. While placing the bike next to the garage out of view of the street, he mentally thanked his older cousin for giving him this faded red bike.

“Hello Lance,” Ms. Gilbert said after he knocked on her door. She instructed, as she led him through the house to the backyard, “You can start with the backyard weeds, sweetie.”

He had been pulling weeds for thirty minutes when he got a very sudden wet surprise by the sprinklers turning themselves on. He ran soaked to the safety of the patio. Almost as suddenly as they came on, they turned off again. Ms. Gilbert ran out of the house with a shocked look on her face, "Oh Lance, I forgot about the sprinklers being scheduled to come on. I turned them off, but the damage is apparently done. You are soaked to the bone and that will not work," she said, as she led the shivering speechless boy in the house.

Ms. Gilbert continued to lead Lance to the bathroom like he was her own child, or more descriptively, her grandson. She instructed firmly but gently, "Strip all of those wet clothes off you while I find some dry clothes for you." She headed out of the room, not before handing the boy a pink towel.

Still, without a word to say, Lance followed his instructions, stripping all the way down to, but not including his underwear. Sitting down on the toilet, he took a moment to dry himself with the towel

"Lucky my granddaughter left some clothes here," she started after walking into the room with a pile of clothes. Looking down at the still-worn soaked briefs, she tsked before continuing, "Everything needs to come off sweetie."

Without asking permission, she proceeded to strip the briefs off him. Turning to the pile of clothes she set on the counter, she started to dress him like he was a toddler, starting with a pair of pink panties that seemed to fit him like a glove. Which was rewarded with a very red face. Turning back to the pile, she asked him to place his arms before him.

A pink ribbon-lined white t-shirt was put on him. He tried looking down at it as she returned her attention to the counter. From his angle, he couldn't read the words on it properly but he could see that Snow White was on his chest.

He noticed she had a pair of thankfully plain jeans in her hand. As she proceeded to continue dressing the child, he discovered that they were instead a pair of overalls with a heart on his … her chest. Short socks with lace at the ankle that seem to peek under the pants legs were the last feminine item that the still-shocked feminized boy found on him/her.

As Ms. Gilbert searched the bathroom for stuff, the closeted girl tried, but failed, to peek at herself in the mirror.

"Well Lily, this isn't the way I was expecting to give you your first makeover," She started, as she played with the girl's hair with a brush and hairdryer.

Nervously 'Lily' quietly asked, "I am not getting my Halloween surprise costume makeover?"

"Heavens to Betsy, Lily, put that worry out of your mind, You are getting it, it just won't be your first makeover."

After Ms. Gilbert was done with the hair, the girl was led to what was apparently the older woman's bedroom to look in a mirror.

The no longer hiding closeted girl took herself in, the previous looking plain jeans were definitely not normal jeans. They were overalls with a bib that said 'Sweetie Pie' with a large pink heart. The pockets were edged in pink ribbons, and the buttons were also pink. The word 'Fairest" also in pink appeared to peak above the bib. Finally, her blonde hair was styled in a short bob-like hairstyle. There were little pink bows clip-like things keeping her bangs out of her eyes.

She thought she wouldn't look out of place around her softer-gender classmates. Well, maybe a little out of place. She thought she looked younger than her real age. She would have loved a little longer hair because the bob look isn't really her thing. The little girl was glad in this instance that her daddie hadn't followed through with his statement that Lance needed a haircut Friday morning before school.

"Lily!" Ms Gilbert called up the stairs.

The newly commissioned Lily while walking down the stairs said, "Yes, Ms. Gilbert?"

"Little lady, you can call me Grandma. But you still owe me some weeding time," 'Grandma' instructed while handing the girl some suspiciously familiar pink tennis shoes.

After the shoes were on, the two of them headed to the front door. "The backyard is way too wet after the sprinklers, so you can weed in front."

While continuing her weeding, the girl listens to the older one talk on the phone.

"Hello, Susan." …

"Lance had an accident."...

"Well really it was my fault, he got soaked to the bone when my sprinklers went off."...

"I dressed him in Jenny's old clothes, and called him Lily." …

"In my humble opinion, you couldn't pick her out of a group of girls her age." …

"Oh, I threw them into the dryer."...

"I will send them home," Granny started as she walked into the house.

She wished she could have heard the last conversation before they walked into the house.

Granny soon returned from the house with a book in her hand. It appeared that she was going to supervise the little girl while she was in the front yard. When Lily was in the backyard Granny didn't watch her at all.

A neighbor walking down the street happened to see Granny on her porch and went over to talk to her. She glanced at Lily who was hard at work before continuing on to the porch. Granny and the neighbor started to have a conversation about boring neighborhood stuff. At least that is what it sounded like to the new girl.

“It is a shame the Gregs had to move to follow Sam’s job out of state.”

“Yes, Rochelle was so stressed with all the moving details, and so soon after she had her last child too.”

“You out here watching your granddaughter?”

Lily’s ears perked hearing the conversation subject turn towards her. She knew she shouldn’t listen in but she couldn’t help it.

“Yeah, this neighborhood is mostly safe but I still don’t trust her out here by herself. It isn’t her that I don’t trust really. It is the random passersby that I don’t trust.”

“Yeah. Is she 8 or 9?”

“Just turned 9,” that statement caused the little girl to bite her tongue to not release her shock verbally. She mentally did her math, Grandma seems to have deleted 18 months off her age as simple as that.

“You got her weeding for you?”

“Yeah she wants one of my surprise Halloween makeovers, and I said I would do it if she earned some of the money herself.”

The conversation about her apparently was over, and they continued on subjects the little girl wasn’t interested in. She turned her focus towards the weeding.

She had lost track of time and was surprised when Grandma walked up to her, saying “Are you hungry, Lily?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“I promised your Mother I would feed you.”

As if they were waiting for that cue a pizza delivery driver walked up bearing … surprise surprise … a pizza. The new little girl watched her new grandma and the teenage girl deal with the money exchange, before following her grandma into the house.

After her supper was in her belly, she was led to the car still in her girl's clothes. She mostly had forgotten about the clothes she was wearing until this moment. The cross-dressing boy got very nervous and tried to balk, “Ms. Gilbert, are you taking me home? Shouldn’t I put on my clothes again?”

“Lily, I told you to call me Grandma. And your parents said sending Lily home was fine, no need for you to change.”

Knowing that her parents were expecting her as Lily didn’t make the boy in sheep's clothing feel any better. True if you had asked her which one she would rather be away from home, her answer would obviously be Lily. But this is basically dragging her out of the closet in front of her parents. Lily allowed Granny to buckle her seatbelt in the backseat and then watched her walk away. She continued watching the older lady throw Lance’s bike into the trunk. Shutting both Lily’s door and the trunk, she walked into the house. She soon returned with a bag and got into the front seat of the car.

After a short drive, Lily nervously watched Granny turn into her house’s driveway. Nervously she tried to open the door after the car stopped. She soon discovered the door wouldn’t open for her, the child lock was on. While she waited for Granny she looked around to see if any neighbors were around, especially Sammie, who was in her class and lived next door. She was still nervous, even though none of the neighbors were outside.

Granny soon opened the nervous boy’s … girl’s door, and then took their hand and headed towards the front door. Realizing the girl was nervous, the older lady said comfortingly, “It will be ok, little girl.” She was rubbing the little girl's back while she was saying it while moving up the walk, both to direct or push the child forward and to comfort the child.

Slowly they made it to the front door and Grandma rang the doorbell. Lily’s daddie opened the door, “Hello Alison, and L … ily, please come in,” he greeted. He didn’t look surprised, but there was that pause.

They were soon joined by Mommie, who knelt down and gave her new daughter a hug. Soon the adults were making small talk basically ignoring the fact that the boy was dressed as a girl. Lily couldn’t escape away because Mommie was holding her hand.

“Sorry for soaking Lance and delivering Lily to you.”

“That is ok, it was about time for my hidden daughter to show her face,” Mommie said, which got Lily to look at her parent shockingly. She continued, “Yes, Lily, we've known about you for a while.”

“She was a complete angel today.”

Lily was rewarded with praise from her parents for that statement.

“If it would be okay with you two, I gladly give her some work tomorrow at the store like she did Saturday, so she can further earn some of her share of the cost.”

The young girl thought back to yesterday and thought what work, he didn’t do a thing yesterday.

“That will work, but there are two issues …,” Daddie started.

“Which are …” Mommie and Ms. Gilbert said at the same time.

“If you would have let me finish,” he spoke before mumbling quietly softly, “Woman you can’t live with them, or without them.”

Mommie exclaimed, “I heard that!”

“Your store is on Lance’s route home from school and there is the little issue of child labor laws,” Daddie spoke, ignoring his better half. “Also I wasn’t informed about Saturday,” he continued while staring at Mommie.

Grandma explained, “Wouldn’t be the first time that I turned Lance into Lily, that is not a problem. As for child labor laws, they don’t apply to family members, and I adopted Lily as my granddaughter. Besides I don’t expect the child to do much, maybe light filing, really the only job that Lily is actually doing is being a breathing, walking, and talking mannequin.”

After Granny had left, and before it was Lily’s bedtime, she was allowed to play on her computer with her Minecraft game. One of the first things she did was change her player’s skin from the default Steve skin to a freebie one more fitting for herself. Again strangely her parents acted like it was perfectly normal for their child to be dressed like a girl.

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed -- Thanks Becky

This story is fully written and will try to post new chapters on Tuesday and Saturday.

Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

Lance walked into the shop right after school and headed straight for the counter. Behind the counter, he found not just Ms. Gilbert, but her daughter Hanna too. Whispering he … she said, “Lily reporting for duty.”

“Excellent!” Granny said before quickly directing the boyish girl to the backroom. But not before putting the school bag behind the counter. She didn’t even wait for the hidden girl to strip himself, Before he could blink his t-shirt and sweatshirt were cast off.

