"It looks like Clara isn't coming this evening," said Louise, the first violin in The Strings of Sighs, the school's string quartet. "It was pretty selfish of her not to let us know."

"Well, that's Clara all over," said Jenny, the second violin. "She's far too high and mighty to care about inconveniencing us. I guess we can give up this evening's practice — yet again."

They were trying to have a rehearsal, and this was now the third time that Clara had let them down, although previously she had at least told them beforehand. None of them said the words, but they all felt that, with critics tipping her as the next Jacqueline du Pre, she couldn't be bothered with her school group.

"I think it would be good to carry on, regardless," Emily, the rather plump viola player, said. "Show that she's not essential to the group."

"A bit difficult without a cellist," Louise said.

"Jenny, why don't we ask your brother if he'll stand in for us?" Emily said. "He's a pretty good cellist."

"You're only suggesting him," Louise accused, "because you fancy him."

"I do not," Emily denied, blushing furiously.

"You fancy my brother?" Jenny said, showing her disgust by pretending to thrust a finger down her throat. "But even I have to admit he is a half-decent cellist, and we only live five minutes away. Shall I give him a ring?"

Ten minutes later, Gary entered the school's rehearsal room, clutching his cello case. "So, The Strings of Sighs needs a bit of SPS, does it?" he teased his sister.

SIGHS was the abbreviation for the Seacombe Independent Girls' High School and SPS, the local boys' public school.

"This is Louise and this is Emily," Jenny introduced the members of the group to him. "And this," she turned to the other girls, "is Gary, my little brother."

Gary might have reacted rather more strongly about being called 'little' had he not just noticed HER — the sexiest girl he had ever seen.

"I'm not that little," he said, squirming at the way Jenny had humiliated him in front of HER.

"I think you're cute," Emily said.

"Thanks," Gary said, rather embarrassed.

"Shall we get going?" Louise pointedly asked everyone, noting that in spite of their ribaldry, brother and sister seemed very close. She'd have to be very nice to Gary, she thought, if she was not to upset Jenny and she really, really did not want to upset Jenny, the sexiest girl in the school.

In fact, they all got along together, famously. They were all good players, and Jenny noted that her brother seemed to be playing better than he had ever played before. Perhaps he's trying to impress Emily, she thought with a little smile. At the end of their session, when silence once more reigned, they all looked around with the particular satisfaction of having all done their very best, and then some.

"That was brilliant, everyone," Louise said. "Well done, particularly you, Gary, as you haven't played with us before."

"Thanks, Louise," Gary said. "I really enjoyed playing with you." Oh, if only I could, he thought.

"You'll give him a big head," Jenny complained.

If only she would, Gary thought.

"I thought you were fantastic," Emily said. "Perhaps he should join our group." She'd willingly join up with him, anytime, she thought, bringing another blush to her cheeks.

"It's a real shame he can't," Louise said, noting the approval of her comment in Jenny's eyes. "Clara seems to be becoming more and more unreliable. I hope she's going to be with us tomorrow evening."

"We're booked to play for a banquet tomorrow," Emily explained to Gary. She turned to Louise, "Don't you think Gary could play instead? He's as good as Clara."

"Don't let Clara hear you say that," Jenny said, adding, "But I think I should tell you that when Clara didn't turn up this evening, I'm afraid I decided to give up this group. I'm fed up with her treating us like her accompaniment."

"You can't do that," Louise gasped, the thought of losing Jenny terrifying her. "We need you here. The group will fold without you."

"Obviously, I'll play tomorrow night," Jenny continued, "presuming it's going ahead, and any other engagements already arranged, but..."

She was interrupted by the ringing of Emily's phone. She pulled it from her handbag.

"Oh, Clara," Emily said. "Glad you found the time to phone." The other two girls were amazed that the normally timid Emily was so abrupt.

She listened. "Look," she said, "we don't care if you had an audition with the London Philharmonic, you should have telephoned beforehand. We were waiting around like lemons until we found a substitute." More listening. "Well the substitute was good," she said, "because we didn't have any of the tantrums and bad behaviour we normally get from you — when you bother to turn up, that is."

The sounds emanating from the mobile got louder and louder, and Emily had to hold the phone away from her ear. Eventually, she calmly said down the phone, "Why don't you go and get fucked?" and she then terminated the call.

There was a silence that lasted for several seconds, before Louise said, "Well, you certainly told her."

"Emily, you're normally so meek," Jenny said. "That's why Clara always telephones you with her excuses, rather than either of us."

"Maybe I bottle it up, too much," she said, "but I thought it time to let her know how she messes us around."

"But without Clara," Louise said, "it leaves us without a quartet."

"I told you — we should get Gary to play with us."

Suddenly, Emily's behaviour was totally transparent to the two girls.

"But we're playing at a sales conference banquet," Louise said. "They have booked an all-girl quartet because they want to ogle a group of sexy, girl musicians. To be frank, they're not really interested in the quality of our music."

"Perhaps we should put Gary in a dress," Jenny teased, rather annoyed with the way Emily had manipulated things.

Seeing the embarrassment on Gary's face, Emily retorted angrily, "That's a really stupid suggestion, Jenny."

"Actually, I think he'd look rather good in a dress," Louise said, wanting to support Jenny against Emily. She, too, believed that Emily had manipulated events for her own selfish ends — and heterosexual ends at that!

