The finale

The search for the mysterious girl on the playground continues. Could it be Ashley, or the figment of an imagination desperate for some modicum of hope? Meanwhile, Ryan’s eyes open to a new reality, one where the serum hasn’t simply regressed his adult mind and stripped away his masculinity.

From what happened in the studio, it is clear that acting like a child causes further regression. While Ryan cannot avoid being treated as a six-year old girl, he attempts to curb the more destructive childish behaviour, but this means playing along with his developing role in the Patterson household. While this might be easy in a controlled environment, the first day of school looms and with it, the greatest and most important battle against the serum.

Excerpt:
Like a dog, I immediately perked up at the words ‘good girl’. Deep down inside, beneath the layers of what remained of my fractured masculinity, something stirred. A great lumbering beast, with twin pigtails and a bouncy, happy smile, heard those words and devoured them, but it was a morsel, and the beast wanted a never-ending feast. It was too late by the time I realized the happy smile was plastered on my face.

I was being attacked on all sides- the desire for praise and to receive that praise by helping, circumventing my usual defences. Greg and Eve never really praised me for anything. I mean they wouldn’t have thanked me for something completely mundane or said I was a good girl, not if they wanted to continue breathing normally. Mrs. Feinstein wasn’t one to heap praise either, but when she did, I reacted similarly. It was obvious, however, that since I arrived in Twin Falls, and I was really being treated like a child, I was regressing. The same thing had happened in the studio even before Ashley’s memory wipe

Kaylee’s adoptive parents are revealed, and the slow and final dismantling of Ryan Sullivan begins. Trapped with those who treat him exactly as he looks, Ryan is desperate to maintain his adult and male self, but is he too far gone? Still, his new parents offer a new beginning, an opportunity to right the wrongs of his previous life, but most importantly, a chance to be loved unconditionally.

Excerpt: Ms. McDavid said, “Oh I’m sure she’ll adjust fine, Kathryn. Just keep in mind what I told you too, Kaylee’s probably picked up some bad habits working in Hollywood. It’s a different lifestyle, so expect some strange behaviour. That’s why it’s important to make sure she has as normal a childhood as possible.”

The man, whose name I recalled was Thomas, said, “What do you mean, Ms. McDavid?”

Ms. McDavid smiled, “Don’t be in a hurry to let her grow up too fast. Kids her age want a lot of independence, but you can’t forget how old she is. She’ll need your help to guide her. She’s also got a very active little imagination. Try and encourage her to use it as much as possible. But most of all, just let her be a kid!”

Is withholding the truth the same as an outright lie? What was done to protect Ryan’s vulnerable mind has driven the equivalent of a railroad spike into the fledging relationship between the two former enemies. Yet, the public adoption draws near and all must remain idyllic in the household, even with the betrayal.
Excerpt:

I wanted to run away. It is what I always did. Jessica continued to speak, but I didn’t hear anything. The barking dogs, the sweet incessant nattering of Jessica, her voice akin to taking a bite of candy and finding a railroad spike inside- all of it disappeared the instant I slipped out of Jessica’s grip and ran.

I ran as fast as I could, each section of chain link fence passing in a flash. Seconds later, I felt a firm hand dig into my shoulder, stopping my momentum dead.

Jessica said softly, “I don’t know if it’s the serum doing this to you, or if a part of you actually wants it, but if you don’t want me to say anything to Eve I won’t. You need to know though that there’s probably going to be a point of no return. And it’s going to be soon.”

While Jessica has saved Ryan from the day camp, she has her own ideas about how six-year old girls should be treated and what media they should be exposed to. In the meantime, Ryan struggles with fact that Jessica’s body, perfection encased in yoga pants, represents something else entirely for him now.

Excerpt:
The yoga pants clung to her like a second skin. Her muscular ass, perfectly firm yet enticingly round, sat high, teasing as it thrust forward and backward, practically begging for a pair of hands to gently squeeze it. Her long blonde hair unbound dipped gracefully over one shoulder. She grasped her left foot, slowly bringing it back, until it was parallel with her head. For anyone else, the pose and fitness wear would have revealed a litany of flaws, a drooping ass, and low-hanging belly combined with love handles, mottled thighs, but with her, it only screamed her perfection.

I watched, or rather stared, at Jessica as she went through a series of yoga stretches. Before my change, it would have been enough to have me practically begging her for sex. It wasn’t something that I did- ever, but for her I would have made an exception. She turned onto her side and lifted herself into a side plank. As she did this, she was forced to flex her ass, which caused her yoga pants to go from gym appropriate to indecent in seconds. The pants were virtually non-existent near her ass, looking like they were, instead, masterful tattoos.