The little girl tried to help undress herself but Granny was on a mission. After taking an offered chair, his socks and shoes were soon removed. Last to go was his jeans. The older lady stopped at the sight that was before her. Her granddaughter was standing in front of her wearing nothing but the pink panties from yesterday. “You are a daring little girl, I sure hope you didn’t have PE today,” she mentioned.

“I did, and it was extremely hard to hide them. These are a lot softer, and they just feel right for some reason,” Lily answered.

“Well step out of them, and let's get a clean pair on you,” was the reply.

After the pink pair was switched for a lilac pair, the girl sat down as she was requested. She soon found herself being dressed in a white pair of dance tights, and black one-inch heels. After standing Granny pulled the tights up so they covered the little girl's bottom. After raising her arms, a pile of fluff dropped over her head.

“What is this?” Lily asked.

“A petticoat, it will make your dress stand out,” Granny said before dropping another petticoat over the little girl's head.

“My dress!” The little girl thought excitingly about this prospect. Lily was soon twisting left and right to settle the petticoats like she was instructed to do.

A strangely familiar colored dress was soon dropped over her head. The no-longer-hidden girl just couldn’t place her finger on why this was familiar as Granny did the rear zipper, and fumbled with something at the back of her neck. The well-feminized boy studied the security camera monitor above her head for the correct section which showed her. She was hoping looking at herself from the camera perspective would give her a clue of what she was.

A white apron was next to go on to her, which caused the light bulb to go off. She was wearing the Alice costume she had dreamed of wearing countless times. After the sash was tied in the back, a blonde wig was fastened into her existing blonde hair. After a black hair band was placed on her head, the costumed girl was escorted out of the back room. Lily found it different to walk in heels, she was so used to walking with her flat shoes. She wouldn’t say it was difficult, just different.

“Thank you Hanna for watching the counter,” Grandma mentioned before offering Alice a stool. The adopted granddaughter soon found her lips being painted, before something the older lady called Blush was applied to her cheeks. Last she was told to blink while a brush was held in front of each of her eyes. Granny had called it Mascara. While padding her poofy bum, the costumed girl was suggested to look at herself in the mirror.

Lily looked at her reflection. It was a look she had dreamed about a lot of times but never expected to see. She looked for evidence of Lance but found nothing, nope this was definitely a girl looking back at her.

Once back at her stool next to Granny, she was given her instructions for the day. Granny told her, “I would like you to fold these pamphlets on the dotted lines. You also have your schoolwork to do, which should keep you busy for an hour or two.”

She glanced at the unfolded stack of pamphlets and noticed they were advertisements for the costume shop. While she was folding the first few she took the chance to glance at the monitor in front of her that was showing the cameras. The little girl noticed that there were five rows of four on the monitor, and it appeared to be identical to the one in the back room.

The first five seemed to cover the store from each of the four corners and the center of the store. The next one peered down right in front of the two changing rooms. The next four showed outside, both the front and the back. Next two peered at the counter from the front and the back. The facepaint area and measurement slash mirror area got the same treatment. There were two more that showed the back room. None of that really surprised her, it was the last two that surprised her. There were two that looked down one of the costume aisles. And only that costume aisle, none of the rest got the same treatment.

Her study got interrupted by all the people but Sammie from next door and her Mother walking into the shop. Trying not to get nervous, she watched Sammie turn into the girls’ aisle. Looking at the last two cameras she watched Sammie go right to where both of the girls’ sizes would be.

Yep, it appeared that those last two cameras were aimed right where the size ten costumes would be at. Almost like Granny or someone was trying to watch a daydreaming ten-year-old closeted girl. Shocked, she looked at the older lady sitting next to her and got rewarded with a knowing smile.

“I need to run to the back room for a bit, Lily. Hold down the fort,” Granny said before disappearing into the back.

Lily soon found Sammie and her Mother walking up to the counter. The neighbor girl was staring at Lily like she was trying to place where she knew the costumed girl. “My daughter would like to try this Cinderella costume on,” Mrs. Berger asked.

“Sure, Sammie can try that costume on,” Lily said before slapping her hands over her mouth. Sammie’s eyes had gone suddenly big, and the young girl was sure Lance was going to be outed.

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed.

This story is fully written and will try to post new chapters on Tuesday and Saturday. -- Thanks Becky

Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

“You know my daughter?” Mrs. Berger asked.

Sammie saved the embarrassed Lily by saying, “Yes, Alice and I go to the same school.” The cross-dressed boy smiled sweetly at Sammie for not outing her.

“Oh, you must be in fourth or third grade,” was the neighbor lady's reply, which neither of the kids replied to. The costumed girl just silently led the group to the changing rooms. Taking the key she unlocked a room and held it open for Sammie.

Granny returned that moment and said, “Thank you, Lily, you can return to your folding. I will take it from here.”

Soon Sammie appeared in front of her, and she noticed that her Mother was busy with Granny dealing with the costume rental. “You look nice Lily, I like that costume on you.”

“Thank you, Sammie, I am sure the Cinderella will look nice on you,” the embarrassed girl responded to her neighbor.

The neighbor girl said while looking soul-piercing at the costumed girl, “Talk to you tomorrow Lily.”

“Ok, Sammie,” the smaller girl responded with a lump in her throat. Only time will tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Unfortunately, that time will be tomorrow at school, around lots of witnesses to hear about the fact Lance was seen in an Alice costume.

“You know that girl?” Grandma asked after they walked out of the store on their way.

Lily answered with a nod while folding the last pamphlet, “Sammie, she is in my class, and she is also my neighbor. I am surprised only Sammie recognized me, Mrs. Berger didn’t seem to have recognized me.”

“Is that going to be a problem?”

Lily shrugged before getting her schoolwork out, “Only tomorrow will tell, Granny, when I see her in class.”

Later that evening, Lily watched Grandma walk to the front door and lock it, before turning off the open sign. “Lily, sweetheart, let's get that costume off you,” the older lady said, directing the young girl to the back room. “I know you would rather keep that costume since it appeared to be your favorite. You did hold it against yourself every day. I mean every day,” she continued.

A very red-faced Lily just mumbled sorry.

“Oh I am not upset sweetheart,” Granny said while removing the costume. As she was removing the petticoats she mentioned, “If I would give you this costume what would you daydream with?”

The little girl just shrugged while her Granny helped her out of the tights and heels. A clean pair of lace socks was soon found on her feet. The older lady grabbed what appeared to be Lance’s jeans until she noticed flowers on the back pockets. She didn’t know how Granny got the pink shoes to put on her feet again. Once they were on her, Granny set to remove the wig. Soon a pink t-shirt that had the words ‘Stop and Smell the Flowers’ circling Alice was placed on Lily.

Crowning her clothes was a pink hoodie. Using the camera in the security monitor like a mirror, she could see it was almost covered completely by Alice. While she was looking at herself, Granny had stepped into the bathroom. The older lady soon returned with a spray bottle and misted the boyish hairstyle to style it into a bob like yesterday. The black hairband she was wearing earlier was lastly returned to her head.

Once dressed she was led to Grandma’s SUV and buckled in. She watched her backpack and bike be placed into the car before the vehicle set off to Vanderbilt's residence.

At home, she was helped out of the car, before walking towards the front door with her hand being held by her adopted Grandma. She glanced towards the Berger’s house and swore she saw Sammie watching her out the window.

“Mommie, I am home,” the little girl screamed as she stepped into the house.

A disembodied voice replied back, “In the kitchen.”

The two of them walked into the kitchen to join Mommie, and Daddie soon joined the three of them.

“How was she, Alison?” Mommie asked.

“A complete angel, maybe I will dress her up as an angel tomorrow.”

The yawning past her bedtime ten-year-old ears perked up knowing she was going to wear another costume tomorrow. She really didn’t care what she wore as long as it wasn’t scary.

“That outfit is cute on you Princess,” Daddie said.

The young girl blushed at the compliment and mentioned “I am assuming it is more of Jenny’s outgrown clothes.”

“Who is Jenny?” he asked as the older two ladies blushed red before looking away.

Cluelessly Lily tattled, “Grandma Gilbert’s granddaughter.”

“You don’t have a granddaughter named Jenny, and definitely not one your adopted granddaughter would fit into their outgrown clothes. Your only other granddaughter from your only child is eighteen months old,” Daddie mentioned.

“Whose old clothes are these, Granny?”

“They were all purchased new for my Granddaughter Lily,” the adopted grandma answered while blushing.

“Oh! You tricked me!”

“Would you have worn the first clothes if I said I bought these for you?”

“Probably no!”

“And you knew, and probably helped,” Lily accused her Mommie.

“Yes, I had many discussions with your Granny in the past year about my hidden daughter.”

“Oh!”

Granny mentioned, “It is getting late, I need to get home. Tom, if you could claim Lily’s bike, clothes, and homework from my car I would be very appreciative.”

“And this little one needs a bath, she is wearing makeup,” Mommie stated.

Once into the bath, Mommie allowed her to clean herself everywhere but her face. Mommie personally scrubbed her daughter's face to make sure it was clean of all makeup. The out-in-the-open girl wrapped in a towel looked everywhere for the panties. She frowned when she realized that Mommie must have taken them to the laundry room.

She … he had a pout on his face, realizing that meant he would have to wear his scratchy briefs. He walked across the hall to his bedroom to find a pair. Walking by his bed to the dresser he snapped his head in surprise to find a pink present on his bed.

“To My Daughter Lily,” the tag said.

He … she quickly opened it to discover a package of panties and a pink nightie. She tore open the package so quickly that there were panties all over her room. Blushing to no one since she was alone, she gathered them up, before putting a pair with daisies and the nightie on.

Knock Knock

“Come in, I am decent,” Lily answered.

Mommie walked in and smiled, “I see you found your present, Let's get those hair accessories off you, and get into bed.” After taking the headband and hair clips out of the girl's hair, she tucked her daughter in.

Tuesday morning at school Lance found sitting at the table he normally sat at. He heard the chair next to him slide out. Turning expecting to greet Jimmy who usually sat there, he found Sammie instead. He got nervous but there was nothing he could do because Mr. Conner’s class didn’t have assigned seats. It was time to face the music, whatever tune it was going to be.