Gary looked at her with shocked horror. It was one thing for his sister to suggest something so stupid, quite another for this beautiful girl to do so.

Seeing his look, Louise sought to justify her remark. "Most blokes look absurd wearing women's clothes," she said, looking at his small frame and pleasant face, "but I think you'd look quite pretty."

"Gee, er, thanks," Gary said, wondering whether to be pleased or disappointed at her comment. He decided on the former. He gave her a big smile. "I guess being called pretty is quite a compliment, but..."

He paused, feeling very confused. "You don't really think I'd look good in a dress, do you?"

"Yes I do." Louise wasn't going to back down now. "But then I really find those alpha male types quite nauseating. A man who was in touch with his inner self and was brave enough to wear a dress would be quite different."

Gary still looked uncertain, as well he might.

"Look," Emily said. "We know The Strings of Sighs produced better music this evening than we've ever done, because we were playing as a quartet, rather than as accompaniment to Clara. We all gelled together brilliantly. We can't lose that."

"It's also true that I've never heard Gary play so well," Jenny said.

"So Jenny," Louise said, "does that mean that if we get Gary to play with us, then you wouldn't leave the group?"

Jenny looked at Gary and smiled. "Well, I don't see how it's possible, except that he hasn't ruled out putting on a dress in order to join us tomorrow. But yes, I'd continue if Gary could start playing with us on a regular basis instead of Clara."

"Now hang on, Jenny," he said, "I may..."

"It would be fun," Emily said, staring him directly in the face and hoping he'd get the message.

"Yes, it would," Louise said, realising Emily was probably going to frighten him off if she didn't water it down. "Great fun," she added, looking him in the eye so that his gaze would not return to Emily.

Gary's heart almost leapt through the ceiling when Louise gave him that special look. "I'll do it," he said. At that moment, he'd have agreed to do anything, just for a bit more time with the most beautiful girl in the world.

"Why don't you all come round to my house at about ten," Emily suggested. "My parents are always out shopping most of Saturday."

"It won't take all day," he protested. "I'm just putting on a dress for the evening performance."

"A girl never just puts on a dress," Emily replied with a knowing look. "She has to prepare herself to look her best. In your case, we have rather more of a challenge."

"But Louise said I'm quite pretty." Gary turned to Louise for support. "You did say that."

Louise smiled, lifting his heart. "Yes, I said it," she said, "but Emily is right it will take time to make you look your best. And I'll need to visit Clara in the morning and recover her The Strings of Sighs dress."

Gary's heart suddenly leapt into his mouth as he realised the dress he was going to wear. "Oh. You mean I'll be wearing one of those dresses."

Several of the teaching staff had been shocked at the dress Miss Harper, the Headmistress, had agreed to purchase for the girls to perform in.

"This isn't a recorder group," she had told them. "We want the quartet to get bookings at weddings and other functions. The girls need to look like professional performers."

It wasn't that the long, black, silky evening gowns had long slits or low necklines, or were even translucent, but they were made of such a fine material that they flowed over every outline of the girls' bodies. It was noticeable that the outline of Emily's bra could be clearly seen, whilst no such mark could be seen on any of the other girls, although their small pointed nipples could. And there was absolutely no trace of any panties or other underwear on any of them. It drove the boys at SPS crazy with excitement, and most of the male audience as well.

All the girls grinned back at him. "Oh, yes," they replied in unison, mimicking the TV commercial.

"Oh God!"

"There's no going back now," Jenny told him. "You're committed."

"You can do it," Emily said.

"Yes, you can," Louise confirmed, and his objections dissolved.

"OK," he said. "Ten o'clock tomorrow at Emily's house."

Oh Gaby," Jenny said. "You'll be great."

"Gaby? Oh no, you're not calling me Gaby."

"We're going to have to give you a name to announce at the performance," Jenny said, "and we can hardly continue to call you Gary. Gaby not only sounds similar, so you'll probably react to it as you would your own name, but it's also the name of our cousin in London. So if anyone does ask any questions, we can simply reply as though you were her."

"It's because it's our stuck-up Sloane Ranger cousin's name that I won't have it," he said.

"How about Gabriella, then?" Emily suggested. "Presumably that's her full name, so it has the advantage you can use her identity without you mentally identifying with her. Plus, it's a really pretty name, which will go nicely with such an attractive girl."

Gary couldn't help but return Emily's smile. She seemed a very nice girl who was making his conversion a lot easier than he had dreaded. "OK," he said. "Gabriella Green it is, and no one is to call me Gaby. Right?"

"Of course not, Gaby," Jenny teased

***

"Do you think I'm crazy," he asked Jenny as they walked back home.

"It couldn't have anything to do," Jenny asked, "with you being rather taken with someone in the quartet, could it?"

"Of course not," he said.

"Hmm."

They walked in silence for another minute, before Jenny said, "I think we ought to tell Mum and Dad."

"Oh no," Gary said. "It would be too embarrassing. Dad will call me a poofta, and you know how he goes on about them."

"Yes," Jenny said, she knew how their father disliked homosexuality. "But I still think we have to tell them what you're doing, otherwise they will think the worst."

So when they got into their house, they went straight into the lounge where their parents were watching TV. Fortunately, it was in a commercial break, so Jenny launched straight in.

"Mum, Dad. Gary played with us brilliantly this evening. We played better music today than we've ever done with Clara as cellist."