The world now knows of Kaylee’s existence. As talk of adoption heats up, Ryan’s mind, twisted by the serum begins to play tricks on him. Meanwhile, Ryan struggles with trying to reassert his identity through something other than the formerly tantalizing opposite sex.

Excerpt: But this was nothing like the sudden warmth I felt when the little girl hugged her mother. The warmth was not heat, unlike a blanket covering a shivering form, it elicited a response from my heart. I knew heartache, at least as long it took for me to find another girl, and another, to fill the void left by Hannah, but this was something else entirely.

My heart, my chest, my brain- everything was filled to bursting with an overwhelming sense of love- to give and receive it in an immeasurable fashion. The only thing similar to it was the intense, incredible high I got from sex, but it wasn’t lust, the hard wrenching of parts, stares and longing, until the moment of climax, and then nothing- no, it was something real. Lasting.

And that’s why it scared the fuck out of me. Because it didn’t exist. To me it had to be the serum, and I was staring at my future if I embraced this world.

Finally understanding that he cannot wage the war against the serum alone, Ryan accepts Greg and Eve’s help. After the close call with the doll, Greg’s suggests a trip to the beach to wake up the old Ryan Sullivan. Ryan readily accepts, but the trip will hardly be a simple day at the beach. While there will be a multitude of flesh to attract a red-blooded male, there also exists many attractions to awaken the little girl within.

Excerpt: The door closed and the footsteps rapidly retreated. I was left holding a plastic doll, and while my humiliation in Greg’s presence was staggering to both my male ego and my adult self, I couldn’t help but want to continue playing. It was like some drug filling my mind and body with such a real sense of happiness that it was easy to ignore the fact that such actions were eating away at Ryan Sullivan. The toys, the sense of adventure, the world of imagination that Hermie spoke of were the vultures circling over the soon-to-be corpse.

But it was rainbows, cotton candy, pretty dresses, and a life where finding someone to play with would be my greatest worry. I knew that children worried about more important stuff. Some of them even faced crippling anxiety. A friend of mine, the same one with all the incredible video games, was a wreck every time his dad went on a tour of duty. I knew better, but the drug swimming in my system was smiles and sunshine.

I desperately needed help.

After the visit to the studio, with his frustration mounting, Ryan retreats to one of his old vices. While the obsession with video games had seemingly doomed Mark and Devon, a greater danger looms just outside his window.

Excerpt:

A skipping rope slapped gently against the asphalt, each jump and each giggle caused candy-coated claws to dig into my mind, the claws digging deeper and deeper as my desire to join the girls grew.

“Wow! You did three skips that time! I wanna be good like that!”

I looked out the window and saw a skipping rope tied to a telephone pole. Two girls, one of them Kaylee’s age and one Ashley’s, were taking turns holding the rope. Each time they failed to jump the rope, they switched places. The whiney, nattering voice of the younger girl should have been a massive turnoff, like a beautiful girl with a mannish voice, but instead, it planted a powerful need, an alien yearning to reach out to these girls- to play with them, but it also caused a resurgence of doubt.

“Would they even want to play with me?”

Ryan/Kaylee is now safe in the home of Eve and Greg, however, old wounds surface, creating friction between Eve and Ryan. While clearly still in need of help, especially in keeping his secret, other help, however, may prove lethal to Ryan’s battered adult mind. Meanwhile, Ryan’s male self is challenged as Kaylee, who had previously simply been a little girl in the mirror, develops a sense of self and establishes a meagre but still present identity.

Excerpt: I added, “Without Tracy, I’m trapped like this. And every single fucking day, I feel like I’m fighting against myself. You know yesterday I saw these girls just skipping rope? And it looked like so much fun, as fun as sex with Monique and Jessica. At the same time. Fuck, I’m going crazy.”

Greg said, “That’s why you need to get out of here. Come on, man. It’s your favourite restaurant.”

I shook my head, “No way. All the waitresses will make these stupid goo-goo eyes at me. You know the look, it’s how Eve looks when she sees a baby with a puppy or a kitten. I’m safe in here from cheek pinching, gushing bullshit and constant reminders of how I look.”

Greg smirked, “You’re not that cute.”

I retorted, “Fuck, you man. That’s not what I meant.”

To Ryan’s horror, Ms. Daniels continues her bizarre transformation from network executive to doting mother-to-be. Despite this fact, Ryan is heartened by the return of Ashley. Unfortunately, not all was as it was before. Still, when all seems lost, a new hope for escape rises from an unlikely source.