“Morning Sammie.”

“Lance, you are going to be my new best friend.”

Nervously he asked, “Is that a promise or threat?”

“Guess you could say promise because threat sounds so mean.”

“Is this a good or bad thing for me?” he quizzed more.

Sammie nodded and said, “Hopefully a good thing for both of us once you trust me. Yes, you will make an excellent replacement for Holly.”

“It is a shame the Gregs had to move away,” he mentioned, hoping to change the subject.

She acknowledged, “It was, but let's continue on the current discussion.”

The hidden girl just sighed in response, as she got her homework out.

“There is no name on that sheet, Lancie,” Sammie mentioned.

The boy answered back as he wrote his name, “That is because the wrong name would be on it if I did it yesterday.”

“I always knew there was something that I liked about you. Well, yesterday I found what it was,” Sammie smiled at the blushing boy. Before continuing, “We should…”

Mr. Conner's voice boomed, “Settle down class, let's continue with learning how to multiply fractions.”

The hidden girl thought to herself, “Saved by the bell!”

Later that day found Lance … Lily being directed into the backroom by Granny. Walking into the room alone she found a pile of gray waiting for her. Hanna let her know if she needed help to just ask. She quickly stripped her school clothes off, excited to see what this was.

On top of the pile was a yellow pair of panties, and the little girl just shrugged and switched out her underwear. Returning to the pile, she discovered an unopened package of gray dance tights. Now she had never put them on herself but watched Granny do it twice to her. She was quite happy when she was able to successfully simulate what the older lady had done.

Returning to the pile she found what she thought was a gray dress, it had a white belly with fluffy fluffy skirts. She lifts it over her head to drop it over her to discover that there was something in the way.

“Hanna? How does this go on me?”

The young woman walked over to help the young girl. She said, “It is a dance outfit, or better described as a leotard. You step into it.” While she was saying that, she was holding it open for the girl to step into it. She pulled it up after Lily had stepped into it. Finally, the little girl heard some snaps being done behind her. Something was tickling the back of the girl’s leg, she looked back and discovered she had a gray tail.

Lily returned to the now very small pile, to find an unopened package, labeled gray ballet slippers. She slipped her feet into them successfully before returning to the dwindling pile.

A blonde wig was next, with a note sitting on top to ask for help. Underneath that was a set of gray cat ears on a hairband. She took both of them to Hanna who made quick work of attaching the wig to the hair, before putting the band on the little girl. She patted the kitty cat on the back before sending her out of the back room.

“Granny I am back,” she mentioned after glancing at herself in the mirror on her way. She liked the nice blonde wavy hair this wig gave her.

Her adoptive granny told her to sit on the stool so she could paint her face. Before the kitty knew the older lady was done with her face, and she was being sent to the mirror again.

She saw a simple but effective cat face looking back at her in the mirror. There was a huge smile on the girl’s face in the mirror too.

RING RING went the phone as the kitten returned to her stool.

“Gilbert’s Costumes, Alison speaking.” …

“Oh hello, Susan.” …

“I will let her know that Sammie came looking for her brother or her today.” …

Lily’s ears perked up and listened carefully.

“Yes they were here yesterday, and Lily knows she put 2 and 2 together.” …

“Yes I agree, I am not sure yet if this is a good thing or bad thing.” …

“OK, I will keep you informed. Goodbye,” Granny said before hanging up the phone.

“Lily, …”

RING RING went the phone again.

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed.

This story is fully written and will try to post new chapters on Tuesday and Saturday. -- Thanks Becky

Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

RING RING went the phone again.

“I just hung that up, who could this be?” Granny wondered out loud.

“Gilbert’s Costumes, Alison speaking.” …

“Hello, Heather Berger.” …

“May Sammie come to socialize with Lily if she is here?” …

“She is here, let me ask her if that is OK.” …

After muting the phone, she turned to her granddaughter and asked, “Lily, can Sammie come and join you?”

“I feel between a rock and a semi-hard place, I think saying yes is an easier answer,” the little girl answered with a shrug.

Going back to the phone, she spoke into it, “She may come but she must be on her best behavior.” …

“May I have permission to dress Sammie in a costume?” …

“She will be doing the same thing Lily is doing. Being a breathing, walking, and talking mannequin.” …

“Please have Sammie bring her schoolwork, she can do it with Lily.” …

“Oh, I will drop Sammie off when I drop Lily off.” …

“Talk to you later,” with that statement, Granny hung up the phone.

“Lily, go choose a costume for her. I would recommend one with the same theme as yours,” Granny told the kitten next to her.

Giggling and excited, Lily took off for the girls’ aisle. Princess … Fairy … Witch … Princess … She quickly flipped through the costumes. Oh a bunny, jackpot the kitten thought. She returned to Granny. “How about this bunny?”

“What size is it?”

Looking at the tag, she said, “8-10.”

“That will fit you, but that won’t fit her, she is a size bigger than you.”

She returned to the aisle, and she found a gray mouse with a size of 10-12. “Granny, will this size 10-12 mouse fit her?”

“Yes, put it in the back room. Grab some size 7-10 gray dance tights from the shelf. Also, grab some gray ballet shoes from the next shelf over. Since we don’t know her shoe size, grab please sizes 5, 6, and 7. She should be one of those. Inform Hanna that it is for your friend Sammie.” Granny instructed.

After Lily returned, Granny mentioned that the kitty was small for her age. Their discussion was interrupted by Sammie running into the store.

“SAMANTHA BERGER! WALK!” Lily’s Grandma yelled.

Hearing her full name, and the fact she was told to behave herself, she skidded to a halt, and with a red face, and out of breath she apologized, “Sorry … I … ran … all … the … way … here, … I … was … too … excited … to … walk.”

“You ran the two blocks here by yourself at that speed?” Granny asked while shaking her head. She continued, “Lily, will you please show Sammie the costume in the backroom for her.”

Lily took her friend's hand and basically dragged her to the back room since she herself was excited to see the neighbor as a mouse. “Here is your costume, ask for help from Hanna if you need any. The bathroom is there if you want privacy changing. But that is up to you, I usually change right in this room,” she told her friend before walking out.

Soon a gray mouse walked out of the back room, and asked, “Ms. Gilbert, where do you want these slippers that don’t fit me?”

“Please put them back on the shelf in the girl’s aisle. Which size did fit you? So I can update my inventory.”

“The six.”

“Grandma?” the cat asked.

“Yes, Lily?”

“Can I … paint Sammie’s face?”

“Yes, you may, do you need any help?”

“No, I watched you do it enough times,” Lily answered before grabbing the key to where the face paint was stored. She came around the counter and grabbed Sammie’s hand before leading her to the face paint area.

Expertly, she started painting the neighbor girl’s face. After about twenty minutes, she stood back and looked at her handy work. “Go look at yourself in the mirror, Sammie,” she instructed.

As Sammie passed the counter, Granny told her to stop and look at her. “Lily, you did this?” The older lady asked.

“Why is it bad? Was it too much? Something wrong?”

“No, no, no, it is beyond excellent, nothing is wrong. Did you use one of the books, sweetheart?”

“No, I dreamed it up and did it all myself.”

“You are hired” … pause … “in five years, sweetheart. Ok, Sammie you can look at yourself, sweetie.”

Blushing, the little girl returned to the counter after cleaning up her mess. She didn’t get all the way there when a hyper ball of energy hugged her.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Careful with your face, Sammie!” Lily told her as the two of them went to two stools behind the counter. Soon they were doing their schoolwork, and Sammie was trying to get the suddenly shy kitten to answer her in sentences longer than two words.

From the random customers in the store, they looked like two siblings, friends, or schoolmates, where one was extremely talkative, and one was shy. However, Sammie did get her neighbor girl to answer that her favorite color was pink. Sammie found out that Lily’s brother's favorite color was really light red, not red. The kitten did acknowledge the mouse’s point that light red was pink. Also in the discussion was the Halloween makeover and why Lily was spending time at the costume shop.

“Where are you going to wear the costume?” Sammie asked.

Shrugging, Lily said, “Trick or Treating, and Granny suggests a Halloween party. I really just wanted the makeover. I didn’t expect to get four or more additional makeovers in the process, or to makeover my neighbor.”

“Four?”

“I was Peter Pan Saturday, Sunday Lily was dragged out of the closet, Alice yesterday, and a Kitten today.”

While this discussion was going on Sammie was thinking, and got a big grin on her face.

“What are you thinking about, and why do I feel like it involves me?” the kitten asked.

Sammie answered, “Hear me out, the Girl Scouts are having a party on Saturday, you can join me at it. I would need to get permission, but that shouldn’t be hard. Speaking about Girl Scouts, you should join me at Girl Scouts tomorrow after school.”

“I am supposed to be here,” Lily used as an excuse.

“You can go to Girl Scouts tomorrow, taking a day away from here wouldn’t hurt you,” Granny shot down the excuse.

“I will go ask Mrs. Kane, your Aunt Hanna, for permission for you to come to both.”

“My Aunt?”

“Yes, if Ms. Gilbert is your Grandma, that makes Mrs. Kane your Aunt Hanna.”

“I am following that bit, but why ask her?”

“She is my troop leader,”

“Oh,” the kitten said as she watched the mouse head to the back room.

The mouse soon returned with a huge smile on her face, “Mrs. Kane says you can, and that you would be treated like any other new scout.”

The kitten was excited to try Girl Scouts, but worried it was all going too fast. She felt like Hurricane Samantha was going to force her out of the closet, destroying it in the process.

“I will ask permission from my parents tonight, and tell you tomorrow. My brother usually goes to Cub Scouts on Wednesday.”

“How about you call me tonight, so I can have my Mommie find you a uniform tomorrow.”

Shrugging, the little girl nodded, “I am assuming you are going to sit next to me tomorrow?”

“Always! Oh speaking about school, maybe I can convince Mommie to take you to and from school.”

“But how would I come here to daydream,” Lily said before slapping her hands over her mouth. She wasn’t supposed to say that bit out loud.