"That's nice dear."

"I think the nephew is going to be the killer," their father said, talking about the murder mystery on TV.

"So we've asked Gary to play with us tomorrow evening at the Grand Hotel."

"That's lovely dear. But it can't be the nephew because he was dining with the Vice-Chancellor of the university."

"They were both lying," their father said. He grinned at Gary. "Just as long as you don't have to wear a dress, eh, kid?"

Jenny and Gary looked at each other.

"But I do," he said.

"Yeah, right," said his father.

"That'll be nice, dear. I think it's the son. He looks real shifty."

Gary looked at Jenny and they both left the room.

"We tried," Jenny said. "It's just so difficult talking to them about important things."

"Well, it's not that important," Gary said.

"No," she said, "I suppose not."

***

"Hi Gary, hi Jen," Emily said, looking more bright and cheerful than Jenny had ever seen her. Perhaps, Jenny thought, she was one of those annoying morning people, or perhaps, she mentally added, it was simply the prospect of doing rather intimate things with her brother.

"I called my sister, Jessica, at University last night," Emily said, "because I remember when she was in the Sixth Form, she had to convert some boys to get them into our hockey team." (See Jolly Hockey Sticks by Charlotte Dickles.) "You'll never guess what she still had in her wardrobe."

Gary and Jenny both indicated they couldn't guess.

"Come and see," Emily delightedly said.

She took them upstairs to a bedroom. "Apparently, my mum borrowed four of them from her work," she said, "but this one came back late and it never got returned."

She opened the wardrobe door with a flourish. Hanging inside was what appeared to be a girl's torso. Both Gary and Jenny recoiled.

"It's all right," she said. "It's not real; it just looks very real. It's called a Torsolet. My mum used to work at the shop in town where they sold them."

"You're suggesting I wear that?" Gary said, eying the garment which was like a skin-coloured leotard, with prominent nipples and clearly a vagina between the legs.

"It will give you a girl's body," Emily said. "When Louise brings Clara's dress, we can inflate the breasts with water to make them just the right size to fit it."

"You won't have to inflate them very much," Jenny said. "She's got smaller breasts than I have."

Gary shrugged and took a deep breath. "I guess I'd better try it on."

"Not yet," Emily said. "We need to dehair you first. Are you wearing your swimming briefs like I suggested?"

Gary slowly nodded.

***

An hour later, Gabriella looked down her body and gasped. The way Gary's legs had been transformed into sexy, shapely ones, simply with the removal of their hair was remarkable enough. But the Torsolet had worked wonders from the thighs right up to her neck. She now had beautifully small breasts pushing out of her hairless chest, and between them, she could see the slight bush of pubic hair, totally devoid of the normal things sticking out there. She rather wanted to slide a finger down there, but could not with Jenny and Emily staring critically at her.

"What do you think?" Emily asked.

"Fantastic," Gabriella replied. She turned the other way and glanced in the mirror, marvelling at how the wide padded hips and bum gave her the unmistakeable outline of a curvy girl, regardless of the size of her tiny boobs.

"Is it comfortable," Emily asked. "I've only used the short term anti-perspirant gel that comes with it, so we'll have to take everything off, wash out the Torsolet and renew it just before we set off to the performance."

"Why not use the longer term stuff?" Gabriella asked.

Emily grinned. "You wouldn't thank me for that," she said. "The long term gel is semi-permanent. You'd be stuck in it for two weeks."

"What a pity you didn't use it," Jenny quipped.

Gabriella pulled a face. "Stuff you," she said.

"Gabriella," Jenny admonished. "Nice young ladies do not speak like that."

"Whilst we're waiting for Louise to turn up with Clara's dress, you can put on some of my jeans," Emily said, opening her wardrobe again. "I think we're probably about the same size hips. I've also got a wig I used in the school play. I think it will suit you.

"Thanks, Emily," Gabriella said. She was a good friend, she thought. On the other hand, she couldn't wait for Louise to turn up.

***

"Clara won't hand over her dress," Louise said as soon as she entered Emily's bedroom where Emily was finishing Gabriella's makeup.

"You look fantastic, Gabriella," she added, as she noticed her in the mirror.

Gabriella's heart leapt with joy. "Thanks," she said.

"You look so like a girl," Louise added, giving the best compliment she knew.

"Thanks, Louise," Gabriella said, feeling confused.

"But Clara's got to return the dress," Jenny said, picking up Louise's remark. "The school bought it for our group."

"She says that Miss Harper agreed she could use it for all performances she gave. So she's not handing it over. I need hardly tell you she was mighty upset that we had thrown her out of the group."

"She's just being selfish," Emily said. "Why don't we contact Miss Harper?"

"Because Miss Harper will support her," Louise said. "She's performing at a regional competition in Bath at lunchtime on Sunday. She'll be staying there tonight so she says she can't let us even borrow the dress overnight."

"So what do we do now?" Jenny asked.

"I do have a spare," Emily said. "When Miss Harper bought these, my mum insisted on purchasing an extra one so that we could have one in cleaning whilst I wore the other. I'm afraid it will be a rather larger size than Clara's."

"Oh good," Jenny said. "That means we'll have to give Gabriella nice big tits."

"Jen," Gabriella complained.

"And I thought boys liked big boobs," Jenny replied, winking at Emily.