Excerpt: The young woman easily pulled the covers away from my face and kissed me gently on the forehead. “I love you, Kaylee.”

She lingered for a minute, likely waiting for me to say something in return. With my silence, however, she trudged from the room.

I tossed and turned, my mind grappling with my inability to leave and the horrible fate that awaited me as the daughter of a madwoman. My body and mind exhausted with the struggle finally succumbed to sleep hours later.

Ashley continues to have a positive impact on Ryan, and this growing bond leads Ashley to reveal a painful secret. With the malleable period soon ending, and with it supposedly their chance to return to normal, Ryan and Ashley confront Dr. Travers and attempt to play upon the man’s morality, yet what they learn may make them yearn for Ms. Daniels.

Excerpt: There wasn’t a modicum of emotion to his voice which matched an equally blank expression when we finally saw his face. I pulled my hand away from Ashley’s, and while this would have amused Ms. Daniels, Dr. Travers remained stone faced. He was dishevelled, even more so than before with a thick beard and a heavy, acrid sweat smell. His lab coat was stained, and so were his shoes- a grimy pair of sneakers. Still, his eyes were vibrant, and within them, I saw a man who was calculating and focused. Just a brief glance showed the intelligence residing there, but there was something else too. The way he looked at us made me think of how my science teacher peered at the foetal pig before it was dissected. It was morbid curiosity.

Despite Ashley's previous reassurances, with his latest failure, Ryan cannot help but feel that his new body is useless. This lack of confidence and acceptance drives him further down the road toward becoming Kaylee in both mind and body. Meanwhile, Ms. Daniels reveals some hard truths about the entertainment industry, With filming set to begin, Ms. Daniels faces the expected resistance, but reveals a startling ultimatum.

Excerpt:
A smile formed when she addressed Ashley and me, “You two are doing wonderfully so far, especially you Kaylee. You are getting into the part. Oh, you definitely fight like sisters. But I want to see you two play together. Kaylee, after all, wants to do just about everything her big sister does.”

She walked toward the elevator, “Oh, and call each other by your names! Your real names.”

Her heels clicked on the studio floor, “Your only names.” Hermie stood next to us, shoulders gently slumping. Seconds, later the hippo returned to its mistress.

Ryan comes to the realization that he has lost not only his gender- but also fifteen years of his life. While this painful epiphany begins to break down the carefully formed walls of his masculinity and ego, he is forced into an uneasy alliance with Ashley, understanding that the two share common goals- escape. Meanwhile, the girls meet other victims, and the reason behind their transformation is revealed.

Excerpt:

My hands explored my face, feeling the delicate bone structure, the cherubic cheeks and the smooth hairless skin. Next, I peered down at my hands, as if seeing them for the first time. This was not some drug-induced nightmare. I couldn’t believe how tiny they looked, like the hands of a living doll. I flexed my fingers, wiggling them and then stared at the nails, which were adorned by a bright purple polish. My dainty toes were painted the same colour. I felt around the side of my head to my ear lobes, noticing little studs protruding from them.

While Ryan’s fever breaks, his body still feels off. However, with the rent due and no payment from the television show yet, he is forced to drag himself into work. While he masks any concern over his health with his usual bravado, his illness impacts his ability to do his job. Ultimately, this bravado, along with an unwillingness to see a doctor initially, could be his downfall.

Struggling actor Ryan Sullivan has spent his entire life running from his problems. Just when he is about to quit, giving up on his Hollywood dream, he gets an audition for the part of a lifetime. While the part offers the stability of a contract and an instant influx of cash, it isn't exactly Ryan's dream role. Still, for a starving artist, it's better than nothing, right?

Fearing that he will soon succumb not only to his forced adolescence but also to his blossoming feminine self, Darren writes a desperate plea to Mama Khalia. As this occurs, Darren is stripped of the last vestige of his former adult independence. Meanwhile, now fully entrenched within the high school experience, Abigail claims a victory over an incompetent tyrant. Finally, Abigail experiences not simply love, but an obsession so powerful that it threatens to erase Darren Lawrence from existence.
<!--break-->
A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR:

PART 3 TEASER: With the arrival of the school attendance letter, Darren’s grasp on his former adult life is tenuous. Despite this setback, he hatches a plan to regain his status, and the prospect of salvation through legal emancipation becomes a reality. Should he fail, however, come September, he will face true horror- a second trip through high school. As this is happening, Abigail has her day in court. Through it all, Abigail experiences the powerful effects of what she hopes is simply a harmless crush.
<!--break-->