Granny laughed and said, “I doubt you need to come here to daydream anymore, your closet will be so stuffed with girls’ dresses, you will not be able to get in it again to hide Lily away.”

Lily just blushed before putting her completed unsigned homework away.

As Granny was locking up, she sent both of the girls to the back room to change out of their costumes. Sammie started to strip right down to her panties right next to Lily, not a care in the world that the girl next to her was secretly a boy. Once the mouse was a girl with mouse face paint, she started to help the struggling kitten since Aunty Hanna had already left for the day.

Lily found her Sweetie Pie overalls, a Hello Kitty long-sleeve shirt, ruffled socks, and of course her pink tennis shoes waiting for her. She figured that Granny must visit her house every day, or Mommie must come here on her breaks.

Once both were dressed, they patiently waited for Granny to finish with closing chores.

“Ms. Gilbert, I left my costume where Lily left hers, but I saw her put her tights, and slippers with her brother’s clothes. Where do you want my tights and slippers?” Sammie asked.

“They are yours to keep, I can’t resell them. Here is a bag to take them home with.”

Sammie continued asking, “How much do I owe you for these and the facepaint?”

“Nothing for the clothes, and you better ask your makeup artist for the facepaint,” was the answer returned.

Snickering Lily answered, “A million hugs.”

The former mouse ran up and hugged the former kitty as they walked to the car. Sammie got in first when Lily’s Granny opened up the car door. She only did it because Lily pushed her gently towards the open door. Ms. Gilbert buckled her in before closing the door. Soon Lily joined her in the back seat, getting the same seat belt treatment before the door closed.

The two girls watched as each of their backpacks, both of their clothes bags and Lily’s brother’s bike were placed in the back. Two blocks later, after Granny parked in the Vanderbilt’s driveway, Sammie tried to open her door.

“Child lock, Granny has never let me open my own door,” Lily mentioned as Granny opened the back of the SUV, grabbing Sammie’s items. She then opened Lily’s door before Sammie. Which made sense since Lily was sitting behind Granny. The fact that the older lady grabbed Lily’s hand in a secure, you are not going anywhere manner, instead of her normal comforting manner confused the girl. Walking around the car she helped Sammie out and held her hand in the same way before walking to the Berger’s house.

They were invited into the house after the doorbell was answered. “Who did your excellent face paint, Princess?” Mrs. Berger asked as she took the backpack and small clothes bag.

Sammie beamed, “My best friend Lily.”

“Your best friend? I am not being a gatekeeper on who can be your friend, but I never heard of this girl before this week, and now you are calling her a best friend. Nothing against you Lily. And I do say you are an excellent face painter. It is such a shame to wash it off for bed.”

“Nothing was taken, Mrs. Berger,” Lily answered.

Mrs. Berger looked outside, noticing the driveway was empty, “Where is your SUV, Allison.”

“I parked in the Vanderbilt driveway,” was the answer.

Quizzly Sammie’s Mommy asked, “Why there?”

Looking at Lily who gave back a nod, Lily’s Grannie introduced, “I would like you to meet Lily Vanderbilt, my adoptive Granddaughter, which should also give you the reason why you never heard of your daughter's friend before.”

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed.

This story is fully written and will try to post new chapters on Tuesday and Saturday. -- Thanks Becky

Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

You could have picked Mrs. Berger’s jaw off the floor with a spoon. She stared at Lily as if trying to find evidence of Lance. The cross-dressed boy just blushed underneath her examination. “Sorry Lily, I didn’t mean to stare at you. I guess that means you are in fifth grade like Sammie,” she told Lily.

“I am, but Granny keeps telling people I just turned nine, so maybe I am really in third or fourth grade,” Lily mentioned with a shrug, after hiding a yawn.

Granny after seeing the yawn said, “I love to keep talking about this, but it is past this one’s bedtime.”

As they were walking out of the door they heard, “I invited Lily to the meeting tomorrow and the costume party on Saturday, I got permission from Mrs. Kane for both.”

“We will discuss that after you have your bath, Princess,” also filtered through the almost closed door.

The two of them walked across the grass to the Vanderbilt house. “Sorry, it took so long, I had to get Sammie Berger home first,” Granny mentioned to Mommie who greeted them at the door.

“How was she?”

“Lily was a complete angel like normal.”

“I was more asking about Sammie if it was going to be a problem.”

“Sammie was a complete angel too. No, your problem with Sammie is going to be that she considers Lily to be a perfect replacement for Holly Gregs. Her new best friend!”

“How do you feel about this Princess?” Mommie asked, looking at the yawning little girl.

Shrugging Lily said, “So far it hasn’t been a problem, she didn’t seem to want to out me today in school. But she was clingy more. Who knows we both might benefit from being close friends. If it turns sour we can move right?”

“Negative LILY ANN VANDERBILT!”

“Oh well, guess we have to get along with the neighbors. Oh, she wants to take me to Girl Scouts tomorrow, and a costume party on Saturday. I told her I would get permission, and call her tonight.”

“Tom, may your daughter go to Girl Scouts tomorrow?” Mommie yelled towards the family room.

“I'm not sure Lance ever has enjoyed Cub Scouts, maybe Lily will enjoy this one more,” came the disembodied voice.

“Can you get Lily’s stuff so Alison can leave,” was returned.

The disembodied voice said, “Coming.”

Once Granny had left, Lily was allowed to call the Berger household before her bath.

“Mrs. Berger, is Sammie there?” …

“She is in the tub. Oh. I'm just calling to tell her that I did get permission to go to the Girl Scouts.” …

“My Mommie wants to talk to you,” she said before handing the phone to Mommie.

“Hello Heather,” Mommie said as she pushed the little girl into the bathroom.

“One second I have to get Lily into the bathtub, Heather.” …

After she helped remove the wig, she instructed the little girl to strip and get into the tub. The fact that Mommie would be back to scrub her face was also pointed out before Mommie closed the door.

Mommie soon returned and scrubbed her daughter's face as promised. Taking the nearby pitcher, she proceeded to wash her hair with Strawberry smelling shampoo.

Once dry and wrapped with a towel sitting on the toilet, Lily saw that Mommie was plugging in her hair dryer.

"Princess, Mrs. Berger offered to take you to and from school since she was already taking Sammie. She also offered to take you as a client at her salon after Halloween. Your hair is too long for your brother and too short for you," Mommie discussed as she lifted up sections and blow-dried them. The little girl was watching in the mirror and it seemed her hair was becoming more bushy as Mommie worked.

After Mommie was done, she was patted on her bottom and sent to her room to get dressed in her nightie. She walked into her room to find a second pink present on her bed. Turning to where she left the pile of panties, she found none. The girl yelled, "Where are my panties, Mommie?"

"Where they belong, your underwear drawer, Princess," came the disembodied voice. It continued with, "Your nightie is under your pillow, too,"

She selected a pair of panties with sunflowers on them from the drawer before dressing herself for bed.

Turning to the present she opened it to receive a cream teddy bear with a pink ribbon around its neck. Tucked into bed by her Mommie the little girl was soon fast asleep.

“Mommie wants your sister here at three-thirty, dressed in her uniform, Lance,” Sammie told the boy as he turned to walk across the grass to next door.

Nodding the boy acknowledged the instructions before walking to his house. Walking into the house his mother greeted him, “Hello sweetie, Mrs. Berger brought over a huge box of clothes today, they are on your bed.”

Walking into his bedroom, he … she discovered a pile of clothes like promised. There were a couple of cute dresses, some t-shirts, pants, and two bags. They both appeared to have brand-new clothes in them. The one labeled Levy Dancewear had a pink leotard, a package of pink tights, and a set of ballet slippers. The next one was from the Girl Scouts Store and it had a green skirt, a green vest, and a white top in it.

As she was getting dressed in her uniform, Mommie walked in. “Put a pair of your white dance tights on, they will keep you warm. My little girl looks quite lovely in that uniform, by the way,” she instructed.

Looking in the sock drawer, she noticed that it was fuller than before. Grabbing a white pair of tights, she hesitated at grabbing some frilly socks. Shrugging she grabbed a pair. “What is the ballet stuff for?” Lily asked as she put on the tights and socks.

“I believe Sammie does ballet, and she is obviously planning on dragging you to ballet.”

The little girl realized she was, as she feared, being dragged out of the closet by her new best friend. “Oh!” she exclaimed nervously. She saw two sides to that coin, she was definitely excited, but these were so many big steps at once.

“Turn around sweetie,” Mommie told her, before putting the wig on the girl’s head. She bobby-pinned it before putting the simple black hair band in the hair.

Once her pink shoes were on her, she headed across the grass to the next door. She rang the doorbell, before getting rewarded with “Come in Lily.”

“You will definitely do, sweetie,” Mrs. Berger mentioned as she walked into the kitchen. “Her Highness the Princess is almost done getting ready,” she continued before mumbling barely loud enough to hear, “I swear she is ten going on sixteen!”

“LILY!” Sammie screamed down the hall, seeing the other girl standing there. The little girl was shocked and speechless as Sammie ran and almost tackled and hugged her. “Sorry, I hadn’t had my Lily hug today.”

“No, but you did sneak three Lance hugs today at school,” Lily pointed out.

They were rushed out to the car, and once seat belted Mrs. Berger drove off. Sammie explained that her Mommie lost an argument today about Lily. The little girl asked why they argued over her. “Mommie isn’t happy you are going to Girl Scouts. She …” Sammie started before being interrupted.

“I think I should explain,” Mrs. Berger started. “It isn’t you going to Girl Scouts, it also isn’t who you are, well technically it's related,” she continued. “No, it is who is going to be there, half of the troop are Samantha’s and your classmates. I feel like Samantha is tossing you into the lion's den.” she finished.

Sammie said, “Mrs. Kane and I will watch over Lily.”

“I couldn’t see any of Lance peeking out when I looked at you in the kitchen. I do recommend you keep your last name to yourself. Giving that out will be a full announcement of who you are in this town,” Mrs. Berger cautioned.