"Maybe," Gabriella admitted, then realised she would be upsetting Louise. "I mean No."

"I think Gabriella is even beginning to think like a girl," Louise said approvingly. "It's so Neanderthal to like big boobs."

Gabriella, as confused as ever, said nothing.

"Emily took a long black gown out of her wardrobe, and asked Gabriella to stand up, so she could hold it against her."

"I'm a bit taller than you," she said, "so you'll have to wear taller heels." She grinned at Gabriella's look of distaste. "It's all right," she said, "I only wear two inch heels with this dress. I think you'll be fine with three inch heels. Hang on..."

She turned to rummage through the bottom of her wardrobe, and stood up holding black shoes with high heels. "Try these on," she said.

"I can't wear those," Gabriella said.

"They may be too small for your feet," Emily said, "but if you can squeeze into them for a few seconds, we'll be able to judge the height. You may as well take off the jeans and tee shirt, then we can try the dress on properly."

No one else seemed at all phased by her request, so Gabriella pulled off her shoes and socks, and then her jeans and tee shirt, and stood there as a naked girl, apart from the panties Emily had loaned her

"How did you get Gabriella looking like that?" Louise asked.

Emily explained about the Torsolet, showing her the almost invisible join where Torsolet met Gabriella's own skin.

Louise shook her head. "Amazing," she said.

But Emily was now rummaging through a drawer and she triumphantly produced a black bra. "There," she declared. "I knew I had a spare one of these."

Gabriella looked horrified. "You want me to wear your bra! But... I can't."

"Of course you'll need to wear my bra," Emily said with a smile. "But it's OK. I don't mind."

Gabriella knew it was inconsistent. All morning, he had, step by step, been turned from a sixteen-year-old boy into a credible looking girl - the hairs on his legs removed; gel spread over his body and then the Torsolet pulled over his head and down his body, with only the area beneath his swimming trunks left for him to do by himself.

It was Gary who had gone into the bathroom, but undoubtedly Gabriella who had come out. After that, she had been sprayed with perfume, and Emily and Jenny had spent ages experimenting with makeup to minimise his boyish looks, and emphasise the feminine.

Only now, with Emily's bra dangling before her, did the enormity of what she was doing strike her in the face. Bras were for removing from girls (in his dreams, anyway), but definitely not for putting on oneself.

"So typical of a boy," Louise scorned. "Reckons there's nothing to being a girl but won't even put on a bra."

Gabriella felt very hurt by Louise's remark. It was one thing for Jenny to tease him, quite another for the girl he so wanted to impress.

"Gabriella's done marvels, already," Emily said. "I don't think many boys would have done this, and I suspect you wouldn't have done the reverse and pretended to be a boy."

"That's different," Louise said, and then apologised. "Sorry, I hate it when people say that to me." She smiled at Gabriella and Gabriella's heart lifted. "You have done wonders so far, Gabriella, but you need to go the extra mile and wear the bra."

Gabriella nodded. "OK, Emily," she said. "Do your worst."

Twenty minutes later, Gabriella stood before them, tottering on her high heels, with her black dress not quite touching the floor.

Emily had inflated her breasts so they completely filled her bra by connecting a pipe from the water tap to the nipples on the Torsolet. Gabriella couldn't believe the view as she peered down the Grand Canyon between her breasts. All the same, there was one overiding issue she could not ignore.

"The shoes really are killing me," she said.

"I thought they might be too small for your feet," Emily said. "Never mind, we can go to the shops this afternoon and get you a pair which fit properly."

"Er, when you say we," Gabriella said, desperately hoping the answer was not what she thought it would be, "you didn't mean me, did you?"

"Of course you must come and try on the shoes," Emily said, "otherwise we wouldn't know we have the right size."

"But I might meet some of my friends," Gabriella said. "They'll recognise me."

"No way," Emily said. "Look, I'll lend you a low-cut sun top which will show off your boobs, and a short skirt. I bet none of your mates know what fantastic legs you have."

Gabriella had to admit the accuracy of that statement. "But they might try to talk to me."

"In which case, you're Gabriella Green," Jenny said, "from London visiting your cousin. I'll come as well, then I can make any introductions."

Gabriella shrugged. "S'pose so," she said.

***

When Emily had suggested the low-cut sun top and short skirt, Gabriella had seen it as necessary to prove that she really was female. But as she stepped on the bus with Jenny and Emily, she realised the disadvantages.

"Phwoar, cop a look at those knockers," she heard one of the group of boys sitting near the front of the bus mutter to his mates.

"Never mind the knockers," another said. "Look at those pins."

"The arse, man, get a gander of that arse."

"Get used to it," Emily said in a low voice as Jenny paid for their fares. "We girls have to, all the time."

"Anyway," she added as they took their seats towards the rear of the bus, "they liked your boobs, your legs and your bottom."

"Well I like yours," Gabriella said, "but I don't shout it out."

"Do you?"

Gabriella was surprised how pleased Emily seemed by her remark. But then, she thought, it was quite exhilerating to have someone lust after her. If only a certain girl would do it.

"Just remember," Jenny said, "whatever embarrassment you might feel at boys looking at you with lust, is as nothing to what it could have been."

They all grinned at each other about that.

When they arrived in the town centre, Gabriella was dismayed to find there was a strong breeze coming in from the sea, as often happened early afternoon. It had a tendency to terrifyingly lift Gabriella's skirts. She had to keep her hands closely at her sides, and several times had to grab the front or rear of her skirt as the wind lifted it.

Several people had grinned at her antics, and two boys yelled, "We saw your knickers."

After a bit of giggling at Gabriella's plight, Emily took pity on her.

"You can see why most women don't wear skirts, nowadays," she said. "But the best thing to do is to keep your hands by your sides and just accept that now and again, a few people will see your panties. At least you're wearing some."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

She gave such a happy smile; Gabriella couldn't help but smile back.

"Oh, Gabriella," Emily said. "I told you it would be fun, and this is all part of it. So what if some stupid schoolboy gets turned on by seeing your panties. The last laugh is on him, as he doesn't know who he's really getting turned on by."

Gabriella had to admit, the idea of stupid boys getting turned on by looking at a boy in panties was rather amusing. As well as, Gabriella realised, rather erotic.

It was only when they stepped inside the ladies shoe shop that Gabriella started to feel nervous again. After all, this was strictly a female domain, and as they walked in, a woman was examining her legs as she stood in front of a mirror wearing a pair of high heels. Her legs looked incredibly shapely, and as Gabriella ogled the sight, Jenny said, "That's what your legs will look like in your new shoes."

"You're kidding."

"Don't tease her, Jen," Emily said. "Don't forget she'll be wearing a long dress tonight. Which is a shame as no one will see what fantastic legs she has."

"Of course, no one will see her legs tonight," Jenny agreed. "But don't forget she's never before worn heels. She has to get some experience with them, otherwise she's bound to trip in them tonight. So she needs to wear them on the way home."

"Jenny! No!" Gabriella turned to Emily. "She is teasing, isn't she?"

But for once, Emily wasn't able to reassure her. "I'd forgotten about that," she said. "Of course, Jenny is right. You'll have to be very brave and wear them home."

"Wearing this skirt!" Gabriella shouted.

A few of the customers in the shop turned around to locate the source of the commotion, and an assistant came over to see if she could help.

"My cousin wants to try on those shoes," Jenny pointed, "and those, but she doesn't know her size. Could you measure her, please?"

"Of course, madam. If you'd like to take a seat."

Gabriella knew she had no choice and sat down, whilst the assistant measured her feet. When she had gone off to fetch the shoes in her size, Gabriella said, "Why didn't you say this before we left Emily's house? I could have worn jeans, like you two."

"But Gabriella," Jenny said, "my brother is always saying how sexy girls look in short skirts, and how it should be made a criminal offence for them to wear trousers."

"You don't say that, do you Gabriella?" Emily asked, rather shocked at Jenny's revelation.

"Well..." It had been Gary who started to reply, but Gabriella who took over the question. "Of course, anyone should be free to dress how they wish, but I do think that dresses and skirts make us women look far more attractive than trousers."

"So you have no problem," Jenny said, "in going home in short skirt and high heels?"

Gabriella gulped, and then took her courage in her hands. "None, except that I have no experience with high heels, and I think I'm going to need the support of both my cousin and my friend with this."

Emily and Jenny looked at each other. "It's a deal," they said.

In fact, the shop didn't have any shoes in Gabriella's size, so they had to leave that shop and go into another, where they only had brown or blue shoes of the right heel height in Gabriella's size. Then they went to another, and another, until they finally found what they were searching for.

"I can't even stand up in these," Gabriella said after she had put on both shoes.

"Are you not used to high heels?" the assistant asked. "It might be better to try a lower heel to start with."

"She needs the height for a dress she has to wear tonight," Jenny explained.

"OK," the assistant smiled. "In that case, just push your weight down through your heel, as if you were standing flat on the ground."

As Gabriella cautiously rose to her feet, she added, "Don't be afraid of your heels - they're your friends. Now," she took Gabriella's hand, "just try a little walk over to the mirror. That's it, keep your weight back and go carefully until you're used to them. There, you're a natural. And look in the mirror at the extra shape it's given to your legs."

Gabriella almost gasped as she stared at her own legs.

"We'll take those," Jenny said. They had pooled their money that morning, and she now paid for them.

"She'll keep them on now," Emily said. "She has to get used to them for this evening."

"Are you doing anything special?" the shop girl asked.

"We play in a string quartet," Emily said. When the girl obviously didn't know what that was, she added. "A group."

"Oh! Great. Good luck with your performance."

The girls left the shop feeling pleased with themselves, and Gabriella started to feel less uneasy about wearing a skirt which showed off her superb legs. Everytime she felt a man's eyes upon her, she felt a little thrill shoot through her. If only they knew.

But she'd only walked a short distance before her ankles started to ache.

"Keep going," Emily said. "I know it's murder when you first start, but you'll soon get used to it." She took Gabriella's hand and pulled it under her own arm, causing the back of Gabriella's wrist to touch against Emily's breast.

"If you were a boy," Emily said, grinning again, "I'd have to slap your face for touching me there."

"I've always known," Gabriella said, "that being a girl had definite advantages. They... that is, we, have much more fun."

"I think Jenny probably agrees with that," Emily said. "Don't you Jenny?"

"What? Er, yes, I suppose so."

Gabriella couldn't understand why Jenny had started to blush, but her thoughts were brought back sharply as Jenny and Emily turned in order to enter another shop. Gabriella glanced at the name. It was Victoria's Secrets!