Nervously the little girl nodded, she was excited to try this, but now she was extremely nervous. Soon she was shyly walking into the Kane household behind Sammie. It was different acting like she didn’t know her classmates as they small-talked.

“Ladies! Settle down, we will get started soon. Sammie has brought a friend today, Lily. I do have to point out that I am biased here because Lily is my niece. So treat her nicely,” Aunty Hanna told the twelve assembled girls.

Lily felt her face blush up as all eyes turned on her. The shoved-out-of-the-closet girl was happy that apparently, Aunty claimed her as a family member too, not just her new Granny.

“Ok, Girls, we will start with the promise, next is a silly Halloween-themed game, we will have a birthday party for Juliette Low for your Girl Scout Traditions badge, before closing the meeting,” Aunty gave the agenda.

Slowly Lily held her hand like the other girls were doing before saying the same thing they were doing:

“Ok, girls there are twelve of you, I am going to randomly pick names out of this bag,” Aunty started, “Marlene, Lily, Amanda, and Jill, you four are group one. Sammie, Rachel, Jen, and Melissa: group two. Tina, Vicky, Anna, and Isabelle: group three. You all will find a bag with your number and four straws. Pour the bag out where it is, and going relay style assemble the puzzle on the table. You may only use the straw to touch the puzzle pieces, and you must tag the next person before they can begin their turn,” the troop leader instructed.

Marlene poured out what appeared to be a twelvish piece skeleton puzzle from the bag. The little girl was glad that the pieces were not small, the smallest appeared to be three inches. Once Marlene had her turn, she sucked on the straw and ran trying not to giggle to the table. Back and forth all the girls run giggling up a storm, cheering on their teammates.

Lily is sad to inform you that her group was not the winner, but she had excellent fun doing it. She would be sure to point out to Sammie later, in a teasing way, that her group beat Group Two.

After learning all about Juliette Low, and having a slice of birthday cake, Lily followed the other girls by grabbing the girl on her left hand with her right hand, and vice versa for the girl on her right. She felt this was different, but it did make a very tight circle. Suddenly her right hand was squeezed, and the clueless girl guessed correctly that she needed to squeeze her left hand.

“Thank you, girls, I will see you at the Lloyd Event Center downtown in costume on Saturday. Next time assuming she comes again we may be investituring Lily. Goodbye girls,” Aunty said before walking near to Lily.

After the meeting was over a lot of the girls gave hugs, before leaving in their respective parent's car. Lily felt like she had pulled it off, especially in front of Amanda, Anna, Jen, Rachel, and Tina who were in her class in school.

Once all of the girls were gone, except for Sammie and Lily, Aunty Hanna bent down and hugged Lily, “You look good Sweetheart, and you seem to have enjoyed yourself.”

“I did very much so, there is just the slight issue of my five unknowing classmates.”

“We will take it one day at a time, Sweetheart. And Sammie,” Hanna comforted.

Sammie, who was wondering where her Mommie was, answered, “Yes Mrs. Kane?”

“Thank you for being a friend and not an enemy for Lily, she really needs one.”

“There have been hints of the existence of Lily for years, I can’t count how many times she was wearing my dress-up clothes when we were four to six. I was her friend then, I am her friend now.”

“What?” Lily said shocked, who had forgotten all about those times.

Giggling Sammie said, “I can probably find photographic evidence, but really where is my Mommie, she should be here by now.”

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed.

This story is fully written and will try to post new chapters on Tuesday and Saturday. -- Thanks Becky

Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

As if it was waiting for a cue, the doorbell rang out. They were soon joined in the entryway by Sammie’s Mommie, who explained that she had been delayed grocery shopping.

“Lily appeared to have a blast and there were no problems with the other girls,” Aunty Hanna said. She continued with, “If you want to give me your vest I will sew all your badges on to set it up, you too Sammie, I will gladly sew your new badge on it. I can give it to you both when you show up at the Costume Shop tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!” Sammie exclaimed while Lily just nodded.

Mrs. Kane explained, “Yes, Ms. Gilbert is expecting you again.”

“Can I Mommie?” Sammie asked excitedly while handing over her vest.

Mrs. Berger told her daughter, “We already planned on you going there. You are invited on Friday too, but you have a Dentist appointment.”

“Well I will see you two tomorrow, and you are welcome to come again to Girl Scouts in two weeks, Lily,” Aunty said while the two girls and Mommie walked down the walk.

Back at the Berger abode, Lily turned to walk to her house after hugging her Best Friend. She was a bit shocked by the thought of having a best friend, her brother never had one. She was soon stopped by Mrs. Berger who instructed, “Your parents are not home, they are having a date night. Come on in the house, Lily.” Once in the house, Mrs. Berger continued towards Sammie, “Find some play clothes for you, and your best friend, Samantha.”

Lily thought her arm was going to be pulled out as Sammie basically yanked her up the stairs.

“I was sorting your clothes today Samantha. Clothes Lily can have and can fit are at the foot of the spare room bed,” a disembodied voice came up the stairs.

Sammie basically pushed her towards the spare room before she left and went to her own room. Looking at the bed she found various piles spread around, only the promised ones on the foot of the bed looked like they would fit her. A dress sitting on the pillow looked extremely cute with a capital C but it obviously was many sizes too small for her.

She picked up what appeared to be a jumper with Hello Kitty on its chest from the foot of the bed. Looking some more she found a pink turtle neck nearby. Taking what remained of her uniform off, she pulled the turtleneck over her head, messing up the wig in the process. The jumper was last to go on her before struggling with the buttons at her waist.

Sammie, dressed in jeans and a pink sweatshirt that had Jefferson Red Pandas on the front of it, their elementary school mascot, walked into the room. Seeing Lily she told the new girl, “I always loved that skirtall, you look cute. We just have to repair your hair, best friend.”

The one who obviously wore the pants in the friendship had Lily sit on the desk chair near the bed before walking out of the room. She soon returned with a hairbrush. But before she attacked the messy wig, she got distracted by the pink dress sitting on the pillow.

“Oh, I always loved this dress. I wonder if Mommie still has the pictures when I ‘forcibly’ as she called it, dressed the neighbor boy in it. Really all I did was hold it up to him, and the next thing I knew he was wearing it. I am sure you would love to see the pictures of him in it. I really do have to find the photographic evidence of Lily's beginnings,” she rhetorically thought out loud. She continued, after looking at the tag, “Too bad you don’t fit a size 5T my friend.”

She brushed the blushing girl’s hair back into style before removing the hairband and replacing it with a pink bow barrette. They headed downstairs, where the guest was instructed to do her homework, while the other one was instructed to set the table.

The two friends walked into the costume shop that was like a madhouse on Thursday after being dropped off. There were customers in each aisle, a line was at the checkout counter, and Granny had a long line at the face paint area. Aunty Hanna and an unknown guy were staffing the checkout counter. Lance could just see that sitting on top of the checkout area was a sign that said “No custom orders will be entertained from the 29th to 31st.”

After finishing up with her current customer, Aunty Hanna spotted the two kids and made her way over to them. "Great, let's get you two changed," she said, taking their backpacks and leading them to the backroom. As they entered, they saw two piles of costumes waiting for them. One pile had a yellow costume that they couldn't identify, while the other had a pink costume. Aunty Hanna sat down on a folding chair instead of her usual desk chair and instructed, "Lily, you have the pile on the right, and Sammie, you obviously have the pile on the left. I'll be staying back here, as you two are going to need some help."

Lance … Lily started to remove her school clothes until she was down to her panties again. They happen to be purple today. Hanna just shook her head at the brave little girl wearing panties to school. Turning to her pile she found a pair of white tights, they weren’t in a package, so Granny must have gotten clothes from her bedroom again. After that was on her, she found an unopened package labeled “Girl’s Camisole - Size 8.” Once one of them was on her, she turned to look at her best friend and saw she was currently dressed similarly.

“Girls, you are going to want to put on your slippers, because once we are done you are not going to be able to see your feet,” Aunty said before coming over to Lily who was closest to her.

Once wearing the provided pink ballet slippers, Aunty dropped a skirt with a bunch of hoops on it over her head, she then pulled and tied a drawstring at her waist. It shocked her how tight Aunty tied it. She then watched her adopted Aunty safety pin to her camisole, maybe out of caution. Another white skirt, which she believed Granny had called a petticoat, was dropped over her head. She was then helped into a pink dress, which was trimmed with darker pink. Looking down she saw she had a gem on her chest. She felt the buttons on the back being done up.

Aunty said, “Ok, Princess Peach let me get Princess Daisy done before we continue with you.”

She then watched Aunty also put a skirt with a bunch of hoops on her friend. Once she was done tying the bow in the back, she watched her also attach it to the camisole. A petticoat was dropped over her friend's head before she was then helped into the yellow costume which was trimmed in orange and had what could only be described as a daisy on her chest. Her buttons were done up before Aunty returned to dealing with Lily.

A blonde wig was bobby-pinned to her head before she felt something being attached to the top of it. Looking at the camera monitor, to use that as a mirror, she discovered that there were now twenty-three cameras. Looking at the correct cameras, she saw she had a crown on her head.

She turned to see her now brown-haired best friend also had a crown on her head. Aunty was in the process of applying makeup to Sammie. Once Sammie was done, Aunty turned to her and applied blush, lipstick, and mascara on the little girl.

“Ok, my two Princesses, this place is packed. I want you two to stay together. If one of you has to go to the bathroom, both of you must go to the back room. Besides, you are probably going to need the other's help to do the deed,” Aunty instructed. She continued, “As usual, if anyone makes either of you uncomfortable, I want to tell Lily’s Grandma, Uncle Eric, or me.”

As they walked out of the back room, they were instructed, “Lily, how would you like to help your Grandma in the face paint area.”

“Sure, what do I do Aunty?”

“We set up another facepaint area, pick client requests that you think you can do, and do them. Make sure they don’t mind you doing it,” Auntie instructed.