"You're not going in there!" she gasped.

"Of course," Jenny said. "We said we'd have to get you a few more things for tonight."

"What sort of things?"

Emily grasped Gabriella by the arm and whispered in her ear. "It won't be a secret if we yell it across the road. Come inside and then we can show you."

"Yes, but... In there?"

Emily smiled. "It's alright. You're a pretty girl who needs the right underwear for tonight."

She took Gabriella's hand and dragged her inside.

"Here we are," Jenny said, "this is a nice suspender belt." She held it up so Gabriella could see.

"A suspender belt?" Gabriella wished the floor would open up and swallow him (he was feeling very male, all of a sudden). Jenny had spoken in her normal voice, and yet no one had turned a hair.

"It's all right, Gabriella," Emily said. "It's a perfectly normal thing for a pretty girl like you to buy."

Her remark calmed Gabriella, and she felt able to look at the garment Jenny was holding out.

"It's thick enough so it will be seen beneath the dress," Jenny said, "but not that thick that it looks obvious."

"But I don't want it to show through the dress," Gabriella said. That wasn't an unreasonable feeling for a girl, surely?

"Louise and I were talking about this," Jenny said, "and we all know how our dresses tend to outline every little bump beneath. We thought by drawing attention to your suspender belt and stocking tops, no one would notice any less obvious joins." She didn't have to mention the Torsolet but they all knew.

But Gabriella picked up on something else. "Stocking tops! You're not..."

"Of course, you must, Gabriella," Emily said. "All girls wear them sometimes."

"But don't you wear tights?"

"Of course, but Jenny's right about drawing attention away from other things. Now if you're happy with the suspender belt, let's get you some stockings and a thong."

"A thong!"

"You want them to see your stockings and suspenders, but visible pantie line is a no-no."

"Oh God!"

***

"I just can't play in these heels," Gabriella said, later that evening. "The dress I can manage, but the heels totally alter my stance. I'll have to take them off for the performance, except it will be different again, playing in bare feet."

"Look, lets practice some more," Emily said. "I'm sure you'll get used to them in a few minutes."

It was ten minutes before they were due to start performing, and they were in the ante-chamber just behind the stage at the one end of the Grand Hotel's banqueting suite. In fifteen minutes, two hundred and fifty salesmen would enter the hall and expect to have a pretty female quartet playing to them as they wined and dined.

It didn't help that Louise had only just arrived (parent trouble, she had said), and was now frantically pulling off her jeans and top, oblivious to Gabriella's presence, until she stood naked apart from her tights. Whilst Jenny and Emily had also changed in the same room, they had both turned their backs on him as they went through the most intimate part of the process, but Louise had no such inhibitions. Gabriella desperately tried not to gasp as she turned, her pert breasts giving slight joggles as she tried to unzip the garment bag containing her dress.

"She's totally shameless," Jenny said, realising Gabriella's position.

"Oh," Louise grinned, suddenly realising. "I'd forgotten you were really a..."

"Sshh," Emily said. "We don't know who might hear us outside this room."

It was fortunate that she took the attention away from Gabriella, because Louise's comment had lanced right through him — She had forgotten he was really a boy! Did she have no feelings at all for him? Clearly not, he was forced to admit. He felt tears pricking his eyes, and was breathless, as though someone had hit him hard in the stomach.

"I think you lot had better get out on stage," Louise said, oblivious to the hurt she had caused, "and I'll catch you up. Kisses for everyone."

She bent over so she could air kiss Gabriella, her tits dangling right in front of his nose, before turning towards Emily and doing the same. That was perhaps the ultimate affront; even having being reminded that he was really a boy, she considered his sex insignificant enough to flaunt herself in front of him.

"I guess you didn't know about them," Emily said.

"What?" He turned his face towards her, fighting the tears.

"You didn't know about Jenny and Louise," she said. "I guess it's quite a surprise."

What was she talking about? Gabriella turned towards Jenny and Louise to find them locked in an embrace, Louise's hands squeezing Jenny's bum, and their mouths working together in a passionate kiss.

"Uh?" was all he could say.

"I find it quite embarrassing," Emily said. "It must be worse, being your sister, regardless of whether or not you're OK with the sexuality of it."

"Er... Yes."

"Let's get out on stage," Emily said. She raised her voice. "Come on you two. We haven't got time for that. Break it off. We need to be playing in three minutes." She picked up her viola and motioned for Gabriella to follow her.

"How long have they been..." Gabriella asked.

"It's gradually got more and more intense throughout the term," Emily said. "But it's important you put all that behind you now. We're on stage. Those two will be out in a few minutes and then we have to play as though nothing has happened."

"Emily." The voice snapped at them from nowhere. "Where on earth have you been? You should be playing by now."

"Sorry, Miss Harper," Emily said.

All the boys at SPS knew Miss Harper, the headmistress of SIGHS, by sight and reputation, and all were terrified of her.

"And who is this young lady?"

"It's Gabriella Green. She's Jenny's cousin, and she's filling in for Clara."

"Filling in for Clara! You mean Clara's not here tonight? Why not?"

"She wasn't a reliable performer," Louise's voice came from behind them. "She's let us down several times at rehearsals, and we decided we couldn't continue running the quartet unless she was replaced."

"WHAT! How dare you do such a thing without consulting me? You think all the people here tonight want to hear you three and some unknown cellist perform? They have come here to hear our great cellist, Clara Drake."

"We understood it was a sales conference," Jenny said, clearly mystified.

"Yes," Miss Harper said. "It is a sales conference. These people are on a conference organised by the String Instrument Retailers' Association, and they have specifically held their conference in Seacombe in order to hear Clara play."

"I'm afraid Clara has gone to Bath, tonight, Miss Harper," Louise said. "She's performing there tomorrow at lunchtime."

"I can assure you, young lady, that she and I are driving to Bath tomorrow morning."

"Then she lied to us, Miss Harper," Emily said. "She told Louise she was not in Seacombe tonight, and we got Gabriella to fill in for her. I'm afraid that's the way Clara has been behaving towards The Strings of Sighs for several months. Maybe we were wrong to sack her from the group without consulting with you, but it won't damage her reputation as a brilliant musician. However, perhaps it will teach her that she cannot mess other musicians about as she has been doing with us."

There was a few seconds silence after Emily's outburst, as they all waited for Miss Harper to explode. Instead, she nodded a few times and said, "Very well, but this young lady," she turned to Gabriella, "is not a pupil of SIGHS. She should not be part of this group."

"But she is a pupil, Miss Harper," Emily said. "When she agreed last night to help us out, I immediately enrolled her on one of Miss Walker's Beauty and Makeup courses. I dropped the form into the office before I left the school."

"I see. I recall your sister and Fiona Jolly did something similar a few years back. I only hope you're not repeating what they..."

She broke off suddenly and stared at Gabriella, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

"Oh my God!"

Never before had any girl heard Miss Harper utter an expletive, and they waited in terror for her outrage.

"Miss Harper," a man called from the floor of the banqueting room. "We really need the Strings to start playing now."

"But..." Miss Harper started to say.

"Miss Harper," Emily said. "There are some things better left unspoken."

"Miss Harper. Please," the man said.

"Very well," she said. "We will talk about this on Monday morning. My office immediately after assembly. Is that clear?"

"Yes miss."

"And I shall be talking to your headmaster, Gabriella, as well.

"Yes miss."

"Then you had better start playing, and I only hope that your 'cousin', Jenny, is a reasonable player."

As she walked off, Louise said, "What are we going to do? These guys are from the String Instrument Retailers' Association. They're going to be looking for perfection."

"We've got nothing to lose," Emily said. "We're all dead on Monday morning. We might as well make the last performance of The Strings of Sighs our best ever. We did it last night. So let's make tonight even better. Jenny and Louise, you two can stop behaving like star-struck lovers, and Gabriella, you can stop moaning about your heels. So let's get on with it."

They all turned to their instruments and started to tune.

***

"That one went pretty good," Gabriella quietly murmured, as they bowed to superb applause from the audience, at the end of their first piece. That, in itself, was remarkable. When playing to diners, it was unusual to get more than a sprinkling of applause after each piece.

"Pretty good," Emily said. "It was brilliant. Are the shoes all right, now?"

"Shoes?" Gabriella said. "What shoes?"

"In that case, let's knock 'em dead with the next one."

They did.

***

"That old bloke at the top table has been ogling you all evening," Emily said, as they packed up their instruments, after taking their final bow, following their third encore.

"I know him," Gabriella said, still smiling at everyone, including the old man. "It's old Mr Crofts, from the musical instrument shop in town. I'm hoping he hasn't recognised me."

"If he hasn't, then he's a paedophile," Emily said. "If he has, that makes him a gay paedophile."

"He's not like that," Gabriella protested. "He's nice. He's always helped Jenny and me with anything to do with our instruments. Apparently, he used to be a merchant banker; he made his fortune in the City. Then, when he retired a hundred years ago, he bought the shop in town. He keeps it running to help local musicians. It can't make any profit."

The subject of their conversation now stood up, and rapped a spoon against a wine glass to call for silence.

"Before I commence my talk," he said when silence had fallen, "could I ask The Strings of Sighs to remain on the stage for a while?"

After the applause they'd received, he was hopefully not going to tell them they were rubbish, but each of them wondered whether he had realised that Gabriella was actually Gary, and was about to expose them.

"For some time," he said, "Miss Harper has been trying to persuade me to leave money in my will to enable a music academy to be built at SIGHS. But although Clara Drake is an excellent musician, I did want to see evidence of more girls from SIGHS becoming excellent musicians.

"So I think it was highly courageous of Miss Harper to remove Clara from The Strings of Sighs in order for her to concentrate upon work as a solo performer."

"What?" Emily said.

"To replace her with a new cellist on the basis of a single audition, was even more so," he continued.

"But we all know Miss Harper is never afraid to take courageous decisions, and it has paid dividends, this time. To watch these four talented girls play is sheer delight. The music of this quartet is so much more than the individual sum of their parts. Rarely have I seen such young artists work together so well.

"Of course, on a personal note, I cannot help but draw comparisons between the cellist, Gabriella Green, and my own daughter, Gemina, who died so tragically all those years ago.

"Now Miss Harper tells me that Gabriella is as yet only a temporary member of the school and of the quartet, so I would like to make a proposal to her. Secure Gabriella as a permanent member of SIGHS, and of course, The Strings of Sighs , and instead of waiting until I am dead for the music academy to proceed, then it shall go ahead now. The Strings of Sighs and Clara Drake will be the founder members of the new academy.