The two girls walked to the front and found the promised area, there was a table with facepaints, and Aunty’s desk chair sitting there. Also nearby was a stool, she assumed for Sammie. Turning to the first person in line, a guy, she asked what he was requesting, she gruffly got back a zombie, she then shook her head and told him he would have to keep waiting.

Next in line was a girl about four and her mother, again Lily asked, “What would you two like, Ma’am?”

The lady replied, “Angela here would like a clown face.”

“Do you mind a ten-year-old doing it on her?”

The lady wordlessly shrugged.

“If you would head to this chair I will be right back,” she directed before grabbing a binder labeled “Clown Faces” behind her Granny.

Opening the binder on Angela’s lap she asked the little girl, “Which one do you want, or do you want me to come up with my own for you?”

The girl excitedly pointed to one, which Lily wasted no time putting on the young girl. Once she was done, after putting the binder away, she returned to the line. She skipped the guy who wanted a skull face and the girl who wanted a cursed doll. She probably could have done them with images but she didn’t want to. As far as she knew, she wasn’t getting paid for this, so she was only doing the ones she found fun.

The next customer was a young boy who wanted a puppy face, which she wasted no time putting on the boy. Again she returned to the line, her next target was a college-age boy.

“What face paint design would you like, Sir?”

The boy shuddered before answering very softly, almost too soft for Lily to hear, “I would like a butterfly on my face.”

“Do you mind if I do it?”

The boy answered softly while looking at the door as if he was expecting someone, “No!”

“What colors, S..?” Lily asked, stopping short with the sir, she decided this person might just be like her.

Again softly after looking at the color choices, “Pink and purple.”

After that design was done, she was heading back to the line, before she was interrupted by Aunty, “Peach, you are done working for today. Please clean up your area, and both of you can do your homework. You can do it either in the measuring area where we set up a table or in the back room.”

Daisy whispered to the other Princess after she had put away her facepaint, “I have to visit the bathroom.”

Heading to the backroom, she noticed the butterfly ?boy? ?girl? paying for ?his? ?her? face paint before basically running out of the store like it was on fire. Shrugging, she followed her friend to the back room. As promised earlier, she had to help Sammie with the bathroom visit. Once Daisy was redressed, Peach was told to go to the bathroom herself. Claiming she didn’t have to go fell on deaf ears. Peach really did have to go, but because she had to help her best friend redress, she knew what Sammie would have to do to her.

“You know what you would have to do to me, right?” the pink princess asked.

The yellow princess answered, “Yes, and I don’t mind. Now go!”

Shrugging and switching positions because she knew she wasn’t going to win this one, she did the deed. But her face was bright red as Sammie pulled her panties up. She asked for a few minutes to compose herself before they left the back room. While taking the breather she looked at the new cameras that had appeared overnight. Two of them were aimed at the chair she had been face painting from the ceiling. The last one was also aimed there, but it appeared it was sitting on the actual face paint area.

Shrugging, the two girls left the back room and headed to the counter to get their backpacks. Turning to the guy she assumed to be her Uncle Eric, she asked, “I noticed the new cameras, do you not trust me?”

“No, Peach we trust you, it is the customers we don’t trust. We are giving them lots of access to you, and we want to keep you safe. They are only temporary, we will take them down after tomorrow.”

She nodded and went to grab her backpack before stopping as Anna from school and Girl Scouts walked up to them.

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed.

This story is fully written and will try to post new chapters on Tuesday and Saturday. -- Thanks Becky

Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

Lily was glad she hadn’t grabbed her backpack, because there was no denying that it was Lance’s backpack. Anna had a costume in her hand, it appeared to Dorothy.

“Sammie is that you?” Anna asked Peach.

Daisy answered, “Hello Anna.”

“Oh you are Sammie, so by process of elimination, you must be Lily,” Anna noted.

Lily nodded before, “Yes, A…”

“Anna Marie, get over here and give this guy the costume so we can get out of here sometime this century,” A lady angrily interrupted from the line.

The hidden classmate thought to herself, “Saved by the bell.” She did however wait until Anna had left the store before grabbing her backpack. They went to the measuring area where the two of them found two stools behind a table. Paper had been taped to the sides of the table to block customers looking under it.

As the two of them were putting their homework away, Aunty came up to them and put two plates full of pizza in front of them. “Dinner time girls,” she told them.

“What do you want us to do after we eat, Mrs. Kane?” Sammie asked.

Mrs. Kane answered the yellow princess while looking at her watch, “It is currently seven, we close at nine today.” She looked towards the front of the store before continuing, “The face paint line is manageable, but if Lily wants to do a face or two she can. No more than that, though. Really the only job we expect out of you two is to look pretty in those costumes. You two can gladly talk softly back here.”

Lily did do a six-year-old girl’s face up as a kitty. But before she knew it Granny was standing in front of them where they had been talking softly.

“Let’s find my granddaughter and her best friend again,” Granny said, directing the two princesses to the back room. Slowly she undressed both of the girls before leaving both of them just the camisole, tights, and ballet slippers. Sammie was handed her clothes she came in, and Lily got another stack of clothes. She then left the room to finish her closing chores.

Turning to her pile, Lily found jeans, some frilly socks, an orange long-sleeve shirt with a cat face on the front of it, and a sweatshirt with a black cat sitting on a pumpkin rounded up the clothes. Immediately after both of them were done getting dressed, Aunty came back in, like she was watching the camera. She handed Sammie a bag that already had something in it for her to put the clothes that were hers to keep into it. Lily soon got a bag too. She looked in it before putting the tights, slippers, and camisoles in it. She discovered her Girl Scout vest on top of Lance’s clothes in it.

As Granny was ushering them to the car, Sammie was told, “Sammie don’t lose that check that is in your bag. It is your payment for today and Tuesday. Lily, you don’t get one, your payment is your makeover on Saturday.” After they were loaded into the car, they watched Granny load their backpacks into the back.

The next morning Mrs. Berger wouldn’t listen to Lance pleads that he would gladly ride his bike to school instead of her stopping to drop the boy off at Gilbert’s costumes on the way home. Knowing he lost he got in the car and sat next to Lily’s best friend. Sammie looked like she was up to something and Lance was afraid it involved him or his sister somehow.

“What are you plotting, Sammie?”

“Nothing?”

“I don’t believe that one.”

“Fine, after my appointment, I have time to do what I have been threatening to do for a while.”

“Which is?”

“Find photographic evidence of young Lily.”

“Oh.” the boy answered, not sure how to answer that one.

“Hello Mommie,” Sammie told Mrs. Berger when she picked the girls up from school. Lance got into the opposite side, and the door had not been shut long when the older lady went, “Lily, show up at my house at twelve-thirty on Saturday for your ride to the Halloween party.”

The hidden girl responded agreeing to the instructions, before getting out of the car in front of the shop. Walking into the shop, she discovered it was even busier than it was yesterday. Aunty was doing face paint today, Uncle was behind the counter, and Granny was trying to calm down a fussy hyper toddler who was dressed as Minnie Mouse.

Seeing the preteen put her backpack behind the counter like she had been instructed before, Granny said, “Great, my babysitter is almost here, let’s go find her, Lauren.”

Granny grabbed Lance’s hand with one hand, and the toddler’s, who the boy assumed was Lauren, hand with the other hand. Hand in hand they went to the back room. The door wasn’t closed for long when Granny instructed the boy to strip.

Once stripped down to his … her pink panties, she was handed a package that was labeled “Sparkly Silver Tights - Size 7-10.” With a couple days of experience putting them on, she didn’t have a problem putting them on. She was then handed a shoe box, which she opened to find a pair of white one-inch heels. A white dress edged in various locations in pink was offered to her next. She looked at her makeshift mirror, a.k.a the cameras while Granny was doing up the back buttons. She couldn’t figure out what she was but did notice that the skirt started halfway between her real waist and her neck.

Granny then placed the brown wig that Sammie had used yesterday on her head. The older lady was fumbling with something on top of her head, which blocked her view of the camera screen. When she was done, the girl noticed she had a halo on top of her head. She was an angel, she figured that the wings must be here somewhere.

Lily next was treated to blush, lipstick, and mascara again. Her makeup was no sooner done when she was instructed to close her eyes. She felt something being misted on her face before she was allowed to open her eyes again. Lastly, the angel was helped into her gold wings.

As they were leaving the backroom, Granny told her, “I know you would like to do face paint again, but you will be more helpful by watching Lauren.”

Lily just nodded and took Lauren’s hand. They headed to the measurement area, where the table from yesterday was still set up. Well, adjustments have been made since yesterday. It was pushed against the wall and pulled away from the mirror more. She had to move a portable gate to get behind the table. She noticed under the table hidden from the outside by the paper, there was what could only be described as a makeshift fence. Also under the table was her backpack, how it got there, she wasn’t sure. Scattered on the floor Lauren had toys here and there. Also scattered around were pillows and blankets. The only place the floor was showing was where her stool was. She reclosed the gate before releasing Lauren’s hand.

She turned to the mirror to look at herself and noticed she had glitter all over her face and hair … wig. Turning back around, she started her homework. It felt weird for her to do homework on Friday. She usually did it on Sunday on the weekends.

Homework took longer to do than normal with Lauren as a distraction. The girl found that she actually liked watching the toddler even with those distractions.

After closing the angel expected to go to the back room and change, but no one came to get her. She was left with the now-sleeping Minnie Mouse.

After Uncle Eric picked up the sleeping toddler, Granny came up to her, and told her, “It is time to go Lily.”

“Shouldn’t I change, Granny?” she said looking down at her costume.

Shaking her head Granny said, “Nope you are going home just like that, Aunty Hanna made that costume just for you earlier in the week.”

“Is this my costume for tomorrow?” the girl nervously asked.

Again the older lady shook her head and said “Of course not my angel.” As she opened the car door, she instructed the little girl, “Let me have your wings so you don’t ruin them in the car.”

Once the door was closed, the girl watched Granny put her wings, clothes, and backpack in the back. Once that was done she started to head the two blocks to the Vanderbilt Manor. As the angel was let out of the car, she was instructed to put her wings back on so her parents could get the full effect.

“Granny, do I bring this costume back tomorrow?”

“It is yours to keep, Angel.”

As the girl walked up the walk, she shockingly answered, “Oh.” She didn't know what to say and just looked towards Sammie's bedroom. To her surprise, Sammie was looking back at her. It was already past both of their bedtimes, but Sammie must have stayed up to wait for Lily's return.

As Granny knocked on the door, the little girl finally got her voice back. “Granny, thank you thank you thank you.”

“For what?”

“For this week, for this costume, for just everything.”

“Well hello my angel, and Alison,” Mommie said, letting them in the house. Daddie was soon headed out to get the clothes and backpack. “That is a very pretty costume, Princess,” Mommie continued.

The girl said, “I think it is too, Mommie.”

“We will make sure she returns it when we drop her off at the shop tomorrow at nine.”

Alison Gilbert replied back, “As I told Lily coming up the walk, it is hers to keep. Hanna made it for her. She bought the fabric and supplies with her own money too. At least she didn’t turn in any receipts for it. And she has turned in other receipts this week.” The family was just speechless at this bit of information. Rhetorically Granny continued, “Granted she did assemble it on my dime.”

Mommie tried to change the subject, “So we drop her at the store at nine for the makeover?”

Shaking her head Granny said, “I know the makeover instructions say to be at the store at nine on your chosen day, but this one is my granddaughter. We can skip a step. I will pick her up from here. Please be dressed and ready to go at nine, Lily.”

Daddie said, “We can’t thank you enough for everything you have done for Lily.”

“She is my granddaughter, I spoiled her just like I spoil Lauren. At least this one came with a twin later in the week,” Granny said.

“Twin? And she isn’t really your granddaughter,” Mommie said.

Granny answered, “Sammie, and she is my granddaughter. I say so and she will still be my granddaughter on the first.”

The angel besides yawning was blushing with this discussion.

Seeing the yawn, Granny told the family goodbye and headed to the car.

“Okay, young lady upstairs with you,” Mommie instructed.

The almost sleeping girl had to have help undressing. Once dressed in a nightie and sitting on the toilet Mommie attacked the girl's face with a makeup remover wipe. Lily thought her face was going to be scrubbed off how many times Mommie wiped her face. Finally cleaned to the parent's satisfaction the girl was tucked in the bed.

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed.

This story is fully written and will try to post new chapters on Tuesday and Saturday. -- Thanks Becky

Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

Saturday morning found Lily dressed in her sweetie pie overalls. They had become her favorite jeans, but her brother would never admit that. Mommie had made her wear one of those camisoles underneath a button-down blouse as Mommie had called it. Her blonde wig and black hairband topped off the ensemble she was wearing.

When Granny showed up, the little girl put on her pink shoes before heading to the SUV. Looking in the back, she discovered things covered with a blanket. That was probably to keep her in suspense. They didn’t stop at the shop today, no Granny had stopped at a nail salon.

“Ms Gilbert, I have the water already for your client,” a nail tech said.

Lily was led to a chair, and her Granny helped her remove her shoes and socks. She put her feet into a water spa before the tech started to give her a pedicure. Both the tech and the older lady smiled at the childish giggles from the feet being tickled as Lily called it. Really all the tech was doing was scrubbing the bottom of her feet. Her toes were painted a soft pink, before being put under a strange light.

After a test to make sure the nail polish was dry, Granny helped her put her shoes and socks back on before directing her across the room where the nail tech was waiting. Lily’s fingernails were shaped and painted the same soft pink. Again she was told to stick her hands in the same strange light.

“Thanks again, Mai,” Granny said as she dealt with payment. As both of them were heading to the car, the younger one was told, “On to the next location.”

Looking out of the window it appeared they were heading back to her house. Well, they were but they turned into Sammie’s driveway. The front door opened by itself, or so it seemed. The door was also giggling, looking behind it she found her best friend.

“Mommie, your client is here,” Sammie said towards a room that Lily had never been in before.

Granny directed her into that room, where the little girl discovered a full hair salon. Sammie covered her friend with a pink salon cape with a purple unicorn on the front of it after she sat in the chair.

“I am Heather. I and my assistant Samantha are going to give you your makeover today,” Lily was told.

The little girl thought to herself, “There is no way I am calling her Heather.” She also thought, “Sammie is probably only helping because I am the client.” She knew that Mrs. Berger was a hair stylist, but she never heard of Sammie helping before.

Her wig was removed before Mrs. Berger washed the girl's hair. By the time the shampooing was done, the girl was purring. Her head started to get warm as the hair stylist was blow-drying it.

“Bend forward Lily. Look at the unicorn’s legs,” Lily was instructed. She felt bits of her hair being lifted up, and then what felt like longer hair falling on her neck. After that bit was done, the girl was told to put her head up straight, and then lean it towards the left.

This time sometimes Sammie’s Mommie was in her field of vision. Sammie definitely was able to be seen. She was handing her Mommie bits of blonde long hair. Each time that happened, there was that sensation of bits of hair being lifted up, and long hair falling down in places she wasn’t used to having long hair.

When they were done with that side, she was instructed to lean her head to the right. The same thing was done there as before. Finally, she was told to straighten her head again. Mrs. Berger got in front of her, and when she was done, her eyes were covered with long hair.

The now blind girl didn’t see or feel anything happen for a while. She smelt it before she could see it. It felt like someone was brushing something on her head. She was actually told by Sammie, “We are going to dye your hair so your extensions and real hair are the same color.”

When she could see, she noticed that Mrs. Berger was brushing bits of hair, before wrapping them with tin foil. Once they were done, the girl was helped to another chair by her friend. Sammie adjusted a hood attached to the chair over her head. When it was turned on Lily’s head started to get very warm. Sammie had returned and dropped ‘American Girl’, ‘Girl’s Life’, and ‘Discovery Kids‘ magazines on her lap.

Taking the cue that she was going to be there for a while, she started to read the magazines, she concentrated on the girls’ magazines because her brother could read the Discovery magazine anytime he wanted.

After a while, Mrs. Berger was back, she was playing with one of the tin-foiled bits of hair. She said, “About five more minutes, Sweetie.” True to her word, she returned in a bit and fumbled with another tin-foiled package. She said while turning off the blower, “You’re done, Sweetie.”

Lily was soon back in the salon chair leaning with her head in the sink. Sammie herself while wearing gloves opened up all the tin-foiled packages. When all the packages were open, Mrs. Berger washed her hair again, and the girl returned to purring. She was helped to sit up, and the hairstylist returned the chair back to its previous position.

While her hair was still damp, Mrs. Berger trimmed it here and there with her scissors. The girl was glad her head was still blonde. Actually, to Lily, it didn’t appear to have changed color at all. Hair was brushed over her eyes before she was given bangs. Looking at the mirror she saw that the hair was cut about even with her eyebrows.

Sammie then wheeled another cart next to her. Sammie’s Mommie grabbed cylinders from the cart and put them here and there in the girl’s hair.

While that was being done, Lily decided to quiz her friend by saying, “Bestie?”

“What Lily?”

“Do you know what I am going to be?”

“No, all I know is what you are getting done in the salon.”

“Oh.”

“That being said, I did know Tuesday that you would be getting the hair part of the makeover here because Ms. Gilbert always uses Mommie for her makeovers. Unless she would have decided to use a wig.”

Again the makeover target returned to her silently observing in the mirror. Once the hairstylist was done she was helped to the hair-blowing chair and told five minutes. As promised, five minutes later she was helped to the salon chair again and watched soft curls appear when Mrs. Berger removed rollers as she called them.

The next thing she knew blush, lipstick, and mascara was being put on her. When that was done she was led to the living room sans the cape. The curtains had been closed, there was a dress bag sitting on the couch, and bits and bobs sitting around. Granny told her, “Normally we would be returning to the shop, and dressing you there. Because of who you are Heather encouraged me to dress you here.”

The girl did notice that this room didn’t have a mirror. As she looked around the girl saw the door open, and Sammie crept into the room. She shrugged, it wouldn’t be the first time she dressed in front of her best friend. Once her street clothes were removed, she was handed a pair of what were labeled nude tights to put on before putting on some pink heels.

Three white with pink hems ankle-length skirts were put on her next. She was next helped into a pink dress before Granny did up the back buttons.

Sammie said, “Looking good Princess Aurora.”

That had disclosed to the girl what she was, she didn’t need a mirror anymore. She could envision what she was. She however didn’t miss the glare Granny gave to Sammie for telling the secret. A crown on her head and a necklace around her neck were the last two things to go on to her.

“I had fun doing this Lily, thank you for allowing me to do it,” Granny told her granddaughter.

Nodding Lily asked, “Granny you never told me if my Mommie chose rental or purchase.”

“Oh, that is yours, she chose to purchase,” she answered before walking out of the house taking the dress bag and crown box with her.

After Lily was dressed, Sammie reopened the curtains, letting the natural light in. Mrs. Berger walked in and addressed her, ”Run next door to show your parents, sweetie. While you are doing that, I will find Cinderella. When you get back, just come right in.”

Aurora walked slowly out of the neighbor's home to head home. Even though she wasn’t wearing a hoop or a petticoat, the dress still poofed out a bit. Also, she still wasn’t used to walking in heels. She walked into the house and got an answer from the kitchen when she asked where her Mommie was. Walking through the dining room on the way to the kitchen, she saw the costume’s bag, shoebox, and the crown box sitting on the table.

“Aww, what a cutie. Tom, come here,” Mommie said when she saw her daughter.

Daddie said, “There is my cute Princess. Let’s get some pictures.”

The princess was directed outside to pose in front of the redbud tree that hadn’t dropped its leaves yet. Once released from posing duties she was allowed to walk next door again. As instructed, she let herself in and sat patiently on the living room couch.

She noticed a stack of pictures on the end table next to her. She picked them up and saw that the top picture was a four or five-year-old girl in the pink dress that was on the pillow Wednesday. Her hair must have been pulled back behind her, or she had extremely short hair. She had the biggest grin on her face, also. The rest of the pictures appeared to be the same girl in various princess outfits. What appeared to be a younger Sammie joined the girl in some of the pictures.