"In case that offer alone is not sufficient to attract Gabriella to the school, I would like to add a personal offer of my own."

"Don't let him become your sugar daddy," Emily whispered. It was all Gabriella could do not to burst into laughter.

"Stay here with The Strings of Sighs , Gabriella, and I will loan you my daughter's Stradivarius cello. Surely, that is an offer that no cellist could refuse?"

Emily, Louise and Jenny all gasped and suddenly all eyes were on Gabriella. For some reason which Gary could never have understood, she burst into tears.

***

"Oh, Miss Harper, I'm so sorry," were the first words Gabriella could say, when she stopped crying in the ante room.

Damn! Miss Harper thought, he's not going to do it. Obviously, as a responsible headmistress, she must absolutely respect the child's right to determine his own future. However, that did not prevent her telling him what he had to do.

"I don't think you should reject the idea too quickly," she said. "After all, it is a fantastic opportunity for you, personally."

"But it would never work," Gabriella said. "All the boys at SPS would know I'd transferred, then the press would be bound to get hold of the story. I'd be made a laughing stock."

"Who else knows about this?" Miss Harper looked around the group.

"No one, Miss Harper," Emily said. They all nodded confirmation.

"Your parents, brothers, sisters, best friends?"

They shook their heads.

Jenny said, "We did try to tell our parents, but they weren't really listening."

"Then suppose," Miss Harper turned back to Gabriella, "you told your school friends you'd been awarded a place at Chets, and had to move away."

Gaby nodded. The Chetham School of Music was world renowned and any musician would covet such a place.

"At the same time," Miss Harper said, "your cousin, Gabriella, comes here to live with your family and goes to SIGHS. That would work, wouldn't it?"

"Well, I suppose it could do, but... Suppose it leaked out?"

"In the longer term, we could say you had gender dysphoria, and I don't think it would matter too much. But we must make absolutely sure nothing leaks out now. The future of all four of you relies on that." Not to say, she thought, the future of my music academy.

"But you're asking Gary to permanently give up life as a boy," Emily said, anxious for Gary.

Miss Harper could have wrung the stupid girl's neck! Couldn't she look after her own self-interest rather than being some fucking do-gooder?

"I know it would be a big step," Miss Harper said. "But if..."

"But if I had friends like you to support me," Gabriella said, looking at Emily, "I'd have better friends than I've ever had at SPS."

Emily couldn't stop an enormous smirk appearing on her face.

"So you'd be all right with that," Miss Harper said. Thank fuck for that. "Obviously, I have to put your welfare first," she lied without a qualm.

"For a chance to play a Stradivarius," Gabriella said, "I'd do anything."

"Very well," Miss Harper said. "I'd better come and talk with your parents."

Gabriella and Jenny pulled faces, an action noted by Miss Harper.

***

"Mum. Dad. Miss Harper, my headmistress is here. She'd like to talk with you."

"Oh, Jenny. What have you done?" their mother said. "I'm sure she didn't mean it," she said to Miss Harper as she walked into the room.

"I'll turn the tele down," their father said.

In Miss Harper's experience, there were three types of parents: most would turn the TV off when she unexpectedly arrived on their doorstep, some would turn the sound down, and hardly any kept watching it. She nodded; it would be simple, now she understood the parents.

"I'm not here to talk about Jenny," Miss Harper said, "but about Gary."

"Oh," Mrs Green said, turning to her son. "What have you been up to? He's only a boy," she said to Miss Harper. "I'm sure he didn't mean any harm."

"Mr and Mrs Green," Miss Harper said. "Did you see the film Tootsie on the television last week?"

Talking about TV programmes was a natural ice-breaker to any conversation, so Mrs Green came straight back. "Oh, yes. We've seen it before, but it's still a great film."

"Not very believable though," Mr Green added.

"The point is," Miss Harper said, "that Gary has been given a similar opportunity to Dustin Hoffman. He could become a star member of our new music academy, but only by appearing as a girl."

"Gary could never do that," Mrs Green said.

"He never would do it," Mr Green added.

"He has," Miss Harper said. "He successfully convinced a large, expert audience at the Grand Hotel this evening that he was a member of Jenny's all-girl string quartet."

"Blimey," Mr Green said.

"Goodness," Mrs Green said.

"Obviously," Miss Harper added, "as two of our star performers, I think I could guarantee scholarships, which would pay all the school fees for both Jenny and Gary. In the longer term, I think both of them will look forward to a very bright and rewarding future."

"Where do we sign?" Mr Green asked.

***

"Sorry I didn't tell you before about Louise and me," Jenny said.

Gary shrugged. "I was kind of gob-smacked," he said, underplaying his shock one thousand fold. "It was just so unexpected."

"I meant to tell you last night, but then you were obviously pretty stressed about having to dress as a girl, I thought it would be rather mean to burden you with my problems."

"Whereas, I found out just before I was about to play the most important performance of my life," he said. "Thanks."

He hesitated a little and said, "I guess my performance at my school next Friday evening will probably be my last as a boy. Emily has been so helpful and friendly, and so much fun, I was thinking of asking if she'd like to come to watch me. Maybe go out for a pizza afterwards. Do you think she might come?"

Jenny appeared to carefully consider the question, before she nodded and said, "D'you know? I think she probably would."