Not long after Lily started to look at the pictures, Cinderella descended the stairs. She was a faithful recreation of the blue ball gown she wore in the movie. Unlike the pink princess, the blue princess obviously was wearing something that made the top of the skirt poof out. Her normally brown hair was hidden under a blonde wig, and a silver hairband completed the look. She also had a hint of makeup on her face. Sammie was holding white gloves in her hand.

Sammie said, "Great you found the pictures, Lily"

"Bestie, who is this cute girl?" Lily asked while pointing to the pink dress picture.

"At the time of those pictures, she didn't have a name. B …"

"A girl without a name!" Lily exclaimed.

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed.

This story is fully written and will try to post new chapters on Tuesday and Saturday. -- Thanks Becky

Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

Sammie shook her head and said "Let me finish. She didn't have a name then, but now she goes by Lily."

"This is me!?!?!" Lily exclaimed shockingly.

"Yes my friend, that is the young Lily I knew existed."

"Why don't I remember this," Lily asked Sammie, but really she was also asking herself.

"I don't …" Sammie answered before being interrupted by her Mommie.

“Princesses, we have just enough time to get food in both of your stomachs before we have to leave for the costume party,” Mrs. Berger spoke.

Sitting down, Lily waited patiently for the promised food. The first thing that came was Mrs. Berger tucking a towel inside the front of her dress. Looking towards Sammie, she also got the same treatment covering the front of her dress with a towel. Once that was done a small bowl of soup was placed in front of her.

While they were eating Sammie continued the subject from earlier. She said, "Mommie stopped having to babysit you and I found a new friend in Holly."

The pink princess nodded because she didn't know what to say.

"I also was in the boys are yucky phrase. Mostly because of me, we slowly drifted apart."

When the conversation died and the soup was eaten, the two princesses were ushered out to the car sans towels. Sammie commented once they both were in the backseat, “Sitting against this bum pad feels weird.”

“That is what you are wearing,” Lily commented. Of course, she hadn’t a clue what a bum pad was, other than what caused Sammie’s skirt to stand out.

They were dropped off in front of the Lloyd Event Center, and after getting instructions that Mrs. Berger would be back to pick them up in two hours, they headed inside to the party.

A lady at a table right inside greeted them, “Hello Ladies, what is your troop?”

“5783, Mrs. Kane’s,” Cinderella answered.

Going to a pile, she asked for their first names. That caused Lily to be nervous because she wasn’t in the troop yet.

Cinderella still was doing the talking for the two of them, “I am Sammie, and she is Lily.”

“Excellent, here you go clip these to your costumes, and you can head in,” the lady told them.

Lily looked at hers and it said Lily Gilbert. That puzzled her but she soon realized that Aunty knew that saying her real last name would out her. She figured a last name was required.

Speaking of Aunty they found her just inside the door watching the snack table. She addressed them, “Looking good Sammie, and I knew you would look good in that dress Lily.”

They both blushed and said thanks, before Aunty continued, “I enjoyed making that costume Lily. Anyway, I believe I saw the rest of the troop over there.”

They found the rest of the Juniors troop in the directed direction. Walking up to them, Anna as Dorothy greeted them, “If you two didn’t have name tags, we wouldn’t be able to tell it was you. You might even win the costume contest, Lily.”

Lily’s shyness surfaced, and she said while looking at the stage, “There is no way I am walking across that stage in front of all these people, Anna. I am not joining the contest.”

Tina, dressed as Red Riding Hood, told the group, “Too late Lily, you've already been entered into the contest. All of us have.”

Lily thought Marlene’s costume looked very familiar, she was wearing the mouse costume Sammie wore Tuesday. “Nice costume Marlene,” she told her.

Marlene answered, “Thank you, I saw someone wearing it Tuesday, and I liked it. I found it back on the rack yesterday. Unfortunately, I can’t reproduce the face paint the girl was wearing.”

“You know that was me wearing it Tuesday right Marlene?” Sammie asked.

Marlene exclaimed, “No way! Who did your face paint?”

“My best friend did,” Sammie answered.

That statement caused Lily to blush up red, and ten sets of eyes to turn to stare at Aurora. Amanda, dressed as a witch, mentioned, “Marlene hasn’t stopped talking about the face paint job since she got here.”

Vicky, dressed as a pumpkin, asked, "How long have you been face painting, Lily?"

"Umm, Tuesday."

Most of them had a shocked look on their faces, with Marlene a bit more shocked. Sammie however was the most shocked, because she realized that hers was the first.

Marlene questioned, "How many faces have you done?"

"Five - Sammie, three kids, and an older teenager or younger twenties," Lily told the girls.

They had a dance floor going but these ten-year-olds were content just to hang around and chat.

Soon a loudspeaker blasted, “OK Girls it is time for the costume contest, the judges have been milling around and secretly judging you. If I call your name, head up to the stage. In alphabetical order” … A bunch of names were listed … “Samantha Berger” … still more names … “Lily Gilbert” … and then more names.

Sammie grabbed her best friend’s hand and dragged her to the stage. Lily looked and there were eleven girls of various ages standing among her on the stage.

“In the Daisy category, we have Emily Rogers as runner-up,” a lady standing behind a podium announced before she was directed to Aunty to accept a trophy and then directed down the stairs.

Lily just watched as the Daisies and Brownies got their prizes. Finally, there were four remaining.

“Last but not least, in the Junior category we have Linda Miller as runner-up,” the lady said then paused.

“Heather Rose has won third place,” the lady said.

Lily did the math, which meant she was competing against her best friend for first place. Sammie grabbed her hand.

“Samantha Berger has won second place,” the lady announced.

And then she was alone, blushing up a storm that all eyes were on her.

Finally, the lady announced, “That just leaves Lily Gilbert for first place.”

Walking to her Aunty she accepted a trophy and an envelope. After descending the stairs she waited for her Aunty next to Sammie.

“Aunty, did you have a hand in this?”

Aunty told both girls, “Other than creating both of your costumes, I didn’t have a hand. We were not allowed to judge the age group we lead. Plus since you’re my niece I probably wouldn’t be able to judge your age group anyway.”

They had hardly gotten back to their friends when the loudspeaker went off again, “That concludes this year's Halloween party, hopefully, your parents are waiting outside.”

The two princesses followed the horde towards the front doors. Lily had to hold up her skirts to prevent them from being stepped on. Which was hard, since she was also holding a trophy and an envelope she hadn’t had a chance to open yet.

Sammie said once she was finally able to see the line of cars, “I don’t see my Mommie’s car.”

“I however see my Mommie’s car!” Lily exclaimed, pointing at the familiar car.

The two girls walked up to the car, and each got into the back seat. The pink princess asked, “Why are you here, Mommie? I thought Mrs. Berger was going to get us.”

Mommie turned and said, “I love you too Princess.”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that, Mommie. Can you explain it while you are driving, I rather not have people being able to put two plus two together to get four,” the pink princess replied.

Following the demand from the backseat, she started driving and explained since Heather Berger fed you two for lunch, Mommie was feeding them dinner.

After that story was done, Mommie asked about the trophies and envelopes.

“From the costume contest, I got second place,” Sammie explained.

Mommie asked, “What place did you get Princess?”

“First place,” the girl answered while blushing beat red.

What was in the envelopes was asked, which got rewarded with two shrugs. They were encouraged to open them. Sammie opened hers and discovered a fifty-dollar gift card to the large online store that had anything she could ever want. Lily opened hers to discover a one-hundred-dollar gift card to the same online store.

As they were ushered into the house, Lily told her Mommie, “Apparently my last name is Gilbert.”

“Yes, Hanna said she was going to do that. It is better your real last name isn’t known right now,” Mommie said.

After a light early dinner, the two friends were each handed a glow stick to wear around their necks. They also got personalized fabric pumpkins to put their candy in. They jokingly said "Trick 'r Treat" to Lily’s Daddie as they headed out of the house. That stunt got rewarded with candy in both of their pumpkins.

As they headed to Sammie’s house, Sammie commented, "I know Mommie didn't order these pumpkins."

"Why did you say that?"

"It says Sammie. If Mommie ordered these it would say Samantha."

"Oh?"

"Haven't you noticed that Mommie only calls me Samantha? Daddie on the other hand calls me Sam, Sammie, and Samantha depending on the favor of the day. Trick or Treat"

"Trick or Treat"

Sammie’s Mommie responded while dropping candy in the buckets, "Two beautiful princesses, here you go."

They continued around their neighborhood going house to house to get candy. A few neighbors recognized Sammie and when they asked who Aurora was they only got "Lily" in reply.

"There aren't many porch lights on anymore, and our pumpkins have a lot of candy in them, Bestie," Lily said. She continued with, "We should head home."

Sammie agreed and the two princesses turned to walk the three blocks they were away from home. Once there the two girls sat on the Vanderbilt's front porch swing. This didn't go unnoticed from inside the house because the porch light was dimly turned on. They just discussed random stuff while swinging.

"Girls it is getting late and Sammie really should be heading home," party pooper Mommie told them.

Lily said, "Guess I will see you tomorrow."

"No you won’t, we are going to be at Grandma's house all day," Sammie mentioned.

"Darn."

"Earth to Lily. If I am gone, that means your hairstylist is gone. That means this beautiful hair stays at least until Monday," Sammie said while touching Lily’s hair.

Lily just looked at her friend with a blank shocked look on her face.

"Lily is going to church tomorrow," Sammie snickered. She continued sans the snicker, "And unless you want to get up bright and early, your brother will have long hair in school on Monday."

"Fiddlesticks!" Lily exclaimed with a huge blush on her face.

Sammie hugged her friend who was frozen in place before heading home across the grass.

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed.

Surprise Offer 2 is planned and is halfway done. Knowing my track record I am not going to give a promise date. I have been writing it off and on switching back and forth with Katie Ann. A short story that follows a side character is also planned. Call it a side quest. But I haven't started that.

-- Thanks Becky